The capital city with eternal charms of a dramatic setting in the deep valley of the swift Mtkvari River, picturesque architecture, an ever-lively arts and cultural scene and the welcoming Georgian lifestyle. Tbilisi is also a whole new 21st-century dimension place with inviting cafes and restaurants serving ever better food, up to date lodgings from backpacker hostels to international five-stars, funky bars and clubs, spruced-up museums, galleries, parks, plazas and whole streets, modernized transport and a sprinkling of eye-catching contemporary architecture.

Source: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/georgia 

Mtskheta

Mtskheta has been Georgia’s spiritual heart since Christianity was established here in about 327, and holds a near-mystical significance in Georgian culture. It had already been capital of most of eastern Georgia from about the 3rd century BC, and remained so to the 5th century AD, when King Vakhtang Gorgasali switched his base to Tbilisi. Mtskheta has always kept its status as a spiritual capital, and its Svetitskhoveli Cathedral is still the setting for important ceremonies of the Georgian Orthodox Church. With an alluring setting where the Mtkvari and Aragvi Rivers meet, Mtskheta makes an easy and enjoyable day trip from Tbilisi.

Source: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/georgia

Vardzia

The remarkable cave city of Vardzia is a cultural symbol with a special place in Georgian hearts. King Giorgi III built a fortification here in the 12th century, and his daughter, Queen Tamar, established a cave monastery that grew into a holy city housing perhaps 2000 monks, renowned as a spiritual bastion of Georgia and of Christendom’s eastern frontier. Its inhabitants lived in rock-hewn dwellings ranging over 13 floors. Altogether there are over 400 rooms, 13 churches and 25 wine cellars, and more are still being discovered.

Source: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/georgia 

Samegrelo

The Dadiani family were Dukes of Samegrelo and their palace in Zugdidi, the central city of the region, was turned into a museum in 1921 displaying more than 50,000 rare exhibits of the family memorabilia, military weaponry, artifacts, and archives to name a few. One of the most significant items stored here is a death mask of Napoleon Bonaparte and a shroud of St. Mary. The museum consists two palaces, garden, and a church. The Palace has the most extensive ballroom in all of Georgia, while its garden is home to some of the unique trees and bushes brought from all over the world.

Source: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/georgia

Stepantsminda

This is most people’s destination on the Georgian Military Hwy: A valley town with the famous hilltop silhouette of Tsminda Sameba Church and the towering snowy cone of Mt Kazbek looking down from the west. Now officially named Stepantsminda, but still commonly known as Kazbegi, it’s a base for some wonderful walking and mountain-biking.

Source: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/georgia

Kakheti

The eastern region of Kakheti is Georgia’s premier wine-producing area. Almost everywhere you go, you’ll be invited to drink a glass of wine and it’s easy to find yourself wandering around in a semipermanent mellow haze. Kakheti is also rich in history: Here you’ll find the incredible monastery complex of Davit Gareja, the picturesque hilltop town of Sighnaghi, and many beautiful churches, castles and mansions around the main town, Telavi.

Source: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/georgia

Tusheti

Tucked away in the Caucasus in Georgia’s far northeast corner, Tusheti is an ever more popular summer hiking and horse-trekking area and weekend getaway for lowland Georgians, but remains one of the country’s most picturesque, fascinating and pristine high-mountain regions. The single road to Tusheti, over the nerve-jangling 2900m Abano Pass from Kakheti, is 4WD-only and only passable from about late May to mid-October.

Batumi