Around Georgia
Day trips to pair with the night
Kakheti wine, Mtskheta and the old capital, or the Kazbegi mountains: three long day trips from Tbilisi that sit well beside a dinner-and-dance night.
Book the Tbilisi dinner and dance night ↗Quick answer
Three day trips from Tbilisi pair naturally with the dinner night: Kakheti for the wine and the qvevri tradition, Mtskheta and Uplistsikhe for history, and Kazbegi for the mountains. Each runs about ten hours, so give each a day of its own and keep the four-hour dinner evening for another night.
Why pair them
The dinner night shows you the table and the dancing in one evening. The day trips show you where the table comes from: the vineyards that supply the wine, the old capital that was a centre of early Georgian Christianity, and the mountains that shaped dances such as kazbeguri. The three trips below are separate bookings, each run by its own operator, and each takes about ten hours. They do not include the dinner night, and the dinner night does not include them.
Kakheti, the wine region
Kakheti, in eastern Georgia, is one of the most significant wine-producing regions of the country, Wikipedia says, and its attractions include Sighnaghi, Bodbe and Alaverdi Monastery. The wine-region day trip described on its booking page visits Sighnaghi and Bodbe Monastery, then a local family winery that makes wine in qvevri, with three wines to taste, and a large winery with five more tastings. It is the nearest a visitor gets to the cellar side of a supra, and the trip is built around tasting.
Mtskheta, Uplistsikhe and Gori
Mtskheta lies about 20 kilometres north of Tbilisi where the Kura and Aragvi rivers meet. Wikipedia says it was the capital of the early Georgian Kingdom of Iberia from the 3rd century BC to the 5th century AD and that its Historical Monuments became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994. The history-day trip on its booking page also visits the Uplistsikhe cave town and Gori, with the Jvari Monastery and Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in Mtskheta itself, for about ten hours.
Kazbegi and the Caucasus
The mountain day trip drives north toward the Greater Caucasus, with stops at Zhinvali Reservoir, Ananuri Fortress and a Gudauri viewpoint, then Stepantsminda and the Gergeti Trinity Church. Wikipedia places the church at 2,170 metres under Mount Kazbek. The booking page says the jeep ride to the church is optional and paid on the spot, and the trip ends with honey and wine tasting. At about ten and a half hours it is the longest of the three.
Weather, layers and what to carry
Mountain and valley days are different from a Tbilisi evening. Gergeti Trinity Church stands at 2,170 metres, so the Kazbegi trip is cooler than the city and the weather can change; the booking page says the itinerary may be adjusted for weather, road conditions or traffic. Bring layers, comfortable walking shoes and some cash for optional extras such as the jeep ride. For the wine-region trip, remember that the tastings are the point, and plan your evening so that you are not driving or rushing afterwards.
How to schedule them
The dinner night is about four hours and the day trips run about ten, so do not stack them on the same day. A sensible order is one of the day trips first, to see the countryside and the cellars, then the dinner night as a social evening back in Tbilisi. Keep a free morning after the dinner night if you plan an early start, and check your confirmation for each start time and meeting point.
Who this isn't for
Travellers with only one free evening should book the dinner night and skip the rest. Anyone who dislikes long days on a coach will find all three trips tiring, and anyone avoiding wine will find Kakheti less appealing, though the history and mountain days stand on their own. If your schedule is tight, the dinner night is the one that asks for the least time and the least planning.
Frequently asked questions
Which day trip pairs best with the dinner night?
The Kakheti wine-region trip, because it shows where the wine and the qvevri tradition of the supra come from. Mtskheta suits history; Kazbegi suits mountains.
How long are the day trips?
About ten hours each, and the Kazbegi trip about ten and a half. They are booked separately from the dinner night.
Can I do a day trip and the dinner night on the same day?
It is possible on paper but tiring: ten hours of travel plus about four hours of dinner. Give each its own day.
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