There are homes that are not big in size but are able to hold lots of guests. You don’t need to have a big house for guests to come to your place. You should have a big heart. And Georgia has this big heart. Georgian hospitality and Georgian table, Georgian songs and Georgian wine, Georgian dance and Georgian cheese, this list can go on and on.
Georgia has everything: mountains, woods, sea, beaches, ski paths, oldest churches and gorgeous wine. It is hard to seize everything at once, but if you have decided to spend your vacation in Georgia, then here is the list of 10 things you definitely need to do in this beautiful land.
1. Try tones puri. Culture of every nation is reflected in the culture of breadmaking. Discover Georgia through its bread. When traveling across Georgia, you will come across many bakeries. Stop and treat yourself to Georgian bread – tones puri (pronounced “ton-ays poo-ree”) – freshly baked in a deep circular clay oven, tone. And when leaving the country, take some with yourself, they are still good the next day, and even two days later: with Imeretian cheese and Kakheti wine.
2. Visit Mtskheta and Jvari monastery. They are located in one of the most picturesque places in Georgia and not too far from Tbilisi. Temple of Jvari was built in the 7th century on top of the mountain, on the place of junction of two rivers – Kura and Aragvi. This was the place where Equal of the Apostles and Enlighteners of Georgia St Nina erected a cross (jvari in Georgian). The first monument of UNESCO World Heritage in Georgia. The ancient capital city of Georgian Kingdom Mtskheta has the beauty and grandeur of old cathedrals of 9th centuries and combination of modern tourist centre where you can enjoy Georgian wine, dishes and find excellent souvenirs.
Review Tbilisi&Mtskheta Tour
3. Evaluate Georgian cheese. We know that in the list of 10 things we can include Georgian cuisine, but we cannot omit cheese. Cheese in Georgia is always on tables as a cold dish and in hot dishes. There are many varieties: famous suluguni, sheep’s cheese Gouda with a specific scent, and spicy kobi. Buy one nice piece of excellent Imereti cheese, you will never regret. To conclude endless culinary theme, have a taste of the ‘Tarkhun’ beverage, eat pkhali and khinkali of three types.
Review Wine&Cheese Tour
4. Drink ‘Borjomi’. Mineral water ‘Borjomi’ is exported to 40 countries of the world. Healing water is sourced in the depth of 8km long and coming through thickness of volcanic mountain rocks, it gets more than 60 natural minerals in itself. Use this unique opportunity to try the water from the springs.
5. You may take some aura of Pirosmani with yourself. It would be very hard to find someone who has not heard of the great painter Niko Pirosmanashvili. Works depicting kind, cosy and deeply Georgian lifestyle are almost full of naïve spontaneity: shepherds and princes, clergymen and craftsmen, rich tables and field work. Of course, we are not offering to buy his works with prices hitting 1,5 mln USD at auctions. But there are affordable paintings. At least, get a fridge magnet with reproduction works of Zurab Martiashvili, Tbilisi artist. It will be reminding you of the vacation in Georgia.
6. Definitely make sure you try Kakheti wine. Vacation in Georgia where there are more than 500 kinds of grapes grown, and where they are proud of their wine, are not imaginable without a wine tour. We recommend you to visit Kakheti, Alazan valley, the centre of country winery. Try red wines ‘Saperavi’, ‘Khvanchkara’, ‘Mukuzani’, and ‘Akhasheni’; white wines ‘Mtsvane’, ‘Kakheti’, and ‘Tsinandali’. Take home as a gift and for your upcoming New Year celebration a pair of famous red ‘Kindzmarauli’ wine.
Review Kakheti Wine Tour…
7. Enjoy nature in Svaneti. One of the most remote yet incredibly beautiful regions of Georgia, Svaneti is very different from the rest of the country. Svans even have their own language. When you are in Mestia, capital of Svaneti, climb medieval watchtowers and taste delicious local meat pies kubdari. In summer, Svaneti offers numerous hiking trails with breathtaking view guaranteed, while in winter it is the center of skiing in Georgia which attracts skiers from all over the world.
8. Stay in Adjara. Adjara is a marine resort capital of Georgia. Pebbled beach, stations of water sports, seven km long embankment of Batumi with wonderful boulevard park and its dancing-singing fountains, palms, bars, cafes and restaurants with excellent service and the tastiest food. Even khachapuri in Adjara is special – it has a shape of a boat. And visit the Botanic Garden of Batumi. Adjara is also well-known for its curative mineral springs. A vacation in Gerogia will impress everyone who will choose to spend unforgettable days in sunny Adjara.
9. Buy churchkhela in the city of lovers Sighnaghi. Sighnaghi fortress is unique as it is the only one in Georgia where defense walls have been preserved along the entire perimeter. In recent years, there have been significant investments done to the city and Sighnaghi turned into a real pearl of tourism in Georgia above Alazan valley. Besides, they register marriage 24 hours a day that is why it is called a city of lovers. You can buy best Georgian spices in Sighnaghi: adjiga, khmeli sumeli and famous churchkhela.
10. Climb the Mount Mtatsminda. There is a Church of St. Father David on the holy mount, Pantheon of Georgian writers and notable figures. Also there is a burial place of a poet and fighter for independence Ilia Chavchavadze, grave of Russian poet Griboedov and his wife Nina Chavchavadze. On the top of the mountain there is a park of Mtatsminda and a restaurant, from there one can view Tbilisi as on hand.