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Geotour

Telavi

Kakheti · Wine

Getting there
About 95 km (about 2 h) from Tbilisi over the Gombori pass on a paved mountain road, or about 150 km (2.5–3 h) via Sagarejo and Gurjaani
Best time
April–October
Recommended stay
1–2 days

About Telavi

Telavi is the main town of Kakheti, Georgia's wine region, on the slopes of the Gombori range above the Alazani Valley, about 95 km (2 h) from Tbilisi. It is a practical base for the wine country: the Tsinandali estate, Alaverdi Cathedral, the Ikalto academy and the royal town of Gremi are all within 30 minutes. In town you see the fortress and palace of King Erekle II, the giant plane tree and a lively morning market, then spend the afternoon at family cellars and wineries.

Tours Including Telavi

See all 6 tours

Must-See Attractions

  • Batonis Tsikhe

    The 17th–18th-century royal fortress with King Erekle II's palace museum, his throne and a small art gallery.

  • Erekle II monument

    The equestrian statue of the king in front of the fortress.

  • Giant plane tree

    A huge oriental plane in the upper town, said to be about 900 years old.

  • Telavi market

    The busy bazaar near the centre, best in the morning for churchkhela, spices, cheese and seasonal fruit.

Nearby

  • Tsinandali

    The Chavchavadze estate, museum and 1830s winery, about 10 km (15 min).

  • Ikalto Monastery

    The 6th-century monastery with the ruins of a medieval academy, about 10 km (15 min).

  • Alaverdi Cathedral

    The 11th-century cathedral in the Alazani Valley, about 20 km (25 min).

  • Gremi

    The 16th-century royal citadel and church of the Archangels, about 20 km (25 min).

  • Sighnaghi

    The walled town above the valley, about 60–70 km (1–1.25 h).

Location41.9197° N, 45.4702° EView on map

Good to know

Getting there

About 95 km (about 2 h) from Tbilisi over the Gombori pass on a paved mountain road, or about 150 km (2.5–3 h) via Sagarejo and Gurjaani.

Best time

April–October

Best time

September and October are harvest time, with grape picking and fresh wine in the villages; May and June are green and mild, and July and August are hot in the valley.

Recommended stay

1–2 days

Getting there

The direct road from Tbilisi crosses the Gombori pass (about 95 km, 2 h); in snow we take the longer lower road via Sagarejo and Gurjaani.

Timing

Visit the market before 11:00, when it is at its busiest and freshest.

Fees

Batonis Tsikhe charges a small entry fee; museum hours vary, and we plan around them.

Heads-up

In harvest season, book wine tastings and guesthouses in advance, especially at weekends.

History & culture

Culture

Telavi's year follows the vineyards. The grape harvest, rtveli, fills the surrounding villages from about mid-September to mid-October, and Alaverdoba, the feast of Alaverdi Cathedral, is held around 27–28 September. Many families in and around town still make wine in qvevri in their own cellars.

History

Telavi was an important town of the Kingdom of Kakheti and became its royal seat in the 17th century, after Gremi. Batonis Tsikhe, the "lord's fortress", was built in the 1660s–1670s and enlarged in the 18th century by King Erekle II, who was born in Telavi in 1720 and ruled Kakheti and later the united kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti until 1798. His palace inside the walls is now a museum. In the 19th century Telavi became a district town of the Russian Empire and the centre of the region's wine trade.

Local Cuisine

Kakhetian cooking is meat and wine country food: mtsvadi grilled over vine cuttings, shoti bread from the tone oven, chakapuli (lamb stewed with tarragon and green plums) in spring, and churchkhela and tatara (grape-must pudding) after the harvest. Taste Saperavi, Rkatsiteli and Kisi at family cellars around Telavi and at estates such as Tsinandali.

Accommodation

Family guesthouses, often with their own wine cellar, several small and mid-range hotels in town, and wine-estate hotels in the surrounding villages, such as the Tsinandali Estate hotel and Schuchmann Wines Château in Kisiskhevi.