Tbilisi, Mountains & Wine
Four unhurried days that pair Old Tbilisi with an overnight stay in the Kazbegi mountains, a walk up the Juta Valley and a Kakheti wine day with lunch at a family table.
Bridge of PeacePhoto: ako-aleko, CC BY-SA 3.0The regions are the ones most short first visits cover, but one change makes a big difference here: a night in the mountains. Rather than squeezing Kazbegi into a rushed day trip, you sleep in Stepantsminda, reach Gergeti Trinity Church when the late-afternoon sun is on it, and next morning have time to walk into the Juta Valley beneath the rock spires of Chaukhi. The rest of the trip belongs to Old Tbilisi and to Kakheti, the country's leading wine region, where Bodbe Monastery, the town of Sighnaghi and the Tsinandali estate fill the day, along with lunch in the home of a winemaking family.
You spend two nights in Tbilisi and one in Stepantsminda, at a hotel whose windows look out on Mount Kazbek. Getting to the mountains takes about three hours in each direction, and Kakheti is roughly two hours away. The walking ranges from easy to moderate, and you can cut any outing short. Between December and April the Juta road is blocked by snow, and in those months we swap the valley walk for a winter stroll around Stepantsminda.
Highlights
- Sleeping in Stepantsminda and seeing Gergeti Trinity Church in the low evening sun
- A meadow walk up the Juta Valley, under the jagged peaks of Chaukhi
- Jvari and Svetitskhoveli, the two great churches of Mtskheta
- The Georgian Military Highway and the castle walls of Ananuri
- A cable car ride to Narikala Fortress and the bathhouse domes of Abanotubani
- Lunch and qvevri wine in the home of a Kakhetian family
- Tsinandali, the country estate of the poet Alexander Chavchavadze
Tour facts
Gergeti is reached by 4x4 to the church terrace, and Bodbe, Tsinandali and the hotels have vehicle access close to the entrance. The Juta walk is on uneven, sometimes wet ground, and the Old Town has steep cobbles; a guest who cannot walk far can stay with the vehicle at Juta or enjoy the views from the Sno valley road.
Places on this tour
23 places · tap any place to read its guide
- 1Old Tbilisi: Bridge of Peace, Narikala and the bath quarter
- 2Mtskheta's churches and the climb to Stepantsminda
- 3Into the Juta Valley, then south to the capital
- 4Kakheti day: St Nino's monastery, Sighnaghi and Tsinandali
Day by day
01Old Tbilisi: Bridge of Peace, Narikala and the bath quarterOvernight: Tbilisi
Once you have been collected from the airport and had time to settle in, your guide leads you over the Bridge of Peace and into the old city. From Rike Park you glide by cable car up to Narikala Fortress, whose first walls date from the 4th century, and a footpath winds back down to the brick domes of Abanotubani. These sulphur baths gave the city its name, since tbili means warm in Georgian. Next come the Leghvtakhevi waterfall, Sioni Cathedral and Anchiskhati, which has stood since the 6th century, before you finish on Rustaveli Avenue, the grand main street laid out in the 19th century. Dinner is at a restaurant cooking Georgian classics.
02Mtskheta's churches and the climb to StepantsmindaOvernight: Stepantsminda
The day opens at Jvari Monastery, built around the year 600 on a hill looking down on the spot where the Aragvi flows into the Mtkvari. Then drop into Mtskheta, the ancient capital, and walk its lanes to Svetitskhoveli Cathedral (1010–1029), which tradition says stands over the robe of Christ. The Georgian Military Highway then leads north to Ananuri Fortress on the edge of the Zhinvali Reservoir and climbs beyond Gudauri to the Friendship Monument, a curved mosaic balcony from 1983 hanging over the Aragvi gorge. Once over the Jvari Pass you descend to Stepantsminda, where you transfer to a 4x4 for the climb to Gergeti Trinity Church to watch the evening light settle on Mount Kazbek. Dinner is served at your hotel.
03Into the Juta Valley, then south to the capitalOvernight: Tbilisi
Drive to the village of Sno, where a rough track continues by 4x4 to Juta, a hamlet at around 2,150 m settled by families who came over from Khevsureti. Where the road ends, an easy trail follows the stream across open meadows, heading for the rocky pinnacles of Chaukhi, which top out at 3,842 m. Go as far as you feel like and turn round whenever you choose; most people are on foot for three to four hours. Lunch is in Pasanauri, a village famous for its khinkali, and you reach Tbilisi again around the end of the afternoon. Still have energy? Reserve one of the private rooms at the sulphur baths for a soak in the evening.
04Kakheti day: St Nino's monastery, Sighnaghi and Tsinandali
Today you drive east to Kakheti, the source of most Georgian wine. Your first stop is the grave of St Nino at Bodbe Monastery, and then Sighnaghi, a hill town whose walls look over the Alazani Valley to the snowy line of the Greater Caucasus. At lunch a winemaking family takes the lids off their qvevri, big clay vessels sunk into the cellar floor, and fills your glass with amber Rkatsiteli and Saperavi, served with bread still warm from the oven and their own cheese. Later you call in at Tsinandali, where Alexander Chavchavadze wrote verse and made wine in the 1800s, and then drive back to Tbilisi, where the tour ends.
Prices
Price per person for a private tour, by the size of your group. Sample prices
| Group size | Per person | Whole group |
|---|---|---|
| Solo traveller | $1,240 | $1,240 |
| 2 travellers | $750 | $1,500 |
| 3-4 travellers | $600 | from $1,800 |
| 5-8 travellers | $495 | from $2,475 |
| 9-15 travellers | $415 | from $3,735 |
Room and children
- Single room supplement: $140
- Children under 6 free (sharing a bed); ages 6-11 pay 70% of the adult price.
- Prices change with hotel level and season; your quote is final.
Popular add-ons
- Tbilisi airport transfer (car, 1-3 people)$30
- Extra night in Tbilisi with breakfast$90
- Supra dinner with folk music$50
What's included
- Transfers from and back to Tbilisi airport
- Guide in your language for your party only
- Air-conditioned private vehicle and a professional driver
- 4x4 transport up to Gergeti Trinity Church and along the Juta track
- Hotel nights with breakfast: two in Tbilisi, one in Stepantsminda
- The meals shown day by day in the itinerary
- Tasting session at a family wine cellar in Kakheti
- Site entrance fees and the Narikala cable car
- Water bottles kept in the car
- International airfare
- Travel insurance (Georgia has required health cover for visitors since 2026)
- Food and drinks beyond those listed
- Sulphur bath sessions
- Tips for your guide and driver, at your discretion
Good to know
Who it's for
- First visitors who would rather spend a night under Mount Kazbek than see it on a rushed return trip
- Light walkers keen on one proper valley walk, the meadow path toward Chaukhi in Juta
- Couples and friends who want Kakhetian wine with a family, not a tasting bar
- Anyone with four days who wants a calm pace with only one hotel change
Travellers who want the west, the caves or the Black Sea should look at East to West or Classic Georgia, and those who prefer no walking at all may find Taste of Georgia an easier fit.
What to bring
- A windproof jacket and warm mid-layer for Juta at about 2,150 m, where cloud can roll in fast
- Walking shoes or light boots with a good sole for the meadow trail, which is muddy after rain
- A small daypack for water, snacks and spare layers on the valley walk
- Sun hat and high-factor sun cream; UV is strong above 2,000 m
- Modest clothing for churches: covered shoulders, plus a headscarf and longer skirt for women
- Swimwear or a towel if you plan to book a private sulphur bath room in Tbilisi
- The Juta road is normally snowbound from about December to April; in those months the valley walk becomes a winter stroll near Stepantsminda.
- Allow around three hours each way between Tbilisi and the mountains, and two to Kakheti.
- Kazbegi weather changes within the hour, and clear views of the peak are most likely early in the day.
- Heavy snow can close the highway over the Jvari Pass for a short while, so in winter the order of days may move.
Guest reviews
Questions about this tour
How hard is the Juta walk?
Not hard at all. A well-marked path leaves Juta at around 2,150 m and gains height only gradually. Three to four hours on foot is typical, and you can head back whenever you have had enough. Pack a fleece and a waterproof, since the weather at this height can turn within minutes.
Can we do this tour in winter?
Yes. Snow blocks the road to Juta from roughly December until April, so in those months you walk near Stepantsminda instead or spend some time at Gudauri. After big snowfalls the highway across the Jvari Pass may close for short spells, and if that happens we shuffle the days around it.
Why stay a night in Kazbegi instead of visiting on a day trip?
With three hours of driving in each direction, a day trip to Kazbegi leaves you only a short time among the peaks. Spending the night means you reach Gergeti Trinity Church once the midday crowds have gone, and it frees up the next morning for a real walk in Juta.
What wines will we taste in Kakheti?
The usual pair is Rkatsiteli made in qvevri, which ferments on its skins and turns amber, and dry red Saperavi, the country's best-known grape. Plenty of families also produce Kisi or Mtsvane, and someone will usually offer you a shot of chacha, the grape spirit distilled from what is left after pressing.
