6 Days Wine, chacha and hidden treasures of ancient Georgia
We offer you Georgia gourmet tour. Best of Georgian cuisine and Georgian wines are waiting for you! Tbilisi – the city of light and hospitality. Cradle of wine – Kakheti. Georgian “Sufra”, shashliks ans best wines, ancient wine making traditions, Georgian Grappa, and towns of the Silk road! The heart of ancient Georgia, churches and monasteries, magnificent views and Georgian “Siberia” on Javakheti plateau. All this you will get in out tour! Explore hidden treasures of Georgia!
Day 1 – Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia
Meeting in airport, transfer to the hotel. Tbilisi overview excursion: Trinity Cathedral church, Metekhi plateau with picturesque view on the old city. Famous Tbilisi sulfur bathes, tourists may order bath for the evening. Shardeni street, Tbilisi Caravan-Sarais and Sioni cathedral. The oldest church of Tbilisi – Anchiskhati and Baratashvili avenue. Rustaveli avenue. And in the evening Georgian cuisine – festival dinner in restaurant accompanied with Georgian national songs and dances.
Day 2 – Wine and Kakheti
Travel to Kakheti – cradle of wine. Visit town Signagi, walk around the town, where is saved fortification walls and tourists can walk on it. From here are picturesque views on Alazani valley and Great Caucasus range. Visit Signagi museum. Wine degustation in “Pheasant tears” wine cellar, where wines are made according to oldest Georgian technologies.
Visit one of the oldest wine cellars in the area – in the village Velistsikhe is museum cellar of XVI century. Walk around museum, wine tasting, culinary tour and lunch. Visit museum Tsinandali – the house of local landlord Chavchavadze, where is old wine cellar, with wines older then 150 years and old wine factory, known for wine Tsinandali. Tourists will taste the wine. Arrival to the town Telavi.
Dinner and overnight in guesthouse, located in historical center of Telavi.
Day 3 – Hung over
Travel to Gremi historical complex – residence of Kakheti kings. Via this town historical Silk road was passing. Visit museum, walk around the complex. Visit Ikalto monastery, where in XII century was founded academy and the first wine making department in the world. Return to Telavi, in restaurant “Nikala” tourists will taste Kakhetian grappa – chacha and taste it with lunch. Return to Tbilisi by Gombori pass.
On the way visit Ujarma fortress.
Day 4 – Time to drink water
Borjomi Drive to the west. Excursion in ancient capital of Georgia – Mtskheta. Cross monastery and Svetitskhoveli cathedral – this two monuments are included by UNESCO to the world heritage sites and this places are connected to the times when Georgia was converted to Christianity. Continue tour to Gori, visit ancient town Uplistsikhe, which is carved on the rock and used to be spiritual center of pagan Georgia. Arrival to Borjomi. Walk in Borjomi park, where you can taste famous mineral water directly from the spring.
Dinner and overnight in the guesthouse.
Day 5 – in the heart of medieval Georgia
Continue driving to the south – to the center of historical province Meskheti – in middle ages here was cultural center of Georgia. According to tradition, famous Georgian poet Shota Rustaveli also was from Meskheti. Visit historical and architectural monuments – Rabati fortressand mosque in Akhaltsikhe, drive via picturesque Mtkvari valley, visit Fortress Khertvisi, and visit the most important sightseeing in the area – Vardzia cave monastery. Luncj in Vardzia and tasting local type of Vodka.
Drive back to Tbilisi via Javakheti plateau, on the way visit two beautiful lakes – Sagamo and Paravani. Late arrival to Tbilisi. Check in hotel.