Quick answer
One week: Tbilisi (3 nights), Kazbegi (2) and Sighnaghi (1), about 70 GEL a person in van fares. Ten days: add a night back in Tbilisi and two in Kutaisi for Gelati and Prometheus Cave, about 120 GEL. Two weeks: add three nights in Mestia for Ushguli and two in Batumi, then the train home, about 285 GEL. Three weeks: add Borjomi and Akhaltsikhe for Rabati and Vardzia, or three nights in Tusheti between June and October. Every route works from June to October; the lowland half works all year.
- 7 days, vans
- 70 GEL
- 10 days, vans
- 120 GEL
- 14 days, vans and train
- 285 GEL
- Best months
- Jun-Oct
Georgia is small on the map and slow on the ground: mountain roads, van yards, morning-only departures and places worth two nights rather than one. The routes below are built so that nobody backtracks more than once and every long leg has a van, a train or a fixed-price driver. If you would rather start from your own dates and interests, our trip planner builds a route for you with every leg costed; if you would rather drive, our best road trips page ranks the eight self-drive routes. For the beds themselves, our where to stay in Georgia page names a room per budget in each of the six bases these routes use.
Pick a length
| Days | Route, nights and cost |
|---|---|
| 7 | Tbilisi 3, Stepantsminda 2, Sighnaghi 1. Vans about 70 GEL a person; GoTrip driver from 694 GEL per car. The first-trip classic. |
| 10 | The week, plus a Tbilisi night and Kutaisi 2. Vans about 120 GEL; driver from 1,182 GEL. Adds the west, caves and canyons. |
| 14 | The week, a Tbilisi night, Kutaisi 1, Mestia 3, Batumi 2, train home. About 285 GEL by van, shared transfer and train; driver from 1,712 GEL. Adds Svaneti and the sea. |
| 21 | The fortnight plus Borjomi 1 and Akhaltsikhe 2 for Rabati and Vardzia, or Tusheti 3 in summer, with spare days for weather. |
Before you plan
| Rule | Why |
|---|---|
| Two nights beat one | Every van leg takes most of a morning. One-night stops become a trip of bus stations. |
| Check the yard, not just the town | Kazbegi and Kutaisi vans leave Didube; Kakheti vans leave the Navtlughi yard at Samgori metro. |
| Mountains need the season | Svaneti's trails and the Tusheti road run roughly June to October; the Kazbegi valleys from late May. |
| Nobody who tastes drives | The limit is 0.03 percent, and Kakheti is a wine region. |
| Insurance is compulsory | Since 1 January 2026 visitors need travel medical cover for their stay. Our insurance guide explains the rule. |
One week: Tbilisi, Kazbegi, Kakheti
Days 1 to 3 are the capital: the Old Town, a sulphur bath and a morning in Mtskheta. Day 4 is the Georgian Military Highway to Stepantsminda and the walk up to Gergeti Trinity Church; day 5 a valley day at Truso or Juta. Day 6 goes back through Tbilisi to Sighnaghi for the town wall at sunset, and day 7 is Bodbe convent, a cellar and the van back for your flight. With a car or a driver, skip the Tbilisi change on day 6 and drive Kazbegi to Sighnaghi in one go. Best from June to October. Day by day, with the vans, rooms and prices: our 7-day itinerary.
Ten days: add Kutaisi
Days 1 to 7 are the week, with a night back in Tbilisi. Day 8 is the van west to Kutaisi, about four hours from Didube for 25 GEL; day 9 is Gelati, Motsameta and Prometheus Cave; day 10 is a flight home from Kutaisi or the van back to Tbilisi. A driver who takes you from Sighnaghi to Kutaisi direct saves the Tbilisi night. Details in our 10-day itinerary, and the city in the Kutaisi guide.
Two weeks: add Svaneti and the Black Sea
Days 1 to 8 are the ten-day route with one Kutaisi night instead of two. Day 9 is the long road up to Mestia, one morning marshrutka from Kutaisi for 45 to 50 GEL, 6 to 6.5 hours; days 10 and 11 are Ushguli and the Koruldi Lakes walk. Day 12 is the road down to Batumi, day 13 the Botanical Garden and the beaches south of town, and day 14 the train back to Tbilisi, 36 GEL in second class, or a flight out of Batumi. The Ushguli vans and the Koruldi walk run from June to October. Full plan: our 14-day itinerary.
Three weeks: add the south or Tusheti
Three weeks is the fortnight plus a week you can shape by season. Two extensions work, both built from our verified regional guides.
| Extension | How it fits |
|---|---|
| The south, any season | From Tbilisi, van to Borjomi (12 to 15 GEL, about 2.5 hours) for the park and the sulphur pools; on to Akhaltsikhe, about an hour, for Rabati; the 10:30 van to Vardzia next morning (8 GEL); the van home from Akhaltsikhe (15 GEL, 3 to 3.5 hours). Four nights. Since spring 2026 only half of Vardzia's route is open; see our Vardzia guide. |
| Tusheti, June to October | The 09:10 van from Tbilisi to Kvemo Alvani (15 GEL), then a seat in a shared 4x4 over the Abano Pass to Omalo, 100 to 120 GEL, 3.5 to 4 hours. Three nights minimum, cash only, no ATMs. See our Tusheti guide. |
| Slow Kakheti | Replace the one Sighnaghi night with three: one in Sighnaghi, two in Telavi for the cellars and monasteries. Our Kakheti guide shows the valley. |
Leave one or two days unassigned in a three-week trip. Mountain weather moves days, and a spare day in Tbilisi at the end is never wasted.
By season
The routes above assume June to early October. In late May and late September to mid-October the lowland parts are at their best and the high country is open at the edges. In November and from December to April, keep to the week and the ten-day route, drop Svaneti and Tusheti, and swap the Kazbegi valley day for a Gergeti morning, since the Juta and Truso valleys are under snow; the Gudauri to Kobi stretch of the Military Highway can shut for hours when the avalanche risk is high. Winter adds skiing: Gudauri, on the road to Kazbegi, opens in late December. Our best time to visit guide sets out the months.
Getting around
| Option | Best for |
|---|---|
| Marshrutka vans and the train | Cheapest by far and they go everywhere on these routes; the catch is the yards, morning-only mountain vans and the change in Zugdidi on the way down from Mestia. Our marshrutka guide explains the system. |
| A GoTrip driver | Two or more people on the long legs: fixed price per car before you book, stops included, Ananuri and the viewpoints on the way. Tbilisi to Kazbegi was 210 GEL in September 2026. |
| A rental car | Kakheti and the south. Localrent compacts from about $26 a day with no deposit in September 2026; not for Tbilisi driving, and Truso and Juta are excluded in the terms. |
Where to sleep
Family guesthouses in Stepantsminda, Sighnaghi and Mestia usually come with breakfast and the best dinners of the trip; in Tbilisi and Kutaisi, small hotels and apartments are better value than the chains. Book the mountain nights first, and the Tbilisi nights around festivals. Our Tbilisi where-to-stay guide compares the neighbourhoods.
At the National Bank's rate on 30 September 2026, 157 GEL is about $60 and 60 GEL about $23.
Mistakes
| Mistake | Do this instead |
|---|---|
| Seven places in seven days | Three bases in a week, four or five in two. |
| Svaneti in three days from Tbilisi | Mestia is a full day each way; give it three nights or leave it for another trip. |
| Planning the mountains outside June to October | Keep winter trips to Tbilisi, Kakheti, Kutaisi and the ski resorts. |
| Renting a car for Tbilisi | Pick it up on the day you leave the city. |
| Kazbegi as a day trip on a one-week trip | Two nights there is the heart of the week. |
| No spare day on a long trip | Keep one unassigned for weather or a second Tbilisi evening. |
Frequently asked questions
How many days do you need in Georgia?
What is the best one-week itinerary for Georgia?
Is it better to rent a car or use public transport?
Should I fly into Tbilisi or Kutaisi?
When is the best time for a Georgia road trip?
How much does two weeks in Georgia cost?
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