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Geotour

Sighnaghi

Kakheti · Wine

Getting there
About 113 km (about 2 h) from Tbilisi via Sagarejo on a good paved road
Best time
April–October
Recommended stay
Half a day–1 day

About Sighnaghi

Sighnaghi is a small walled town at about 790 m on a ridge above the Alazani Valley in Kakheti, about 113 km (2 h) east of Tbilisi. Its 18th-century defensive wall with towers looks across the vineyards to the Greater Caucasus. You walk a section of the wall, see Niko Pirosmani's paintings in the Sighnaghi Museum, taste qvevri wine in the town's cellars, and visit Bodbe convent, the burial place of St Nino, 2 km away. It works as a half-day stop or a relaxed overnight in wine country.

Tours Including Sighnaghi

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Must-See Attractions

  • Town wall

    Walk a section of the 18th-century wall between the towers for views over the Alazani Valley to the Caucasus.

  • Sighnaghi Museum

    A branch of the Georgian National Museum with a hall of Niko Pirosmani paintings, plus regional archaeology.

  • Bodbe convent

    The 9th-century church and modern convent 2 km south, with the tomb of St Nino and a long stairway down to her spring.

  • Old town lanes

    Cobbled streets of the old centre, with 19th-century houses and carved wooden balconies.

Nearby

  • Bodbe Monastery

    The convent with St Nino's tomb, about 2 km (5 min).

  • Mirzaani

    The birthplace of the painter Niko Pirosmani, with a small house museum, about 30 km (40 min).

  • Tsinandali

    The Chavchavadze estate and winery, about 60 km (1 h).

  • Telavi

    Kakheti's main town, about 60–70 km (1–1.25 h).

Location41.6197° N, 45.9217° EView on map

Good to know

Getting there

About 113 km (about 2 h) from Tbilisi via Sagarejo on a good paved road; about 60–70 km (1–1.25 h) from Telavi.

Best time

April–October

Best time

September and October bring the grape harvest and golden vineyards, spring has green hills and clear mountain views, and summer afternoons are hot.

Recommended stay

Half a day–1 day

Walking

The town is hilly with cobbles; wear flat shoes.

Dress code

At Bodbe, shoulders and knees covered and headscarves for women (wraps available).

Timing

Come in the late afternoon for soft light over the valley, or stay overnight for sunrise over the Caucasus.

Fees

The wall and Bodbe are free; the Sighnaghi Museum charges an entry fee.

Heads-up

Weekend afternoons in harvest season are crowded; weekdays are quieter.

History & culture

Culture

Sighnaghi calls itself the city of love: its wedding registry office lets couples marry at short notice, and many foreign couples do. The town has several family wine cellars and wine bars where you can taste Kakhetian qvevri wine. Kakheti's grape harvest, rtveli, runs from about mid-September to mid-October, when the surrounding villages are busy picking and pressing.

History

King Erekle II fortified Sighnaghi in 1762 as a refuge for the surrounding villages against raids from Dagestan; the name comes from a Turkic word meaning "shelter". The wall, about 4 km long with over 20 towers, enclosed a town of craftsmen and merchants, many of them Armenian. Under Russian rule it became a district town in the 19th century. The old centre was extensively restored in 2007–2009, which gave it the pastel façades and wooden balconies you see today.

Local Cuisine

Kakheti grills mtsvadi (pork skewers) over dried vine cuttings and bakes shoti bread in round tone ovens. Try amber qvevri Rkatsiteli and Kisi and red Saperavi at a family cellar, churchkhela made with grape juice from the harvest, and a glass of chacha. Pheasant's Tears in the old town serves natural qvevri wine with local food.

Accommodation

Many family guesthouses in old houses, a number of small hotels with valley views and a few larger boutique hotels. Rooms with a terrace over the Alazani Valley are the ones to ask for. It is busy at weekends in September and October.