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

Tbilisi to Borjomi is 160 km (2.5–3 h); Borjomi to Akhaltsikhe about 50 km (1 h).

1. 08:30

   Pickup in Tbilisi

2. 11:30

   Borjomi Central Park and spring (45 min)

   • BorjomiDay 1: Borjomi Central Park and its mineral-water spring (about 45 min; entry included).

     Day 1: Borjomi Central Park and its mineral-water spring (about 45 min; entry included).

     Borjomi is a 19th-century spa town in a forested gorge of the Mtkvari river, about 160 km (2.5 h) west of Tbilisi, famous across the former Soviet Union for its salty, naturally carbonated mineral water. You can taste the warm water straight from the spring in the Central Park, ride the cable car above the town, bathe in the open-air sulphur pools higher up the valley, and walk into Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park from the visitor centre. It is the usual stop on the way to Vardzia and Bakuriani.

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3. 12:30

   Lunch in Borjomi (not included)

4. 14:30

   Rabati Castle, Akhaltsikhe (1.5 h)

   • Akhaltsikhe (Rabati Castle)Day 1: Rabati Castle in Akhaltsikhe (about 1.5 h; entry included), with its church, mosque, madrasa and the palace of the Jakeli rulers.

     Day 1: Rabati Castle in Akhaltsikhe (about 1.5 h; entry included), with its church, mosque, madrasa and the palace of the Jakeli rulers.

     Akhaltsikhe is the main town of Samtskhe-Javakheti in south-west Georgia, about 205 km (3–3.5 h) from Tbilisi via Borjomi, and the usual stop on the way to Vardzia. Its landmark is Rabati Castle, a 7-hectare walled complex where a church, a mosque, a madrasa, a Jakeli palace, a bathhouse and a history museum stand side by side, restored in 2011–12. Most travellers spend an hour inside the walls; the old Jewish quarter and its synagogue lie just west of the castle.

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5. 17:00

   Drive to the Vardzia area (60–70 km, 1–1.5 h) or stay in Akhaltsikhe

6. Overnight: Vardzia area or Akhaltsikhe (hotel or guesthouse, breakfast)

Back to Tbilisi via Akhaltsikhe and Borjomi (4–5 h), or on to Kutaisi (230 km, 4–5 h).

1. 09:45

   At the Vardzia gate; 10:00–12:00 with a site guide

   • VardziaDay 2: Vardzia at the 10:00 opening with a site guide (entry, shuttle and guide included). The route is shorter since the May 2026 rockfall; we confirm what is open.

     Day 2: Vardzia at the 10:00 opening with a site guide (entry, shuttle and guide included). The route is shorter since the May 2026 rockfall; we confirm what is open.

     Vardzia is a 12th-century cave monastery cut into the cliff of Erusheti mountain above the Mtkvari river in Samtskhe-Javakheti, about 60 km south of Akhaltsikhe and 4.5–5 h from Tbilisi. Hundreds of rock-cut rooms, stairways and tunnels open onto the gorge, and the Church of the Dormition holds original frescoes with a portrait of Queen Tamar. Since a rockfall on 27 May 2026 the visitor route ends shortly after the church, so about half of the complex is closed; we confirm current access before your trip.

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2. 12:30

   Khertvisi fortress

   • Khertvisi FortressDay 2: Khertvisi fortress on its rock where two rivers meet, 16 km north of Vardzia (entry fee, if you go inside, not included).

     Day 2: Khertvisi fortress on its rock where two rivers meet, 16 km north of Vardzia (entry fee, if you go inside, not included).

     Khertvisi is a medieval fortress on a rocky spur where the Paravani river joins the Mtkvari, in Samtskhe-Javakheti, about 16 km before Vardzia. Its towers and curtain walls climb the ridge above the gorge, and it is one of the oldest fortifications in Georgia. Most travellers stop for 30–45 minutes on the way to the Vardzia cave monastery: walk up to the gate, look along the two river canyons and photograph the walls from the road bridge below.

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3. 13:00

   Trout lunch by the Mtkvari (not included)

4. 14:00

   Drive back; 18:30–19:00 in Tbilisi