Georgia 14 days itinerary with tips.

Forests, food and fresh air: these were the main reasons to choose Georgia. We only had two weeks and wanted to rest and be active outside, so we created an itinerary for leisure and outdoors, that would include travelling slower, walking a lot in nature, hiking and reading.

We took a flight from Qatar to Tbilisi, but we planned to leave the capital till the end of our trip and took a bus to Batumi. Instead of taking a taxi this time from the airport, we chose a local bus (that is supposed to be running frequently, but in practice, it looked a bit differently), that cost 0,5 GEL (about 0,15 $). Yes, you are reading it right. You will need to have ready change for the bus (there is a box for coins inside the bus), which was not the easiest of tasks even when I wanted to buy a bottle of water in order to obtain it.

To get to Batumi we hesitated between a train or a bus, in the end, we took a bus called Metro, which was confusing with a regular metro in Tbilisi and no one was able to direct us to the station. The trip to Batumi was bumpy, hot and longer than expected. If we had known, we would have chosen a train. Nothing, however, could lower my excitement to start the trip and discover a new country. First stop: Black Sea.

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Our road trip plan

During this trip we wanted mainly to rest, walk a lot and breathe fresh air, which meant that we needed to limit driving times. To accomplish that, we stayed a few days in most places (which also meant that we wouldn’t be able to see as much as we could). We needed to rest after some stressful weeks and the heat we deal with in Qatar. Sometimes well-being is more important (or it should be more than sometimes) than seeing as much as possible or collecting blog material. This time it was all about rest and restoration. Even though I carried my camera with me most of the time, I took it out less often than normal, took fewer pictures and did not bother much to put in use the better lens.

Driving in Georgia

We considered a few travel options: hire a tour, travel by bus or marshrutka and rent a car and be more flexible. As usual, we opted for the last option.

If I could give you one tip for renting a car in Georgia it would be: plan early, book early and choose a known and reliable company like RentalCars, for example or Hertz.

Driving in Georgia is slow. You might look at the map and think that the distances are not huge, but don’t plan it tightly. It turned out that pretty cows, pigs and holes in the roads slow the driving down significantly. At times we could not go faster than 30 km/h for nearly 100 km. This made our close by excursion last the whole day. One other thing to have in mind is that the drivers do whatever they want…following the rules does not seem to be a habit.

I would also like to mention, that even though many companies might push for you do rent an off-road car, it would not be necessary if you plan to travel to places we did. Yes, some roads were in a bad state, but none were dirt roads that would require something stronger or better prepared than a normal car. I cannot speak for other areas though, you might need a sturdy car.

You can use the form below to search for hotels. This one is always helpful for us as it directs you to different sites and compares prices:

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What to pack for Georgia:

This itinerary includes beach, walking, hiking and going out for dinners. And we traveled with a carry on only (as always anyway). The weather in August is hot, however it varies depending on the region, which made the packing more thought-requiring. Here you have a list of things that we absolutely needed:

• Sunscreen
• A hat (which I forgot to pack)
• Hiking shoes (many hiking trails are very steep and easy to slip on)
• A windbreaker or a raincoat
• Comfortable day shoes for walking in cities (many cobbled and steep streets)
• A scarf (girls are required to cover up their legs, however many churches offer scarfs at the entrance)
• Water shoes for the beach. I recently discovered excellent (I literally wear them on all my travels) shoes from Tropicfeel that look great, are comfortable for the city and you can also wear them to walk in water. They dry quickly, are light and nothing happens to them.
• Small back pack for hiking
• A filter bottle if you don’t want to produce plastic waste
• Bikini, clothes and anything else

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What to see in Georgia in 14 days without rush

Batumi

The main reason to add Batumi to the trip was the Black Sea. It is something quite tempting about visiting different seas, lakes, rivers and oceans and if it is only to put my feet in. Prior to the trip, I scanned a few blogs (as I usually do) to see what other travellers and bloggers say about Georgia. ‘Quirky’, ‘weird’ or ‘interesting’ were the adjectives frequently used. Of course, this tickled the curiosity even more.

We spent in Batumi three nights. The plan was to have some time at the beaches in the city and outside and head north afterwards with stops on the way (save some time to walk in the Botanical Garden, it’s big and lovely with the view of the Black Sea). It turned out that the beach was not so relax-friendly. All the beaches we saw had stones and access to the sea was steep. A lovely promenade along the beach was a saviour and we could take long walks with the sea breeze in the hair.

I do not even know how to describe the town. With many post-Soviet buildings, modern designs anywhere you look, odd installations…it surely is an interesting city.

I would like to recommend you two places to eat: Fan Fan restaurant and Heart of Batumi. Both serve excellent food, but the latter was a five-star experience when it comes to quality of food and service.

Hotel recommendation:

Sheraton Batumi– we chose this hotel as it was right at the access to the beach and the views from the hotel were breathtaking giving an opportunity to wake up with the view of the Black Sea and watch the sunset from the hotel if we chose to.

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Kutaisi

After Batumi we stayed in Kutaisi for a couple of nights. The city itself was charming, however we did not aim to explore it in depth as the main reason to make this stop over was Chiatura (to see the Soviet cable car, which was not working) and Katskhi Pillar with a monastery on top (a spectacular place to visit).

Kutaisi was cooler than we thought and we found there two lovely places to eat and have some wine: Wine Bar and Palaty restaurant. The food was excellent in both places to enjoy with an accompany of live music.

Hotel recommendation:

Hotel Terrace Kutaisi– this small family owned hotel was perfectly comfortable to be within a walking distance from the centre. It was clean, well set up and served lovely breakfast. You must try their homemade compote there.

Borjomi

Borjomi was our longest stop: 5 days. The area is known for pure air, spa centers and anything you need to heal and relax. This area is so green, that wherever you look everything is in million shades of green. If you need green therapy, this is a place for you. This was exactly the reason we stayed there for longer than anywhere else. Coming from hot, humid and dusty Qatar, we also dreamed of walking in the forest and breathing clean air. This was a perfect place to hike in the national park, one of the biggest in Europe. There are many short and longs trails and we enjoyed a lot this pure nature.

If you happen to Borjomi, go to Tourist Cafe to try the best homemade Georgian food cooked by an elder couple, which they serve in a place that looks like their own living-room. We ate there three times and even though we could not communicate with the owners well, they showed us that they are very happy to receive returning guests.

Hotel recommendation:

Borjomi Likani– this hotel is located in a park-like garden with access to a river. The surroundings are truly stunning. It is located in Likani, just next to Borjomi, but within 10-15 minute walk to Borjomi and the tourist centre, where you get hiking information and sign up is just across the street from the hotel.

Crowne Plaza Spa & Wellness– this hotel was my first choice, but due to the lack of available rooms, we had to split the stay between the two hotels. It is really comfortable with a great view and anything to relax. The only thing that is missing is an outdoor pool, but there is still an area to suntan. Just a couple of minutes walk from this hotel you have entrance to Central Park, where you can try mineral water, the biggest pride of Borjomi.

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Gori

Gori was primarily a place to stay overnight, however, we decided to stay longer in other places, that we imagined much nicer. In the end, Gori become a couple-of-hours stop on the way to Mtshketa and to be totally honest with you, it was a good decision. Two main attractions put Gori on traveller’s list, I recon Stalin’s museum (as it is his birth town) and Uplistsikhe out of town. It was not my favourite place and quickly visiting the museum (just briefly inside and outside as we did not want to contribute financially to this place by paying the fee) left me with bitter feelings. It was not a museum representing historical facts, but rather an admiration centre. There was even a museum shop selling mugs, t-shirts and other souvenirs with Stalin’s face on. That’s all what I can say about this place. I would not go back.

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Mtshketa

Mtskheta is a former capital of Georgia and a little charming town, that draws many local and foreign tourists to it. Walking the old streets colourfully adored by local vendors made me feel like time slowed down a bit. It also prove to be a rather touristic place. No wonder! It’s beautiful, charming and close to the capital.

Hotel recommendation:

Gino Wellness and Spa– as we stayed in Mtskheta only for one night, we did not look for anything extravagant, but this small hotel made us comfortable. It is right in the centre close to the old part and the cathedral and served breakfast at the pool area, which was quite nice in the morning.

Stepantsminda

I must admit, that the main reason I wanted to go to Georgia so badly was the secluded church in the Caucasian mountains. It is really as beautiful as it looks in the photos. The village was disappointing though with prices high to the sky and nowhere to walk. It had nothing common with a mountain village I imagined and know from other places in Europe.

We did a little hike early in the morning (3 hours return) through a forest to get to the church. You can also drive up there, but what’s better than crispy fresh air and a brisk walk to make your heart pump before you start the day. Go there early to avoid the crows, although the chances are that campers are already there having breakfast.

Hotel recommendation:

Rooms Hotel Kazbegi– I cannot think of a better hotel to stay in in Stepantsminda. This design hotel is located on a hill with a breathtaking view on the town and the mountains. Our room gave us a Gergeti Trinity Church view, which was absolutely spectacular. The hotel itself is really cool with a lovely breakfast on the terrace (if you like), so you can enjoy it while soaking the beauty of the mountains.

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Tbilisi

The capital of Georgia was hands down the biggest surprise! And it was a good one. Being so small it has many places to walk, eat and go out in the evening. At weekend it seemed that the city never slept.

The modern buildings perfectly fit in between old ones and quirky sculptures scattered around the city put a smile on your face (look for little man sculptures in random places).

Hotel recommendation:

Sheraton Grand Metechi Palace– this hotel is a little bit out of the centre, but within a walking distance and we had no issues to walk from there to some attractions. The hotel itself is amazing, especially the spa area and outdoor pool, which seems to be specially designed for guests to relax.

Rooms Hotel Tbilisi– as the one in Stepantsminda, this is also a cool design hotel, that might interest you. It is right in the centre, close by to the old town and Rustaveli street.

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