- I will combine several short (work, solo trip) and long visit (with my parents and girlfriend) to Georgia so I can share some ideas and tips
- a) Batumi-Grigoleti
- b) Kutaisi-Martvili Canyon-Okatse Canyon
- c) Uplistsikhe
- d) Tblisi-Mtskheta
- e) Signagi
- f) Ananuri-Kazbegi (Stapantsminda)
a) Batumi-Grigoleti
- Popular Georgian destination in the Black Sea mainly during the summer
- Batumi is the most popular city in the Black Sea
- Its downtown looks very nice, clean and modern
- Batumi has also several parks, being 6 May Park the most popular
- Batumi Pier and Boulevard are probably the most visited area in Batumi, even if the beach is not that nice in my opinion
- In terms of beach during the summer, we enjoyed more other areas nearby such as Grigoleti or Kobuleti in the north, where even if beaches are rocky as well, there are more green areas and more space
- I would like to recommend a Georgian restaurant around 20min away from the city called Ghele Ghurdani (in particular local dishes such as Chirbuli). Its location is tricky, so just follow the red line I painted in the following map. The road basically goes along with the river but of you get lost any local knows about the restaurant
- The restaurant has great food, its price is very reasonable and the location is so amazing that you can relax in the river by the rocks right after lunch
b) Kutaisi-Martvili Canyon-Okatse Canyon
- We did not much in Kutaisi apart from enjoying a lovely dinner and visit the Cathedral
- Here we found another nice restaurant to recommend (I will only recommend 3 in this post): Papa Vero, where the food was very nice despite being a bit pricy, but there was live music which made the dinner great (take table outside so the music is not too loud!)
- Once in the city, Bagrati Cathedral is perfectly located to have very nice views of the city (the Cathedral itself is more of the same in my opinion)
- Two visits near Kutaisi are recommended though: Martvili Canyon and Okatse Canyon
- In Martvili Canyon there is a small entry fee (around €1) plus another fee if you want to take a short canoe through the canyon (€3). In my the attraction has lost a bit of magic being so structured and limited but still is a nice visit
- In Okatse Canyon you can enjoy a walk of up to 7km plus up to 1,000 stairs walking around the canyon. We avoided the stairs, which were the only payable activity
- Also for the 7km there are taxi drivers in 4x4 offering a ride for quite an expensive price
- However, the part that we enjoyed the most was finding a small waterfall and some natural pools after the first 2km walking
- Near Gori we visited the ancient town of Uplistsikhe (fee of around €2)
- I did not expected much from the visit but I liked it a lot
d) Tblisi-Mtskheta
- Tblisi is the current capital of Georgia, but some time ago was Mtskheta
- Mtskheta would be a compulsory visit near Tblisi for people spending just a few days in Georgia
- In downtown Mtskehta, the main attarction is Svetitsjoveli Cathedral, really well taken care and with an important religious function nowadays
- Mtskehta is located in the junction of two rivers (Mtkvari and Aragvi) and beautiful views can be enjoyed from Jvari monastery (6th century)
- In Mtskheta there is a great restaurant called Salobie. Price is amazingly cheap and food is delicious (I recommend the lobio which is a local bean stew, the potato bread or the veal skewers)
- Once in Tblisi the offer is much wider than in any other Georgian city, but also prices are higher
- Downtown Tblisi includes the classical "I love city" spot and several cute streets packed with lovely bars and restaurants
- Getting lost in the city you can observe the Independence square (1991)
- ...a very weird clock at Shavteli street
- ...or the Bridge of peace or the statue of King Vakhtang Gorgasali by the river
- Another beautiful spot is the sulphur baths which lead to a waterfall through some colorful hanging houses
- Part of the public transport in Tblisi includes a cable car (€2-3 roundtrip) which connects Narikala Fortress
- Once on the side of Narikala, the views are excellent, you can visit the statue of mother of Georgia and enjoy a refreshment in a beutiful terrace
- The city is also beautiful at night and there is a fountain show at Rike Park near the cable car station. Some monuments and attraction are illuminated
- A bit in the outskirts of the city, a visit to Sameba Church also offers another beautiful perspective of the city
- 2 hours East from Tblisi, Signagi is known as the city of love in Georgia
- The small town is partially fortified and is a very popular destination
- Bodbe monastery is a few kilometers from Signagi and offer nice views of the valley as well
- During 2016 I did an organized tour to Ananuri and Kazbegi
- On the good side, the price was very good (around €15-20, as there are numerous offices in Tblisi offering daily tours) and the places are amazing
- On the negative side, I disliked the fact of visiting this area within a tour, as the time was very limited and we waited more for people to use the toilet rather than enjoying the places
- I wished I would have rented a car to visit by myself but I was alone and I found it a bit complex for only 1 day alone
- Ananuri is a beautiful fortress (13th century) by Aragvi river (the one coming from Mstkehta)
- Kazbegi (or Stapantsminda) is almost located in the border with Russia
- Last few kilometers towards Gergeti Monastery, the main attraction in Kazbegi, require 4x4 (this was included by the tour, but if not there a taxis charging around €7-10 or you can do a 90-minute beautiful trekking)
- This place is amazing, and I would have loved to do that trekking and stayed at least a full day
- Georgia is a beautiful country with lovely sightseeing, nice activities (also winter sports), nice cuisine and plenty to discover, all within a very nice budget. The only part I did not like and common with the whole Caucasus is that most people did not speak English thus I did not learn as much as I wanted about the country
- Lastly, I want to thank my local friend Nino who first took my to Mtskheta and Tblisi and then recommended some restaurants and spots that I might have missed
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