Major city
Kutaisiქუთაისი
Use Kutaisi as a base for Imereti caves and monasteries; two nights work well.
Not field-verifiedbasic guide
Rules in force · 4Do not plan travel to Abkhazia or South Ossetia
- Georgia ↗Many passports enter visa-free for a long stay; if yours needs a visa, apply only on the official e-visa portal.
- Georgia ↗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.
- Georgia ↗In Orthodox churches women cover their heads and shoulders and wear a skirt or a wrap; men remove hats and avoid shorts.
- Georgia ↗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.
Kutaisi is Georgia's third-largest city, in the west and one of the country's oldest. It has a cathedral, a market and a compact centre. Day trips reach canyons, caves and monastery sites in Imereti.
At a glance
- Known for
- Bagrati Cathedral · Gelati Monastery · Prometheus Cave · Green Bazaar
- Best months
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (hot), Dec–Feb (wet)
- Nights
- 2
- Airports
- KUT David the Builder Kutaisi International (Buses and taxis to the centre)
Where to sleep
City centre
Walkable to cafes, market and the river.
Getting around
The centre is walkable; taxis and marshrutkas reach Gelati and the caves. Trains and buses connect to Tbilisi and Batumi.
Watch out
- Some cave and canyon sites close in bad weather; check ahead.
- Marshrutka schedules are informal; ask locally.
- The airport is popular with low-cost carriers, so onward transport can be busy.
Not a trip line yet
This is a basic guide: no airport-to-bed contract, walking clusters or day plans are published for Kutaisi. Airport, fare and schedule details are unverified; check the operators before you fly.
Sources
Sources
- Georgia Tourism (official)
- Wikivoyage — Kutaisi (secondary)