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Georgia, The country.

Georgia, not to be mistaken with the state of Georgia in America, has had a huge impact on world history, more than most people would realise.

Georgia is the birthplace of two of the most essential things in history, winemaking, and Joseph Stalin. One better than the other…
But for British football fans, this country is most famous for the cult hero Georgi Kinkladze. A source of joy when he was running around British defenders back in the mid-’90s.

Tbilisi old town the capital of Georgia

A tinny part of Old Town Tbilisi as seen from the cable car.

Georgia also has its own 33-letter alphabet thought to be based on the sort of Aramaic spoken in the time of Jesus. It is totally different from the Latin Alphabet that we use in the west, but luckily you will find most street signs these days are written in both.

If planning to visit Georgia, for the wine, be sure to check out this post about The 18 Best Wineries in Georgia for Wine Lovers.

This was my 5th trip to Georgia, and I know I have said it before with other destinations, but this is a very fast-changing place.

Need 5 reasons to visit Georgia?

Georgia has gone from being an unknown tourist destination the first time I was there in 2010 to one of the hippest destinations in 2015; it’s far from the off beaten track destination it used to be.
Looking for top things to do in Georgia?

Even Donald Trump has invested money in Georgia to build Georgias´s own Trump Tower, in the sub-tropical beach town of Batumi.
Yes, Georgia seems to have a thing or two for American Presidents, they even named the highway going from Tbilisi International Airport to the centre of the capital George W. Bush Avenue.

Trump tower in Georgia

One-piece, Trump Tower coming up!

Georgia is actually one of few countries in the world where you could enjoy your breakfast in shorts next to the beach in Batumi, go downhill skiing in Gaudarui or in Mestia during midday and then enjoy a glass of red wine in one of the wineries in the eastern part of the country during dinner. 

Most people start off their adventure in the capital Tbilisi.

View over Tbilisi the capital of Georgia

Tbilisi as seen from Narikala fortress, that overlooks the city.

Tbilisi is the capital and by far the largest city in Georgia, located on both sides of the Mtkvari River with a population of roughly 1.5 million inhabitants. Founded in the 5th century but rebuilt no more than 29! times since it was founded, the Old Town Tbilisi is largely intact with narrow alleys and big crooked houses built around courtyards, similar to Sicily in Italy.
The newer parts of the capital recently got a huge face lift with modern architecture

Tbilisi is truly a city Rich with history and modern architecture.

The leaning clock tower in Georgia

The leaning clock tower was created by the famous Georgian puppeteer Rezo Gabriadze.
Each Hour a window opens at the top and an angel strikes the bell. Below the clock, a screen opens and shows the circle of life: boy meets girl, marriage, childbirth and funeral.

Tbilisi is a nice city to walk around, parts of the old city are closed to traffic these days, so the streets are full of local art shops, restaurants, wine bars and small shops selling the traditional Georgian candy “Churchkhela”

Churchkhela the traditional candy in Georgia. Made from: grape must, nuts and flour. Almonds, walnuts, hazel nuts and sometimes raisins are threaded onto a string, dipped in thickened grape juice or fruit juices and dried in the shape of a sausage

Churchkhela the traditional candy in Georgia. Made from grape must, nuts and flour. Almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts and sometimes raisins are threaded onto a string, dipped in thickened grape juice or fruit juices and dried in the shape of a sausage.

One of the most overlooked destinations in Georgia is the city of Kutaisi.
Kutaisi is located about 4 hours west of Tbilisi with local transportation and has no more than 2 UNESCO World Heritage sights and one of the most spectacular sights anywhere in the world.

Bagrati Cathedral in Georgia

Bagrati Cathedral was built in the 11th century, fully rebuilt and restored in 2012. And put on the Unesco World Heritage list in 1994.

#Georgia #Kutaisi #Caucasus #UNESCO

Gelati Monastery was built in 1106, and it added to the UNESCO world heritage list in 1994.

#georgia #katskhi_pillar #Chruch #Caucasus

Katskhi Pillar, a 40 m high pillar with The church of St. Maximus the Confessor on the top of it.

While both Gelati Monastery and Bagrati Cathedral are easy to reach from Kutaisi with public transport, Katskhi Pillar is more of a hassle to reach. There isn’t direct transportation, so you have to Hitchhike there as I did. To get a lift was never a problem, the problem was to describe the where I wanted to go, since like all other people I talked to in Georgia knew that Katski Pillar was in the country, but nobody seems to know its exact location.
After asking numerous people, I finally found someone that had seen it on the way to the town Chiatura.

So if you want to visit Katskhi Pillar, head towards Chiatura, you will see Katskhi Pilla from the road, it’s about a 30 min walk in a small dust road to reach Katskhi. There is no accommodation in the area, but there is a campsite just down the hill from it.

beach in Georgia

A lifeguard tower at Batumi Beach, notice there is no sand but small pebbles. Like most beaches around the black sea

To the far west in the country, there is Batumi, and it offers its beautiful black sea pebbled beaches. Batumi it’s the party capital of the Caucasus with a seasonal nightlife that will match any other European city. With big-name international DJs on the beach-front clubs in the summer season, it is THE spot to go for people in the old Soviet.

Svaneti is the high mountain area in north-west Georgia, offers some of Europe best hiking areas and even the Second highest mountain “Shkhara” which at 5,193m (17.040 ft) is 400m (1.312 ft) higher than Mount Blac in France. In fact, Georgia is part of the highest mountain range in Europe, The Caucasus Mountains that border Georgia and Russia.

The entire Svaneti Region is a UNESCO heritage site.

#Georgia #Svaneti #UNESCO

The defensive stone towers of Svaneti were built between the 9th – 13th centuries. Today around 175 still stands

I will not write much about Svaneti in this post since I’m planning to write my own post about hiking in Svaneti in the future.

Need a proper guide to Kazbegi and the surrounding area?

In the northeast part of the Caucasus Mountains in Georgia are Kazbegi and the famous Holy Trinity Church that´s located on the top of one of the heights hills towering over the town city Stepantsminda at the height of 2170m.

#Georgia #Chruch #Kazbegi

Holy Trinity Church on the Kazbegi Hill.

Additional info about Georgia.

Here´s a complete guide to the cost of traveling in Georgia.

Visa for Georgia

Citizens of most western countries don´t need a visa and can stay up to one year without getting one

Getting There

Tbilisi International airport is the main point of entry and can be reached with direct flights from most big cities in Europe and the middle east.

Kutaisi Airport is served by Wizzair from Warsaw, Katowice, Kiev, Budapest.
There´s a direct train line being built from Istanbul to Tbilisi that should be finished now late in 2015
There are also direct trains to Baku in Azerbaijan and Yerevan in Armenia, both those cities are also served with minibuses throughout the day.

Where to Sleep in Georgia

Like in the other countries is the Caucasus so are the opening more and more hostels/guesthouses every month around the country.

It´s a good idea to check a few hostels online at Hostelworld if planning to book in advance, some of the cheapest hostels in Georgia is pretty and often used by poor immigrant workers. A decent hostel starts from 5usd for a dormitory bed, and the better hostel that starts from 7usd+ often include breakfast and free coffee/tea. “All” hostels have a guest kitchen so you can make your own food.

Tbilisi
Pushkin 10.
Medium Size hostel that has the best? Location in Tbilisi. Friendly staff, 24/7 reception, good free wifi and free breakfast. 7.50 USD for the 8-bed dorm.

Batumi
Hostel Batumi Globus.
Small cosy hostel less than 5miniutes to the waterfront. Very friendly staff, the small backyard where it’s good to enjoy a beer or two. From 6.30USD for the 8bed dorm.

Money/Price

Georgian currency is lari (GEL) 1USD = 2.39Gel  1 Euro = 2.54 Gel

Georgia is not as cheap anymore as it was only a few years ago, a daily backpacking budget should be around 35USD.
There´s ATM´s that accept western bank cards in every big city but bring extra cash if planning to spend time in Svaneti.

1,5L Bottle of water  – 1 GEL.
0.33L Coke/Pepsi – 1 GEL.
A meal in a local restaurant – 12 GEL.
A meal in a good restaurant – 30 GEL
Big Mac meal at McDonald´s – 14 GEL.
Coffee in a coffee chain – 4 GEL.
Pack of Cigarettes (Marlboro) – 3 GEL.
Beer local 0.5L can – 1.90 GEL.
Beer imported 0.33L (Heineken) – 3 GEL.
Gasoline (1 litre) – 2 GEL.

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Georgia, not to be mistaken with the state Georgia in America, has had a huge impact on world history, more than most people would realize.

Georgia, not to be mistaken with the state Georgia in America, has had a huge impact on world history, more than most people would realize.

 

Top 10 Things to do while in Tbilisi | Unusual Traveler

Sunday 17th of December 2017

[…] the capital of Georgia, for me, is one of a fascinating cities in the world. I am so charmed by the city that I made my […]

Mariam Gachechiladze

Sunday 8th of October 2017

WOW! I'm Georgian and I really enjoyed your article! Thanks for visiting Georgia and writing this beautiful article!

Sakina

Wednesday 3rd of May 2017

Hey!

How many days would you recommend for backpacking in Georgia considering I would also want to do 1 or 2 good hikes?

Thank you.

Deepika

Friday 20th of January 2017

I am looking forward to my next destination soon and chose Georgia. As you said that we can get by 35 USD per day. Is 2000 Georgian Lari enough for a 3 week trip?

Christian L.

Saturday 21st of January 2017

Hello Deepika.

2000 lari / 700 euro should be more than enough for 3 weeks in Georgia, your highest expense is gone be the accommodation. I was just back in Georgia 3 weeks ago. And it was still easy to spend less than 35 USD

Jonathan

Thursday 8th of December 2016

Hiking through Tusheti National Park was one of the most incredible spots I've ever been through.

It took 3.5 hours to get up into the park, and you have to hire a Jeep to drive on some incredibly treacherous roads, but once you arrive to the capital of the area, Omalo, which is a picturesque village of 100 people, you realize it was entirely worth it.

Then, you begin your hike, where hike from village to village. Each village has about 4-10 people living there, and usually theres a babushka or Georgian family ready to take you in for the night. We had an 80 year old woman cook us an incredible meal.

Anyways, Svaneti gets a lot of attention for good reason, but I think Tusheti is a far more authentic experience. Because the road to get up there is so difficult, not many people do it.

Christian L.

Thursday 8th of December 2016

Hello Jonathan.

I would love to visit Tusheti, I been looking into going there during my last two trips to Georgia. But I just have´t had enough time to visit that area.

When did you visit? What time of year?

Im actually heading back to Georgia next week, but just a short trip. So Guess I need to plan another trip there next year:)