We think your 2022 Georgia tour will start in Tbilisi and we advise you to spend at least 3-4 days there.
We strongly recommend you to visit the following attractions: Holy Trinity Cathedral, Bridge of Peace, Sulfur Baths, Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, Shota Rustaveli Avenue.
You can also take a cable car over the Kura River to see Tbilisi Old Town and the medieval Narikala Fortress with beautiful illumination.
In the evening start tasting delicious Georgian cuisine (Khinkali, Khachapuri, Kharcho, Mtsvadi, Chaqapuli) and wine in one of Tbilisi's authentic restaurants with a 4.5+ rating on tripadvisor.
Tbilisi
Many tourists choose Tbilisi as a base city for their Georgia trip and make 1-day tours from Tbilisi to the following destinations:
Mtskheta and Jvari monastery. Mtskheta is one of the oldest cities in Georgia, founded in the 5th century BC at the confluence of the Mtkvari and Aragvi rivers. Jvari Monastery is a Georgian monastery and temple of the first half of the 7th century.
Ananuri castle and Zhinvali Reservoir. Ananuri Fortress from the 16th century is located on the Georgian Military Highway on the banks of Zhinvali Reservoir surrounded by mountains. Just 70 km north from Tbilisi.
Kakheti wine region. For tourists from Europe we recommend to travel to 2 cities in Kakheti - Telavi (main city in the region) and Sighnaghi (cozy town with colorful houses located over the Alazani valley).
Kazbegi region
After Tbilisi it's time to head to real mountains and the Kazbegi region should be the first in your Georgia travel guide. It is 3:30 north from Tbilisi and includes attractions like:
Mount Kazbek (Georgian name - Mkinvartsveri);
Gergeti Trinity Church from the 14th century is located at an altitude above 2100 meters right above the village of Stepantsminda;
Stepantsminda - the village at the foot of mountain Kazbek. We strongly recommend you to stay 1 night here and if you’re lucky, you will see beautiful Mount Kazbek in the rays of the rising sun;
Just 40 minutes from Stepantsminda and you arrive to Juta - the most peaceful and green place in Georgia right in the middle of Kazbegi National Park. Here you can do horse riding and trekking to the Chaukhi rock massif.
Kutaisi city
Now let’s move west to Kutaisi which should definitely be included in your Georgia tour package. Maybe the city itself will not impress you too much but it is perfectly placed near very popular 1-day routes:
Martvili canyon on Abasha river which is only 1 hour north from Kutaisi;
Vardzia - a 12th-century underground monastery - 1 hour south from Kutaisi;
Katskhi Pillar - a 40 meter high limestone monolith with a temple on top - 1 hour north-east from Kutaisi;
Chiatura - just 20 minutes from Katskhi Pillar and you receive a new kind of travel emotions - “back to USSR”. Chiatura is a cute town stuck in the Soviet past.
Region Svaneti
One more mountain region to be included in your Georgia travel guide is Svaneti - rich in popular destinations like:
Jvari Enguri Reservoir - beautiful artificial mountain lake on Enguri river;
Ushguli - a group of villages with easily recognizable watchtowers, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is located in a very remote area, the road is only open in summer time and it is one of the highest inhabited settlements in Europe;
2 National Parks: Samegrelo National Park and Zemo Svaneti National Park;
Mount Ushba and Mestia. Mestia is the main town in the Svaneti region and you should definitely stay at least 1 night there.
SPA resorts
Another way to make a Georgia trip in 2022 is to visit its SPA resorts:
Bakhmaro - a mountain resort for lung diseases located at an altitude of about 2000 meters with the season running from late June to early September;
Borjomi - a popular mineral water resort on the Kura river just 2:30 hours west from Tbilisi.
Ski resorts
For those who like skiing and snowboarding, Georgia has 2 SKI resorts:
Bakuriani which is located 3 hours driving west from Tbilisi, has 30 km of tracks, the majority of them are red and black ones;
Kobi-Gudauri Ski Resort. It is 2:30 driving north from Tbilisi, has 22 tracks with a total length of 50 km.
Resort Batumi
Georgia also has its part of the Black Sea coast and managed to build a modern resort called Batumi in a subtropical zone.
The city has lots of casinos (locals call Batumi "The Las Vegas of the Black Sea"), a huge amount of new hotels and restaurants and a gorgeous botanical garden.
In the summer time, Batumi is crowded with tourists from Russia, Turkey and other countries spending their days at the beach and in the evening moving to disco bars and nightclubs.
You can get from Tbilisi to Batumi by direct train of Georgian railways. The journey time is 5:30 hours. The train ticket fare is 25 GEL (8 USD) in the 2nd class and 61 GEL (20 USD) in the 1st class. The departure time in Tbilisi is 08:00. The arrival time in Batumi is 13:30.
FAQ
How expensive is it to travel in Georgia?
Georgia is still a poor country so you will be pleasantly surprised by the prices in your Georgia trip.
Accommodation in mountains can cost as low as 12 USD/person, in Batumi and Tbilisi the price will be 30 USD for a double room with rating 9.5+. The same relates to food and drinks in restaurants and products from the supermarket.
Even prices to get to the most remote areas are not so high taking into account how far from civilization they are.
What’s the best way to move around the country?
The cheapest way is to use buses, known locally as marshrutka.
Another option is to rent a car in Tbilisi for 25 USD/day (160 USD for 7 days). Please note that you need an International Driving Permit (IDP).
If you want to travel from the Batumi sea resort to the Georgia capital Tbilisi, take a train: the trip duration is 5:30 and costs 8 USD in 2nd class and 20 USD in 1st class.
How many days do I need to see most of Georgia?
Georgia is so beautiful and packed with attractions that even 1 month will not be enough. Besides, it depends on the time of the year you arrive. If you come in winter you can spend 1 week at a ski resort and 1 more week in Tbilisi and take 1-day tours to Kakheti, Kazbegi, Mtskheta, Ananuri.
If you come in summer time, you can stay 1 week in Batumi and 1 week in a remote area in Svaneti and take tours to tourist spots around Kutaisi: Martvili canyon, Vardzia, Katskhi Pillar, Chiatura.