Turkey and Georgia: The Black Sea, Kars and Tbilisi

1. Day 1: Arrive in Trabzon

   Trabzon Airport (TZX) to your hotel in Trabzon

   • Drive about 30 min
   • Dinner
   • Stay in Trabzon
   Day 1 details

   Fly into Trabzon Airport (TZX), a few kilometres east of the centre on the Black Sea coast. Flights from North America often connect through Istanbul. Your See Sight Tours guide or a driver is planned to meet you at arrivals (proposed arrangement: the airport meeting depends on the local operator we appoint). The rest of the day is yours: walk the hillside streets above the harbour, look out over the sea, or sleep off the journey. In the early evening the group meets for a short briefing: the route over the next eleven days, the two border-region days in Kars and Artvin, how the crossing into Georgia is proposed to work, what to carry for the weather in the Pontic mountains, and the drive times, which are longer here than on our usual trips. We then have a proposed welcome dinner nearby with Black Sea dishes such as anchovy, cornbread and kuymak, and a first glass of tea. Please tell us about allergies and diets when you enquire.

   Included

   • Meeting at Trabzon Airport (TZX), proposed and subject to the local operator
   • Welcome briefing with your guide
   • Welcome dinner

   Free time: Free until the evening briefing

   Activity: Agree your arrival time and meeting arrangements before booking flights; late-arrival transfers and any missed dinner or briefing need confirmation.

2. Day 2: Sumela Monastery and Trabzon

   Trabzon to Sumela Monastery and back, then Trabzon on foot

   • Drive about 2 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Trabzon
   Day 2 details

   We plan to leave after an early breakfast for Sumela, a Byzantine-era monastery built into a cliff face high in the Altindere valley, roughly 45 km from Trabzon and a drive of about 45 minutes. Press reports say it reopened on 25 June 2026 after rockfall safety work, with conservation continuing, so some areas may be fenced off. Published opening hours differ between sources, from 08:00 to 17:00 to 08:00 to 19:00, and we confirm access and hours for your date when we quote. From the car park a forest path climbs to the monastery gate, then a long stair brings you to the rock church with its faded frescoes. Allow about three hours on site. We plan lunch in the valley, then a return to Trabzon for a gentle afternoon walk through the old quarter and the harbour area. The evening is free, so try a fish restaurant, or sit in a tea garden above the sea.

   Included

   • Sumela Monastery with your guide (entry planned as included)
   • Lunch in the Altindere valley
   • Old Trabzon walk with your guide

   Easier option: Skip the final stair at Sumela and enjoy the setting from the terrace below.

   More active option: Walk the old forest path from the lower car park, subject to its condition.

   Free time: Evening free in Trabzon

   Activity: About 3 hours on foot at Sumela on steps and uneven stone, with a long stair to the rock church; the step count is not yet checked. Mist and rain are common; bring a waterproof.

   

3. Day 3: Uzungol and over the mountains to Erzurum

   Trabzon to Uzungol, then over the Ovit pass to Erzurum

   • Drive about 4.5 h
   • Breakfast
   • Stay in Erzurum
   Day 3 details

   This is the first long day and it is over our four-hour driving cap: about 286 km, around four hours of road in the router estimate, and nearer four and a half with stops. There is no way to reach the east without crossing the Pontic and Kackar mountains, and we have split the old Trabzon to Kars stage at Erzurum, which would otherwise be about 500 km and seven hours or more. We would start at 8 am and drive about 1 hour 15 minutes east to Uzungol, a mountain lake in a green valley ringed by spruce and small wooden houses, where we walk the lakeshore for about an hour and take a tea break. We then climb through Ikizdere over the Ovit pass, which is a road that can close for snow outside the season, and drop into the dry Anatolian plateau, reaching Erzurum by about 5 pm. The evening is free in the old city.

   Included

   • Uzungol lakeshore walk with your guide
   • Ovit pass drive

   Free time: Evening free in Erzurum

   Activity: The road and times are estimates from a public router and have not been driven by us. We will test the exact route before any departure is dated.

   

4. Day 4: Erzurum to Kars and Ani

   Erzurum to Kars, then the Ani archaeological site and back to Kars

   • Drive about 4.5 h
   • Breakfast
   • Stay in Kars
   Day 4 details

   A morning start for the high plateau: about 204 km, or 2 hours 45 minutes, across open steppe from Erzurum to Kars, a garrison town of wide streets and elegant stone buildings from the period of Russian rule in the late nineteenth century. We reach Kars around noon and have lunch, then drive about 45 minutes east to Ani, the ruined medieval Armenian capital on the Akhurian river, which marks the frontier with Armenia. UNESCO listed the site in 2016. Ani is a grassy plateau with the Cathedral, the Church of the Redeemer and the ruined walls, and we plan to walk for about two and a half hours. Because the site lies beside the frontier, we carry passports and follow the site staff's instructions on access. The museum page publishes 08:00 to 17:00, with ticket sales to 16:30; some summer listings show a later close, and we confirm hours for your date at quoting. We drive back to Kars for the night.

   Included

   • Ani archaeological site with your guide
   • Kars by car and on foot

   Free time: Evening free in Kars

   Activity: A long day over our four-hour cap, with one road stage of 2 hours 45 minutes and a 45-minute drive each way to Ani. Carry your passport all day. Opening hours and any group procedure at Ani are confirmed when your date is fixed.

   

5. Day 5: Kars to Artvin by Ardahan and Savsat

   Kars through Ardahan and Savsat to Artvin, with a Georgian church stop

   • Drive about 4.5 h
   • Breakfast
   • Stay in Artvin
   Day 5 details

   We take the road north-west out of Kars through Ardahan, a high farm and border country of rolling pasture, and then down the Savsat valley towards Artvin and the Coruh river gorge. The road is about 204 km and about three hours in the router, so we plan four hours with a long stop. This is old Tao-Klarjeti, the medieval Georgian kingdom whose churches stand in what is now north-east Turkey. We plan one church stop on the way in the Savsat area; which one, and whether it is open inside, depends on the reconnaissance we have yet to do, and we do not yet name it. Another group of well-known Tao-Klarjeti churches, Oshki and Ishkhani near Yusufeli, lies on a different road, about 70 km from Artvin each way, and does not fit in this 11-day, 10-night outline; it is a possible private extension. We reach Artvin in the late afternoon, then have dinner on our own in the town.

   Included

   • Drive through Ardahan and Savsat
   • One Georgian church stop in the Savsat area (site and access to be confirmed)

   Free time: Evening free in Artvin

   Activity: A mountain road that can be closed or slow in winter and early spring, which is why the season is May to October.

6. Day 6: Across the Sarpi border to Batumi

   Artvin through Hopa to the Sarpi crossing, then Batumi

   • Drive about 2 h
   • Breakfast
   • Stay in Batumi
   Day 6 details

   Today we plan to leave Turkey. We drive about 95 km down the Coruh valley and along the Black Sea coast towards the Sarp and Sarpi border. We have not found an official notice of crossing hours, so hours and rules are confirmed at quoting. If it goes ahead, we would expect to walk through with luggage and meet a Georgian vehicle and driver on the far side, because a Turkish vehicle may not be allowed to carry on (proposed arrangement, unconfirmed). Border waits are unpredictable, so keep the day flexible. From Sarpi it is about 20 minutes to Batumi, a subtropical port of glass towers, an old town and a long seafront boulevard. After a proposed lunch we walk the Old Town and Piazza, then the evening is free in Batumi.

   Included

   • Border crossing at Sarp and Sarpi with your guide, if confirmed
   • Batumi Old Town and seafront walk

   Free time: Late afternoon and evening free in Batumi

   Activity: Border delays are out of our hands. Carry your passport and your proof of travel insurance in hand luggage.

   

7. Day 7: Batumi to Kutaisi and Gelati

   Batumi to Kutaisi, Gelati Monastery

   • Drive about 3 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Kutaisi
   Day 7 details

   We would leave Batumi at 9 am and drive about 150 km inland through tea and citrus country to Kutaisi, one of the oldest cities in Georgia, in about 2 hours 20 minutes. In the early afternoon we visit Gelati Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage site reported to lie about 11 km from the centre and founded in the early twelfth century by King David the Builder and decorated inside with golden mosaics and murals. Access to the buildings and any conservation work are checked when we quote. We then plan to drive back to Kutaisi for a walk around the centre, including the Colchis fountain and the Green Bazaar, subject to opening hours. Dinner is free so you can find a table at a bar or restaurant of your choice. The hotel and its distance from evening venues have not been confirmed.

   Included

   • Gelati Monastery (entry planned as included)
   • Kutaisi walk with your guide
   • Green Bazaar tasting (planned)

   Free time: Evening free in Kutaisi

   Activity: About 2 hours on foot on stone steps and uneven paths.

   

8. Day 8: Kutaisi to Tbilisi by Uplistsikhe

   Kutaisi to Gori and Uplistsikhe, then Tbilisi

   • Drive about 4 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Tbilisi
   Day 8 details

   We would leave Kutaisi at 8:30 am and take the cross-country highway east to Gori, about 140 km, then continue to Uplistsikhe, a cave town cut into a sandstone ridge above the Mtkvari river reported to have been inhabited since the early Iron Age. We walk the rock-cut streets, halls and the small brick church on top for about an hour and a half, on uneven rock, with a local site guide where one is required. Lunch is at a village table nearby. The last leg to Tbilisi is about 80 km and one hour. The whole day is about 225 km and about three hours in the router estimate, four hours with stops. We reach Tbilisi in the late afternoon and settle in for three nights, which is the longest stay of the trip. The evening is free: cross the Bridge of Peace, find a wine bar in the Old Town, or rest.

   Included

   • Uplistsikhe cave town with a local site guide (entry planned as included)
   • Village lunch near Uplistsikhe

   Free time: Evening free in Tbilisi

   Activity: Opening days and hours for Uplistsikhe are confirmed when your date is fixed.

   

9. Day 9: Old Tbilisi and Mtskheta

   Tbilisi Old Town on foot, then Mtskheta

   • Drive about 1 h
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Tbilisi
   Day 9 details

   We start at 9 am with the cable car from Rike Park to Narikala Fortress, which has guarded the city since the fourth century, then walk down through the Old Town lanes past Sioni Cathedral and the sixth-century Anchiskhati Basilica. Late morning we drive about 20 minutes to Mtskheta, the old capital where Georgia adopted Christianity in the fourth century, and a UNESCO World Heritage site. We go first to Jvari Monastery, a sixth-century church on a hilltop above the meeting of the Aragvi and Mtkvari rivers, then down to lunch in town and the eleventh-century Svetitskhoveli Cathedral. We are back in Tbilisi by mid-afternoon with free time before the evening. A private bathhouse room in the Abanotubani sulphur quarter is the classic way to end the day, and we can help you book one, paid locally.

   Included

   • Narikala cable car (proposed as included; price to confirm)
   • Old Town walk with your guide
   • Jvari Monastery (planned)
   • Svetitskhoveli Cathedral (planned)

   Optional experiences

   • Sulphur bathhouse room, paid locally

   Free time: Late afternoon and evening free

   Activity: About 3 hours on foot, mostly downhill from Narikala, on cobbles and steps.

   

10. Day 10: Kakheti: Bodbe, Sighnaghi and a qvevri cellar

    Tbilisi to Bodbe and Sighnaghi, a winery lunch and back

    • Drive about 4 h
    • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
    • Stay in Tbilisi
    Day 10 details

    We leave at 9 am for a day trip into Kakheti, the wine region of the Alazani valley, about 113 km and 1 hour 45 minutes each way to Sighnaghi. First stop is Bodbe Monastery, where St Nino is buried, with gardens that look across the valley to the Greater Caucasus. Two kilometres on is Sighnaghi, a small walled town of cobbled lanes and wooden balconies; your guide walks you along a stretch of the wall. Lunch is at a family winery which makes its wine in qvevri, clay jars buried in the ground, a method UNESCO lists as intangible cultural heritage (proposed supplier, not yet appointed). You taste amber wines made from white grapes left on their skins and saperavi reds. We drive back and are in Tbilisi by about 6 pm. Dinner is a proposed farewell meal in Tbilisi; the restaurant is not appointed. Drinks at dinner are separate from the included cellar tasting.

    Included

    • Bodbe Monastery (planned)
    • Sighnaghi town and walls with your guide
    • Qvevri cellar visit, tasting and lunch (supplier to be appointed)
    • Farewell dinner

    Free time: Evening after dinner free

    Activity: A longer day on the road, with a one hour 45 minute stage each way. The tasting is optional and non-alcoholic drinks are expected to be available.

11. Day 11: Departure from Tbilisi

    Your hotel to Tbilisi International Airport (TBS)

    • Drive about 30 min
    • Breakfast
    Day 11 details

    The trip ends after breakfast, when your guide says goodbye and checks each person's flight time. Many flights from Tbilisi leave in the early hours, so we plan the airport transfer around your flight; the airport is about 20 km from the centre and the exact timing is confirmed with the vehicle partner. If you fly in the evening, leave your bags at the hotel and use the day, subject to the hotel's arrangements. The Georgian National Museum on Rustaveli Avenue holds gold from ancient Colchis and has weekly closing days to check. The Open Air Museum of Ethnography on a wooded hill near Turtle Lake gathers old houses from the regions of Georgia. The Dry Bridge market is the place for Soviet badges, old enamel and paintings. Canada's advice asks for a high degree of caution in Tbilisi because of demonstrations, so check the advice before you travel. If you would like extra nights in Tbilisi or a few days more in another region, tell us when you enquire and we will quote the extension.

    Included

    • Drop-off at Tbilisi International Airport (TBS)

    Free time: Free until your transfer

    Activity: Confirm your flight window and transfer arrangements before buying flights. Hotel check-out, luggage storage and breakfast for early departures remain to be confirmed.

    

Wildlife and weather: The Black Sea coast is humid and rainy all year, with mist at Sumela even in summer. Erzurum and Kars are high and dry, with hot days, cold nights and typically snow from about October. Georgia's coast at Batumi is subtropical and wet; Tbilisi and Kakheti are hot in July and August.

• Trabzon2 nights
• Erzurum1 night
• Kars1 night
• Artvin1 night
• Batumi1 night
• Kutaisi1 night
• Tbilisi3 nights