City in Mtskheta-Mtianeti 20 min by car from Tbilisi2 h 50 min by car from Kutaisi5 h 20 min by car from BatumiPopulation 94,573
Mtskheta is a city in Mtskheta-Mtianeti — a region of Georgia, about 20 min by car from Tbilisi, 2 h 50 min from Kutaisi and 5 h 20 min from Batumi. Home to about 94,573 people.
Mtskheta is the spiritual capital of Georgia, twenty minutes from Tbilisi at the confluence of the Aragvi and Kura rivers. It was the royal capital for nearly a thousand years and the place where the country adopted Christianity in the fourth century; its churches are a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Svetitskhoveli cathedral, in the centre of the small town, is the burial place of Georgian kings and, by tradition, the resting place of Christ's robe. On the hill opposite stands Jvari, the sixth-century church whose view over the two rivers is the most photographed in the country. The Shio-Mgvime monastery in its gorge and the Armazi fortress ruins complete a full half-day.
Mtskheta is easily combined with Tbilisi in a single day or taken as the first stop on the Military Highway north to Kazbegi.
