Georgia itineraries: 1 week, 2 weeks and 3 weeks

Nights are the minimum that does each place justice. Tbilisi is the hub: the train runs west to Kutaisi and Batumi, and most mountain roads are quicker by car or marshrutka. Build the trip around one direction of travel so you are not doubling back.

Days 1–3 in Tbilisi: old town and the sulphur baths at Abanotubani, Narikala fortress, the Georgian National Museum, and an evening around Fabrika and Sololaki. Take the cable car up to Narikala and walk down through Sololaki. Use one of these days for Mtskheta, 30 minutes away, with Svetitskhoveli and Jvari.

Days 4–5 in Kazbegi (Stepantsminda): the Gergeti Trinity Church under Mt Kazbek, with the Georgian Military Highway running north from Tbilisi past Mtskheta. Two nights lets you walk above the village and still have a clear morning for the church.

Days 6–7 in Kakheti, based in Sighnaghi or Telavi: wine villages, Alaverdi and the walled town of Sighnaghi. Book a driver so everyone can taste. If you would rather see a cliff monastery than more wine, Vardzia can replace Kakheti, but it adds a long drive west.

Keep the 7-day shape, then move west. Tbilisi 3 nights, Kazbegi 2, back through Tbilisi, then Kutaisi 2 nights for Gelati, Bagrati and the nearby caves and canyons, then Batumi 3 nights on the Black Sea boulevard.

The train links Tbilisi, Kutaisi and Batumi, so you can drop the car after Kazbegi. Kutaisi and Batumi both have airports, which makes a one-way trip possible: fly into Tbilisi, out of Batumi or Kutaisi.

Tbilisi 3 nights, Kakheti 2, back to Tbilisi, Kazbegi 2, Kutaisi 2, Mestia 3, Batumi 2. Svaneti is the part that rewards the extra nights: Mestia's tower villages and a day trip to Ushguli, best with 3–4 nights and a trek.

This route works in one direction if you take the train west and arrange a car or marshrutka for the Svaneti leg. Svaneti is best in Jul–Sep; outside that window, swap Mestia for more time in Kakheti or Borjomi.

Three weeks lets you slow the 14-day route and add either Tusheti (remote highland villages, usually reachable Jul–Sep only) or Borjomi and the national park, plus a rest day in Tbilisi at each end.

Do not spend the extra week on more cities. Add depth: two nights in a Kakheti village, a trek out of Mestia, a slow day in Batumi. Check road and pass conditions before committing to any highland leg.

May–Jun and Sep–Oct are the comfortable months for Tbilisi, Kakheti and Kutaisi. Kazbegi and Svaneti are Jun–Sep trips; the Kazbegi road can close after snow, and the Tusheti road is usually open only Jul–Sep (check). Batumi is a Jun–Sep city.

Winter is not wasted: Tbilisi, Mtskheta, Kutaisi and the wine cellars work year-round, with fewer crowds and lower prices. Check the mountain roads before any winter plan that includes Kazbegi or Svaneti.

Most passports enter Georgia visa-free for short stays; confirm your own case before booking. Carry some cash in lari for villages, guesthouses and marshrutkas, and check current tipping habits.

Distances look short on the map but mountain roads are slow. Allow a full day for Tbilisi–Kazbegi and for the Svaneti leg, and keep one buffer day in a two-week trip. Stay out of the occupied regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia; entering them from the Georgian side is not possible and is not advised.