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🇬🇪Things to Do in Georgia
From Tbilisi's sulfur bathhouses to the medieval towers of Svaneti - the essential sights, and how to keep your own record of them.
Travel guide - last updated September 2026
Georgia sits at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, with a wine tradition dating back roughly 8,000 years - among the oldest in the world - alongside Caucasus mountain scenery and a defensive medieval tower architecture found almost nowhere else. Tbilisi anchors most trips, with day and multi-day trips reaching the mountains and wine country from there. Here are 8 places worth building a trip around.
Top attractions
The sights most first-time visitors build an itinerary around.
Tbilisi Old Town
Georgia's capital, with sulfur bathhouses in the Abanotubani district, a cable car up to Narikala Fortress, and a mix of Persian, Ottoman and Soviet-era architecture within a compact old center.
📍 Tbilisi
🚉 Nearest station: Avlabari or Liberty Square on the metro, both a short walk from the sulphur baths and Narikala fortress; the cable car to the fortress leaves from Rike Park.
Kazbegi & Gergeti Trinity Church
A church perched at 2,170 meters below Mount Kazbek, reached by a steep hike or 4x4 from Stepantsminda - one of Georgia's most photographed single sights.
📍 Stepantsminda, Kazbegi
🚉 Marshrutka minibuses leave Tbilisi's Didube station for Stepantsminda, about three hours up the Georgian Military Highway; 4x4 taxis then climb the last 6km to the church.
Kakheti Wine Region
Georgia's main wine region, where wine is still traditionally fermented in large buried clay vessels called qvevri - a method recognized by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage.
📍 Kakheti
🚉 Marshrutkas from Tbilisi's Isani and Samgori stations reach Telavi and Sighnaghi in two hours; the wineries between them are scattered, so most visitors hire a driver for the day.
Svaneti & Ushguli
A remote highland region with medieval defensive stone towers built into nearly every village - Ushguli is among the highest continuously inhabited settlements in Europe.
📍 Svaneti
🚉 Take the overnight train to Zugdidi, then a marshrutka four hours up to Mestia; Ushguli is a further three hours by 4x4 on a rough track, and the road can close in winter.
Batumi
Georgia's Black Sea resort city, with a modern beachfront skyline that contrasts sharply with the rest of the country's older architecture, plus a botanical garden along the coast.
📍 Batumi
🚉 Nearest station: Batumi Central, with the overnight sleeper and day trains from Tbilisi taking five to six hours; the boulevard and old town are a short bus ride from the station.
Uplistsikhe
An ancient cave city carved into rock, inhabited from the early Iron Age through the medieval period, near the town of Gori.
📍 near Gori
🚉 Take a marshrutka to Gori, an hour from Tbilisi, then a local bus or taxi 10km to the cave town - Stalin's museum in Gori is usually visited on the same trip.
Vardzia
A sprawling cave monastery complex carved into a cliffside in the 12th century, originally housing several thousand monks across multiple levels connected by tunnels.
📍 Samtskhe-Javakheti
🚉 Marshrutkas run from Tbilisi to Akhaltsikhe, then a local minibus follows the Mtkvari gorge for an hour to the cave monastery; the last return leaves early afternoon.
Georgian Cuisine & Supra
Khachapuri (cheese-filled bread) and khinkali (soup dumplings) anchor Georgian food, best experienced at a supra - a traditional feast led by a toastmaster (tamada) offering elaborate, structured toasts throughout the meal.
📍 nationwide
🚉 The best-known restaurants are in Tbilisi's old town and Vera, walkable from Liberty Square and Rustaveli metro - a supra is a long, toasted feast rather than a quick meal, so allow the evening.
Mark Georgia, get the stamp
In MyPassportStory, every country you mark - visited, lived in, or still on the list - becomes a stamp like these in your own travel passport. Add the cities you stopped in, draw the route between them, and turn the whole trip into a shareable passport-style image.
Open MyPassportStoryPlanning questions
How many days do you need in Georgia?
A week covers Tbilisi, Kazbegi and Kakheti wine country well. Ten days lets you add Svaneti's mountain towers or Batumi on the coast.
What's the best time to visit Georgia?
May-June and September-October have the most comfortable weather across most regions. Svaneti's higher passes are best visited June-September; ski season in the Caucasus runs roughly December-March.
Is Georgia good for a first-time visit?
Yes - Tbilisi is walkable and increasingly well set up for tourists, and marshrutka (shared minivan) transport connects most regions cheaply, though a rental car or guide opens up Svaneti more easily.
Do I need a visa to visit Georgia?
Many nationalities, including the US, UK, Canada, Australia and the EU, can visit visa-free for extended stays (often up to a year for some passports); other nationalities need a visa arranged in advance. Check the official visa information for your nationality: geoconsul.gov.ge.
What are some things to do in Georgia on a tight budget?
Georgian food and wine are both inexpensive by European standards, walking Tbilisi's old town and the sulfur bath district costs nothing beyond an optional bath entry fee, and marshrutka minivans are a cheap way to reach Kazbegi or Kakheti.
Can I rent a car in Georgia, and what licence do I need?
Yes, and it transforms Kakheti and the mountain roads, where minibuses run on their own schedule. Foreign licences are accepted for visits of up to a year, and an International Driving Permit is recommended alongside a licence not in the Latin alphabet. Minimum age is 21 with a credit card for the deposit. Two warnings worth taking seriously: Georgian driving is assertive, and the roads to Ushguli, Tusheti and Omalo need a proper 4x4 and are seasonal - standard rental insurance excludes them. The Ministry of Internal Affairs publishes the rules at police.ge, with visitor information at georgia.travel.