Kakheti in 2 days: a wine route through the Alazani Valley
A 2-day wine route through Kakheti: Telavi, Alaverdi, Gremi, Sighnaghi and Bodbe. Stops, distance guides and the grape-harvest season.
Route day by day
- Days on the road
- 2
- Distance
- ≈200 km
- Budget from
- 150 GEL
- Best season
- May, June, July, August, September, October
-
Tbilisi
Route startThe start, heading east towards Kakheti. It is best to set off in the morning: the road over the Gombori Pass is scenic but slow.
-
Telavi
96 km from the startstop ≈120 min
The capital of wine country Kakheti: the Batonis Tsikhe palace-fortress, the statue of King Erekle II and a 900-year-old plane tree. A good base for an overnight stay and tastings.
Photo: Lasha ge / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 -
Alaverdi Monastery
116 km from the startstop ≈45 min
An 11th-century cathedral over 55 metres tall in the middle of the Alazani Valley; the monastery has its own qvevri winemaking tradition.
Photo: GuramGraphy / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 -
Gremi
140 km from the startstop ≈45 min
A royal citadel and the Church of the Archangels from 1565 — the former capital of the Kingdom of Kakheti, on a hill above the valley. The wineries of Kvareli are nearby.
Photo: Jon Gudorf Photography / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 -
Sighnaghi
198 km from the startstop ≈120 min
The "city of love" on a hill: an 18th-century town wall, tiled roofs and views over the valley with the Caucasus beyond. A handy place to start the second day.
Photo: Bernard Gagnon / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 -
Bodbe Monastery
200 km from the startA couple of kilometres from Sighnaghi: a convent above the valley where the relics of St Nino are kept. The final stop before the return to Tbilisi.
Photo: Armineaghayan / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Route map
The map with stops loads on click — to keep the page lightweight.
The map didn’t load. Check your connection and refresh the page.
Kakheti is Georgia’s main wine region, and in two days through the Alazani Valley you can take in ancient churches, royal fortresses and dozens of wineries. The route runs from Tbilisi via Telavi to Gremi fortress, then drops down to Sighnaghi and Bodbe Monastery on the second day.
Day 1: Tbilisi → Telavi → Alaverdi → Gremi
Set off from Tbilisi in the morning — the short road to Telavi runs over the scenic Gombori Pass (about 96 km, roughly 2 hours). In Telavi it’s worth seeing the Batonis Tsikhe palace-fortress and taking a break before the tastings.
Next come the 11th-century Alaverdi cathedral, one of the tallest churches in old Georgia, and the royal citadel of Gremi near Kvareli. All around are the wineries of the Alazani Valley, where wine is still made in qvevri by the ancient Kakhetian method. Telavi or Kvareli are convenient for the night.
Day 2: Sighnaghi → Bodbe → Tbilisi
The second day heads to the south of the valley, to Sighnaghi: the “city of love” with its 18th-century town wall, tiled roofs and views of the Caucasus. A couple of kilometres away is the convent of Bodbe, where the relics of St Nino are kept. From there it’s the drive back to Tbilisi (about 110 km more).
What to keep in mind
- The distances and times in the route card are rounded guides, not exact measurements; the real figures depend on the road, the number of stops and the wineries along the way.
- The “from” budget is a lower bound for fuel, an overnight stay and food excluding car hire and paid tastings; prices are higher in season.
- Don’t drive after tastings. If you plan to sample the wine, leave the driving to a sober member of the group or book a tour with a driver.
- The best time is from late spring through autumn; a special period is rtveli, the grape harvest in September–October, when the valley celebrates the harvest.
The easiest way to sort a car for the route is to arrange it in advance — see the car hire section. There’s more about the region in the guides to Telavi and Sighnaghi; more trip plans are in the routes section.