Tao-Klarjeti Heritage — Day Trip

The main town of Samtskhe-Javakheti, crowned by the restored Rabati Castle — a striking complex layering Georgian, Ottoman and Persian heritage behind one set of walls, with a church, mosque, synagogue and museum.

One of the oldest fortresses in Georgia, guarding the junction of two rivers in Samtskhe-Javakheti. Functional throughout the Georgian feudal period, it stands on the road to the Vardzia cave city.

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.