Batumi tea fields

Itinerary Georgia

Day 1

15.25 – Wizzair flight from Warsaw Chopin to Kutaisi – 3h
In Georgia, change of time + 2h in relation to Poland. Kutaisi airport is modern (after renovation), but there are currently no shops or restaurants, and ATMs do not work (ATMs in Georgia issue lari, USD and Euro).

We rent a BMW E46 car from MiMiNO rental – for 7 days for USD 300 with full insurance + USD 100 deposit (the company is not recommended – they do not refund the deposit for speeding based on GPS, you cannot enter the areas marked on the map attached to the contract). In Georgia after 21 curfew, but you can drive from the airport to the hotel without any problem.
Overnight in Kutaisi in the “Balcony” hotel – 80 GEL for a room with a terrace, breakfast separately (10 GEL per person).

Day 2

Breakfast at the hotel – scrambled eggs, sausages, meat patties, cheese. We go to the Bagrati Cathedral (free entry) from the 11th century with a view of the entire city. The cathedral was rebuilt and was removed from the UNESCO list as a punishment. We return along the cobbled streets to the center of Kutaisi to the bazaar – the most interesting part is the fruit and cheese part – it is worth trying churchkhela, i.e. nuts in grape juice and sugar (1 piece from 2 to 2.50 GEL). Coffee is also very cheap – 100 g for 2.45 GEL. In general, Kutaisi is not very interesting – apart from Bagrati and the bazaar, it’s hard to find something interesting.

We drive the M17 road to the Gelati Monastery from the 12th century (free of charge) – the original frescoes and the tomb of David IV the Builder have been preserved inside the church. The monastery is on the UNESCO list.From Gelati we go towards Borjomi (Borjomi). There is a free highway from the Kutaisi ring road to Zestaponi, and then a winding road through the Rikoti tunnel (the Chinese are building a highway on this section). 1 liter of gasoline 90 costs 2.45 GEL
In Borjomi, lunch at the “Old Borjomi” restaurant – 20 khinkali (1 khinkali for 1 GEL), tomato and cucumber salad with nuts (10 GEL), eggplant roulades with nut paste (5 pcs., 7 GEL), khachapuri imeruli (10 GEL), a glass of wine (3 GEL), lemonade – 104 GEL in total.

Walk in the Mineral Water Park in Borjomi (free entry in low season) – well-kept, paths along the Borjomula River. You can drink from the taps of the spa water, which is the base of the “Borjomi” mineral water (drinking cups for 0.20 GEL).
We go to Akhaltsikhe and spend the night in the hotel “Julia” for 80 GEL for a room with a bathroom and breakfast (very good conditions). Very nice hotel owners greet us with a small snack and home-made wine. We go to Rabati – a renovated fortress with a mosque. In an atmospheric cafe in the fortress – 1 liter of Saperavi wine for 35 GEL.

Day 3

In the morning breakfast at the hotel – sausages, khachapuri, eggs, pancakes. We are going towards Gori – there is a free highway from Khashuri to Gori. We stop in Gori in the Stalin Museum – only from the outside we can see the house in which he was born and the wagon in which he traveled around the USSR (during an earlier trip we visited the Museum – generally not very interesting).

We are going to the rock town of Upliscikhe (entrance 15 GEL per person, children the same price). The town is entered from the side of the Kura River through a tunnel carved into the rock. On the hill there is a basilica from the 10th century, and various types of rooms without decorations are carved in the rocks (sometimes the ceiling is carved). It’s worth spending 2 hours to see the whole spot. There is also a small museum, cafe and shop on site.

We ride the highway from Gori to Tbilisi to the “NeoLab” clinic (47 Tashkenti Street) – there you can do the PCR Covid test for 85 GEL (the test is required to be done on the 3rd day of your stay, the appointment for the test must be made via e-mail). Generally in Tbilisi there are heavy traffic jams in the afternoon.
We go in Tbilisi to the restaurant “Machakhela” (a chain of restaurants in various Georgian cities) on the street 16-22 Javakheti – khinkali (1.20 GEL per piece), chicken with rice and peanut sauce (15 GEL), chicken skewers (mcwadi , 9 GEL), cornmeal pancakes (mchadi, 1.10 GEL), eggplant rolls (5 pcs., 9.80 GEL), tomato and nut salad (7.80 GEL), glass of wine (3 GEL), broth (7 GEL), water “Borjomi” (2 GEL), coffee (4.50 GEL) – together we pay 122 GEL.

We go to Telavi – a road winding through the Gombori Pass at an altitude of about 1800 m. Overnight in the guesthouse “Dreamland” – 100 GEL for a room with a bathroom and breakfast – clean and good conditions. We buy homemade wine in the guesthouse – 1 liter for 20 GEL. In the evening, Telawi makes a very good impression – renovated and illuminated buildings (during the day it turns out that the back is less well-kept).

Day 4

Breakfast at the hotel – cheese, eggs, homemade jams, yoghurt. We go to the Alaverdi monastery (free entry) with its own vineyard, richly decorated inside. Opposite there is a branded wine shop “Badagoni” with a restaurant – a bottle of Pirosmani wine for 11 GEL, a glass of white Tsinandali wine for 4 GEL, coffee for 5 GEL.

Then we go to Gremi – the former capital of Kakheti with a citadel with the church of St. Archangels with frescoes, there is a museum next to it (we do not visit).
We return to Telavi and visit the Batonistsikhe fortress – entry costs 5 GEL / adult and 1 GEL / child – inside the fortress there is a modern museum (painting), a Persian-style palace (interesting throne room of Heraclius II), a chapel and a church (destroyed inside).

We eat lunch at the “Kapiloni” restaurant in Telawi – pchali (beetroot and spinach rolls) for 10 GEL, eggplant rolls (8 GEL), khinkali (1 GEL per piece), chicken skewers (8 GEL), tomato salad with nuts (10 GEL), kubdari (pancake with meat, 15 GEL), “Borjomi” water – we pay 109 GEL together, good food and an atmospheric place. Near the restaurant there is a 900-year-old plane tree of 45 meters high. We are going to Tsinandali – the Chavchavadze family palace (only outside) in a well-kept park with exotic vegetation (free) – the park is part of the Radisson Collection hotel.

We go to Mtskheta passing through Tbilisi. Overnight at the “Old Capital” guesthouse next to the Cathedral of St. Tskhoveli – 2 rooms with a terrace and breakfast – 380 GEL for 3 nights.

Day 5

Breakfast in the guesthouse – eggs, cheese, jam, tomatoes. We visit the Cathedral of Saint Tskhoveli from the 11th century, surrounded by a defensive wall, inside in a column covered with frescoes there is the robe of Christ and on the floor there are the tombs of Georgian kings. At the stand, we buy chuchurkhela for 2 GEL each and juice from pomegranate for 10 GEL.

We ride the so-called Georgian Military Road to Ananuri. We visit the fortress in Ananuri with a church decorated outside and frescoed inside. Be careful because the road to Stepantsminda is full of trucks going to / from Russia, and some trucks are waiting on the side of the road to cross to the border. We are going to Gudauri – a ski resort with hotels and lifts (closed since May) and to the viewpoint next to the Georgian-Russian “friendship” monument. Then we go through the Cross Pass at an altitude of 2370 m – the road is full of holes and goes through tunnels hollowed in the snow (snow lasts at least until mid-May).

We walk around the center of Stepantsminda (former Kazbegi) – we visit the church decorated on the outside, with a view of the surrounding hills covered with snow. We eat dinner in the restaurant “Shina” – khinkali (1 pc for 1.50 GEL), chakhokhbili (chicken in tomato sauce, 9 GEL), chicken shashlik (8 GEL), kubdari (15 GEL), tomato salad with nuts , lemonade, Turkish coffee, “Borjomi” water – together we pay 96 GEL.

We take a taxi for 50 GEL in both directions to the Cminda Sameba church (we cannot drive there with a rented car) located at an altitude of 2170 m – a view of the Caucasus, and in particular of Kazbek of 5033 m high. In the church outside, it is worth paying attention to the carved… 2 dinosaurs. It is one of the most climatic places in Georgia.
We return to Stepantsminda and go along the Darialski Gorge to the border with Russia – Dariali monastery on the border – due to its location it is one of the prettiest borders in the world. We return along the Georgian Military Road to Mtskheta.
In Mtskheta we go to the “Ornament Express” cafe – 1 liter of red wine (25 GEL), lemonade (4 GEL), honey cake (9 GEL), yoghurt with honey (8 GEL).

Day 6

Breakfast at the hotel – ajapsandali (eggplant, pepper, tomato), eggs, sausages. We go to Tbilisi and park for free near the Rike park. We go across the Peace Bridge to the Old Town to the Clock Tower. We visit the Anchiskhati Basilica, the Sioni Cathedral (built of volcanic tuff, the cross of St. Nino is kept there) and the Metekhi Church (a nice view of the city from the terrace, the tomb of St. Shushanik). We see the Orbeliani baths from the outside and the building that looks like an Iranian mosque, and then we go to the Leghvtakhevi waterfall through wooden jetties.

We climb up the hill to the Narikala fortress (church in the center, view from the walls of Tbilisi) and to the Monument of Mother Georgia (you can take the cable car from Rike Park, but it did not work at that time). W

e go back to the Old Town and have lunch in the restaurant “Pasanauri” – khinkali (1.30 GEL per piece), khachapuri imeruli (8 GEL), tomato salad with nuts, a glass of red wine (3 GEL), water “Borjomi”, tarragon lemonade, eggplant rolls (1x 10 GEL) – together we pay 120 GEL. We go to the Independence Square and walk along Shota Rustaveli Street – Parliament, National Museum, Kashveti Church. We go back to the car and drive to the Cminda Sameba Cathedral (only from the outside, the first in Georgia in terms of height). We go to Mtskheta and visit the “Ornament Express” cafe – 1 liter of red wine, “Borjomi” water, fruit juices.

Day 7

For breakfast, we get a strip of Georgian yeast cake with raisins (it is eaten in Georgia during Easter). We go to the Samtavro monastery with 2 churches (also surrounded by a defensive wall) and then to the Dzwari church from the 6th century (nice view of Mtskheta from the church, fragments of the cross of St. Nino have been preserved inside). At the stand, juice from pomegranates for 10 GEL and coffee brewed on sand for 5 GEL.

We go to Batumi – a section of the highway near Gori, and then near Kutaisi. On the way in a cafe in Zestaponi – khachapuri imeruli, coffee, cookies and Roshen chocolates – we pay 25 GEL. On the shore of the Black Sea there is a piece of expressway from Kobuleti to Batumi. In Batumi, we stop in the suburbs at the fish market – an interesting place, full of fish and seafood (you can buy fish and it is fried on the spot).

Overnight in Batumi in the guesthouse “Dzveli Batumi” – 76 GEL for a room with breakfast – an atmospheric place located in the center of Batumi.
Lunch at the “Maspindzeli” restaurant – satsivi (chicken in peanut sauce, 15 GEL), trout in peanut sauce, chanakhi (mutton stew in a clay pot), tomato and nut salad, eggplant rolls (7 GEL), tarragon lemonade , 1 l of Saperavi wine, “Borjomi” water – we pay 125 GEL together.

We walk around Batumi: Piazza (Italian-style square), Boulevard with a monument to Ali and Nino (heroes of the book of Kurban Said – he is from Azerbaijan and she is from Georgia, metal figures move away and come closer), the Chacha Clock Tower (once a chacha flowed from it ), the modern Alphabet Tower. All buildings are worth visiting in the evening, when they are colorfully illuminated.

Day 8

Breakfast at the guesthouse – eggs, jam, Easter cake. We walk around Batumi – Europe Square with the Medea Monument and then the Boulevard (it is about 7 km one way) – we admire skyscrapers with hotels and apartments, we see the strange monument of “egg flip-flops”. You can rent a bike – for 4 people for 15 GEL for 30 minutes. We go to the “Argo” cable car – in both directions 25 GEL per person (children up to 12 years for 5 GEL) – modern Austrian cable car – there is an observation deck and a cafe at the top. In the cafe – lemonade, water, 2 glasses of “Tsinandali” wine – 20 GEL in total. We go downstairs and go to the “Maspindzeli” restaurant – lemonade, chicken with vegetables in a clay pot, khachapuri imeruli, “Borjomi” water, 2 glasses of “Tsinandali” wine, eggplant rolls, kebab in bread – we pay 103 GEL in total.

We go to Mirveti – we leave the car in the parking lot by the bridge on the Chorokhi River (fee 2 GEL) and go on foot across the bridge (very narrow and difficult to drive by car) to the waterfall (small, but nicely situated) and a small stone bridge (typical of Adjara) .

We return to Batumi and go to the airport in Kutaisi. At the airport we return the car from the rental company (they do not return the deposit due to speeding on the roads, there was a GPS in the car).
The airport was recently renovated and after passport control, apart from a small water stand (water for 4 GEL), there is nothing. You must have your boarding passes printed (or check in in the app and show the confirmation at the airport).
21.20 – “Wizzair” flight to Warsaw Chopin – 3h20.

Practical Information

Time

In Georgia + 2h in relation to Poland

Currency

1 USD = 3,43 GEL (lari)

1 Euro = 4,14 GEL

Entry

In general, visa-free entry on the basis of an ID card or passport. Entry after obtaining the full vaccination course or after obtaining a negative result of the Covid PCR test performed within 72 hours before arrival – in the case of the PCR test, the test must be repeated on the spot on the 3rd day of stay and the cost of the PCR test in Georgia is approximately 85 GEL, e.g. the clinic “NeoLab ”47 Tashkenti Street in Tbilisi.

Currently, museums and restaurants (inside and outside) are open all week and there is a curfew from 11pm to 4am (however, you can easily drive from the airport to the hotel during the curfew). The land border crossings are open.