| georgia in close-up |
 |
 |
 |
|
GEORGIA IN CLOSE-UP
This tour will interest those who have limited time but would like to see most of the country. In nine days you will be able to see a variety of landscapes and historical monuments. You visit ancient cave towns, fortresses, monasteries and museum. You get to know Georgian culture and traditions and of course enjoy the delicious Georgian cuisine.
Arrive in Tbilisi and transfer to hotel. Tbilisi sightseeing tour – the Old and New Towns. The city offers a great variety of sights, most of them very ancient. All the places of interest in the Old Town are very close to each other, within a few minutes’ walk. We start our visit to Old Tbilisi from Metekhi Church, then walk up to the brick-domed Sulphur Baths. From the Baths we head up the hill to visit Narikala Fortress – one of the oldest fortifications in the city. Afterwards we continue to the Synagogue, Sioni Cathedral and Anchiskhati Church. This marks the end of the Old Town. After lunch we visit the stunning treasury of the Georgian National Museums, before taking a stroll along Rustaveli Avenue – the main street in Tbilisi.
We drive to the ancient capital and religious centre of Georgia – Mtskheta and visit its historical places: Jvari Monastery and Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, where the Robe of Christ is buried. Both Jvari and Svetitskhoveli are UNESCO World Heritage sites. Afterwards we continue to the town of Gori and visit the Stalin Museum and Uplistsikhe Cave Town – one of the main points along the Silk Road. In late afternoon we travel through forested hills and rocky mountains to Bakuriani ski resort via Borjomi spa town – famous for its mineral water “Borjomi”. Overnight in Bakuriani.
Today we drive through Meskheti and Javakheti regions to visit Vardzia – the magnificent cave town of the Golden Age. The cave complex stretching over half a kilometre once consisted of some 3000 caves and was one of the the best examples of Georgia’s renaissance. On the way to Vardzia we will also visit Khertvisi fortress.
From Bakuriani we take a local mountain train to Borjomi and visit the Summer Palace of the Russian Tsar. Then we travel to Imereti region – an area of cool springs, green fields and beautiful gardens. We arrive in Kutaisi – the second largest in the country and visit the splendid Bagrati Cathedral ruins. Overnight in Kutaisi.
In the morning we visit Gelati Monastery and then depart for Gudauri. We drive through the Great Caucasus along the Georgian Military highway en-route visiting Ananuri complex. In the evening we arrive in Gudauri ski resort.
A scenic drive in the Great Caucasus along the Tergi River will bring us to Kazbegi. From Kazbegi we walk up to Gergeti Trinity Church. We enjoy the view of Mt Kazbegi (5047m) – one of the highest peaks in the Caucasus. In the evening we return to Tbilisi.
We travel to the famous wine-growing region of Kakheti. We visit a farmer’s house to see a unique 300-year-old wine cellar, enjoy the hospitality of the local people and sample delicious home-made food and wine. Afterwards we continue to the wine factory to taste more Kakhetian wines. In the evening we return to Tbilisi.
|
