Town in Kakheti1 h 55 min by car from Tbilisi4 h 20 min by car from Kutaisi7 h 5 min by car from BatumiPopulation 19,6291,685 km²
Telavi is a town in Kakheti — a region of Georgia, about 1 h 55 min by car from Tbilisi, 4 h 20 min from Kutaisi and 7 h 5 min from Batumi. Home to about 19,629 people.
Telavi is the capital of Kakheti, a working town of wine, markets and history at the foot of the Tsiv-Gombori mountains. The palace of King Erekle II — a Persian-style residence with gardens and a small museum — stands in the centre, beside a plane tree said to be nine hundred years old.
Telavi's value is what surrounds it: the cathedral of Alaverdi, the medieval academy at Ikalto, the monasteries of Shuamta and Nekresi, the fortress of Gremi, and a dense concentration of wineries from historic estates such as Tsinandali to small family cellars in every village. The Sunday market is the best in the region for cheese, spices and churchkhela.
Telavi is a natural base for two or three days exploring Kakheti's wine and monasteries, ninety minutes from Tbilisi over the Gombori pass.
