TBILISI IN GEORGIA
Trip to Georgia
6 days 5 nights
Day 1 Arrival. Tbilisi
Meet driver Tbilisi airport and transfer to hotel. Overnight in Tbilisi.
Day 2 Tbilisi City Tour
Breakfast at hotel. Tbilisi city tour.
Tbilisi, beautiful & miraculous, has a European character incredibly mixed together with unforgettable features of old Georgian city, keeps traces of all major events of Georgian history & leaves no one indifferent. The most striking aspect of Tbilisi today is its self-assured revival of its own traditions. Tbilisi is once more assuming its position as the capital & mother city of the ancient state of Georgia. It is a city in which one comes face to face with all that is finest & all that is most frustrating in Georgia. Sites to visit: Metechi church (12th -13th cc) was built under the order of king Demetre the 2nd ('The Devoted'), although the former church stood here already in 5th century. This area was considered both religious and royal site, as in 12th century royal palace was moved near the church. The district of Sulphur bath houses. Sioni Cathedral (7th -19th cc) was started in 500. The cathedral has been ransacked, and damaged many times through its history. Despite all the havoc and destruction Sioni has survived and in such terms may be judged as a symbol for the city as a whole. Narikala Fortress (4th c) - main citadel of the city, which overlooks the oldest part of Tbilisi. During centuries Narikala was considered the best strategic point and every ruler local or invader was adding some new construction to previous fortification. Anchiskhati basilica and bell tower (6th -18th cc) Rustaveli Avenue Sameba Cathedral (2004) National Museum of Georgia. Free time.
Overnight in Tbilisi.
3 / Tbilisi – Mtskheta – Ananuri – Tbilisi
Breakfast at hotel.
Trip to Mtskheta – II millennium BC, UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visit Jvari, the 6th century cross-shaped monastery built on the top of a cliff, overlooking the confluence of the Aragvi and Mtkvari rivers. At this place St. Nino, a female evangelist, erected a large wooden cross on the site of a pagan temple; Svetitskhoveli, the fortified cathedral dating from the 11th century. Svetitskhoveli is a sacred place where the Robe of Christ is buried. Lunch at restaurant in Mtskheta. Drive to Gori. Visit Stalin’s Museum in Gori where you can see the house, where Stalin was born and his personal railway carriage. Drive to Uplistsikhe rock-hewn town (1st Millennium BC), which is notable for unique combination of various styles of rock-cut cultures and the co-existence of pagan and Christian architecture. Here you can see ancient wine presses carved in stone. Visit Ananuri Fortress. Ananuri was a castle and seat of the eristavis (Dukes) of Aragvi, a feudal dynasty which ruled the area from the 13th century.
Overnight in Tbilisi.
Day 4 / Tbilisi – Gori – Uplistsikhe – Tbilisi
Breakfast at hotel.
The Georgian lands are ancient crossroads & remember many ancient civilizations & great peoples. Town-dwelling began in Georgia around the 8th-7th cc BC. The trade route from India led through the lowlands of the Mtkvari and Rioni valleys to the Black Sea & further westwards. The towns, such as Mtskheta, Gori, Uplistsikhe, developed as centers of trade and manufacture, grew up along this route. One of these towns was Uplistsikhe, the administrative & political centre of Kartli, built over several centuries of the 1st millennium BC and continued expand in the early centuries AD. The hut roofed complex was sited on a mountain side, hewn out of the rock, surrounded by moats & protected on the south side by the river Mtkvari. Domestic dwellings & churches lay in the centre, while the craftsmen’s workshops and trading centre were at the southern end. In Gori excursion to the house where Stalin was born, the museum & the private coach. Uplistsikhe - meaning "The Fortress of God", an ancient cave town from the 1st half of the 1st millennium BC situated on the crossroads of important trade routes. It was the main centre of paganism, and represents a complex of halls, caves, theatres, altars, pagan temples, secret tunnels, prisons, pharmacy, passages-streets all carved out of stone over an area of 4 hectares. At its peak of prosperity, the city had a population of 20 000. In 9th -10th cc AD a three-nave basilica was added to the complex. Stalin's Museum, house where Stalin was born & the private coach. Return to Tbilisi.
Overnight in Tbilisi.
Day 5 / Tbilisi – Bodbe – Signagi – Kvareli – Tbilisi
Breakfast at hotel.
Drive to Kakheti region, known as a birthplace of viticulture and wine- making. Visit Bodbe Nunnery (9thc), the place where St. Nino, the 4th.c female evangelist of Georgians is buried. Visit Sighnaghi fortified town famous for its wine and carpet making culture. Enjoy breathtaking views of Kizikhi area and unusual Charm of Sighnaghi Royal Town. Wine tasting and lunch at local traditional restaurant in Kvareli. Return to Tbilisi.
Overnight in Tbilisi.
Day 6 / Tbilisi. Departure
Breakfast at hotel.
Transfer to the Airport.