Tbilisi

Tbilisi is a capital built along a river gorge, where a medieval old town of balconied houses, sulphur bathhouses and hillside churches sits directly beneath a modern city of galleries, wine bars and late-night restaurants. Founded in the fifth century around its hot springs, it has been Persian, Arab, Mongol, Russian and Georgian, and every layer is still visible in a single afternoon's walk.

The essentials: the Narikala fortress and the view from the cable car, the domed baths of Abanotubani, the cathedral at Sioni and the river bridges, the Dry Bridge flea market, the Art Nouveau streets of Sololaki and Vera, and the vineyards-in-the-city cellars of the natural wine scene. Mtskheta, the ancient capital, is twenty minutes away.

Tbilisi is the natural base for Georgia: Kakheti, Kazbegi, Gori and David Gareji are all day trips. Spring and autumn are the finest seasons; summer evenings are long and warm, and winter is mild by Caucasian standards.