Tbilisi and Beyond: Six Days in Georgia

Day 1Tbilisi, the old town on footSulphur baths, Narikala, old churchesSee the day

A walking day through the Tbilisi that grew up around its sulphur springs: the brick-domed baths of Abanotubani, the waterfall in the Leghvtakhevi gorge, the cable car up to Narikala and the views from its walls, Anchiskhati, the city's oldest surviving church, and Sioni Cathedral, which by tradition keeps the cross of St Nino. Churches, a synagogue and a mosque stand within a few streets of each other, and you walk them with a local guide rather than a map.

Arriving late? The old-town walk is planned around your flight. With an evening arrival it moves to another day, and we tell you before you book which meals are included on day 1.

Day 2Mtskheta, the old capitalSvetitskhoveli, Jvari, Shio-MgvimeSee the day

Half an hour north of Tbilisi, Mtskheta was Georgia's capital and is still its spiritual centre. You see Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, where Georgian tradition places the robe of Christ, the 6th-century Jvari monastery on the hill above the meeting of two rivers, and the cliffside monastery of Shio-Mgvime. On a feast day such as Giorgoba, Svetitskhoveli is where the great liturgy is held, which we describe in our guide to St George's Day in Georgia. Back to Tbilisi for the night.

Day 3The Georgian Military Road to KazbegiAnanuri, Gudauri, Gergeti beneath KazbekSee the day

The road north climbs from the river valleys into the high Caucasus. On the way: Ananuri fortress above its reservoir, the ski resort of Gudauri and Pasanauri, a village that claims to be the home of khinkali. At the end of the road is Stepantsminda, also called Kazbegi, with Gergeti Trinity Church on its ridge beneath Mount Kazbek. It is the longest day on the road, and you are back in Tbilisi in the evening.

In winter the pass can close after heavy snow. On those days we change the order of the trip.

Day 4Kakheti, wine country, and a night at a wineryTelavi, Tsinandali, Nekresi, a winery nightSee the day

East of Tbilisi, Kakheti is where most Georgian wine comes from. You visit Telavi and its very old plane tree, the Chavchavadze family estate at Tsinandali with its gardens and cellar, a winery for a tasting of Kindzmarauli, and the hilltop monastery of Nekresi above the Alazani valley. Much of the wine here is still made the old way, in clay vessels called qvevri buried in the ground, and the guide will show you one. The night is spent at a winery in Kakheti, not in a city hotel.

Day 5Sighnaghi and BodbeThe walled hill town and St Nino's monasterySee the day

Sighnaghi sits on a ridge above the Alazani valley, a small walled town of terraces and wooden balconies, with the Caucasus on the horizon on a clear day. Nearby is Bodbe monastery, where St Nino is buried, and on the way back there is a tasting of local cheese and wine. Back to Tbilisi for the last night.

Day 6Uplistsikhe, Borjomi and the flight homeThe rock-cut town and the spa parkSee the day

The last day goes west: Uplistsikhe, a town cut into the rock more than two thousand years ago, Gori and its Stalin museum for those who want to see it, and the spa town of Borjomi, famous for its mineral water, with a walk in the park and a ride up to the plateau. Then the transfer to the airport.

Flight times matter here. The full day fits an evening flight. With an earlier flight we shorten it or move part of it to another day, and agree that with you before you book.