YPT Tours to Georgia
Georgia is a small country, but our Georgia tours are still fully-packed! Located in the Caucasus region and with shores on the Black Sea, the former Soviet republic has a lot to offer.
The Georgians are renowned for their incredible hospitality, which you’ll experience as you travel around the country. Our road trips will take you through the beautiful mountainous regions along the Georgian Military Highway, visiting forgotten Soviet monuments, monasteries, and other UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Despite the painful memories of Stalin’s purges, you can visit the Man of Steel’s birth house and museum where the local population regard him as a national figure.
Group Tours to Georgia
We currently run a Complete Caucasus tour where you can visit Georgia along with the neighbouring countries Armenia and Azerbaijan, on a hop-on/hop-off basis.
Complete Caucasus Tour: Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia – June 11th-21st, 2025 – €1495 / €1695 / €2495
Independent Tours to Georgia
Having run Georgia tours for many years, Young Pioneer Tours have been able to create a great network of local partners, hotels, guides and off-the-beaten-track itineraries and activities.
As such, we can arrange independent and bespoke travel packages to Georgia, either as standalone, or as part of wider Caucasus packages.
Example of an Georgia Itinerary (6 days, 5 nights)
Day 1 – Tbilisi
- Arrive at your own leisure into Tbilisi. Self-transfer to our centrally located hotel.
- Head out for dinner in a traditional restaurant.
- Overnight in Tbilisi.
Day 2 – Tbilisi
• Breakfast in the hotel. Today we’ll visit the largest and capital city of Georgia. Due to its strategic location, it’s been on the crossroads between Europe and Asia which is heavily reflected in its architecture.
• We’ll begin in Metekhi, the historical neighbourhood of Tbilisi, learning about its beginnings from King Vakhtang Gorgasali to the present delicate relationship with its Northern neighbour across the border.
• To get the best city views, we’ll take the cable car to Narikala Fortress, which houses the beautiful restored St Nicholas church with complete frescos of both the Bible and the history of Georgia.
• Kartlis Deda – Mother Georgian, the striking monument symbolises the Georgian national character. Wearing the Georgian national dress, with a bowl of wine in her left hand to greet those who come as friends and a sword in the right, for those who come as enemies.
• Tbilisi means in old Georgian “the place of warmth”, due the numerous sulphuric hot springs. We’ll visit a popular sulphur bath – those wishing to use the facilities are free to do so after the tour.
• We’ll continue to Independence Square, Parliament and take in the remaining Soviet heritage before grabbing lunch. We recommend trying Khinkali, a delicious meat-filled dumplings alongside chilled Natakhtari beer!
Afternoon
• After lunch, we’ll head to Dry Bridge Market, Tbilisi best flea market and a treasure trove of Soviet memorabilia!
• Once we’re ready, we can enjoy the capital city at our own pace, taking in the beautiful sites, shopping or heading off to the sulphur baths.
• For dinner, we recommend trying kharcho, a hearty beef soup or chanakhi, a delicious lamb stew loaded with tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant and various spices and herbs.
• Overnight stay in Tbilisi.
Day 3 – Tbilisi – Mtskheta – Tbilisi
• Breakfast at the hotel and then we’ll embark for a short drive to Mtskheta, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities and a UNESCO World Heritage site. The fortified city was the political and economic centre of the Iberia Kingdom.
• Your tour includes Jvari Monastery, a unique early medieval Georgian church which remains almost unchanged and Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, one of the most important sites in Georgia.
Afternoon
• For lunch, we’ll head to a popular café to enjoy locally prepared cuisines. We recommend trying khachapuri, Georgian cheese bread.
• A genuine Soviet wonder, we’ll visit the Sarajishvili factory, a true masterpiece not only for its brandy production but also the factory’s architecture reflecting stunning Soviet era craftsmanship. Founded by David Sarajishvili in 1884, the brandy was a favourite during the Russian Empire and Soviet era (renamed Tbilisi Cognac Factory during nationalisation). Even today its brandy is highly sought after and makes a perfect gift.
• For dinner we’ll head to a popular Georgia restaurant and enjoy a selection of local cuisines.
• Overnight stay in Tbilisi.
Day 4 – Tbilisi – Stepantsminda
• Early morning start with breakfast at the hotel before you’ll embark on one the most picturesque journeys in the Caucuses – The Georgian Military Highway.
• We’ll head towards Zhinvali. On arrival we’ll take a rest stop here. You’ll see a formidable monument dedicated to the Three Hundred Aragvians – a potent symbol of Georgian history. The monument was erected over the graves of the soldiers who perished in 1795
Afternoon
• We’ll have lunch in Pasanauri, a small town which was a popular tourist destination during the Soviet era. Unfortunately, like many places in the former soviet republics, it’s now less frequented. We recommend trying khinkali here as it’s regarded as the best in Georgia.
• Your journey continues along the Georgian Military Highway to the Russia–Georgia Friendship Monument. Overlooking the Devil’s Valley, the circular concrete structures display large tile murals of Georgian and Russian history. Nowadays it’s met with heavy controversy.
• On arrival at Stepantsminda, we’ll visit a local store to pick up supplies for our picnic. Those brave enough can discreetly purchase homemade chacha.
• Our final stop of the day will be the isolated 14th century Gergeti Trinity Church, the iconic church nestled at the base of the legendary Mount Kazbegi where we’ll have a picnic enjoying the beautiful views.
• After a busy day filled with breath-taking scenery, we’ll go out for dinner and enjoy the amazing Georgian hospitality.
• Overnight stay in Stepantsminda.
Day 5 – Stepantsminda – Gori – Tbilisi
• We’ll begin our day with breakfast at the hotel before we check out and make our journey to Gori – the birthplace of Joseph Stalin. We’ll take the scenic Georgian Military Highway to get there, making stops along the way, including at the Ananuri Fortress Complex, and UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Afternoon
• After a picnic in the beautiful scenery, our road trip will make a halt at Uplistsikhe, which translates to the lord’s fortress. You’ll have some time to explore the ancient site, which became a safe haven during the Muslim conquests.
• Gori is our next stop. We’ll visit the Joseph Stalin Museum, where you can see his childhood’s house and his personal railway carriage. Although a controversial figure, he is much loved here in Gori. It is officially not permitted, but you can get a picture next to the intimidating statue of Stalin.
• After a powerful day learning about the Man of Steel, we’ll head back to Tbilisi.
• For dinner we’ll head to a popular local restaurant. As it’s our last night in Georgia we’ll head out for drinks and take in the nightlife.
• Overnight stay in Tbilisi.
Day 6 – Tbilisi
• We’ll start with breakfast at our hotel.
• We’ll do a morning walk where we can see Soviet era monuments in Rustaveli Avenue and the former Marxism-Leninism Institute, now the Academy of Sciences.
• Tour concludes, YPT can arrange additional nights in Tbilisi and airport drop-off for a fee. We are more than happy to provide advice for ongoing flights.
Bespoke Georgia Tours
As part of our travel packages within the Caucasus, we can offer bespoke and independent tours to Georgia. These can be done as full Georgia tours or be combined with other countries, such as Armenia or Azerbaijan.
For more information on the following programs, simply get in touch.
Soviet architecture and monuments Tour
Georgia is full of Soviet relics, monuments, brutalist architecture, and abandoned buildings such as the sanatorium resorts near Kutaisi, or the old cable cars in the mining town of Chiatura. We can take you to those, as well as to an abandoned pioneer palace, great patriotic war memorials and statues and mosaics all over the country. At YPT, we know the best hidden locations for all things Soviet!
Georgian Culture Tour
This country has an ancient history that we can explore in depth. You can visit cave towns, cities built inside the mountains, which date back to the 6th-4th centuries BC, such as Uplistsikhe, or Vardzia, that dates back to the 12 century and was a former monastery complex. Mediaeval monuments, such as churches and forts, can also be found all around the country. For example, the town of Mestia in the Svaneti region, is recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage site.
Borjomi spa and resorts
During the Soviet times, Borjomi provided most water to the Soviet Union. During holidays, workers from all Soviet republics would come here to relax. There are still resorts from that time that still work, so you can join one of our Georgia tours and try all the properties of Borjomi water yourself.
Nature and hiking
The Caucasus mountains in Georgia offer many trekking opportunities for all levels. Svaneti, Tusheti and Kazbegi offer the best views, with deep green valleys, ruins of old forts and snowy peaks, and some other forgotten Soviet monuments.
The Black Sea
Adjara, Guria and Samegrelo are the three regions with shores on the Black Sea. While most people go there to relax on their beaches, you can also explore the cities, the biggest being Batumi, which has a mix of modern architecture and Soviet brutalism. Also, it’s possible to dive in the Black Sea, where there are quite a few shipwrecks.
Georgian Wine tour
Considered as the cradle of winemaking with an 8,000-year history, Georgia is a must-visit for wine enthusiasts. On our tours, you can elore Kakheti, the heartland of Georgian wine, and explore other regions like Imereti and Kartli, each having distinct grape varietals and traditions. You’ll savour a variety of indigenous grape varietals like Saperavi, Rkatsiteli, and Mtsvane, paired with delicious local cuisine.
Filming in Georgia
Through our media arm Pioneer Media we can make arrangements for productions, journalists, or others, to film within Georgia from big budget to guerrilla productions. We can also arrange meetings in country, as well as correct visas for journalist wishing to do projects within the country.
Can you visit Abkhazia and/or South Ossetia from Georgia?
Georgia does not recognise Abkhazia and South Ossetia and the border remains closed for to the unrecognized states. However, we run tours to Abkhazia and South Ossetia which can start from either Moscow, Vladikavkaz or Sochi. Get in touch to find out more.
Frequently asked questions about travel to Georgia
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