Fourteen days lets you see almost the whole of Georgia without rushing: the capital, the wine country of Kakheti, the Kazbegi mountains, the rock-cut towns of the south, Kutaisi, Upper Svaneti and the Black Sea at Batumi. The route below travels in one direction, east to west, so you never drive the same road twice, and it ends near an airport in the west. Svaneti is at its easiest from June to September; there is a winter version further down.
Day by day
Day 1: Arrive in Tbilisi
Check in, and if you land in daylight, walk from the Bridge of Peace to the sulphur-bath domes of Abanotubani.
Day 2: Tbilisi and Mtskheta
The Old Town on foot and the cable car to Narikala in the morning; in the afternoon Mtskheta, 30–40 minutes away, for Jvari Monastery and Svetitskhoveli Cathedral.
Day 3: Bodbe and Sighnaghi
East to Kakheti, about 110 km (1.5–2 hours): Bodbe convent, the walls of Sighnaghi and a tasting at a family cellar that still makes wine in buried qvevri. Stay in Sighnaghi for the sunset over the Alazani Valley.
Day 4: Tsinandali, Telavi and Alaverdi
Short drives up the valley: the Tsinandali estate (its museum is closed on Mondays), Telavi and Alaverdi Cathedral. Night in Telavi.
Day 5: Telavi to Kazbegi
A long day, about 5–5.5 hours of driving over the Gombori pass, round Tbilisi and up the Georgian Military Highway past Ananuri fortress and the Jvari Pass (2,379 m) to Stepantsminda. Going straight from Kakheti saves you a night back in Tbilisi.
Day 6: Gergeti and a valley walk
Gergeti Trinity Church (2,170 m) at about 8:00, before the day-trip crowds, with Mt Kazbek (5,054 m) behind it. Then the Gveleti waterfall, or the Truso valley by local 4x4 from May to October. A second night here also absorbs a Jvari Pass closure in spring or autumn.
Day 7: Uplistsikhe, Gori, Borjomi
About 290 km and 5–5.5 hours of driving: down the Military Highway to Uplistsikhe, a town cut into the rock above the Mtkvari, the Stalin Museum in Gori, and on to Borjomi.
Day 8: Vardzia, Khertvisi and Rabati
Vardzia, about 2 hours from Borjomi. Since the rockfall of 27 May 2026 part of the cave monastery's path has been closed, so see our guide to what is open at Vardzia. Then Khertvisi fortress and Rabati castle; night in Akhaltsikhe.
Day 9: Kutaisi
About 200 km (3–3.5 hours) via Khashuri and the Rikoti highway. Gelati Monastery, Kutaisi's only UNESCO site. Then Bagrati Cathedral and the central market in town.
Day 10: Martvili canyon and up to Mestia
About 240 km and 5.5–6 hours: the Martvili canyon (it opens at 10:00), the Dadiani Palace in Zugdidi, the Enguri dam and the mountain road up to Mestia.
Day 11: Ushguli
About 45 km each way, 1.5–2 hours, to the tower villages of Ushguli under Mt Shkhara, then back to Mestia for the Svaneti Museum (closed on Mondays).
Day 12: Mestia to Batumi
About 265 km and 5.5–6 hours, down to Zugdidi and along the coast. Evening on the Batumi boulevard.
Day 13: Batumi and Gonio
Gonio fortress and the Batumi Botanical Garden. If you fly home from Tbilisi, take the evening train (about 5 hours).
Day 14: Fly home
Batumi and Kutaisi both have international airports, so you can fly out of the west and skip the long drive back. Check which one has a flight that suits you before you book the route; if only Tbilisi works, use day 13's evening train.
Drive times at a glance
- Tbilisi → Sighnaghi: about 110 km, 1.5–2 h
- Tbilisi → Stepantsminda: 152 km, 3–3.5 h without stops
- Stepantsminda → Borjomi via Uplistsikhe: about 290 km, 5–5.5 h of driving
- Akhaltsikhe → Kutaisi: about 200 km, 3–3.5 h
- Kutaisi → Mestia via Martvili and Zugdidi: about 240 km, 5.5–6 h
- Mestia → Batumi: about 265 km, 5.5–6 h
The winter version
From December to March, keep the east and the south and rethink the mountains:
- Kazbegi: the Jvari Pass can close for hours, or 1–3 days, after snow. Keep two nights and a flexible day. How winter closures work.
- Svaneti: the road to Mestia is open all year and Mestia has ski slopes, but the Mestia–Ushguli road can close in heavy snow, and the Ushguli–Lentekhi road over the Zagari pass is shut. Many winter trips swap Svaneti for skiing at Gudauri or Bakuriani.
- Vardzia: short daylight makes the long day harder; start early.
- Tusheti and Khevsureti are cut off in winter and don't belong in any winter plan.
Mistakes that ruin a two-week route
- Zig-zagging through Tbilisi. Kazbegi, then Kakheti, then Kutaisi means crossing the capital again and again. Group the east first, then go west.
- Tbilisi to Mestia in one day. It is about 460 km and 8–10 hours. Break it in Kutaisi.
- One night in Mestia. Ushguli is a day of its own; give Mestia at least two nights.
- The Zagari pass outside summer. The Ushguli–Lentekhi–Kutaisi road runs roughly from late May to mid-October only.
- Driving back to Tbilisi from Batumi. Five to six hours on your last day, when you could fly out of Batumi or Kutaisi.
- Mondays. Tsinandali's museum, the Svaneti Museum and the Georgian National Museum are closed.
Undecided between the two big mountain regions? Read Kazbegi or Svaneti. With less time, see our 10-day and 7-day itineraries.
Tours that follow this route
Our Georgia in 14 Days private tour follows this route, with hotels, breakfasts, tastings and the evening train or a Batumi departure; it runs June–September, and May or October on request. For ten days without Svaneti, see the Grand Tour of Georgia, 10 days. To add a second country, Georgia and Armenia in 12 days crosses from Vardzia to Gyumri and ends in Yerevan. See each tour page for the current price, or plan your own two weeks and we send you a route and a price for your own car and driver-guide. Nothing to pay now.
Sources
- Wander-Lush, "How to Travel From Tbilisi to Kazbegi in 2026": wander-lush.org
- Wander-Lush, "How to get to Mestia from Tbilisi": wander-lush.org
- Wander-Lush, "Ushguli to Kutaisi via the Zagari pass": wander-lush.org
- Wander-Lush, "Mestia in winter": wander-lush.org
- Advantour, Grand Winter Tour of Georgia: advantour.com
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Gelati Monastery: whc.unesco.org
Last checked: September 2026. Mountain roads and site openings change with the weather; check Vardzia and the high passes before you travel.
