1 amazing week in Georgia

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Years ago, I had seen a photo of a stunning landscape featuring lush green mountains. And, I remember thinking – “Oh wow, this place is so beautiful. I want to go here someday.”. I am glad that this ‘someday’ didn’t take me an eternity and I was able to travel to Georgia. We spent a little over 1 amazing week in the Republic of Georgia. It’s such a beautiful country and we are so pleased with our vacation.

Before traveling to Georgia, Raga’s Georgian friend helped us with a lot of information to customize our itinerary. This made our trip truly memorable as we weren’t just doing touristy stuff. We traveled based on insider knowledge from someone who knows his country well. In this article, we will give you a detailed itinerary, which you can customize based on your liking. We will then do detailed posts for each destination in subsequent articles.

These small details would make your 1 week in Georgia absolutely amazing

01. When to travel to Georgia

If you are an outdoor person and really enjoy being with nature like us, we highly recommend traveling in Summer. Mountains would be lush green by then, and Georgia would be oozing with all its natural beauty. Some destinations like Svaneti and Kazbegi go into hibernation mode from early autumn to late spring, until the snow melts off. So, summer would be the perfect time to enjoy such beautiful locations.

That said, spring and autumn are decent times to visit as well. You can still travel to Kazbegi to spend a night there. Considering it would be a bit off-season, there would be fewer tourists and hence your accommodation and flights would be cheaper.

02. Money Exchange in Georgia

It’s basic knowledge that ATMs give the best possible rates when it comes to money exchange. However, we noticed the opposite in Georgia. Some exchange shops in Tbilisi let you exchange money for only 1 euro commission. So, you get the current market rate when exchanging your Euros or US dollars. There is also an ATM withdrawal limit of 500 GEL in all ATMs in Georgia. So, if your bank applies a transaction fee on ATM withdrawals, your best bet would be to get cash and exchange it in the city.

03. Mobile Coverage and Sim Card

We highly recommend getting your sim card at the airport after you collect your baggage. Both Magti and Geocell are good. The sim card is free, and the purchase would be based on the data you plan to use in Georgia.

04. Transportation from the airport and within the country

From the airport to Tbilisi

We highly recommend downloading the Bolt app as it will make your travel from the airport to Tbilisi city so much cheaper. The official airport taxi charges you 60 GEL for one car while with Bolt you can do the same trip for about 30 GEL. There is also an option to pay with cash when using the Bolt app, so it really is the best possible option.

Travel within Tbilisi was also very convenient and cheap through the Bolt app.

Car rental

You can rent your car through Hertz or similar companies and hire it directly from the airport. However, we had a really good experience with Tbilisi Auto Rent, and we rented our car from the city. We got a really good rate for the car, and they dropped the car and picked it up from our hotel. They were easy to contact via WhatsApp as well. We highly recommend booking the car through them instead.

Itinerary for 1 amazing week for Georgia

Here is our complete itinerary for 1 amazing week in Georgia. Your days would be filled with exploring the stunning landscapes, falling in love with Georgian wine, and filling up on Khachapuri. Since we were traveling with a toddler, we made our trip super relaxed, working around our kid’s schedule. Very different than our usual travel style, but it was so much fun to explore along with the kiddo.

Day 1: Reach Tbilisi and relax

Land in Tbilisi, get a cab to your hotel, and relax.
Depending on the time of the day you arrive, you might want to get some lunch/dinner and stroll around the old town.
Stay in Tbilisi. Stay near the old town for easy accessibility.

Tbilisi oozes a subtle blend of European and Soviet vibes. From cobblestone streets to old dilapidated traditional houses complete with wooden balconies, the city will pleasantly surprise you with its charm. As for the first impression, Tbilisi left its magic on us and we longed to explore more toward the end of our trip. We came back from our road trip and spent the last few days in this Georgian capital city.

Also read: 16 Unique Things To Do in Tbilisi, Georgia

Day 2: Drive to Stepantsminda (Kazbegi)

Drive to Kazbegi via the Georgian Military Highway
Explore many charming destinations along the way like Jvari Monastery, Ananuri Fortress complex, and Gudauri viewpoint.
Stop at Restaurant Guda for lunch
If time permits, visit Gergeti Trinity Church
Stay in Stepantsminda. We suggest Georgia’s famous Rooms Hotel for the most amazing views

The drive on the Georgian Military Highway is beautiful. Expect to find old monasteries perched on a hilltop, tall mountains with breathtaking views, and loads of greenery. The drive to Kazbegi only takes about 3 odd hours, but with all the stops you can expect this double easily. Raga’s friend suggested stopping at Restaurant Guda for lunch, as that’s the best restaurant on this stretch.

Day 3: Hike the Juta-Chaukhi trail

Drive to the Juta parking lot
Hike the Juta-Chaukhi trail until the lake
Have lunch at Fifth Season Hotel in Juta and drive back to Kazbegi
Stay in Stepantsminda. Either continue staying in Rooms Hotel and book a gampling experience in a cabin in Stepantsminda.
Alternative – You can consider staying the night at Fifth Season Hotel in Juta if you wish to spend more time with nature.

Juta was easily our favorite experience in Georgia. Cue stunning landscapes, snowcapped mountains, crossing small streams, and raw nature at its best. To start the hiking trail, you will need to park your car at the Juta parking lot and follow the signs for Zeta camping. The initial stretch is very steep and once you are on the main trail, it’s a very easy hike to the lake.

Juta is best experienced from mid-May to mid-September, basically the summer season. The town and other restaurants aren’t operational in the offseason, but still, the area is worth the experience.

Day 4: Drive to Sighnaghi

Drive from Kazbegi to Sighnaghi
Stop at Lagazi wine cellar for lunch
Visit Alaverdi Monastery
Stay in Sighnaghi. We suggest staying at Lost Ridge Inn for a unique experience.

Sighnaghi is a sleepy little town in the Kakheti wine region. Expect to experience 8000 years of winemaking tradition and gorgeous amber wine here. Not to mention stunning views of 4000+ square miles of rolling hills filled with vineyards. You want to visit Sighnaghi for endless wine tasting and to be blown away by finger-licking Georgian food.

Day 4 is going to be a long day of driving. There are two routes you could take to Sighnaghi i.e. one via Tbilisi and the other via Telavi. We took the Telavi route as the drive is prettier even though a longer route. The total journey as per google maps was 5+ hours. However, it took us much longer as there are some bad patches of road along the way. Lagazi wine cellar was suggested to us by Raga’s friend and he suggested reserving a place in advance. It’s a family-owned small wine cellar but very homely.

Day 5: Explore Sighnaghi and enjoy Georgian winetasting

Explore the sleepy little town of Sighnaghi
Plan to visit Pheasant’s Tears for dinner and Cradle of Wine for wine tasting
Walk on the city walls
Stay in Sighnaghi

We should warn you that your Day 5 might end with a hangover. Georgian wine is so unique and so gorgeous. We suggest trying the amber wine at Pheasant’s Tears. Also, we highly recommend going to the Cradle of Wine for wine tasting. They provide such generous quantities and you will taste some gorgeous Georgian wine in the process. Day 5 was probably one of our most memorable days from 1 amazing week in Georgia.

Day 6: Drive back to Tbilisi and explore the city

Drive back to Tbilisi
Explore Tbilisi’s old town and other places of interest
Visit Narikala Fortress for sunset
Stay in Tbilisi. Our apartment was right 2 mins walk from the old town and very accessible.

The last leg of your trip would be to explore the capital city of Georgia. It’s a small city, which you can possibly cover on a weekend. In Tbilisi, it’s not very difficult to find a vintage-inspired cute little cafe or wine bar in abandoned factory buildings. Both, the food culture and the feel of the city are very unique. Among other places, we suggest visiting Narikala Fortress for sunset for amazing views.

Day 7: Explore Tbilisi some more

Start your day with an hour of relaxation in a Sulfur bath
Visit Holy Trinity Cathedral
Or if time allows, visit Chronicles of Georgia
Stay in Tbilisi

Your last day in Georgia deserves a treat at the Sulfur bath. You can book a private room at one of the bathhouses and even get a scrub done for a few extra euros. We highly recommend this. If you have covered all places of interest, we recommend visiting Chronicles of Georgia. It’s a massive 16-pillar monument overlooking the Tbilisi sea.

We will write a detailed article on Tbilisi with all the places of interest and cafes/restaurants worth visiting.

Day 8: Travel back home

We brought back a bag full of Georgian souvenirs and most of them were bottles of wine. For sure, Georgia makes some of the most gorgeous wines we have ever tasted.

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