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Georgia Guidebook
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Vardzia and southern Georgia: a 2-day route from Tbilisi

Updated · June 15, 2026

A 2-day route to southern Georgia: Borjomi, Rabati fortress in Akhaltsikhe, Khertvisi and the cave town of Vardzia. Stops, distances and season.

Route day by day

Days on the road
2
Distance
≈275 km
Budget from
160 GEL
Best season
May, June, July, August, September, October

  1. Tbilisi

    Route start

    The start, heading south-west towards Samtskhe-Javakheti. The route is long — set off early to fit in Borjomi and Akhaltsikhe on the first day.

  2. Borjomi

    160 km from the start

    stop ≈90 min

    The famous spa resort in a gorge: mineral water right in the central park, a cable car and green mountains all around.

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

  3. Rabati Fortress (Akhaltsikhe)

    210 km from the start

    stop ≈90 min

    An extensively restored fortress in Akhaltsikhe with Georgian and Ottoman features: a citadel, a mosque from 1752 and a museum. A convenient place to spend the night.

    A panorama of the restored Rabati fortress complex from above
    Photo: I kynitsky / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

  4. Khertvisi Fortress

    260 km from the start

    stop ≈30 min

    One of the oldest fortresses in Georgia: walls and towers on a rocky spur at the confluence of two rivers, right on the road to Vardzia.

    The walls and towers of Khertvisi fortress on a rocky hill
    Photo: Makalu (Pixabay) / Wikimedia Commons, CC0

  5. Vardzia

    275 km from the start

    stop ≈120 min

    Queen Tamar's 12th-century cave monastery: around 500 chambers carved into the rock on the slope of Mount Erusheti. The climax of the route.

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

Route map

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

Southern Georgia is Samtskhe-Javakheti: mineral-water Borjomi, the restored Rabati fortress and the main goal of the trip — the 12th-century cave town of Vardzia. The route is long, but you can realistically cover it in two days with an overnight base in Akhaltsikhe.

Rabati fortress and the town of Akhaltsikhe among green hills
Rabati fortress in Akhaltsikhe — an extensively restored complex with Georgian and Ottoman features. Photo: Jaba1977 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Day 1: Tbilisi → Borjomi → Akhaltsikhe

Set off from Tbilisi in the morning: it’s about 160 km to Borjomi. In the resort’s central park, try the mineral water from the spring, ride the cable car and take a walk through the gorge.

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

From there it’s a short drive to Akhaltsikhe and Rabati fortress: a citadel, a mosque and a museum in the restored complex. It’s convenient to stay the night here, in Akhaltsikhe.

A mosque with a minaret inside Rabati fortress
Rabati: the mosque with its minaret — the main eastern landmark of the fortress. Photo: Henri Bergius / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

Day 2: Khertvisi → Vardzia → the return

In the morning, head south along the Kura valley. First comes Khertvisi fortress on its rocky spur, one of the oldest in the country.

Khertvisi fortress with towers and long walls on a cliff
Khertvisi: towers and long walls stretch along the rocky spur. Photo: Soghomon Matevosyan / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Then comes Vardzia, Queen Tamar’s cave monastery: hundreds of chambers carved into the rock, a church with frescoes and tunnels. This is the climax of the route; from there it’s the long drive back to Tbilisi.

The Vardzia cave town in the mountainside above the valley
Vardzia: from the valley you can see the whole cave town stretched along the cliff. Photo: Devi Asmadiredja / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

What to keep in mind

  • The route is long (about 275 km one way to Vardzia). It’s a full two days; if you want to take it slowly, allow three.
  • The distances and times in the route card are rounded guides, not exact measurements.
  • The “from” budget is a lower bound for fuel, an overnight stay and food excluding car hire and entry tickets.
  • Vardzia involves a lot of walking along trails and stairs on the slope; bring comfortable shoes and water. Check opening hours and entry fees before you travel.

The easiest way to sort a car for the route is to arrange it in advance — see the car hire section. Near Borjomi is the mountain resort of Bakuriani; more trip plans are in the routes section.