Straddled between Asia and Europe, Georgia is an ancient land sprawling across the greater Caucasus mountains to the shores of the black sea. Considered as the birthplace of wine and one of earliest countries to adopt Christianity, and with its close proximity to the Silk Road, the country has had a tumultuous past, with empires battling for control over the years. The country spent most of its recent history under the rule of of the Russians and as part of the Soviet Union until its independence in 1991. Emerging out the shadows of the cold war, the break up of the Soviet Union and years of civil war, finally Georgia is finding its foot as a modern, independent nation which is finally opening up to the world, with its beautiful landscape, ancient culture and people.
Even though Georgia is quite a small country, it has a lot to offer for the travel hungry souls. While it would be ideal to spend 9-10 days in Georgia, but due to the paucity of time I spend 6 nights/7 days in the country exploring the main highlights of the this ancient country starting with Tbilisi.
Brief Itinerary
Day 1: Reach Tbilisi.
Explore the beautiful Georgian capital. Adorned with medieval castles, cathedrals, an old town with red tiled roofs intersected by cobbled stone streets and a district dedicated to hot Sulphur baths, Tbilisi is a beautiful city with a rustic charm that is best explored on foot.
Check out the Tbilisi city guide for a detailed description of the places to interest, hidden gems and how to commute.
Day 2: Take a day trip through the high mountain passes into the heart of the Georgian countryside. The journey takes one, on the Georgian military road, stopping at the breathtaking Zhinvali reservoir, the ancient Annanuri fortress located by the Aragvi River. As one climbs further, crossing the snowline to the Gudauri ski resort, the Russia-Georgia friendship monument before stopping at Stepantsminda (Kazbegi) village, deep in the Caucasus mountains to visit the Gergeti Trinity Cathedral perched atop a cliff overlooking the village.
Day 3: Take a day trip to witness the cultural side of Georgia. Visit the Jvari Monastery, a sixth-century Georgian Orthodox monastery located near the former capital and the ancient city of Mtskheta. After witnessing a panoramic view of Mtskheta, drive down to the city to marvel at the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral and walk though the streets of one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. From here, the trip takes one to one of the gory and dark chapters of Georgia, to the birthplace of one of the most brutal and infamous dictators of the world, Joseph Stalin. At the Joseph Stalin museum located in the city of Gori, one can witness the personal belongings of this Soviet megalomanic responsible for the death of millions of people across the former Soviet Union and beyond. End the day by climbing up some steep cliffs to the Uplistsikhe cave city, an ancient urban settlement from the early Iron age.
Take an overnight train from Tbilisi to reach the Batumi on the black sea coast.
Day 4: Often dubbed as the Las Vegas of the Black Sea, Batumi is Georgia's second largest city. Once a sleepy little port town, Batumi with its long stretch of beach and a large number of casinos offers a different flavour to the trip. The boulevard by beach is beautifully landscaped and is a great place to hang out. The city has a chilled vibe which comes to life at night under the is glitzy from the casino lights.
Day 5: Take a day train from Batumi to Tbilisi. Explore the sights around Tbilisi which could not be covered during the first day.
Day 6: Once can spend another day in Tbilisi or alternatively can book a day tour to the Kakheti wine region of Georgia. We chose to embark on an early morning excursion of the Chronicles of Georgia monument, a massive Soviet era monument just outside the city. The rest of the day was spent on leisurely soaking in the vibes of the city, before taking an overnight flight back to India.
Best time to visit Georgia
Georgia is a year round destination, even though the best times to visit are during Spring and Autumn.
Spring starts from late March and lasts till mid-July during which the weather is generally pleasant with flowers blooming all around. However, during early spring one can still see the mountains draped in their snowy cape, which, as the spring progresses turns into lush meadows blooming with wildflowers.
Summers, which starts form mid of July and lasts till mid of August can get really hot. more so in the mountains. Also, this coincides with the European vacation season, bringing in crowds of tourists thereby making everything quite expensive.
If you want to witness the Fall colors, then the best time is from September to November, with the countryside turning into palette of brow, red, tangerine and yellow.
Winters can be harsh, especially in the mountains and a lot a of the far flung areas may be cut-off due to heavy snowfall. But this time is great for winter activities like skiing, up in the mountains.
Visa Process
For Indian passport holders, Georgia offers a multi-entry e-visa for 30 days. Moreover, if you hold an EU/USA/Canada/Australia permit, then you don’t need a visa to visit Georgia with an Indian passport! The fess for the e-visa is 35 USD.
However, there is a high rejection rate for Georgia visa applications for Indian, with some estimates suggesting up to a 72% rejection rate. However, we successfully got our visa approved in the first attempt itself. So, if you want to get your e-visas approved within a single attempt, then click on the link to get the comprehensive and step by step Georgia e-Visa guide.
How to Reach?
By Air: Reach Tbilisi by air. There are regular direct flight to Tbilisi from India by Indigo. The prices generally range between 17000-20000 per person depending upon the season.
By Railways: There are daily trains from Tbilisi to Batumi, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. However, at the onset of spring in mid march, there are extra two or three trains added to the daily schedule, with one being at 12 in the night, which reaches Batumi early in the morning. The tickets can be booked 20 days in advance from this website.
By Road: Georgia being a mountainous country, it is well connected with roads, with the Georgian Military highway being the lifeline of the country. The road conditions are generally good, but if you are going in winter or early spring, then some of them might be closed because of heavy snowfall. There are buses which ply between Tbilisi and other cities like Batumi regularly.
Within city: Tbilisi is well connected with busses and metro. There is a metro money card, which can be purchased at any metro or cable car station, and is refundable (save your receipt and passport for the refund process) which gives access to buses, metro and cable cars. Bolt and Yandex Go are the primary app-cab service catering to the city and charge very reasonable rates.
Sightseeing and Day Tours: There are numerous tour and car rental companies which offer group trips, private trips and car rental services in Tbilisi. Groups trips can cost anywhere between 40-100 Lari per person depending on the trip and the season.
We had booked our group trips with Kazo Travel Georgia & Rent a Car, located in 16 Shota Rustaveli Ave, Tbilisi 0108, Georgia. He offers affordable yet good group tour services.
Other Essential Information
> Currency - the currency of Georgia is Lari. One Lari is approximately 32 INR. There are numerous exchanges offering good rates. Credit cards are also widely accepted.
> Language - the most widely spoken languages are Georgian and Russian. However, a lot of the new generation understands and speaks fluent English, so communication will not be a problem.
> Immigration - Immigration can be a bit of a hassle, especially if you happen to be a single male passenger holding an Indian passport. During our immigration, the immigration officials seemed quite rude, especially towards me, but less so with my wife. As a pro time, please have enough cash as well as account balance along with hotel booking and return ticket details (preferably printed) handy. There have been cases of deportation even after having all the documents in order, even though not too frequently.
> Stay- The stay options can range from hostels to luxury star hotels. However, in Tbilisi, it would be quite an experience to stay in one of the many boutique hotels located in Old Tbilisi.
In Batumi, one can choose to stay in high rise apartment blocks overlooking the Black sea or within the confines of the old city to soak in the old world charm.
> Food - One can fid a variety of foods in Georgia, including vegetarian options. Some of the most famous dishes include Kachapuri, Lobio, Lobiani which are vegetarian along with chicken shkmeruli, ojakhuri and chakhokhbili.
> Weather - We visited during early spring. The weather in Tbilisi was crisp and pleasant. However, the snow in the upper reaches of the mountains was deep qith the weather being quite cold.
Batumi, had a pleasant and warm weather.
> Safety - Georgia is a very safe country towards travellers and during our stay we never felt any cause for concern, even during late night.
