Quick answer
Pack layers, one waterproof, comfortable walking shoes, a light scarf and one pair of long trousers for churches, and a warm layer whatever the month if you are going near mountains. Plugs are the European Type C and F at 220 V. Bring an unlocked phone (a Magti SIM or an Airalo eSIM sorts data), two bank cards and some cash, and proof of travel insurance, which Georgia has required of visitors since 1 January 2026. Leave the tent, the formal clothes and the giant suitcase at home.
- Plugs
- Type C and F
- Tbilisi, July high
- 32°C
- Kazbegi, July night
- 8°C
- Travel insurance
- Required
Most packing lists for Georgia are either an affiliate dump or written after a week in Tbilisi in June. The country is small and its climate is not: a subtropical coast, a hot continental valley and an alpine north sit within four hours of each other, and a normal itinerary touches all three. What follows is what we actually tell people to bring, with the temperatures taken from published 1991-2020 climate normals and the church, driving, SIM and insurance points cross-checked against our own recently verified guides.
The three rules
Layers, not outfits
Tbilisi in July averages 32°C by day and 20°C at night; a mountain village the same week is 20 by day and 8 at night. Thin layers you can add and remove beat one warm coat.
One bag you can carry
Marshrutkas have a luggage well the size of a washing machine, old-town lanes are cobbled and stepped, and guesthouse stairs are narrow. A 35 to 45 litre backpack does a month here.
Buy the rest here
Pharmacies stand on almost every block in Tbilisi and sell most things over the counter. Bring what is personal or prescription-only and replace the rest locally.
One more thing before the lists. If you are flying Wizz Air into Kutaisi or a budget fare into Tbilisi (the routes in our guide to getting to Georgia), you are probably on hand luggage only. That is fine. We have done month-long trips here out of a 40 litre pack and never missed anything that a pharmacy or a bazaar could not supply.
Clothing for any season
| Item | Why, and what kind |
|---|---|
| Walking shoes | Tbilisi is built on hills with cobbles, broken pavements and stairs everywhere; Sighnaghi, Mestia and Kazbegi are rougher. Sturdy trainers or trail shoes with grip. Flip-flops are for the guesthouse |
| Light jacket or fleece | Evenings cool quickly even in summer, and indoor air conditioning is fierce. A packable layer that lives in your daypack |
| Rain jacket | Short, heavy downpours happen in every month. Lightweight and packable; an umbrella is fine in the city and useless on a ridge |
| Scarf or shawl | Women cover their hair in churches; the big sites lend scarves but small monasteries do not. Doubles as sun cover and a blanket on a cold marshrutka |
| Long trousers or a long skirt | Knees covered in every church and monastery, men included. Linen or light cotton in summer; bring at least one pair |
| Sunglasses and a hat | Strong sun at altitude and on the coast. Cheap sunglasses are sold at every pharmacy if you forget |
What to add by season
The figures are 1991-2020 average daily highs and lows for Tbilisi unless stated; the mountains run 10 to 12 degrees colder, and the coast is a few degrees milder with far more rain. Our best time to visit guide goes month by month.
| Season | Weather and what it adds to the bag |
|---|---|
| Summer, June to August | Tbilisi highs 28 to 32°C, nights around 20°C, with heatwaves well past 35; Batumi similar but humid with thunderstorms. Add light breathable clothes, high-factor sunscreen, a sun hat, swimwear for the coast and a warm layer for any mountain nights |
| Autumn, September to November | Highs of 26°C in September falling to 13°C in November; the best light of the year and the wine harvest. Add a mid-weight jacket for October onwards, a warm hat and gloves if you are going high, and a waterproof |
| Winter, December to February | Tbilisi highs of 7 to 8°C and nights just below freezing, wet rather than snowy; Kazbegi averages minus 2 by day and minus 11 at night. Add a proper coat, thermal base layers, waterproof boots and gloves. Our winter guide has the ski kit |
| Spring, March to May | Highs of 13°C in March, 19 in April and 24 in May, with the year's wettest weeks. March is still winter in the mountains and May is summer in the valley. Add a rain jacket that you will actually wear, layers for 15-degree swings and shoes that survive mud |
Church and monastery dress code
You will visit at least one church, and the rules are consistent: women cover hair, shoulders and knees, men wear long trousers and take their hats off at the door, and nobody wears a vest top. The busy sites (Sameba in Tbilisi, Svetitskhoveli and Jvari at Mtskheta, Bodbe near Sighnaghi) keep baskets of loan scarves and wrap skirts at the entrance, so you can arrive in trousers and tie a skirt over them; small monasteries may have nothing, and the baskets run empty on summer weekends. Carry one light scarf and have long trousers or a long skirt available on any church day, and the problem never arises. Photography is banned inside some churches (Sameba and Bodbe both sign it). Our church etiquette guide covers what happens inside.
Hiking and outdoor gear
Georgia has some of the best hiking in the Caucasus, and most of it is done from guesthouses rather than tents. You do not need an expedition kit unless you are going somewhere remote on purpose.
| Trip | Bring, and skip |
|---|---|
| City walks and easy day hikes | Trail trainers, a daypack, a water bottle, sunscreen. Skip boots, poles and rain trousers |
| Proper day hikes (Kazbegi, Juta, Mestia) | Ankle-supporting shoes, rain jacket, warm layer, 20 to 30 litre daypack, small first-aid kit, headlamp. Skip crampons, ice axe, tent and sleeping bag |
| Multi-day treks (Mestia to Ushguli, Tusheti) | Waterproof boots, poles, a 40 to 50 litre pack, a light sleeping bag liner, headlamp, water purification. Guesthouses on both routes provide beds and meals (the Mestia to Ushguli trek runs 50 to 80 GEL a night with dinner and breakfast), and guided treks supply tents where they are needed |
Tech and phones
| Item | Notes |
|---|---|
| Power adapter | Georgia uses the European Type C and Type F sockets at 220 V and 50 Hz. Mainland Europeans need nothing; UK, US, Australian and similar plugs need an adapter. Phone and laptop chargers are dual-voltage; check hair tools |
| Power bank | Essential for the mountains, where power cuts happen and guesthouse sockets are few. 10,000 mAh covers a phone for two days |
| Headlamp | Trails are unlit, village lanes are unlit, and a phone torch drains the battery you need for the map |
| Offline maps | Download Georgia in Google Maps and in an offline hiking app before you leave. Signal disappears in the valleys and Google's transit data for Tbilisi is excellent |
| SIM tool and an unlocked phone | A Magti SIM from the 24-hour desk in Tbilisi airport arrivals, or better value from a shop in town, needs the pin to swap; an eSIM needs nothing but an unlocked, eSIM-capable phone. Our SIM guide compares the operators |
Toiletries and health
Pharmacies (the sign reads აფთიაქი) are on almost every block in Tbilisi and in every town, most medicines are sold over the counter, and the big chains stock European brands with staff who usually manage some English. So the question is only what is personal enough to bring from home.
Bring from home
Prescription medicines in their original boxes, your own brand of sunscreen (the local choice of high-factor brands is thin), contact lens solution, DEET repellent for summer evenings by the river and on the coast, and anything you are fussy about.
Buy in Georgia
Painkillers, plasters, stomach remedies, rehydration salts, antihistamines (the pollen season is real from March to May), hand sanitiser, shampoo, razors and deodorant. All cheap, all within a short walk of any hotel in a town of any size.
Two health notes from experience. Georgian food is rich (cheese, butter, walnut oil, bread with everything) and the first few days can surprise a stomach; something for that weighs nothing. And the combination of summer heat, a supra and chacha is the country's most reliable cause of a lost morning, which is what the rehydration sachets are for.
Documents, money and driving
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Passport | Valid for your whole stay; some airlines want six months, so check yours. Citizens of most European, North American and many other countries stay a year without a visa; the list and the exceptions are in our visa and entry guide |
| Travel insurance | Required, not optional: since 1 January 2026 Georgia requires visitors to hold travel insurance for their stay, and you may be asked for proof at the border. Keep the policy on your phone. Details in our insurance guide |
| Passport copies | A photo on your phone plus one paper copy. Guesthouses may ask for your passport details at check-in, and the train conductor checks ID against the ticket |
| Two bank cards | Visa and Mastercard work in every city and most towns; Amex barely. Two cards from different banks, and tell your bank you are travelling. Our money guide has the ATM fees by bank |
| Cash | Some dollars or euros as a backup, changed at a city exchange office rather than the airport, plus lari for villages, markets, marshrutkas and the odd taxi that shrugs at cards. Mountain ATMs run dry |
| Driving licence | Only if you are renting. A licence printed in Latin characters (EU, UK, US, Australian) is accepted on its own; other scripts need an International Driving Permit or a certified translation. A foreign licence is valid for a year from entry |
Bags
Main bag
A 35 to 45 litre backpack suits almost every trip and passes as cabin luggage on the budget airlines. A wheeled case is fine for a Tbilisi hotel stay and a nuisance on cobbles, in marshrutkas and on guesthouse stairs. In doubt, go backpack.
Daypack
A packable 15 to 20 litre daypack for sightseeing, markets and day hikes. You will use it every day, so make sure it is comfortable enough for four hours on a trail with water, a layer and a jacket inside.
What not to pack
Formal clothes
Georgia is casual. Even the good restaurants in Tbilisi have no dress code, and smart casual is as far as anyone goes. The blazer stays home.
Too many clothes
Hotels and guesthouses wash clothes for a few lari, usually back the same day. Pack for four or five days and wash.
Full camping gear
The main trekking routes are guesthouse to guesthouse, and guided treks provide tents where they are needed. Bring a tent only if wild camping is the point of your trip.
A big toiletry bag
Pharmacies and supermarkets sell shampoo, razors, deodorant and sunscreen everywhere. Bring the essentials and the prescriptions; replace the rest here.
A travel towel
Every hotel and guesthouse provides towels. The one exception is the sulfur baths in Abanotubani, where some people prefer their own.
Anything you would hate to lose
Georgia is a safe country, but expensive jewellery is pointless on a trail and in a marshrutka. Travel with the watch you do not mind scratching.
Packing by trip type
City break with day trips
Carry-on bag, walking shoes plus sandals, a scarf and long trousers for Mtskheta's churches, a rain jacket and a daypack. Skip the hiking kit and the heavy layers.
Mountains and trekking
40 to 50 litre pack, waterproof boots and camp shoes, warm layers, headlamp, poles and a first-aid kit. Skip the tent unless you are leaving the guesthouse routes, and skip anything formal.
Wine and culture
A small case or duffel with room for bottles, walking shoes and one nicer pair for dinners, church cover, and trousers with some give for the supras. Skip the outdoor gear entirely.
Batumi and the coast
Any bag, since the coast is flat. Sandals and water shoes for the pebble beaches, swimwear, sunscreen, repellent and an umbrella for the rain that Batumi gets in every month. Skip the boots.
The checklist
Screenshot this. It covers a one to two week trip mixing city time with some mountains or countryside.
| Category | Items |
|---|---|
| Clothing | 3 to 4 tops, 2 pairs of trousers (one long for churches), 1 warm layer, rain jacket, underwear and socks for 5 days, scarf or shawl, hat, 1 nicer outfit if you want it |
| Footwear | Walking shoes, sandals or slides, hiking boots only if trekking |
| Tech | Phone and charger, 10,000 mAh power bank, Type C or F adapter, SIM tool, headphones, headlamp for the mountains |
| Toiletries | Sunscreen, repellent in summer, prescription medicines in their boxes, small first-aid kit, lens supplies |
| Documents | Passport, a copy on paper and phone, insurance policy on your phone, two bank cards, some cash, driving licence if renting |
| Bags | 35 to 45 litre main bag, 15 to 20 litre packable daypack, a dry bag or zip bags for rain and wet swimwear |
| Nice to have | Refillable water bottle, eye mask and earplugs (guesthouses are noisy and the dogs start early), small padlock, laundry bag |
Common mistakes
Packing for one climate
A Tbilisi-only wardrobe leaves you cold in Kazbegi in August. One warm layer, every month, no exceptions.
Forgetting the church cover
Being turned away from Jvari in shorts is an avoidable way to lose an afternoon. Long trousers and a scarf, always in the daypack.
The enormous suitcase
Marshrutka luggage wells are small, Tbilisi lifts are tiny and mountain guesthouse stairs are narrow. The suitcase becomes the enemy by day three.
Gambling on dry weather
Georgia gets short, heavy rain in every month, and the coast gets more than anywhere. A packable shell weighs almost nothing.
Only bringing cards
Cards fail in villages, at markets and in some taxis, and mountain ATMs go offline or empty. Carry lari in cash outside the cities.
No proof of insurance
Insurance has been a condition of entry since January 2026. Buy it before you fly and keep the policy document on your phone, not in an inbox you cannot open offline.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to dress conservatively in Georgia?
How hot is Georgia in summer?
What plugs does Georgia use?
Is travel insurance required to enter Georgia?
Can I buy what I forgot in Tbilisi?
Should I bring gifts for guesthouse hosts?
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