Explore Tbilisi's Old Town and sulfur baths
Narrow lanes of balconied wooden houses lead to a historic bathhouse district built around natural sulfur springs still in daily use.
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Caucasus
Things to do in Georgia
An 8,000-year-old wine tradition still practiced in buried clay vessels, dramatic Caucasus mountain villages, and a food and hospitality culture that consistently surprises first-time visitors.
Explore Georgia on the map →Budget$
Best for8-10 days
CapitalTbilisi
VisaVisa-free entry for up to 1 year for US, UK, EU, Canadian, and Australian passport holders, among the most generous visa-free allowances of any country.
CurrencyGeorgian lari (GEL)
LanguagesGeorgian
InternetGood
Typical lodging$15–$40/night
Driving sideRight
Power & voltage230V / 50Hz (Type C/F plug)
Time zoneUTC+4
Emergency number112
Dialing code+995
★★★★★ Food★★★★★ Culture★★★★★ Adventure
Visa rules and emergency numbers can change without notice. Confirm the specifics for your nationality and dates before you travel.
Travel smart
Bottled water recommended outside capital cities. 10% is appreciated, not required.
Georgia is widely credited by archaeologists as the birthplace of winemaking, with evidence of grape fermentation dating back roughly 8,000 years, and its traditional qvevri method, fermenting wine in buried clay vessels, is recognized by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage. Its Svaneti region, in the high Caucasus, is home to centuries-old defensive stone towers built by mountain communities and remains one of Europe's most dramatic and least-crowded alpine destinations.
When to go
SpringApril–May
Mild and green, a good window for Tbilisi and the wine regions before summer heat and crowds arrive.
SummerJune–August
Warm to hot in the lowlands, the best window for high-altitude Svaneti and Kazbegi mountain trekking.
AutumnSeptember–October
Harvest season in the wine regions (rtveli) and comfortable temperatures, widely considered the best overall season.
WinterNovember–March
Cold with mountain snow: Gudauri and Bakuriani offer increasingly popular, affordable skiing by European standards.
20 things to do
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Culture & history
9Visit Ushguli, one of Europe's highest permanently inhabited villages
A UNESCO-listed cluster of Svan stone towers at the base of Mount Shkhara, reached by a rough but spectacular mountain road.
Explore the cave city of Uplistsikhe
A rock-hewn settlement dating back roughly 3,000 years, one of the oldest urban settlements in the Caucasus, carved directly into a cliffside.
Explore the cave monastery complex of Vardzia$5.50
A 12th-century monastery carved into a cliff face with hundreds of rooms, tunnels, and a church, built partly as a defense against Mongol invasion.
Attend a Georgian polyphonic singing performance
A distinctive multi-voice vocal tradition recognized by UNESCO, performed at cultural events and increasingly at restaurants for visitors.
Explore David Gareja monastery complex$5.50
A sprawling cave monastery on the Georgia-Azerbaijan border, with ancient frescoes and semi-desert scenery unlike anywhere else in the country.
Visit the Stalin Museum in Gori
A museum in Joseph Stalin's birth town, documenting his life and rise with an approach that's drawn criticism for its lack of critical framing on Soviet-era atrocities.
Explore Tbilisi's Narikala Fortress and cable car
A hilltop fortress overlooking the old town, reachable by cable car, with panoramic views over the Kura River and colorful rooftops below.
Visit the Chronicle of Georgia monument near Tbilisi
A dramatic hilltop column complex depicting Georgian history and biblical scenes, with sweeping views over the Tbilisi Sea reservoir.
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Adventure & outdoors
4Hike among the stone towers of Svaneti
Medieval defensive towers built by mountain communities dot villages like Mestia and Ushguli, set against some of the highest peaks in the Caucasus.
Trek to Gergeti Trinity Church beneath Mount Kazbegi
A 14th-century church perched at 2,170 metres with a dramatic glacier-capped peak behind it, reachable by a moderate hike or 4x4.
Ski in Gudauri, Georgia's premier mountain resort
A well-developed, increasingly popular and affordable ski destination in the Caucasus, drawing growing numbers of European skiers each winter.
Hike the Juta to Roshka trail beneath Chaukhi Peak
A dramatic high-altitude route past jagged granite peaks nicknamed the 'Georgian Dolomites,' popular with serious trekkers.
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Food & drink
5Taste qvevri wine at a Kakheti family winery
Georgia's main wine region, where wine has been fermented in buried clay vessels for roughly 8,000 years, a method now recognized by UNESCO.
Eat khinkali, Georgia's soup dumplings
Twisted-top dumplings filled with spiced meat and broth, eaten by hand with a specific technique to avoid losing the soup inside.
Eat khachapuri, Georgia's cheese-filled bread
Regional variations abound, but Adjarian khachapuri, a boat-shaped bread filled with cheese, butter, and a raw egg, is the most iconic version.
Try chacha, Georgia's grape brandy
A strong, often homemade spirit distilled from grape pomace, traditionally offered alongside wine as part of Georgian hospitality customs.
Eat Georgian barbecue (mtsvadi) at a supra feast
A traditional Georgian feast with a toastmaster (tamada) leading elaborate toasts, alongside skewered grilled meat and an overwhelming spread of dishes.
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Nature & scenery
1Ride the Kazbegi Military Road through the Caucasus
A historic mountain highway connecting Tbilisi to the Russian border, passing dramatic gorges and the Zhinvali reservoir along the way.
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Beaches
1Visit the seaside resort of Batumi
A Black Sea city blending Soviet-era architecture with an ambitious, sometimes eccentric modern skyline, popular for its boardwalk and casinos.
Common questions
▾Do I need a visa for Georgia?
US, UK, EU, Canadian, and Australian passport holders can enter visa-free for up to a full year, one of the most generous visa-free allowances anywhere in the world.
▾Is Georgian wine really that old a tradition?
Yes. Archaeological evidence points to grape fermentation in the region roughly 8,000 years ago, and the traditional qvevri method of fermenting in buried clay vessels is still practiced and recognized by UNESCO.
▾Is Svaneti difficult to reach?
It requires a full day's drive (or a short domestic flight to Mestia) on winding mountain roads, but the payoff, medieval stone towers against a genuine high-Caucasus backdrop, is widely considered worth the effort.
▾Is Georgian food very different from Russian or Turkish cuisine?
Yes, distinctly its own: dishes like khachapuri (cheese-filled bread) and khinkali (soup dumplings) reflect a food culture Georgians consider one of their strongest sources of national pride, not derivative of neighboring cuisines.
▾Is Georgia safe to travel around?
The main tourist regions, Tbilisi, Kakheti wine country, Svaneti, and Kazbegi, see regular safe tourism; as with any destination near contested regional borders, check current advisories before planning travel near South Ossetia or Abkhazia specifically.
▾How much does it cost to visit Vardzia cave monastery?
Foreign adult entry runs about GEL 15 (roughly $5.50), covering access to the sprawling cave complex carved into the cliffside. It's a modest fee relative to the scale of the site.