country
Georgiaსაქართველო (Sakartvelo)
First trip: base in Tbilisi for 3–4 nights, add a Kakheti wine day or Kazbegi mountain day by car, and stay out of the occupied regions; most passports enter visa-free, so the work is money, dress and roads.
Georgia is a country of 3.7 million people and steep mountains, where distances on the map are longer by road than they look. The trips that fail try to do Tbilisi, Kazbegi, Kakheti and Batumi in a week, or drive a mountain pass in winter. Take one base, add day trips by private driver or minibus (marshrutka), and treat church dress, cash lari and the occupied regions as rules that apply everywhere.
All regions, cities and parks in Georgia (Atlas) →
Regions
Capital and major cities
Routes that work
Tbilisi only, 5 nights
Keep one bed in Tbilisi; a driver makes the day trips easier than public minibuses.
- Fly into Tbilisi (TBS); many flights land between 01:00 and 05:00, so book the first night's room from the day before.
- The Military Road to Kazbegi can close for snow between Nov and Apr: check the road status before you go.
- Take the train or a short flight to Batumi rather than the long road; overnight buses cost a day.
Arrive
Time math
- 4 days
- Tbilisi 3 + Mtskheta half-day
- 7 days
- Tbilisi 4 + Kazbegi day + Kakheti day
- 10 days
- Tbilisi 4 + Kakheti 2 + Kazbegi 1 + Batumi 3 (fly or train)
Country rules
- Many passports enter visa-free for a long stay; if yours needs a visa, apply only on the official e-visa portal.
- Do not plan travel to Abkhazia or South Ossetia: crossing their boundary lines from Georgian-controlled land is treated as illegal entry, and many governments advise against it.
- In Orthodox churches women cover their heads and shoulders and wear a skirt or a wrap; men remove hats and avoid shorts.
- Carry Georgian lari in small notes for minibuses, markets and the metro card; cards work in most Tbilisi cafés and shops but not everywhere outside the capital.
Etiquette
- A toast at a supra (feast) is an honour: wait for the toastmaster (tamada) and never finish a glass before the toast is done.
- Greet with a handshake; accept tea, wine or food when offered at a home or guesthouse.
- Do not photograph people at churches or in funerals without asking.
- Stray dogs are common and mostly calm; do not feed them or run past them.
- 1–2 Jan and 7 Jan (Orthodox Christmas)
- Shops, banks and many restaurants closed; trains and minibuses run less often.
- Orthodox Easter (April or May, moves yearly)
- Offices and banks closed; churches crowded; taxis pricey.
- 26 May, 28 Aug, 14 Oct, 23 Nov
- National and church holidays; banks close and Tbilisi's central streets fill.
- Nov–Apr on the Military Road
- The Kazbegi road closes at short notice for snow.
Money & passes
Cash necessity: 3/5
- Currency is the Georgian lari (₾, GEL). Change money at banks or exchange offices, not in the airport hall.
- Cards work in Tbilisi and Batumi; keep cash for marshrutkas, markets, tips and villages.
- ATMs are common in cities; bank fees vary.
Before you fly: E-visa and entry · eSIM before you fly
Safety
- Check your own government's travel advice before you book: it will cover the occupied regions, the boundary lines and any current political tension.
- Emergency: 112 (police, ambulance, fire).
- Political protests have gathered on Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi in recent years: check the news and avoid the crowd and the evening hours around the parliament.
- Mountain roads are steep and drivers overtake blind: choose a licensed driver, avoid night driving, and check weather before the pass.
Georgia links Türkiye, Armenia and Azerbaijan by road and air; the Caucasus corridor is planned.
Sources
- Georgia e-visa portal (official)
- Georgian National Tourism Administration (official)
- Tbilisi International Airport (official)
- Wikivoyage — Georgia (secondary)