The Caucasus Region: Georgia & Armenia
“My only regret in life is that I did not drink more wine.” Ernest Hemingway
4/8/20249 min read
Georgia – and I don't mean the state of Georgia – wasn't even on our radar as a place we needed to visit. However, after hearing great stories from friends and being encouraged to check it out, we booked our trip. Thank goodness we did because Georgia is one of those places you might overlook, and you’d be wrong to do so. It is a beautiful country with a rich heritage, proud people, good food and even better wine.
The capital city of Tbilisi has a walkable Old Town area with amazing architecture. We planned our stay at the Tbilisi Marriott Hotel. It wasn’t far from the airport, so when we arrived, we grabbed a cab, which was easy to do, and headed off to our hotel. The hotel’s history is as interesting as the city itself, having been built by 1915 as a hotel, but immediately used as a military hospital. After a fire damaged it in 1992, it was rebuilt and opened as a Marriott in 2002. From this hotel, it is easy to access the city. You can stroll up into the city center, shop at local malls, or walk through parks.
Our itinerary:
Day 1: Akhaltsikhe or Rabati Castle, cave city of Vardzia, and Borjomi, which boasts healing properties in its sulfur spring water. Check out www.tripadvisor.com for the most up-to-date info. When we were there, the castle was well-maintained and worth a visit. The cave city was amazing, lots of steps, but a must see in Georgia. Borjomi is like a different world. It is greener and cooler and like an amusement park perfect for families.
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Day 2: Walk around historic Tbilisi. In Tbilisi, take a cable car to the top of Mtatsminda to see "Kartlis Deda" (Mother of Georgia), a female statue, stroll past churches, the botanical garden, and across the Peace Bridge. Georgia is known for its food scene as well, with fabulous dishes of pork, stewed beans in clay pots, and fresh fish. Try some of the local favorites like Khachapuri and Khinkali.
Day 3: From Georgia, we secured an excursion with a guide to Armenia. It wasn’t far to the border – just a 1 hr drive – and it wasn’t hard to get across. You do have to get out of the car and walk through the passport control area. If you have bags, you have to empty them from the car as well and carry them with you. The process is painless but annoying; however, once you are in Armenia, it is worth it.
Armenia boasts a similar landscape, but the area you come into from Georgia is like a step back in time. I know there are more developed areas of Armenia; however, we were just there for a day trip, so what we saw was very limited. We visited three monasteries: Akhtala, Haghpat, and Sanahin. Each one is unique in their own way. Armenia is known for brandy, so of course, we had to try it with our lunch. Our driver took us to a restaurant that wasn’t busy. You could tell they catered to tourists, which we didn’t mind this time because there was nothing else around to choose from.
We also saw the birth-place of Ivan Mikoyan, Russian-Armenian and co-creator of the MiG-29 Fighter Jet. This isn’t a must-see, but it was part of the package. It was very interesting to see remnants from the Soviet occupation. Tbilisi seemed as if it had come out of this time, but this part of Armenia was still stuck there.
Day 4: Along with all the things to do inside the city, make sure to plan a trip to the Kakheti wine region. I was very excited to learn Georgia is the oldest wine-producing country, with its history tracing back 8,000 years, allowing it to claim the title “The Birthplace of Wine.” Our private tour was around $69 US per person. We started out driving through the Gombori Mountain Range. It was absolutely beautiful. On our way up we stopped for some local honey at one of the roadside vendors. Our first winery was Shumi Winery. This winery boosts the highest quality wine in Georgia and for good reason. It was fantastic! Next we made our way to Kindzmarauli Corporation. This winery dates back to 1533. Its wine was originally produced exclusively for royal families. After this stop, we headed out for a view of Ilia Lake. The man-made lake was beautiful to see, but not much else was happening there. We ended our tour at a beautiful hillside restaurant that I'm sure is a place specifically designed for the tourist, but no worries. The pork loin was tasty and the sparkling wine was a perfect end to a very long day!
Georgia – and I don't mean the state of Georgia – wasn't even on our radar as a place we needed to visit. However, after hearing great stories from friends and being encouraged to check it out, we booked our trip. Thank goodness we did because Georgia is one of those places you might overlook, and you’d be wrong to do so. It is a beautiful country with a rich heritage, proud people, good food and even better wine.
The capital city of Tbilisi has a walkable Old Town area with amazing architecture. We planned our stay at the Tbilisi Marriott Hotel. It wasn’t far from the airport, so when we arrived, we grabbed a cab, which was easy to do, and headed off to our hotel. The hotel’s history is as interesting as the city itself, having been built by 1915 as a hotel, but immediately used as a military hospital. After a fire damaged it in 1992, it was rebuilt and opened as a Marriott in 2002. From this hotel, it is easy to access the city. You can stroll up into the city center, shop at local malls, or walk through parks
Our itinerary:
Day 1: Akhaltsikhe or Rabati Castle, cave city of Vardzia, and Borjomi, which boasts healing properties in its sulfur spring water. Check out www.tripadvisor.com for the most up-to-date info. When we were there, the castle was well-maintained and worth a visit. The cave city was amazing, lots of steps, but a must see in Georgia. Borjomi is like a different world. It is greener and cooler and like an amusement park perfect for families.
.
Day 2: Walk around historic Tbilisi. In Tbilisi, take a cable car to the top of Mtatsminda to see "Kartlis Deda" (Mother of Georgia), a female statue, stroll past churches, the botanical garden, and across the Peace Bridge. Georgia is known for its food scene as well, with fabulous dishes of pork, stewed beans in clay pots, and fresh fish. Try some of the local favorites like Khachapuri and Khinkali.
From Georgia, we secured an excursion with a guide to Armenia. It wasn’t far to the border – just a 1 hr drive – and it wasn’t hard to get across. You do have to get out of the car and walk through the passport control area. If you have bags, you have to empty them from the car as well and carry them with you. The process is painless but annoying; however, once you are in Armenia, it is worth it.
Armenia boasts a similar landscape, but the area you come into from Georgia is like a step back in time. I know there are more developed areas of Armenia; however, we were just there for a day trip, so what we saw was very limited. We visited three monasteries: Akhtala, Haghpat, and Sanahin. Each one is unique in their own way. Armenia is known for brandy, so of course, we had to try it with our lunch. Our driver took us to a restaurant that wasn’t busy. You could tell they catered to tourists, which we didn’t mind this time because there was nothing else around to choose from.
We also saw the birth-place of Ivan Mikoyan, Russian-Armenian and co-creator of the MiG-29 Fighter Jet. This isn’t a must-see, but it was part of the package. It was very interesting to see remnants from the Soviet occupation. Tbilisi seemed as if it had come out of this time, but this part of Armenia was still stuck there.
Day 4: Along with all the things to do inside the city, make sure to plan a trip to the Kakheti wine region. I was very excited to learn Georgia is the oldest wine-producing country, with its history tracing back 8,000 years, allowing it to claim the title “The Birthplace of Wine.” Our private tour was around $69 US per person. We started out driving through the Gombori Mountain Range. It was absolutely beautiful. On our way up we stopped for some local honey at one of the roadside vendors. Our first winery was Shumi Winery. This winery boosts the highest quality wine in Georgia and for good reason. It was fantastic! Next we made our way to Kindzmarauli Corporation. This winery dates back to 1533. Its wine was originally produced exclusively for royal families. After this stop, we headed out for a view of Ilia Lake. The man-made lake was beautiful to see, but not much else was happening there. We ended our tour at a beautiful hillside restaurant that I'm sure is a place specifically designed for the tourist, but no worries. The pork loin was tasty and the sparkling wine was a perfect end to a very long day!
