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Georgia Guidebook
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Day trip from Tbilisi: Mtskheta, Uplistsikhe and Gori

Updated · June 15, 2026

A day trip from Tbilisi: ancient Mtskheta, the cave town of Uplistsikhe and Gori with the Stalin museum. Stops, distance guides and tips.

Route day by day

Days on the road
1
Distance
≈95 km
Budget from
80 GEL
Best season
April, May, June, July, August, September, October

  1. Tbilisi

    Route start

    The start, heading west along the road to Gori. The trip fits into a single day, but set off in the morning so you are not rushing the three stops.

  2. Mtskheta

    20 km from the start

    stop ≈120 min

    The ancient capital and spiritual heart of Georgia: Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in town and Jvari Monastery on the mountain above the confluence of the Kura and Aragvi.

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

  3. Uplistsikhe

    85 km from the start

    stop ≈90 min

    One of the oldest urban centres in the Caucasus, carved into the rocks above the Mtkvari river: streets, halls and a "theatre" cut straight into the stone.

    A general view of the cave town of Uplistsikhe
    Photo: applsdev / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

  4. Gori

    95 km from the start

    stop ≈90 min

    A town at the confluence of the Kura and Liakhvi: a fortress on the hill and the Stalin museum with his personal armoured railway carriage. From here you head back to Tbilisi.

    Stalin's personal armoured railway carriage in Gori
    Photo: Bernard Gagnon / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

Route map

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

The easiest day trip out of Tbilisi runs west, to ancient Mtskheta, the cave town of Uplistsikhe and Gori. Three very different places — churches, a cave town and a 20th-century museum — fit into one full day.

Mtskheta at the confluence of the Kura and Aragvi, seen from Jvari mountain
Mtskheta at the confluence of the Kura and Aragvi — the first stop, just 20 km from Tbilisi. Photo: Vyacheslav Argenberg / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

Mtskheta

The first stop is just 20 km from the capital — ancient Mtskheta, a UNESCO site. Here you have Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in the town centre and the 6th-century Jvari Monastery on the mountain above the confluence of the rivers, from where the classic view of the town opens up.

Jvari Monastery on the mountaintop above Mtskheta
The 6th-century Jvari church on the mountaintop above Mtskheta — from the viewpoint the classic vista of the river confluence opens up. Photo: Alexey Komarov / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Uplistsikhe

Further along the road is Uplistsikhe, one of the oldest urban centres in the Caucasus, carved straight into the rock above the Mtkvari. Streets, halls, wineries and a large “theatre” hall have survived here — all in stone.

The large arched hall of Uplistsikhe with steps cut into the rock
The large hall beneath the rock vault, with steps leading deeper into the complex. Photo: Marcin Konsek / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Gori

The final stop is Gori: the fortress on the hill above the town and the Stalin museum with his personal armoured railway carriage (a contentious subject, but the museum is a prominent part of the town). From here it’s a short drive back to Tbilisi.

Gori Fortress on the hill above the town
Gori Fortress on its rocky hill in the centre of town — the defining silhouette of Gori. Photo: Andrzej Wójtowicz / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

What to keep in mind

  • The distances and times are rounded guides; everything depends on how long you spend at each stop.
  • The trip is doable in a day, but it’s a full one — Jvari, Uplistsikhe and the museum in Gori add up to a lot of time, so set off in the morning.
  • The “from” budget is a lower bound for fuel and basic food excluding car hire and entry tickets. Check museum hours and entry fees before you travel.
  • Uplistsikhe has little shade and uneven stone underfoot — bring water and comfortable shoes.

The easiest way to sort a car for the day is to arrange it in advance — see the car hire section. If you want to head further north, the Tbilisi → Kazbegi route starts from Mtskheta; more trip plans are in the routes section.