Ten days is the sweet spot for a first trip to Georgia: long enough to combine the capital, the high Caucasus, the wine cradle and the Black Sea without living in the back of a car. This plan bases you sensibly, keeps the driving scenic rather than punishing, and gives you one signature experience and one wow moment every day. Read the first-timer guide before you go, sort an eSIM, and hire a driver for the mountain and wine days so you can enjoy the view.
Itinerary at a glance
| Day | Base | The signature experience |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tbilisi | Sunset over the old town from Narikala fortress |
| 2 | Tbilisi | A soak in the domed sulphur baths |
| 3 | Tbilisi | Amber-wine tasting on the old-town wine bars |
| 4 | Kazbegi | The Friendship Monument on the Military Highway |
| 5 | Kazbegi | Gergeti Trinity Church at sunrise |
| 6 | Kakheti | A family-cellar supra in the vineyards |
| 7 | Kakheti | Sunset over the Alazani valley from Sighnaghi |
| 8 | Batumi | Adjaran khachapuri by the Black Sea |
| 9 | Batumi | The seafront boulevard at golden hour |
| 10 | Tbilisi | A last khinkali feast before you fly |
Day 1: Land and fall for Tbilisi’s old town
Ease in gently. Many flights into Tbilisi land in the small hours, and how you cover the run into town sets the tone for the whole trip, so read getting from Tbilisi airport into the city before you fly: the ride-hailing app is the default answer at any hour, and the taxi rank inside arrivals is the one to avoid. Drop your bags in the old town or Sololaki, then wander the cobbled lanes, carved balconies and tiny churches with no fixed plan. Ride the cable car up to Narikala fortress and walk the ridge to the Mother of Georgia statue as the light softens.
The signature experience: sunset over the tumbling old-town rooftops from the Narikala ramparts.
Wow moment of the day: that first plate of khinkali, eaten by hand as the broth spills, the moment Georgia gets real.
Day 2: Baths, viewpoints and the creative side
Give today to the city itself. Soak away the flight in a private room at the domed sulphur baths of Abanotubani, then cross the river to Fabrika and Chughureti for specialty coffee, design shops and a buzzing courtyard. See the full Tbilisi guide for the best of both.
The signature experience: a traditional kisa scrub and soak in the naturally hot mineral water.
Wow moment of the day: the blue-tiled facade of Chreli Abano glowing in the afternoon sun.
Day 3: Wine bars and a day trip to Mtskheta
Take a half-day out to the ancient capital of Mtskheta, where the riverside Svetitskhoveli Cathedral has anchored Georgian Christianity for centuries, with hilltop Jvari Monastery watching over the confluence of two rivers. Back in the city, give the evening to Tbilisi’s superb wine bars.
The signature experience: a flight of amber wines with cheese and bread on Erekle II Street.
Wow moment of the day: the view from Jvari Monastery down to where the two rivers meet at Mtskheta.
Day 4: Up the Military Highway to Kazbegi
Hire a driver and head north up the dramatic Georgian Military Highway. Break the drive at the fairytale Ananuri fortress on its turquoise reservoir, cross the high Jvari Pass, and stop at the mosaic Russia-Georgia Friendship Monument cantilevered over its canyon. Overnight in mountain-ringed Stepantsminda (Kazbegi).
The signature experience: the sweeping panorama from the Friendship Monument high above the gorge.
Wow moment of the day: rounding a bend to your first full view of Mount Kazbek from your guesthouse window.
Day 5: Gergeti Trinity Church and the high valleys
This is the day the photos are made of. Walk (or take a 4x4) up to Gergeti Trinity Church, the lone stone church at 2,170 metres framed against the snow-capped peak of Mount Kazbek. In the afternoon, add an easy hike to the Gveleti waterfalls or into the Truso Valley.
The signature experience: Gergeti Trinity Church at sunrise, the peaks turning gold with the hilltop almost to yourself.
Wow moment of the day: the first sight of the church against Kazbek, the image that pulled you to Georgia.
Day 6: Down to the wine country of Kakheti
Return south and transfer east into Kakheti, the 8,000-year-old cradle of wine. Trade the peaks for vine-covered valleys, and spend the afternoon at a family marani (cellar), where the owner ladles amber wine straight from the buried qvevri and lays on a spread of cheese, bread and churchkhela.
The signature experience: a home-cooked supra with toasts led by a tamada, wine poured with both hands.
Wow moment of the day: tasting amber wine drawn straight from the clay vessel it was born in.
Day 7: Sighnaghi and the cellars
Base yourself in the hilltop town of Sighnaghi, all cobbled lanes, red roofs and old walls above the Alazani valley. Visit the cypress-shaded Bodbe Monastery below town, taste at a modern winery or two around Telavi, and see the Kakheti wine guide to plan your route.
The signature experience: sunset over the vast Alazani valley toward the Caucasus from the Sighnaghi ramparts.
Wow moment of the day: dinner on a terrace as the last light fades over the vineyards below.
Day 8: To the Black Sea and Batumi
Make your way west to Batumi on the Black Sea coast (the fast daytime double-decker train from Tbilisi, roughly five hours, is a lovely and scenic option if you route back through the capital). Trade wine country for a subtropical holiday city of palms, quirky towers and sea air.
The signature experience: a boat-shaped Adjaran khachapuri with its runny egg, eaten overlooking the water.
Wow moment of the day: the futuristic Batumi skyline lighting up as you arrive on the coast.
Day 9: Boulevard, beach and old town
Give the day to Batumi’s easy summer rhythm. Cycle the palm-lined boulevard, ride the Argo cable car up for the coastal view, wander the old town around Piazza Square, and cool off at the botanical garden tumbling down to the sea just north of the city. See the Batumi guide for more, and if you plan to spend real time in the water, our guide to Batumi’s beaches and the Black Sea coast sets expectations properly: this is a pebble coast rather than a sandy one, the city beach is the convenient option, and the calmer water is a short drive south at Gonio and Kvariati.
The signature experience: the seafront boulevard at golden hour, the whole city out for a stroll.
Wow moment of the day: the moving Ali and Nino statue slowly passing through itself as the sun drops into the sea.
Day 10: Back to Tbilisi and a farewell feast
Return to Tbilisi (a short flight or the train). Spend your last hours on anything you missed, the Dry Bridge flea market for an offbeat souvenir, a final coffee in a sun-warmed courtyard, and one more feast before the airport.
The signature experience: a farewell supra of khinkali, khachapuri and a last glass of saperavi.
Wow moment of the day: raising a final toast the Georgian way, already planning the trip back.
Before you go
Confirm your own visa rules and buy the travel health insurance Georgia has required of every visitor since January 2026, sort an eSIM before you land, book the Kazbegi driver and any wine tours ahead in high season, carry cash for cellars and marshrutkas, and keep a day or two loose so you can say yes to a spontaneous supra. Ten days done this way gives you the whole country in miniature, mountains, wine, coast and old-town soul, and leaves you already dreaming up the next visit.