Skip to main content
Geotour

Kutaisi

Imereti & Racha · City

Getting there
About 230 km (3–3.5 h) from Tbilisi on the E60 highway via the Rikoti Pass
Best time
April–June, September–October
Recommended stay
1–2 days

About Kutaisi

Kutaisi, Georgia's third-largest city, sits on the Rioni river in Imereti, about 230 km west of Tbilisi. It is the natural base for western Georgia: UNESCO-listed Gelati Monastery and the hilltop Bagrati Cathedral are on its edge, and Prometheus Cave, Sataplia, and the Martvili and Okatse canyons are within an hour. In town, walk the Green Bazaar, the White Bridge and the old Jewish quarter, then eat Imeretian khachapuri with a glass of local Tsitska or Tsolikouri white wine.

Tours Including Kutaisi

See all 7 tours

Must-See Attractions

  • Gelati Monastery

    Founded in 1106 by David the Builder and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with 12th-century mosaics and frescoes; in 2026 parts of the main church are under scaffolding for conservation.

  • Bagrati Cathedral

    Built in 1003 under King Bagrat III, blown up in 1692 and heavily rebuilt in 2012; the reconstruction led UNESCO to remove it from the World Heritage List in 2017.

  • Motsameta Monastery

    Small church on a cliff above a bend of the Tskaltsitela river, about 6 km from the centre.

  • Green Bazaar

    Covered market for cheese, spices, churchkhela and seasonal fruit.

  • Great Synagogue

    Neo-Romanesque synagogue of 1886 on Boris Gaponov Street, still in use.

Nearby

  • Prometheus Cave

    Show cave with lit halls and an underground boat ride, about 20 km north-west (30–40 min).

  • Sataplia Nature Reserve

    Dinosaur footprints under a protective pavilion, a small cave and a glass viewpoint, about 10 km north (20 min).

  • Tskaltubo

    Former Soviet spa town with abandoned sanatoriums, about 20 km (25 min).

  • Martvili Canyon

    Boat trips in a limestone gorge, about 45 km (1 h).

  • Chiatura

    Manganese town with cable cars rebuilt in 2021, about 70 km east (1.5 h).

Location42.2679° N, 42.6950° EView on map

Good to know

Getting there

About 230 km (3–3.5 h) from Tbilisi on the E60 highway via the Rikoti Pass; trains also run from Tbilisi, and Kutaisi International Airport is 20 km from the city.

Best time

April–June, September–October

Best time

Spring and autumn are mild and green; July and August in Imereti are hot and humid, which makes cool caves and canyon boat trips a good plan, and winters are wet but rarely freezing.

Recommended stay

1–2 days

Getting there

About 230 km (3–3.5 h) from Tbilisi by car (trains are slower), about 150 km (2–2.5 h) from Batumi.

Airport

Kutaisi International Airport, about 20 km west of the city, is served by low-cost flights from Europe.

Heads-up

Conservation work at Gelati puts parts of the main church under scaffolding in 2026; we plan the visit around what is open.

Time needed

One day for the city, Gelati and Bagrati; add a second day for the caves and canyons.

History & culture

Culture

Kutaisi keeps a strong theatre and literary tradition around the Lado Meskhishvili Drama Theatre on the central square. Georgian Jews lived here for centuries, and three synagogues still stand in the quarter around Boris Gaponov Street, including the Great Synagogue completed in 1886. The Green Bazaar is the place to see Imeretian cheese, churchkhela and spices sold the traditional way.

History

Greek writers placed Aia, the city of King Aeetes and the Golden Fleece, in Colchis, and Kutaisi is one of the sites linked with it; excavations show a settlement here from the 2nd millennium BC. From the late 8th century Kutaisi was the capital of the Kingdom of Abkhazia (western Georgia), and after unification it was the capital of Georgia until King David the Builder took Tbilisi in 1122. David founded Gelati Monastery and its academy in 1106. From the 15th century the city was the capital of the Kingdom of Imereti, until the Russian Empire annexed Imereti in 1810.

Local Cuisine

Imereti gave its name to the classic round Imeretian khachapuri, filled with the fresh local imeruli cheese. Look also for pkhali, mchadi cornbread with cheese, and Imeretian white wines from Tsitska, Tsolikouri and Krakhuna grapes, made in clay vessels here called churi with less skin contact than in Kakheti. Buy cheese and churchkhela at the Green Bazaar.

Accommodation

The widest choice in western Georgia outside Batumi: family guesthouses in the old centre, mid-range city hotels, a few boutique hotels in restored 19th-century houses, and international-brand hotels. Tskaltubo, 25 minutes away, has renovated spa hotels.