Vardzia
history
About Vardzia
Cut into a cliff above the Mtkvari River, Vardzia is a 12th-century cave city ordered by Queen Tamar during Georgia's Golden Age. A 1283 earthquake sheared away the outer rock and laid the warren of chambers open to view. Inside the Church of the Dormition, original frescoes survive, including a portrait of Tamar herself. You can also trace the Royal Chambers, the qvevri wine cellars, the rock-cut bell tower, and the hidden tunnels of this UNESCO World Heritage site.
Culture
Step into a world where Orthodox Christian devotion created one of humanity's most remarkable achievements. The monastery's ancient frescoes, including the famous portrait of Queen Tamar herself, offer rare glimpses into 12th-century Georgian royal life and religious art. Monks still tend the sacred spaces, maintaining centuries-old traditions of prayer, wine-making, and manuscript preservation. The site resonates with Georgian national pride, as Queen Tamar remains the country's most beloved historical figure—a powerful female ruler whose reign represented the height of Georgian power and cultural achievement.
Travel Tips
Currency: Georgian Lari (GEL)—bring cash as ATMs are extremely limited in this remote historical site. Language: Georgian is primary, with tourist information available in English and guides often speaking multiple languages to share the fascinating history. Safety: Generally very safe, though visitors should exercise caution in cave areas and wear appropriate footwear for uneven surfaces. Transportation: Access via car or organized tour from Akhaltsikhe (30 minutes), with some climbing required to fully explore the monastery complex—a small effort rewarded with unforgettable experiences.
Tours Including Vardzia
View All Tours
Georgia in 14 Days — Grand Discovery
The definitive two-week journey across Georgia, east to west and mountains to sea. From Tbilisi you explore the wine villages of Kakheti, climb the Military Road to Gergeti Trinity beneath Mount Kazbek, and visit Stalin's Gori, the cave town of Uplistsikhe and Queen Tamar's cliff city at Vardzia. Then west into ancient Colchis — Kutaisi's UNESCO monasteries — and up the Enguri gorge to the medieval Svan towers of Mestia and Ushguli, before finishing on the Black Sea at Batumi. Fourteen unhurried days, every region, expertly guided.
Grand Tour of Georgia — 10 Days
Ten days, mountains to sea, across the best of Georgia. From lively Tbilisi you climb the Georgian Military Road beneath Mount Kazbek to Gergeti Trinity, then sweep south to Queen Tamar's cave city at Vardzia and the spa town of Borjomi. West in ancient Colchis you explore the UNESCO monasteries of Kutaisi before reaching the subtropical Black Sea coast at Batumi, and finish in the wine villages of Kakheti. Ancient capitals, high passes, cave towns, seaside and wine — expertly guided, on prices that stay fair.
Classic Georgia — 8 Days
Eight days, one unforgettable loop through the heart of the Caucasus. You'll wander Tbilisi's cobbled Old Town and soak in its sulphur baths, raise a glass in Kakheti's vineyards, then climb to where a lone church stands beneath snow-capped Mt Kazbek. Along the way you'll explore UNESCO cathedrals, a rock-hewn cave town, Stalin's hometown, and Queen Tamar's astonishing cliff-carved monastery. With comfortable transport and a knowledgeable English-speaking guide, this is Georgia's greatest hits done properly — culture, wine, and mountains in perfect balance, without the rush.
Georgia & Armenia — 12 Days
Twelve days through two of the world's oldest Christian nations. You'll spend a week in Georgia — Tbilisi's Old Town and sulphur baths, the wine villages of Kakheti, a lone church beneath Mt Kazbek, Stalin's Gori, a rock-hewn cave town, and Queen Tamar's cliff monastery at Vardzia — before crossing south into Armenia. There, five days take in shimmering Lake Sevan, vibrant Yerevan, the holy city of Etchmiadzin, the pagan temple of Garni, cliff-set Geghard and Noravank, and Khor Virap in the shadow of Mt Ararat. One seamless Caucasus journey, fairly priced and expertly guided.
Caucasus Jeep Expedition — 8 Days
An eight-day 4x4 expedition the length and breadth of Georgia, off the tarmac and onto the mountain tracks. From Tbilisi you cross to Bakuriani via Manglisi and the volcanic Lake Tabatskuri, climb to the Vardzia cave city and Rabati Castle at Akhaltsikhe, then push west through Kutaisi and up the Enguri gorge to the Svan towers of Mestia and Ushguli. The return runs over the high passes to Gergeti Trinity beneath Mount Kazbek. Seven nights, hearty meals, and country you simply can't reach by paved road.
Vardzia Cave City & Borjomi — Day Trip
Trade the city for Georgia's deep southwest on this full day to Vardzia, the cliff-carved cave city Queen Tamar's masons hewed from solid rock in the 12th century. It's a long drive each way, but you'll break it in Borjomi, the forested spa town where mineral water has drawn travellers for over a century. Sip the famous warm spring water straight from the source in the central park, then climb through Vardzia's honeycomb of chapels, tunnels and monastic cells with the Mtkvari valley falling away below. Real history, real distance, and a guide who makes every kilometre count.
Tao-Klarjeti Heritage — Day Trip
This is Georgia's deep southwest — the Samtskhe and historic Tao-Klarjeti borderland, a frontier of cave cities, cliff fortresses and layered empires. The day runs through Akhaltsikhe, where the restored Rabati Castle stacks Georgian, Ottoman and Persian history behind one set of walls, then on past the medieval Khertvisi fortress guarding its river junction. The destination is Vardzia, the astonishing cave-monastery city Queen Tamar's builders carved straight into the rock in the 12th century. It's a long, scenic day with serious distance and serious reward — best done with a guide who knows the road's stories.
Archaeological Tour
A tour of Georgia's ancient and archaeological sites — among them the rock-hewn cave town of Uplistsikhe, the cliff cave-city of Vardzia, and Dmanisi, where some of the oldest human remains outside Africa were unearthed.