Western Georgia
This Unesco World Heritage–listed monastery complex, on a wooded hillside 8km northeast of Kutaisi, is an outstanding example of Golden Age architecture…
Must-see attractions in Georgia
Stepantsminda
This 14th-century church 2200m above Stepantsminda has become almost a symbol of Georgia for its incomparably photogenic hilltop setting with mighty Mt…
Kakheti
Prince Alexander Chavchavadze (1786–1846) was one of the most colourful and influential characters in Georgian history, and the palace and gardens he…
Tbilisi
Dominating the Old Town skyline, Narikala dates right back to the 4th century, when it was a Persian citadel. Most of the walls were built in the 8th…
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Kakheti
At the beginning of the 11th century, when Georgia was entering its cultural and political golden age, King Kvirike of Kakheti had this majestic cathedral…
Tbilisi
For most visitors the highlight here is the hall of wonderful canvases by Georgia’s best-known painter Pirosmani (Niko Pirosmanashvili, 1862–1918),…
Tbilisi
Tbilisi's most exhilarating ride is its massively popular cable car, which swings from the south end of Rike Park high over the Mtkvari River and the Old…
Batumi
Everyone soon finds themselves strolling along Batumis bulvari, the park strip fronting the main beach, originally laid out in 1884 and now stretching 7km…
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Tbilisi
The major highlight of the impressive national museum is the basement Archaeological Treasury, displaying a wealth of pre-Christian gold, silver and…
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Tbilisi
The landmark Metekhi Church, and the 1960s equestrian statue of King Vakhtang Gorgasali beside it, occupy the strategic rocky outcrop above the Metekhi…
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Tbilisi
The ride up Mt Mtatsminda on the city's funicular is spectacular, as are the views from the top – and there are a couple of great places to eat or drink,…
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Tbilisi
Tbilisi’s oldest surviving church is perhaps its loveliest. Built by King Gorgasali’s son Dachi in the 6th century, it's a three-nave basilica whose…
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Sighnaghi
This well-displayed, modern museum has good exhibits on Kakheti archaeology and history downstairs, and a room of 13 paintings by Kakheti-born artist Niko…
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Great Caucasus
This magnificent agglomeration of koshkebi (defensive watchtowers) and atmospheric slate houses packed tightly together on a steep hillside to create one…
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Tbilisi
This 20m-tall aluminium symbol of Tbilisi holds a sword in one hand and a cup of wine in the other – a classic metaphor for the Georgian character, warmly…
Tbilisi
The biggest symbol of the Georgian Orthodox Church's post-Soviet revival towers on Elia Hill above Avlabari. Tsminda Sameba, unmissable by night and day,…
Concert Hall & Exhibition Centre
Tbilisi
The two large tubular metallic structures at the north end of Rike Park were commissioned from Italian architect Massimiliano Fuksas during the…
Tbilisi
The brick domes rising here are the roofs of subterranean bathhouses, the Abanotubani. Alexanders Dumas and Pushkin both bathed in these sulphurous waters…
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Western Georgia
You'll need to use your imagination to get much out of this ancient city site, which was one of the main centres of Colchis, flourishing from the 8th to…
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Kakheti
Nekresi’s early Georgian architecture and the views across the Alazani valley from its hillside-woodland site are marvellous. The monastery is 4km off the…
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Kutaisi
Kutaisi's cathedral was built in 1003 by Bagrat III, with a tall drum and pointed dome resting on four freestanding pillars. In 1692 a Turkish explosion…
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Great Caucasus
This fortress 66km north of Tbilisi is a classic example of Georgian architecture, enhanced by its superb location overlooking the Zhinvali Reservoir. The…
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Great Caucasus
The beautiful Truso valley, source of the Tergi River, heads west off the Georgian Military Hwy 17km south of Stepantsminda. It's dotted with ancient…
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Western Georgia
The star features of the 3.3-sq-km reserve, 9km northwest of Kutaisi, are a couple of dozen 120-million-year-old, fossilised dinosaur footprints (well…
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Western Georgia
Little Motsameta sits on a spectacular clifftop promontory above a bend of the Tskhaltsitela River, 5km from Kutaisi, 1.8km off the Gelati road. The river…
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Kakheti
This monastery, beautifully situated in a cypress grove, was one of two famous medieval Georgian Neoplatonist academies, the other being Gelati near…
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Western Georgia
An exciting 700m-long walkway projects from the edge of this 100m-deep canyon and culminates in a viewing platform that hangs right out over the middle…
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Sighnaghi
Bodbe Convent, the revered final resting place of St Nino, is set among tall cypresses 2km south of Sighnaghi, a pleasant walk on country roads. The…
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Tbilisi
The impressive high-arched Parliament building has seen many momentous events, including the deaths of 19 Georgian hunger strikers at the hands of Soviet…
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Kakheti
From 1466 to 1672, Gremi was the capital of Kakheti, but the town down to the west of the citadel was totally devastated by Shah Abbas in 1616. Within the…
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Open-Air Museum of Ethnography
Tbilisi
This collection of traditional, mostly wooden houses, from all around Georgia, is spread over a wooded hillside with good views, and makes for an…
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Western Georgia
This 1.4km-long cave at Kumistavi, 20km northwest of Kutaisi, is a succession of six large chambers followed by a 400m-long underground lake. Sections are…
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Western Georgia
Nokalakevi is an ancient Colchian fortress built on the banks of the Tekhuri River. It's been mooted as one of the (many) places to have housed the Golden…
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Western Georgia
The castle-like palace of the Dadiani family (old lords of Samegrelo) is now a museum set in beautifully maintained grounds. As well as interesting 19th…
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Tbilisi
The first church on this site is supposed to have been built in the 6th century by Davit Gareja, one of the ascetic ‘Syrian fathers’ who returned from the…
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Western Georgia
The attractive Martvili Canyon has been comprehensively adapted to the needs of tourists and now contains multiple walkways and bridges giving lovely…
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Tbilisi
This beautiful conversion of the former Tbilisi Cadet Corps building has been given over to displays of work by the museum's founder, Zurab Tsereteli, the…
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Batumi
Batumi’s Botanical Garden, 8km northeast of town, was founded in 1912 by Russian botanist Andrei Krasnov. With many subtropical and foreign species, it…
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Batumi
This excellent museum showcases some of the many valuable archaeological discoveries made in Adjara, particularly at the Gonio Apsaros Fortress. The main…
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Shalva Amiranashvili Museum of Art
Tbilisi
This museum contains a vast wealth of icons, crosses and jewellery from all over Georgia. Sadly, it can only be entered with a guide (English available,…
