Wine cellars, old monasteries, forests and village food. Your host can help with most of it, and a local driver can take you to the places further away.
Wine
In Kakheti wine is made the old Georgian way, in qvevri: big clay jars buried in the ground. UNESCO lists this way of making wine as world heritage. Many families make their own wine and chacha and are happy to show you their marani (wine cellar).
In most villages. Ask your host, or pick a guest house with a wine cellar.
Wine
Every autumn families pick their grapes together, press them and fill the qvevri, with a big meal at the end of the day. Guests are often welcome to join.
Ask your host when they pick their grapes.
Best time: September to October
Wine
A long tunnel cut into the mountain, where wine is kept cool all year. You can walk inside and taste the wines.
Near Kvareli · Just outside Kvareli.
Wine
The 19th-century home of the poet Alexander Chavchavadze: a house museum, a large old park and one of the oldest wineries in Georgia, with a cellar of very old bottles.
Near Tsinandali · In Tsinandali, about 15 minutes from Telavi.
Churches and history
The walled palace of the Kakhetian kings in the centre of Telavi, with a museum inside. A few minutes away stands a giant plane tree that is many hundreds of years old.
Near Telavi · In the centre of Telavi, on foot.
Churches and history
An 11th-century cathedral standing alone among vineyards, one of the tallest old churches in Georgia. The monks there make wine too.
Near Telavi · About 20 minutes by car from Telavi.
Good to know: Churches ask for covered shoulders and knees; women cover their hair. Scarves are usually at the door.
Churches and history
An old monastery in the forest with the ruins of a medieval academy. People say the poet Shota Rustaveli studied here.
Near Telavi · About 15 minutes by car from Telavi.
Churches and history
Two monasteries in the forest on the hill above Telavi. Old Shuamta has three small early churches side by side; New Shuamta is a working nunnery.
Near Telavi · About 15 minutes by car from Telavi, on the Gombori road.
Churches and history
What is left of a 16th-century royal town: a brick church and tower on a hill, with a small museum and a view over the Alazani valley.
Near Kvareli · On the road between Telavi and Kvareli, about 30 minutes from Telavi.
Churches and history
One of the oldest monasteries in Georgia, high on a forested hill, with one of the best views over the Alazani valley.
Near Kvareli · About 20 minutes by car from Kvareli. The last part is a steep walk up the hill.
Churches and history
Walk along the 18th-century walls and towers around the town, with the whole Alazani valley and the Caucasus in front of you. Best in the evening light.
Near Sighnaghi · In Sighnaghi, on foot.
Churches and history
The nunnery where St Nino, who brought Christianity to Georgia, is buried. Quiet gardens and a path down to a holy spring.
Near Sighnaghi · About 2 km from Sighnaghi. You can walk or take a taxi.
Good to know: Covered shoulders and knees; women cover their hair. Scarves and skirts are given at the gate.
Churches and history
Monasteries cut into the rock in a dry, empty landscape far in the south of Kakheti, with old wall paintings in the caves. A long day, but unlike anything else in Georgia.
Near Sighnaghi · A full day trip, a few hours each way by car. Best with a driver.
Good to know: Take water and a hat; there is little shade. Spring and autumn are the best times.
Nature
Old forest on the slopes of the Caucasus, with marked trails from short walks to a full-day hike to a waterfall.
Near Kvareli · About 1 hour by car from Kvareli.
Good to know: Register at the visitor centre before you start a trail.
Nature
A lake at the edge of Kvareli under the forested mountains. Nice for a walk or a quiet evening by the water.
Near Kvareli · At the edge of Kvareli.
Nature
From the Alvani area a mountain road climbs over the Abano Pass to Tusheti. It is one of the most dangerous roads in the world: only go in a 4x4 with a local driver who knows it.
Near Kvemo Alvani · Jeeps leave from the Alvani area. Ask your host or a driver.
Best time: Usually open only from June to early October
Food
A Georgian feast: many dishes on the table at once, homemade wine, and a tamada (toastmaster) who leads long, warm toasts. Many hosts can make one for their guests.
Ask your host a day ahead, or pick a guest house with "Supra dinner".
Food
Watch shoti bread baked on the walls of a tone, a deep round clay oven, and eat it hot. Many villages have a small bakery, and some families have their own tone.
In most villages. Ask where the local bakery is.
Food
Walnuts on a string, dipped again and again in thick grape juice and dried: the Georgian sweet. In autumn families make it at home, and you can try too.
Ask your host, or try a cooking class.
Best time: Best in autumn, after the harvest
Food
The town market, full of fruit, cheese, spices, churchkhela and homemade wine. Come in the morning when it is busiest.
Near Telavi · In the centre of Telavi.
🚙 Need a driver for a day trip?
Local drivers take you to monasteries, wine cellars and lakes, and wait for you while you look around.