Route day by day

Days on the road

Distance

≈480 km

Budget from

700 GEL

Best season

May, June, July, August, September, October

Tbilisi

Route start

The start in the capital. See Tbilisi and head west — ahead lies the whole country, from the Kura to the Black Sea.

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

Mtskheta

20 km from the start

stop ≈90 min

The ancient capital 20 km from Tbilisi: Svetitskhoveli Cathedral and Jvari Monastery above the river confluence. A logical first stop.

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

Gori and Uplistsikhe

90 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 on to Borjomi.

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

Borjomi

160 km from the start

stop ≈120 min

A spa resort in a gorge: mineral water in the park, a cable car and green mountains. A handy base for the night on days 1–2.

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

Kutaisi

290 km from the start

stop ≈180 min

Georgia's third city and a base for the west: Bagrati Cathedral, Gelati Monastery, Sataplia. From here it's easy to take in the canyons (days 3–4).

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

The canyons of Imereti

340 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

Batumi

480 km from the start

The end of the route: a seaside resort on the Black Sea — the seafront, the boulevard, the beaches. A good place to spend the final days (6–7).

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

This is Georgia’s classic road trip: in a week you cross the country from Tbilisi to the Black Sea, gathering all the best of it along the way — ancient churches, cave towns, mineral-water Borjomi, the canyons of Imereti and a finale on the coast in Batumi. The route is built for a car; the distances and budget in the card are guides, so adjust them to suit yourself.

The cave town of Uplistsikhe on the bank of the Mtkvari — The cave town of Uplistsikhe near Gori — one of the stops on the first day heading west. Photo: applsdev / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Days 1–2: Tbilisi → Mtskheta → Gori → Borjomi

From Tbilisi it’s a short hop to Mtskheta (Svetitskhoveli Cathedral and Jvari). Next comes Gori with its fortress and Stalin museum, and the cave town of Uplistsikhe. By evening you reach Borjomi: mineral water, the park and a cable car. It’s convenient to stay the night here; if you fancy it, you can head up to the mountain resort of Bakuriani.

The 6th-century Jvari Monastery on the mountain above Mtskheta — The 6th-century Jvari Monastery on the mountaintop; nearby are the ruins of an earlier structure. Photo: Bernard Gagnon / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

The Stalin museum building in Gori — The Stalin museum in central Gori — one of the most visited and most contentious places in the country. Photo: Stolbovsky / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

A turquoise pavilion with a mineral-water fountain in Borjomi central park — A turquoise pavilion with a fountain in the central park. Photo: Marcin Konsek / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Days 3–4: Kutaisi and the canyons of Imereti

Move on to Kutaisi — a base for the west. From here, day trips: Gelati Monastery and Sataplia, Prometheus Cave, and the Okatse and Martvili canyons with their emerald water and boats. A ready-made plan for the west is the Imereti: canyons and caves route.

The Gelati monastery complex on a hill near Kutaisi. Photo: Matthias Bethke / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

A floodlit hall of Prometheus Cave with formations — One of the halls open to visitors, with artistic lighting. Photo: Alexey Komarov / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Boats on green water deep inside Martvili Canyon beside a high limestone wall — Boats enter the narrowest part of the canyon, between sheer walls. Photo: Kober / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Days 5–7: to the sea and Batumi

From Kutaisi it’s on to the coast and Batumi: the seafront, the boulevard, the beaches and seaside cooking. Leave the last two days for the city and the sea itself — a relaxed finale after a packed first half.

The Alphabet Tower and Batumi Bay — The 145-metre Alphabet Tower above Batumi Bay; to the right is the Ferris wheel. Photo: Andrew Milligan sumo / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

What to keep in mind

The distances, budget and season are guides, not exact measurements; the real figures depend on the number of stops, your accommodation and the season.
The “from” budget is a very rough lower bound for a week (fuel, overnight stays, food) excluding car hire, tours and entry tickets.
The hire is often taken one-way (Tbilisi → Batumi) — check with the rental company whether this is possible and what the drop-off fee in another city is.
The route is flexible: you can trim it to 5 days (dropping some of the canyons) or extend it with a detour to Kakheti or Svaneti.

The easiest way to sort a car for the route is to arrange it in advance — see the car hire section and the how to rent a car guide. More trip plans are in the routes section.

Tbilisi → Batumi by car: a 7-day route