Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Georgia: Tbilisi, Kakheti Wine Country and Kazbegi
9 days from Tbilisi: the Old Town on foot, two nights in Kakheti with a qvevri cellar and a supra, two nights in Kazbegi below Gergeti Trinity, then Mtskheta and Uplistsikhe.
9 days · Round trip from Tbilisi · up to 12 guests
Stepantsminda (Kazbegi) seen from the ridge at Gergeti Photo: Image by Kate Stadnjuk from Pixabay, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stepantsminda,_Georgia._View_from_Gergeti.jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 9 days, 8 nights
- Start and end
- Round trip from Tbilisi
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Activity level
Moderate
Mostly easy walking, 2 to 4 hours a day on foot on cobbles, steep Old Town lanes and uneven paths. The hardest part is the walk up to Gergeti Trinity Church on day 6: about 430 m of climb over 1.5 to 2 hours to about 2,170 m, which you can skip by riding up in a 4x4. Uplistsikhe means uneven rock and some steps. The highest point of the trip, the Jvari pass at 2,379 m, is crossed by road.
- Meals included
- 8 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 2 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 610 (estimated price)
- Season
- May to October
Highlights
Why this trip
- Narikala by cable car at 9 am, then the Old Town lanes and a tasting walk through the Dezerter Bazaar
- Lunch in a Kakheti family cellar, tasting amber wine made in qvevri, clay jars buried in the ground
- A supra at a winemaking family's table, led by a tamada through the toasts
- The Georgian Military Highway over the Jvari pass, with Ananuri fortress on the way up
- Gergeti Trinity Church at 2,170 m in the early morning, before the day-trip vans arrive
- A khinkali lunch you help make, then a meadow walk in Juta below the Chaukhi peaks
- Jvari Monastery above the meeting of two rivers, and the cave town of Uplistsikhe
What makes this trip different
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 610 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Tbilisi
Tbilisi International Airport (TBS) to your hotel in Tbilisi
- Welcome dinner
- Stay in Tbilisi
- Drive about 30 min
Fly into Tbilisi International Airport (TBS), about 18 km east of the centre.
Evening
Many flights from North America connect through Istanbul, the Gulf or European hubs and land in the small hours; if yours arrives overnight, ask us to add the night before so you start the trip rested. A driver meets you in the arrivals hall, at any hour, for the drive of about 25 minutes to our central hotel, within walking distance of the Old Town. The rest of the day is yours: walk down to the Mtkvari river, cross the glass Bridge of Peace into Rike Park, or sleep. At about 6 pm your See Sight Tours guide meets the group at the hotel for a short briefing on each day, the drive times, what to pack for the mountains and how the free afternoons work. Then we walk to a welcome dinner nearby: khachapuri cheese bread, khinkali dumplings, aubergine rolls with walnut paste and a first glass of Georgian wine.
Included
- Pick-up at Tbilisi International Airport (TBS), at any hour
- Welcome briefing with your guide
- Welcome dinner
Free time: Free until the evening briefing
Activity: Land by about 4 pm to reach the briefing; later arrivals are met and briefed at breakfast.
Old Tbilisi on foot
Rike Park to Narikala by cable car, the Old Town and the Dezerter Bazaar
- Breakfast
- Stay in Tbilisi
We start at 9 am, ahead of the heat and the tour groups, with the cable car from Rike Park up to Narikala, the fortress that has guarded the city since the 4th century. From the walls you see the whole bowl of Tbilisi: the brick domes of the Abanotubani sulphur baths below, the Metekhi church on its cliff and the gilded dome of Sameba Cathedral across the river. We walk down past the Mother of Georgia statue and through the Old Town lanes, with their carved wooden balconies, passing Sioni Cathedral, the 6th-century Anchiskhati Basilica and the leaning clock tower by the Gabriadze puppet theatre.
Morning
Late morning we walk or ride on to the Dezerter Bazaar, the big food market, to taste churchkhela (walnuts dipped in thickened grape juice and dried), cheeses, pickles and spices with your guide.
Evening
The afternoon and evening are free. A private room at a sulphur bathhouse is the classic way to spend them, and your guide can book one.
Included
- Cable car from Rike Park to Narikala Fortress
- Old Town walk with your guide: Narikala, the Abanotubani baths quarter, Sioni Cathedral, Anchiskhati Basilica and the Gabriadze clock tower
- Tasting walk through the Dezerter Bazaar
Optional experiences
- A private room at an Abanotubani sulphur bathhouse, paid locally
Easier option: Ride a taxi back from the bazaar with your guide's help and rest at the hotel.
More active option: Walk up to the Mtatsminda ridge in the late afternoon, or take the funicular, for the view over the city at sunset.
Free time: Afternoon and evening free
Activity: About 3 hours on foot on steep cobbled lanes and steps, mostly downhill after the cable car.
Into Kakheti: Sighnaghi and a qvevri cellar
Tbilisi to Bodbe and Sighnaghi, then Telavi
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Telavi
- Drive about 3.5 h
We leave Tbilisi at 9 am and drive about two hours east into Kakheti, the wine region of the Alazani valley, with the Greater Caucasus standing like a wall along its northern side. First stop is Bodbe Monastery, where St Nino, who brought Christianity to Georgia in the 4th century, is buried; its gardens look straight across the valley. Two kilometres up the hill is Sighnaghi, a small town of 18th-century walls and towers, cobbled lanes and wooden balconies, where your guide walks you along a stretch of the wall.
Afternoon
Lunch is at a family winery that makes its wine in qvevri: large clay jars buried in the ground, a method UNESCO lists as intangible cultural heritage. The winemaker opens the cellar and you taste amber wines, made from white grapes left on their skins, beside reds from the saperavi grape. In the late afternoon we drive about an hour and a quarter to Telavi, our base for two nights.
Included
- Bodbe Monastery
- Sighnaghi town and its walls with your guide
- Qvevri cellar visit, tasting and lunch at a family winery
Free time: Evening free in Telavi
Activity: About 2 hours on foot on cobbles and some steps on the Sighnaghi wall.
Telavi market, Nekresi and a supra
Telavi to Nekresi and back
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Telavi
- Drive about 1.5 h
A slow start, then the Telavi market, where farmers sell cheese, herbs, spices, churchkhela and tonis puri, the flat bread slapped onto the wall of a clay oven. Your guide helps you buy for a picnic or simply to taste. We then drive about 40 minutes to Nekresi, a monastery on a wooded hill above the Alazani valley. From the car park a shuttle or a steep walk of about 20 minutes climbs to the church compound, whose small basilica is held to be one of the oldest churches in Georgia, with views over the vineyards to the mountains.
Evening
Back in Telavi the afternoon is free: walk to Batonis Tsikhe, the walled residence of the Kakhetian kings, sit under the great plane tree in the centre, or rest before the evening. Dinner is a supra, the Georgian feast, at a winemaking family's home. A tamada, the toastmaster, leads the table through the toasts while dish after dish arrives and the wine is the family's own. Songs often follow.
Included
- Telavi farmers' market with your guide
- Nekresi monastery, including the shuttle from the car park
- Supra dinner with a winemaking family, wine included
Easier option: Take the shuttle to the top at Nekresi and skip the walk.
More active option: Walk up to Nekresi from the car park and back down through the woods.
Free time: Afternoon free in Telavi
Activity: The supra is long: expect three hours or more at the table. You do not have to drink every toast; water or juice is fine.
Over the mountains to Kazbegi
Telavi through Akhmeta and Tianeti to Ananuri, then up the Georgian Military Highway to Stepantsminda
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Stepantsminda (Kazbegi)
- Drive about 4.5 h
This is the one long drive of the trip and the only day over our four-hour cap: about 180 km and four to four and a half hours at the wheel, broken into three parts. Going back through Tbilisi would add about 70 km and the city traffic, so we take the quieter road north-west from Telavi through Akhmeta and Tianeti, with a short stop on the way.
Afternoon
Around midday we reach Ananuri, a 17th-century fortress with two churches and a watchtower above the turquoise Zhinvali reservoir, then sit down to lunch nearby. From here we join the Georgian Military Highway, the old road over the Greater Caucasus to Russia, and climb past Gudauri to the Jvari pass at 2,379 m. Just below it the Russia–Georgia Friendship Monument, a curved mosaic balcony built in 1983, hangs over a deep valley and gives everyone a chance to stretch. The road then drops into the Tergi valley and Stepantsminda, still called Kazbegi, at about 1,740 m. We arrive between 4 and 5 pm; if the cloud lifts, Mount Kazbek, 5,047 m, stands above the town.
Included
- Ananuri fortress
- Sit-down lunch near Ananuri
- The Georgian Military Highway over the Jvari pass
- The Russia–Georgia Friendship Monument viewpoint
Free time: Evening free in Stepantsminda
Activity: The longest day on the road. The Akhmeta to Tianeti road is narrow and winding, and the highway carries heavy trucks to the Russian border. Our driver keeps a steady pace and does not overtake on blind bends, so times can stretch a little.
Gergeti Trinity early, then the Juta valley
Stepantsminda to Gergeti Trinity Church on foot, then Juta and back
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Stepantsminda (Kazbegi)
- Drive about 1.5 h
Morning
We walk out at 7:30 am to climb to Gergeti Trinity Church, the 14th-century church on its ridge at about 2,170 m, well before the day-trip vans from Tbilisi arrive in the late morning. The path climbs about 430 m through woods and meadow, an hour and a half to two hours at an easy pace; anyone who prefers can ride up by 4x4, included. The morning light falls on Mount Kazbek behind the church and the town spreads out far below.
Afternoon
We come down for lunch with a local family, who show you how to pleat khinkali, the soup-filled dumplings of the mountains, and you eat what you made. In the afternoon we drive about 45 minutes south and up a side valley to Juta, a hamlet at about 2,200 m below the jagged Chaukhi peaks, for an easy walk of an hour or two through the meadows.
Evening
The evening is free in Stepantsminda.
Included
- Walk up to Gergeti Trinity Church with your guide, or the 4x4 up and back
- Khinkali lunch with a local family, making the dumplings yourself
- Meadow walk in the Juta valley (the Dariali gorge and Gveleti waterfall instead while Juta is under snow)
Easier option: Ride both ways to Gergeti by 4x4, and in Juta stroll the first meadows near the vehicle rather than walking on.
More active option: In Juta, walk on up the valley towards the Chaukhi pass viewpoint, about 3 to 4 hours return with a steeper climb.
Free time: Evening free in Stepantsminda
Activity: The most active day: about 430 m up and down on the Gergeti path, then up to 2 hours of easy walking at about 2,200 m. Bring layers; mornings are cold even in summer.
Down to Mtskheta and Tbilisi
Stepantsminda over the Jvari pass to Mtskheta, then Tbilisi
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Tbilisi
- Drive about 3.5 h
We leave the mountains at 9 am and drive back over the Jvari pass and down the Aragvi valley, about two and three-quarter hours to Mtskheta, the old capital where Georgia took Christianity as its state religion in the 4th century. Its historic monuments are a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Afternoon
We go first to Jvari Monastery, a 6th-century church on a hilltop above the meeting of the Aragvi and Mtkvari rivers, with the town laid out below, then down into Mtskheta for lunch. After lunch we walk into Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, built in the 11th century on the spot where, by tradition, the robe of Christ is buried, and around the walled precinct that encloses it. Tbilisi is about 30 minutes on, so we are back at the hotel by mid-afternoon with bags unpacked for the last two nights.
Evening
The evening is yours: an Old Town wine bar, the Dry Bridge flea market before it packs up, or a quiet night.
Included
- Jvari Monastery
- Lunch in Mtskheta
- Svetitskhoveli Cathedral with your guide
Free time: Late afternoon and evening free in Tbilisi
Uplistsikhe cave town and Gori
Tbilisi to Uplistsikhe and Gori, then back to Tbilisi
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Tbilisi
- Drive about 3 h
We drive about an hour and a half west along the main highway to Uplistsikhe, a town cut into a sandstone ridge above the Mtkvari river, reaching it soon after opening. People lived and worshipped here from the early Iron Age; the rock-cut halls, wine presses, pagan temples and the broad street climbing through them are far older than the small brick basilica that crowns the ridge, built around the 9th or 10th century. A local guide walks us through for about an hour and a half on uneven rock with some steps.
Afternoon
Lunch is at a family table in a village nearby. In Gori, about 15 minutes away, you choose: the Stalin Museum, a Soviet-era shrine to the town's most famous son that tells his story with little criticism and keeps his railway carriage in the grounds, or a walk with your guide up to Gori Fortress for the view over the town.
Evening
We are back in Tbilisi by about 4 pm, then gather for a farewell dinner in the Old Town.
Included
- Uplistsikhe with a local site guide
- Village lunch near Uplistsikhe
- Your choice in Gori: the Stalin Museum, or a walk to Gori Fortress with your guide
- Farewell dinner in Tbilisi
Easier option: Stay on the lower paths at Uplistsikhe, and choose the Stalin Museum in Gori, which is on one level.
More active option: Climb to the top of the ridge at Uplistsikhe for the view over the Mtkvari valley, then walk up to Gori Fortress.
Free time: Free time in the late afternoon before the farewell dinner
Activity: About 1.5 hours on uneven, sometimes slippery rock at Uplistsikhe; wear shoes with grip. Opening days and hours at Uplistsikhe and the Stalin Museum are confirmed when we fix your date.
Departure from Tbilisi
Your hotel in Tbilisi to Tbilisi International Airport (TBS)
- Breakfast
- Drive about 30 min
Morning
The trip ends after breakfast, when your guide says goodbye and checks each person's flight time.
Evening
Many flights from Tbilisi to Europe and the Gulf leave in the early hours, so we set your transfer by your flight at any hour, including the middle of the night, and the drive to the airport takes about 25 minutes. If you fly in the evening, leave your bags at the hotel and use the day. The Georgian National Museum on Rustaveli Avenue holds gold from ancient Colchis and is closed on Mondays. The Open Air Museum of Ethnography, on a wooded hill near Turtle Lake, gathers old houses from every region you have just seen. The Dry Bridge market is the place for Soviet badges, old enamel and paintings. Book a flight after about midday if you want a last morning in the city; if you would like extra nights in Tbilisi or a few days more in another region, tell us when you book.
Included
- Drop-off at Tbilisi International Airport (TBS), at any hour
Free time: Free until your transfer
Activity: Any departure time works; check-out is usually at midday, and the hotel can store your bags.
- Tbilisi2 nights
- Telavi2 nights
- Stepantsminda (Kazbegi)2 nights
- Tbilisi2 nights
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: May and June are green, with snow on the peaks and some rain; Juta can be snowbound into June, when we walk in the Dariali gorge instead. July and August are hot in Tbilisi and Kakheti and mild in Kazbegi. September and October bring the grape harvest to Kakheti and clear mountain days, with cold nights in Kazbegi.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Travellers who want Georgia's food and wine at a family table, not only in restaurants
- Mountain scenery with walking you can scale up or down
- Two nights in every base, with free afternoons and evenings
- Solo travellers who want company without a coach-sized group
Not for you if you want
- Step-free access: Old Tbilisi, Sighnaghi and Uplistsikhe mean cobbles, steps and uneven rock
- Travellers who want Svaneti, the Black Sea or Batumi on the same trip
- Multi-day trekking; the walks here are a few hours at most
- Travellers who would rather not join a long, toast-filled dinner
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
8 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Tbilisi2 nights
- Telavi2 nights
- Stepantsminda (Kazbegi)2 nights
- Tbilisi2 nights
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 8 nights in central hotels of at least a 3-star-plus standard: 4 in Tbilisi (2 at the start, 2 at the end), 2 in Telavi in Kakheti, 2 in Stepantsminda (Kazbegi)
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
- We name each hotel when we confirm your dates
Transport
- Pick-up and drop-off at Tbilisi International Airport (TBS), at any hour
- Our own air-conditioned minivan and driver for the whole trip, with no overtaking on blind bends on mountain roads
- 4x4 up to Gergeti Trinity Church for anyone who prefers not to walk, and on the last stretch to Juta if the road needs it
- The Narikala cable car in Tbilisi
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group for the whole trip
- A local site guide at Uplistsikhe and wherever a site requires one
Activities
- Tbilisi: Narikala Fortress, the Old Town walk and a tasting walk through the Dezerter Bazaar
- Kakheti: Bodbe Monastery, Sighnaghi and its walls, a qvevri cellar visit and tasting, the Telavi market, Nekresi monastery and a supra with a winemaking family
- Ananuri fortress and the Georgian Military Highway over the Jvari pass
- Kazbegi: Gergeti Trinity Church, a khinkali session with a local family and a walk in the Juta valley
- Mtskheta: Jvari Monastery and Svetitskhoveli Cathedral
- Uplistsikhe cave town, and in Gori the Stalin Museum or the walk to Gori Fortress
Meals
- Breakfast daily (8)
- 5 lunches: the qvevri winery in Kakheti, near Ananuri, the khinkali lunch in Kazbegi, Mtskheta and a village near Uplistsikhe
- 3 dinners: welcome dinner in Tbilisi, the supra in Kakheti and a farewell dinner in Tbilisi
- Wine with the winery lunch and the supra
Not included
- International flights to and from Tbilisi
- Travel insurance, including the health cover Georgia asks visitors to hold
- A visa, if your passport needs one
- Lunches and dinners not listed
- Drinks, except the wine at the winery lunch and the supra
- Tips
- Sulphur bath sessions and other optional activities
- Extra hotel nights before or after the trip
- Personal expenses
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 610 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
What does the Georgia trip price include?
Eight nights in central hotels, breakfast daily, five lunches and three dinners including a supra, wine at the winery lunch and the supra, airport transfers at any hour, our own minivan and driver, a See Sight Tours guide throughout, the Narikala cable car, the Gergeti 4x4 for anyone not walking, and every entry in the day plan.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests, never more. That is small enough to sit around one table at the supra, fit in a family's wine cellar and change the plan on the day if the weather in Kazbegi turns.
Who leads the trip?
One See Sight Tours guide stays with the group from the first evening briefing to the last breakfast, so there is no handover between guides. Local site guides join where a site requires one, such as Uplistsikhe. You get a short briefing each day with clear times.
How fit do I need to be for this Georgia tour?
Moderately fit. Most days mean 2 to 4 hours of easy walking on cobbles and uneven paths. The hardest walk is up to Gergeti Trinity Church, about 430 m of climb over 1.5 to 2 hours, and the 4x4 is included if you would rather ride up.
I am travelling solo. What does a room of my own cost?
A room of your own is from CAD 610 more than the shared price, shown up front before you book, with no surprise at checkout. Solo travellers join the same group, the same table and the same plan as everyone else.
When is the best time to visit Georgia?
May to October. May and June are green with snow on the peaks; July and August are hot in Tbilisi and Kakheti but mild in Kazbegi; September and October bring the grape harvest and clear mountain days. In the cold months the road to Kazbegi can close for snow, so we do not run then.
How does booking work?
Choose a start date and request to book. The small group starts from CAD 3,595 per person sharing, taxes included. We confirm your place within 24 hours, and no payment is taken until we have confirmed.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. The trip also runs as a private trip for your party only, on a date you choose, from CAD 6,470 per person sharing. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section and we will quote the same hotels, drivers and local guides.
Do I need a visa for Georgia?
Canadian, US, UK and EU passport holders do not need a visa for a stay of this length. Since January 2026 Georgia asks visitors to hold travel medical insurance for the whole stay, with cover of at least GEL 30,000, so carry proof of your policy. We confirm the current rules for your passport when you book.
How long are the drives?
Most are short and one is long. Driving days run about 1.5 to 3.25 hours, and day 2 has no driving. The exception is day 5, Kakheti to Kazbegi: about 180 km and four to four and a half hours at the wheel, broken by Ananuri, a sit-down lunch and the Friendship Monument, arriving between 4 and 5 pm.
Is Georgian food good for vegetarians?
Better than its meat-heavy reputation. Georgian tables are full of vegetable dishes: pkhali (vegetable and walnut pâtés), lobio bean stew, aubergine rolls with walnut paste, mushrooms and khachapuri cheese bread. Tell us your diet when you book and we brief the families who cook for the group.
Can I add Svaneti or Tusheti?
Yes, as a private extension before or after the trip, with a guide and a 4x4 where needed. Both are remote mountain regions that need several extra days, so we keep them off the group trip to keep its driving days short. Ask us for a quote.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
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