# Georgia in 7 days: the itinerary I’d give my own family

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- Canonical: https://gtour.ge/georgia-in-7-days-the-itinerary-id-give-my-own-family/
- Author: Prof. Giorgi Pkhakadze (GTour desk, Tbilisi)
- Published: 2026-09-15
- Updated: 2026-10-23
- Language: en
- Russian edition: https://gtour.ge/ru/georgia-in-7-days-the-itinerary-id-give-my-own-family/

People ask me, as a Georgian who has lived half his life elsewhere, what they should do with a week in my country. For years I gave different answers. Now I give one, because it works: it shows the four Georgias — the capital, the mountains, the wine, the ancient west — without racing, with real nights in real places, and it ends with the guest already planning to come back. Here it is, as I would give it to my sister’s family arriving from France.

### Day 1 — Tbilisi, slowly

Arrive, sleep, and in the afternoon walk the old town with someone who knows it: the baths, the mosque, Narikala by cable car, down through the lanes. Dinner at a family table with wine from a jug and the first toasts. Nothing else. The first day sets the pace, and the pace is the point.

### Day 2 — Mtskheta and the road north

Svetitskhoveli and Jvari in the morning, an hour each, then the Military Highway: Ananuri, the pass, and Stepantsminda by mid-afternoon, with the 4×4 up to Gergeti while the light is right. Night in the mountains, with Kazbek in the window. This is the day guests photograph most.

### Day 3 — Juta, then back

Early to the Juta valley for two hours on foot below the Chaukhi towers, when it is empty. Lunch of khinkali in Pasanauri on the way down, and Tbilisi by evening. Some guests want a second mountain night instead; I let them.

### Day 4 — Kakheti: the wine

East over the Gombori pass. Sighnaghi and Bodbe before noon, then a family winery for the marani, the open qvevri, a cooking lesson and the long lunch that becomes the afternoon. Night in a vineyard guesthouse near Telavi. If it is harvest time, the whole day is the harvest.

### Day 5 — Kakheti: the stones

Alaverdi at nine, when the cathedral is empty and the light comes through the high windows. Ikalto, Telavi’s market, Tsinandali’s house and cellar. Back to Tbilisi by early evening for the baths — the sulphur is the right end to two days of wine.

### Day 6 — West

Uplistsikhe in the morning, the rock city at its emptiest; Gori for a glance at the fortress; then the highway west to Kutaisi, arriving for Gelati in the afternoon light, when the mosaic in the apse turns gold. Night in Kutaisi, dinner of Imeretian khachapuri.

### Day 7 — Caves and canyons, and home

Prometheus cave, then the boat through Martvili canyon, then either the airport at Kutaisi for an afternoon flight or the road back to Tbilisi for a last evening. Most guests choose the last evening.

### What I leave out, and why

Svaneti and Batumi, which deserve three days each and belong to a ten-day trip; Vardzia, which is a day of its own; Tusheti, which is an expedition. A week that tries to include them sees everything and remembers nothing. This week sees less, and the guests remember all of it.

### See it with GTour

This is, stop for stop, our [Georgia in 7 days grand tour](/tour/georgia-in-7-days-the-classic-grand-tour/) — private, with a guide throughout and the hotels I would choose for my own family. The longer version, with Svaneti and the sea, is [Georgia in 10 days](/tour/georgia-in-10-days-tbilisi-to-svaneti-to-the-sea/).

This story in Georgian — ქართულად: [shenidasveneba.ge](https://shenidasveneba.ge/georgia-in-7-days-the-itinerary-id-give-my-own-family-ka/)

### Quick answers

**What does the Georgia in 7 days itinerary cover?** It covers four distinct regions: the capital Tbilisi, the mountains around Stepantsminda, the wine region of Kakheti, and the ancient west around Kutaisi. The itinerary is designed to show real nights in real places without rushing, so visitors remember what they see.

**What happens on the first day in Tbilisi?** The first day is kept slow, with arrival, rest, and an afternoon walking tour of the old town including the baths, the mosque, and Narikala fortress reached by cable car. The evening ends with a family dinner featuring wine from a jug and traditional toasts, setting the relaxed pace for the whole trip.

**What can travelers expect on the Military Highway day to the mountains?** Day 2 includes morning visits to Svetitskhoveli Cathedral and Jvari Monastery in Mtskheta, followed by driving the Military Highway past Ananuri fortress and over the mountain pass to Stepantsminda. The day ends with a 4×4 trip up to Gergeti Church with Mount Kazbek visible, which guests photograph the most.

**What is the Juta valley experience like on Day 3?** Day 3 starts early with a two-hour walk in the Juta valley beneath the Chaukhi towers while it is still empty of other visitors. Afterward, travelers stop for khinkali dumplings in Pasanauri before returning to Tbilisi by evening, though some guests opt to stay a second night in the mountains instead.

**What makes the Kakheti wine region day special?** Day 4 travels east over the Gombori pass to visit Sighnaghi and Bodbe Monastery before noon, then continues to a family winery for a tour of the marani (wine cellar) with open qvevri vessels, a cooking lesson, and a long lunch. The night is spent in a vineyard guesthouse near Telavi, and if it coincides with harvest time, the entire day becomes part of the grape harvest.

**What sites are visited on the second Kakheti day focused on stone monuments?** Day 5 begins at Alaverdi Cathedral at nine in the morning when it is empty and lit by high windows, followed by Ikalto monastery, Telavi's market, and Tsinandali's historic house and cellar. The day ends back in Tbilisi with a visit to the sulphur baths as a fitting conclusion to two days centered on wine.

**What is deliberately left out of this 7-day itinerary, and why?** Svaneti and Batumi are excluded because each deserves three days of its own, while Vardzia needs a full day and Tusheti requires an expedition-level visit. The author explains that trying to include everything in one week means guests see more but remember less, whereas this focused itinerary ensures guests remember everything they experience.

Photo: Ben Stephenson / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

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