Stepantsminda, which everyone still calls Kazbegi, is a small town on two banks of the Terek at 1,740 m, and the question of where to stay is really three questions. Do you want the view, the trailhead or the bus station outside your door? Do you want a family guesthouse with dinner cooked by the host, a design hotel with a pool, or a cabin with a kitchen? And are you here on a Saturday in October, when half of Tbilisi drives up and the good places sell out, or on a Tuesday in January, when the same rooms cost a third less? Our Kazbegi guide covers the trip itself; this page is only about the bed.
Quick answer
For most people: a family guesthouse on the hill above town, on the same slope as Rooms Hotel, with the same mountain view for 72 to 80 GEL (about $28 to 31) a twin room. Guest House Tamta and Shorena & Nino are the two we would book first. If you are here for the Gergeti walk, sleep in Gergeti village across the river, at the foot of the path. If it is one memorable night, Rooms Hotel Kazbegi is worth its 700 to 810 GEL, but it was sold out for our test Saturday, so book it weeks ahead. All prices are what Booking.com showed us on 23 September 2026 for two adults.
- Properties listed
- 307
- Guesthouse twin
- from 72 GEL
- Rooms Hotel
- from 703 GEL
- Taxi up the hill
- up to 30 GEL
The four areas in one table
Booking.com listed 307 properties for Kazbegi when we searched for Saturday 10 to Sunday 11 October 2026, two adults, one room. The prices below are the rooms named further down, read that day. They are examples for a busy autumn Saturday, not averages, and the January column further down shows how much they move.
| Area | Best for | Room, GEL |
|---|---|---|
| The hill above town | Views, guesthouses, Rooms Hotel | 72-810 |
| The centre | Bus station, restaurants, short stays | 65-461 |
| Gergeti village | The church walk, quiet, cabins | 102-270 |
| Beyond the town | Cars, hikers, a valley to yourself | 65-315 |
Rooms Hotel Kazbegi
We have stayed at Rooms, and it is the one hotel in Georgia we send people to for the building and the view alone. It is a converted sanatorium on the slope above the east bank, 500 m from the centre and a ten-minute walk from the bus stop, with a long timber terrace that faces Mount Kazbek and Gergeti Trinity across the valley, a lobby bar built around a library, a restaurant, a spa with an indoor pool and sauna, and free parking. The rooms are simpler than the public spaces, and the breakfast is the one guests keep mentioning in the reviews.
The price is the catch. Rooms had no availability at all for our test night, Saturday 10 October 2026. Booking.com's flexible-dates list for mid-October started at 703 GEL (about $269) for Thursday 15 October and 811 GEL (about $311) for the Friday and Saturday nights that week. For Saturday 16 January 2027 the standard twin was 702 GEL. Guests score it 8.6 from 3,473 reviews, with location at 9.5 and value for money at 7.8, which is exactly right: you pay for where it is. If you do book it, one night is enough, and eat dinner on the terrace.
Two hotels in the centre trade on the same look at a lower, still serious, price. Intourist Kazbegi, 150 m from the centre on the east bank near the bridge, opened in 2021 with the same long terrace idea; its standard double with breakfast was 450 GEL (about $172) on our Saturday, down from 600, scored 7.9 from 657 reviews. 1740 Boutique Hotel Kazbegi, 500 m out and scored 9.2 from 329 reviews, was 461 GEL, and Hotel Memoir Kazbegi (8.6 from 748 reviews) was sold out on the Saturday and from 467 GEL on the Thursday before it.
The hill above town
This is where we would stay. The slope above the east bank has the same outlook as Rooms for a tenth of the price: family guesthouses with a balcony or a terrace facing the mountain, a shared kitchen, and hosts who know which valley road is open this week. The trade is the climb. It is a steep ten to fifteen minutes up from the bus station, and with luggage you take a taxi from the stop, up to 30 GEL.
Guest House Tamta, 400 m from the centre halfway up the Rooms side, is the one we would book first. A twin room with private bathroom was 80 GEL (about $31) for our October Saturday and 80 GEL again in January, with free cancellation and payment at the property, scored 9.7 from 535 reviews; there is a shared kitchen with a washing machine, which matters after Truso. Shorena & Nino, 500 m out and scored 9.7 from 400 reviews with location 9.6, had a large twin for 72 GEL (about $28). Both fill for summer weekends.
The step up on the same slope is Step Inn - Kazbegi, 600 m from the centre, a small modern hotel with an indoor pool and a gym: a small double was 205 GEL (about $79) with free cancellation, scored 8.6 from 994 reviews. Chemodann Kazbegi, near Rooms and scored 8.7 from 957 reviews, started at 350 GEL with breakfast. Lens Design Hotel, 500 m out, scored 9.3 from 121 reviews with location 9.7, wanted 665 GEL (about $255) for a double with breakfast on the Saturday and 494 GEL in January; at that price we would rather be at Rooms.
Cabins and chalets
The fastest-growing category on the hillside is the self-contained cabin: timber or A-frame, glass front, a deck facing the mountain, a kitchenette and often a wood stove. They suit couples who want privacy, families who want a kitchen, and anyone with a car, because most sit a few hundred metres above the last paved street. For our October Saturday: Cottages DILA, 600 m from the centre and scored 9.4 from 285 reviews with location 9.7, had a one-bedroom villa for 266 GEL (about $102); Lonely Mountain, 700 m out and scored 9.3 from 151 reviews, a one-bedroom chalet for 261 GEL; Oto Twins Cottages a two-bedroom chalet of 65 square metres for 300 GEL; Outdoor Cottages Kazbegi a two-bedroom chalet for 320 GEL; Kazbegi Targmani Cottages an economy double for 162 GEL. The top of the range is Kazbegi Hills Cottages, 800 m out, scored 9.9 from 174 reviews with location 9.8: a superior chalet of 70 square metres was 450 GEL (about $172) in October and the same in January. Elia Loft, the glass-fronted A-frame high above town that shows up in every photo of Kazbegi cabins, scored 9.9, was 350 GEL for our January Saturday.
The centre and the bus station
The flat part of town on the east bank, between the square and the river, is where the vans leave, where the restaurants and the grocery are, and where you stay if you arrive late, leave early or would rather not climb. The views are partial, the walk to everything is short, and this is where the small new hotels have opened. Prices for our October Saturday, all with free cancellation and payment at the property unless we say otherwise.
Hotels. Hotel Stancia Kazbegi - City Center stands directly in front of the bus station, 300 m from the centre, scored 9.2 from 670 reviews with location 9.7; a double with city view was 208 GEL (about $80), and it has a ground-floor restaurant with a small deck over the river. Hotel Horizon Kazbegi, 50 m from the centre and scored 9.5 from 829 reviews, had a quadruple room with breakfast for 130 GEL (about $50), the best value hotel room we found. Hotel Nestt, 200 m out, 9.3 from 418 reviews, a family studio with breakfast for 140 GEL. Northgate Hotel Kazbegi, 50 m out, 9.1 from 626 reviews, a double facing the mountain at the back for 270 GEL with breakfast. GRAF Kazbegi at the north end of town near the bridge, scored 9.6 from 695 reviews, was sold out on the Saturday and from 157 GEL on the Thursday before. Porta Caucasia Kazbegi, 300 m out, 7.9 from 315 reviews, was 392 GEL, and Residence Kazbegi, 500 m out, 9.2 from 267 reviews, 295 GEL, both discounted from their list price.
Guesthouses and small places. Four Season In Kazbegi, 200 m from the centre and scored 9.6 from 160 reviews with location 9.8, had a twin with mountain view for 115 GEL (about $44). Guest House Elguja Qushashvili, 350 m out, 9.7 from 247 reviews, a double for 75 GEL. Milky Way, 300 m out and scored 9.5 from 819 reviews, a standard double or twin with balcony for 133 GEL. Old District View Hotel, 350 m out, 9.5 from 439 reviews with location 9.7, a double with a terrace and breakfast for 222 GEL. Rooftop Kazbegi, 400 m out, 9.6 from 421 reviews, a triple with terrace and breakfast for 250 GEL. Kazbegi 4U, 300 m out, 9.3 from 425 reviews, a twin with breakfast for 172 GEL. The cheapest private rooms in the first fifty listings were Sunny guesthouse, 450 m out and scored 8.8 from 263 reviews, a large double for 65 GEL (about $25), and North Kazbegi at the north end, 9.3 from 366 reviews, a budget twin for 85 GEL.
Gergeti village, the trailhead side
Cross the bridge and climb the lane on the west bank and you are in Gergeti, the old village below the church. The footpath to Gergeti Trinity leaves from the top of it, so sleeping here saves the walk through town, about half an hour each way, on the morning you go up, and the village is quieter than the centre at night. Many of the houses have become guesthouses; the newer cabins sit at the edges. You give up the restaurants, which are a walk back across the river, and most hosts will feed you instead.
The two family houses everyone recommends, and we agree with, were both full for our Saturday. Red Stone Guest House, on the steep street just below the trailhead and scored 9.7 from 267 reviews with location 9.7, was from 102 GEL (about $39) for Thursday 8 October; three rooms on the top floor of the family home, a famous breakfast, and a takeaway bag of khachapuri for the walk if you ask. Ketino's Home, in a newer building near the river on the west bank, scored 9.2 from 320 reviews, was from 107 GEL for the same Thursday, with modern bathrooms, breakfast included and home-cooked dinners available. Book either two or three weeks ahead for a weekend.
The cabins here cost more. Gergeti Trio, a set of new chalets at the trailhead with a kitchenette in each suite, scored 9.2 from 259 reviews, was from 193 GEL for the Thursday. Kazbegi cabins, the designer chalet in the village with a cafe and coworking space on site, scored 8.6 from 137 reviews with location 9.6, was from 220 GEL (about $84) for our Saturday. Gergeti Twins - Cottages, 150 m from the village centre and scored 9.8 from 33 reviews, had a two-bedroom apartment with mountain view for 252 GEL plus 21 GEL in taxes; Cottage ELKA, 9.8 from 44 reviews, a one-bedroom apartment for 176 GEL plus 15. For a bed rather than a room, HQ of Nove, a hostel 900 m from the village scored 9.6 from 590 reviews, had two beds in a six-bed dormitory for 60 GEL together, about 30 GEL (about $11) a person.
Beyond the town
With a car, or a taste for valleys, the best-value rooms are outside Stepantsminda altogether. Hotel Garbani, in Garbani village 6.5 km back down the highway and scored 8.8 from 412 reviews, had a double with balcony for 65 GEL (about $25) on our Saturday. Quiet cottage in Achkhoti, 4.3 km from Gergeti and scored 10 from 65 reviews, a one-bedroom house with a kitchen for 153 GEL. AGRE Kazbegi, 4.5 km out and scored 9.9 from 59 reviews, a double with mountain view for 142 GEL. None of these is walkable to the town's restaurants or the vans, which is the point for some people and a deal-breaker for others.
For the Juta valley, sleep in Juta itself rather than driving out from town: Zeta Camping, 500 m above the village, had a double with mountain view for 270 GEL and a triple for 315 GEL with breakfast when we priced the trek guide, and the Fifth Season hut above it is the last place in the valley to buy food and coffee. In Roshka, on the far side of the Chaukhi pass, the three family guesthouses charge about 100 GEL (about $38) a person with dinner and breakfast. In winter, when the Juta and Truso roads close, Gudauri, 32 km back down the highway, is the other base, with the lifts outside the door and generally higher prices.
What a guesthouse night includes
The family guesthouses are the reason to come to Kazbegi rather than pass through it. A room with a private bathroom in a house the family lives in, breakfast usually included (ask; some list it separately), and dinner on request, which is the best meal you will eat in town: khinkali, khachapuri, soup, whatever the host cooked for the family that night. Ask the dinner price when you book, since it is not on Booking.com, and say yes. Hosts book the 4x4 to the church, the taxi to Truso, and the last van to Tbilisi, and they know which roads are open before the internet does.
Expect to pay in cash. Most guesthouses, the vans, the taxis and the 4x4 drivers are cash only, and the town's couple of ATMs run empty on summer weekends, so bring lari from Tbilisi; the money guide explains how much. Heating is a wood or gas stove in the shoulder seasons and winter, and the better places heat the whole house, which is worth checking in a listing for November to March.
Hosts on the hill and in Gergeti are older couples and their daughters, and their English ranges from fluent to none. Learning a few Georgian phrases for travellers before you arrive, at least gamarjoba, madloba and the words for delicious and enough, turns a transaction into an evening; guesthouse dinners are where most people's best Georgian memories come from.
When to book, and what the season does to prices
Kazbegi sells out in a way Tbilisi does not, because it is small, because Tbilisi drives up on Saturdays from June to August, and because October weekends bring the autumn colour crowd. On our test Saturday in October, Rooms Hotel, Red Stone, GRAF, Hotel Memoir and Gergeti Trio were all full three weeks out. Book a fortnight ahead for any summer or autumn weekend, and Rooms and the named cabins a month or more ahead. Midweek is easier: several places that were sold out for the Saturday had rooms for the Thursday before it.
Winter is a genuine discount at the hotels and no discount at the guesthouses. We compared the same room types on the same listings for Saturday 10 October 2026 and Saturday 16 January 2027.
Same room, October against January
| Room | October | January |
|---|---|---|
| Rooms Hotel, standard twin | sold out | 702 GEL; 703 to 811 on free October nights |
| Old District View, double with terrace | 222 GEL | 135 GEL |
| Lens Design, double with breakfast | 665 GEL | 494 GEL |
| Hotel Horizon, quadruple | 130 GEL | 110 GEL |
| Guest House Tamta, twin with bath | 80 GEL | 80 GEL |
| Kazbegi Hills, chalet | 450 GEL | 450 GEL |
Prices checked September 2026. Ranges reflect season and operator.
So the hotels drop 15 to 40 percent in January while the guesthouses and cabins hold their price, which makes the guesthouses the better value in autumn and the hotels the better value in winter. Remember what winter means here: the Gudauri to Kobi section of the highway closes in heavy snow, sometimes for days, winter tyres are compulsory from December, and hiking stops apart from snowshoeing. The winter guide has the rest.
Getting there and up the hill
Every route from Tbilisi uses the Georgian Military Highway. The marshrutka from Didube station is 20 GEL (about $8) a person, cash, 3 to 3.5 hours, and drops you at the small bus station on the east bank in the centre. A GoTrip driver, which is what we use for two or more people, was 210 GEL (about $80) per car for a Ford Fusion on the 152 km route when we read gotrip.ge on 23 September 2026, with a Toyota Prius at 219 to 222 GEL; the price is fixed before you book and the driver stops at Ananuri and the Gudauri viewpoint if you ask. Tell the driver the guesthouse name and he will find it; on the hill the lanes are steep and unsigned, and a taxi from the bus station up to the Rooms side is up to 30 GEL with luggage.
On foot, the centre to Rooms is about ten minutes uphill, and Gergeti village is about half an hour's walk from the centre across the bridge; from the top of the village the church path is 60 to 75 minutes up. Our 7-day itinerary gives Kazbegi two nights and prices a room at Tamta for both.
Mistakes we see every week
Booking Rooms for two nights. One night gives you the terrace at sunset, the pool, breakfast and the dawn view; the second costs another 700 to 800 GEL for the same view you can have from Tamta's balcony for 80.
Choosing the centre for the view. The flat part of town looks at the backs of other buildings. If the mountain from your window is the point, book the hill or Gergeti and accept the climb.
Choosing Gergeti for the restaurants. There are a couple of cafes at the foot of the church path and not much else; the restaurants are across the river. Eat at your guesthouse.
Arriving on a summer Saturday without a booking. Tbilisi drives up on Saturdays from June to August and the good places are full. Book a fortnight ahead, and come midweek if you can.
Arriving without cash. The guesthouse, the taxi up the hill, the 4x4 and the van home are cash only, and the ATMs empty on busy weekends.
Trusting old prices. The pre-2022 numbers still circulating online bear no relation to the listings above. Read a live listing; the prices on this page were read in September 2026 and will move again.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best area to stay in Kazbegi?
Is Rooms Hotel Kazbegi worth the price?
How much does a guesthouse in Kazbegi cost?
Should I stay in Gergeti village or in Stepantsminda?
How far ahead should I book Kazbegi?
Can I stay in Kazbegi in winter?
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