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updated · weather: open-meteo · rate: National Bank of Georgia

Georgia Guidebook
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The Grand Tour of Georgia by car: a 13-day route

Updated · June 15, 2026

Georgia's grand loop by car: Kakheti, Kazbegi, Borjomi, Vardzia, Kutaisi with canyons and Batumi in ~13 days. The country's main circular route.

Route day by day

Days on the road
13
Distance
≈1600 km
Budget from
1500 GEL
Best season
May, June, July, August, September, October

  1. Tbilisi

    Route start

    The start and finish of the loop. From the capital we head east first, into Kakheti, and return two weeks later from the coast.

    The Bridge of Peace and the Kura river in Tbilisi
    Photo: falco / Wikimedia Commons, CC0

  2. Telavi

    95 km from the start

    stop ≈120 min

    The capital of wine country Kakheti: Batonis Tsikhe fortress, the Alazani Valley and tastings. Along the way are Alaverdi Cathedral and the royal citadel of Gremi.

    The gates of Batonis Tsikhe fortress in Telavi
    Photo: Lasha ge / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

  3. Sighnaghi and Bodbe

    200 km from the start

    stop ≈120 min

    The "city of love" on a hill with a town wall and views of the Caucasus, with Bodbe Monastery nearby. From here we head back towards Tbilisi and then north.

    St George Church in Sighnaghi and the Alazani Valley
    Photo: Bernard Gagnon / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

  4. Ananuri Fortress

    380 km from the start

    stop ≈60 min

    The start of the Georgian Military Road: a castle complex above the turquoise Zhinvali Reservoir. From here the road climbs up to the pass.

    Ananuri fortress above the Zhinvali Reservoir
    Photo: Gerd Eichmann / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

  5. Stepantsminda and Gergeti

    470 km from the start

    stop ≈240 min

    The northern peak of the loop: Kazbegi, Gergeti Trinity Church against Mount Kazbek, and Gudauri with the Jvari Pass along the way. An overnight stay, then back to Mtskheta.

    The Terek River and the houses of Stepantsminda in the mountains
    Photo: Alexkom000 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

  6. Mtskheta

    630 km from the start

    stop ≈90 min

    The ancient capital at the river confluence: Svetitskhoveli Cathedral and Jvari Monastery. A handy point before turning west and south.

    Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in Mtskheta
    Photo: Arian Zwegers / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

  7. Gori and Uplistsikhe

    700 km from the start

    stop ≈150 min

    The fortress and Stalin museum in Gori, plus the nearby cave town of Uplistsikhe. From here the road heads into the Borjomi gorge.

    Gori Fortress on the hill above the town
    Photo: Aleksey Muhranoff / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

  8. Borjomi

    780 km from the start

    stop ≈120 min

    A spa resort in a gorge: mineral water in the park, a cable car, green mountains. A base for the trip south to Vardzia.

    The domed rotunda over the mineral springs in Borjomi park
    Photo: Marcin Konsek / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

  9. Vardzia

    900 km from the start

    stop ≈150 min

    Queen Tamar's 12th-century cave monastery in the rock; along the way are the Rabati fortress in Akhaltsikhe and Khertvisi. The southern point of the loop, then west to Kutaisi.

    The Vardzia cave town in the rock
    Photo: Gaga.vaa / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

  10. Kutaisi

    1130 km from the start

    stop ≈180 min

    The country's third city and a base for the west: Bagrati Cathedral, Gelati Monastery, Sataplia. From here the canyons and caves are reached as day trips.

    The White Bridge — the old footbridge over the Rioni in Kutaisi
    Photo: Kober / Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain

  11. The canyons of Imereti

    1180 km from the start

    stop ≈240 min

    The Okatse and Martvili canyons and Prometheus Cave: emerald water, suspended walkways and underground halls. Day trips from Kutaisi.

    The cantilevered viewing platform over the chasm of Okatse Canyon
    Photo: Zysko serhii / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

  12. Batumi

    1370 km from the start

    stop ≈300 min

    A seaside finale before the return: the seafront, the boulevard, the beaches and coastal cooking. A 2–3 day rest after a packed first half.

    A panorama of Batumi and the Black Sea from the green hills
    Photo: Jagermesh / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

  13. Tbilisi (return)

    1600 km from the start

    Closing the loop: from Batumi back to Tbilisi along the highway over the Rikoti Pass. You return the car where you picked it up — no extra charge for dropping it off in another city.

Route map

The map with stops loads on click — to keep the page lightweight.

This is Georgia’s biggest road-trip route — a loop that in two weeks gathers up almost the whole country: wine country Kakheti in the east, the Georgian Military Road and Kazbegi in the north, Borjomi and the cave town of Vardzia in the south, the canyons of Imereti in the west and a finale on the Black Sea in Batumi. And all of it with a return to Tbilisi, where you started. The distances, days and budget in the card are guides — adjust them to suit yourself.

The emerald water of Martvili Canyon
Martvili Canyon in Imereti — one of the gems of the loop's western section. Photo: Alexey Komarov / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Days 1–2: East — Kakheti

From Tbilisi we head east, into wine country Kakheti: Telavi with Batonis Tsikhe fortress, the Alaverdi cathedral and the Gremi citadel, and then Sighnaghi and Bodbe Monastery. A detailed plan is the Kakheti wine route in 2 days. By the evening of the second day we head back closer to Tbilisi.

The snowy peaks of the Greater Caucasus above the houses of Sighnaghi
Sighnaghi above the Alazani Valley: in clear weather the snowy wall of the Greater Caucasus rises on the horizon. Photo: Roberto Strauss / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

Days 3–4: North — the Georgian Military Road and Kazbegi

The most spectacular part: Ananuri fortress above the Zhinvali Reservoir, Gudauri and the Jvari Pass, and Stepantsminda with Gergeti Trinity Church against Kazbek. A ready-made plan is Tbilisi → Kazbegi in 2 days. On the way back we drop down to Mtskheta.

Ananuri fortress above the turquoise reservoir
Ananuri fortress above the turquoise Zhinvali Reservoir — the first stop on the Georgian Military Road. Photo: shankar s. / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Day 5: Mtskheta and Gori

In Mtskheta — Svetitskhoveli Cathedral and Jvari, then Gori with its fortress and Stalin museum and the cave town of Uplistsikhe. An overnight stay on the way south.

Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in Mtskheta
Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in Mtskheta — the main church of medieval Georgia, at the confluence of the Aragvi and the Kura. Photo: Makalu (Pixabay) / Wikimedia Commons, CC0
A general view of the cave town of Uplistsikhe with a hilltop church and the valley
The cave town of Uplistsikhe near Gori: halls carved into the rock and a brick basilica on top. Photo: Marcin Konsek / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Days 6–7: South — Borjomi and Vardzia

Borjomi with its mineral water and cable car, then south to the cave town of Vardzia; along the way are the Rabati and Khertvisi fortresses. A ready-made plan is Vardzia and the south in 2 days.

The Vardzia cave monastery on the mountainside
Queen Tamar's 12th-century Vardzia cave monastery, hewn into the sheer rock above the Kura valley — the southern point of the loop. Photo: Bernard Gagnon / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

Days 8–10: West — Kutaisi and the canyons of Imereti

The drive to Kutaisi — a base for the west. From here, day trips: Gelati Monastery and Sataplia, Prometheus Cave, and the Okatse and Martvili canyons. In detail — Imereti: canyons and caves.

A floodlit hall of Prometheus Cave with formations
Prometheus Cave near Kutaisi: halls of stalactites with artistic lighting, and an underground river below. Photo: Alexey Komarov / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Days 11–13: The sea and the return

From Kutaisi it’s on to the coast in Batumi: the boulevard, the beaches and coastal cooking (2–3 days of rest). Then we close the loop — back to Tbilisi along the highway over the Rikoti Pass; this stretch is covered in detail in the Tbilisi → Batumi route (in the opposite direction).

The white colonnades of Batumi boulevard with a sea view
The white colonnades of Batumi boulevard — the seaside finale of the loop before the return to Tbilisi. Photo: Sosotedrd / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

What to keep in mind

  • The distances, days and budget are guides, not exact measurements; it all depends on the number of stops, your accommodation and the season.
  • The “from” budget is a very rough lower bound for ~2 weeks (fuel, overnight stays, food) excluding car hire, tours and entry tickets.
  • This is a loop: you pick up and return the car in Tbilisi — no extra charge for dropping it off in another city (unlike the linear Tbilisi → Batumi).
  • The season is late spring through autumn: in winter the Georgian Military Road and the pass to Vardzia can be harder, so check the state of the road.
  • The route is flexible: you can drop any edge (Kakheti, Kazbegi, the south) or, on the contrary, add Svaneti.

Sort a car for a trip like this in advance — see car hire and the how to rent a car guide. More plans are in the routes section.