Mount Kazbek
Kazbegi
The high Caucasus above Stepantsminda. The Military Highway is the way in. Shared 4WD on the ridge road is 20–30 GEL a person in season. Acclimatize in the town before anything above the village.
🇬🇪 Georgia
جورجيا · GEL · Emergency 112 · Tourist police +995 322 11 11 11 · as of 2026-08
How the country is laid outQuick orientation — regions & cities▸
The lowland runs from Tbilisi to Batumi on the Black Sea, with Kutaisi airport in between. East is Kakheti: Sighnaghi and the wine villages. North, the Military Highway reaches Kazbegi; it is paved and winding, and landslides follow rain, so check road.ge. Svaneti (Mestia, then Ushguli) is a narrow road, and the Natakhtari–Mestia flight is often cancelled. Tusheti is 4WD only, roughly June to September, with no fuel past Alvani and almost no mobile signal. Do not cross into South Ossetia or Abkhazia from Georgia. The notes say that entry is illegal under Georgian law, and that you can be arrested or banned from Georgia.
PlacesTop sights with photos & tips▸
Ushguli towers
Svaneti
A high village at about 2,100 m, with stone defense towers. No ATM and no pharmacy. Bring cash, medicine, and a layer even in summer. Power cuts are common.
Sighnaghi walls
Kakheti
Hill town over the Alazani valley, and the honest base for qvevri wine. Book guesthouses ahead for June–September. Skip 'free tasting' that turns into a hard sell.
Batumi and the Black Sea
Batumi
The coast for summer swimming. Ignore the airport taxi line and open Bolt. Sarpi, on this shore, is the easy crossing into Turkey for most passports.
Svaneti road
Mestia
The Zugdidi–Mestia road is paved, narrow, and prone to rockfall. Have a plan that is not the weather-dependent flight. The Mestia–Ushguli trek crosses passes near 2,800 m.
Road to Omalo
Tusheti
Open about June to September. Regular cars are turned back; 4WD is mandatory. Fill the tank in Alvani. Download offline maps before the signal dies.
Tbilisi riverfront
Tbilisi
Use Bolt, not the airport desk. Decline ATM currency conversion and choose GEL. Some Old Town places keep a second, higher menu. The glass bridge in the photo is the Peace Bridge; the notes do not name it.
Sighnaghi square
Kakheti
The town you actually sleep in during the harvest (rtveli). Supermarket qvevri at Nikora, Spar, or Fresco is 8–20 GEL. Tbilisoba, the last weekend of October, fills Tbilisi instead.
Prices (ranges, not quotes)What things cost — realistic ranges▸
| Item | Range | USD | As of |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housekeeping, per night if you stay Not a room rate. Round Bolt fares; no percent tip. | 5–10 GEL | ~USD 1.9–3.7 | 2026-08 |
| Shared 4WD, Kazbegi ridge Per person in high season. Price is usually fixed. | 20–30 GEL | ~USD 7.4–11.1 | 2026-08 |
| Supermarket qvevri bottle Nikora, Spar, Fresco. Labels: Orgo, Gotsa, Tevza, Lapati. | 8–20 GEL | ~USD 3.0–7.4 | 2026-08 |
| Pheasant's Tears bottle Sighnaghi. Natural qvevri. Okro's is 20–40 GEL. | 25–60 GEL | ~USD 9.3–22.2 | 2026-08 |
| Tsinandali Estate bottle The notes write 15–100+ GEL. Khareba is 15–35 GEL, and the notes call the tunnel tour tourist-heavy. | 15–100+ GEL | ~USD 5.6–37.0+ | 2026-08 |
| Sulfur-bath package to refuse The notes say 200 GEL or more. Agree the room price and any scrub before you go in. | 200+ GEL | from ~USD 74.1 | 2026-08 |
| e-Visa when your passport needs one evisa.gov.ge, about 5 working days. EU, US, UK and many others are 365 days visa-free. | 20 USD | ~USD 20 | 2026-08 |
| Cash to carry outside the cities The rural line says carry 100–200 GEL in small bills. The checklist says withdraw 200–300 GEL for rural areas. ATMs often cap a withdrawal near 3,000 GEL. | 100–200 GEL, or 200–300 on the checklist | ~USD 37–74, or ~USD 74–111 | 2026-08 |
HotelsWhere to stay — top picks & nightly prices▸
Sighnaghi and Kakheti guesthouses
Sighnaghi
Book ahead for June–September and for the wine crush. The notes name the town, not a nightly rate.
Rate not fixed in the August 2026 notes
No public phone number in the August 2026 notes.
The August 2026 notes give no direct hotel URL.
The August 2026 notes do not fix a nightly rate.
Book early in rtveli. Wine villages fill.
Tusheti guesthouses
Omalo and the valleys
Only reachable in the open-road months, and only by 4WD.
Rate not fixed in the August 2026 notes
No public phone number in the August 2026 notes.
The August 2026 notes give no direct hotel URL.
The August 2026 notes do not fix a nightly rate.
June–September. No fuel in the region.
Ushguli stay
Svaneti
Cash only. No ATM in the village.
Rate not fixed in the August 2026 notes
No public phone number in the August 2026 notes.
The August 2026 notes give no direct hotel URL.
The August 2026 notes do not fix a nightly rate.
Bring cash and medicine.
Tbilisi in Tbilisoba week
Tbilisi
The city festival is the last weekend of October. Hotels book out.
Rate not fixed in the August 2026 notes
No public phone number in the August 2026 notes.
The August 2026 notes give no direct hotel URL.
Housekeeping 5–10 GEL a night if you stay several nights.
Reserve early for the festival.
Passport for the trip. Housekeeping 5–10 GEL a night on a longer stay. Shoes off in homes. Exchange at TBC, Bank of Georgia, or Liberty — never the airport desk or a street changer. Rate in these notes: about 2.65–2.75 GEL per 1 USD. Decline dynamic currency conversion.
Transport & delivery appsRide, food & delivery apps locals use▸
| App | Kind | Best for | vs others |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bolt Tbilisi, Kutaisi, Batumi | ride | Airport and city | Fixed-price airport taxis charge 2–3 times more |
| Tbilisi Transport Tbilisi | transit | Buses in the capital | Named in the notes as the app to download |
| Maps.me Trails | maps | Hiking | Google Maps is the city tool |
| Google Maps Cities | maps | Tbilisi and Batumi | Not the hiking download |
| road.ge Mountain highways | roads | Kazbegi and Svaneti after rain | Check before you drive in spring or autumn |
SIM / eSIM / internetStay online — SIM & eSIM options▸
Magti
Widest of the three named
No package price is fixed in these notes
City shop: 6 Shota Rustaveli Ave. Airport registration is about 10–15 minutes a passport, and the queue can pass an hour. Someone offering to fast-track a SIM for about 20 USD is not official.
Silknet
Cities
No package price is fixed in these notes
2 Marjanishvili St. Buy in town, not from an airport helper.
Cellfie
Cheapest of the three, and the weakest signal
No package price is fixed in these notes
Several city shops. The fast-track fee in the notes is an airport-helper scam, not a Cellfie product.
Airalo, Saily, or Nomad before you fly, then a city SIM the next day if you need heavy data. Public Wi-Fi 'Tbilisi Loves You' is not for banking.
CultureDo's, don'ts & local customs▸
Clothes
Churches, if you enter one: women cover head, shoulders, and knees; men wear long pants and take off hats. No flash. The notes do not set a separate city dress code. Homes: shoes off.
Food
A supra means you raise the glass for the toasts. If you do not drink, sip and still take part. Never set bread upside down. Qvevri wine is drunk young: 1–3 years for white and amber, 3–5 for red. A '100-year-old bottle' sold to a stranger is a story.
Marriage
A home invitation wants a gift: wine, chocolates, or flowers in an odd number. Even numbers are for funerals. The notes do not describe a wedding rite beyond that hospitality.
History
The notes say Georgia lost 20% of its territory to Russian occupation in 2008. Treat Abkhazia and South Ossetia as occupied, not as separate countries. Do not defend Russian policy. Stalin was Georgian and the source of enormous harm; do not praise him.
Stories
Best overall season in these notes is September–October (harvest, mild, fewer crowds). Summer is for mountains and Batumi; Tbilisi passes 35°C. Winter is Gudauri, Bakuriani, and Mestia for skiing, with many high roads closed. Red Bridge into Azerbaijan is open; have the Azerbaijan e-visa first if you need one.
Map
Community translation — verify medical, legal, and visa text.