Vardzia, Rabati & Borjomi — 2-Day Private Trip from Tbilisi

Next to Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park, this spa town has drawn visitors to its mineral springs since it became a fashionable retreat of the Russian Empire, when the Romanovs built a summer palace at nearby Likani. Sip the famous water straight from the source in the central park, walk trails into the national park from the visitor centre in town, and see the Romanov palace at Likani from the outside (it is a state residence). Cap the day with trout in walnut sauce and a slower, restorative pace.

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, madrasa, bathhouse and museum. The town's historic synagogues stand outside the castle, in the old Jewish quarter.

Cut into a cliff above the Mtkvari River, Vardzia is a 12th-century cave monastery founded under 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. Since a rockfall on 27 May 2026, part of the visitor path has been closed, and visitors turn back shortly after the church; check what is open before you go.

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.