- What is Georgia?
- Spring in Tbilisi
- Walk in the capital
- Mountain Svaneti
- Summer trekking
- Holy places
- To the beaches in Batumi
Unusual and original Georgia is glad to any guest. Travelers with high demands, who prefer to stay only in luxurious, fashionable hotels, and cheerful students who sleep in budget hostels come here; climbers dreaming of five-thousanders and pilgrims heading to local shrines; lovers of lazy beach holidays and people in need of health improvement.
Even the inhabitants of this country themselves cannot answer the question of when is the best time to have a rest in Georgia. Most Georgians invite tourists in the spring when apricots are in bloom. However, it is better to go to the seaside resorts of Adjara in the summer, and hiking trips to the mountain passes are usually made from June to September. But health tourism is available at any time of the year.
What is Georgia?
To understand Georgia, debunk some of its myths and love this country, you need to come here with an open heart and a child's perception of reality. Georgia loves curious, non-lazy tourists who know how to see beauty even in the most ordinary things.
Coming here, you don't need to limit yourself to visiting only its renewed capital Tbilisi, where historical monuments harmoniously coexist with new concrete buildings. You should definitely see small mountain villages where people seem to live in the century before last. Such villages are reminiscent of open-air museums. You can relax for several days at the famous resort of sultry Adjara - Batumi. By the way, planes fly there from different cities of the world. From there it is a stone's throw to Kobuleti, where thalassotherapy, which is now fashionable, is successfully practiced. Tourists go to Borjomi for healing water.
Spring in Tbilisi
Acquaintance with any country starts from its capital. The city of Tbilisi makes an indelible impression in the spring, when fruit trees bloom here. Against the background of snow-white and pinkish flowers, exuding a delicate aroma, the mountains, still covered with snow, look amazingly harmonious. Their peaks, bathing in the clouds, pierce the blue sky and serve as protection from the cold winds located in the valley of Tbilisi.
During the Soviet era, the city did not even have central heating, because it was believed that the climate here is so warm and pleasant that heating houses in winter would be superfluous. This is certainly not the case. In the old days, people basked in stoves. Now every house has a gas heater. However, in March it is already warm here, street cafes begin their work, where you can have a pleasant time with a glass of homemade wine.
Walk in the capital
You can walk around Tbilisi aimlessly, hoping that your intuition will lead you to the most interesting places. Or you can draw up a walk plan in advance and strictly adhere to it.
So, must-see in Tbilisi?
- Sololaki area and Leselidze street. This is where the authentic atmosphere is best felt;
- ancient Tiflis baths, united in the Abanotubani quarter. Baths, which are underground reservoirs with light entering through a window in the dome, began to be built in the city in the 16th century. Then, for example, the Iraklievskaya bathhouse was erected. Baths are still used for their intended purpose;
- Mount Mtatsminda, on the slopes of which the Narikala fortress of the 6th century rises. A cable car leads to its foot;
- glass bridge of Peace;
- Rike park with fountains and exhibition and concert halls.
Mountain Svaneti
In Georgia, you can still find areas where they live in the old-fashioned way, observing centuries-old traditions. This is Svaneti - a mountainous region, the path to which will be long. You will have to spend many hours on the road. But a new highway was recently laid to the capital of Svaneti, the city of Mestia, so riding a bus or minibus on it will be very pleasant.
On the way, tourists pass the Inguri hydroelectric power station, built during the Soviet Union. The bus stops for a few minutes so that you can see the dam and the surface of the reservoir.
And then Mestia is waiting for guests - a small town in which about 3 thousand people live. The city where time stood still several hundred years ago. Where houses have wooden doors decorated with elaborate carvings, and towers rise next to the dwellings, in which, if necessary, one could take refuge. True, this land is so far from civilization that the enemy troops simply did not reach here.
Summer trekking
If you decide to go trekking, it is better to have a rest in Georgia when summer begins and the snow cover melts in the mountains. It is most logical to choose the Svan city of Mestia to start your start. 14 tourist routes have been laid in its vicinity. While staying in Mestia, you can take short hikes every day to the nearest Svan villages. By the way, you can leave the tents at home, because in any mountain village there are guest houses, where a delicious lunch and, if necessary, a bed for the night awaits the traveler for a modest fee.
On foot, in just two hours from Mestia, you can walk to Mount Khatsvali, where a ski center opens in winter, and in about the same time - to the Chalaadi glacier - beautiful, majestic and dangerous. In one day, you can reach two more glaciers - Ushba and Shkhara - and return back. During such a trip, the Greater Caucasus opens up to travelers in a completely new form.
Holy places
In principle, pilgrimage tourism is possible at any time of the year, especially since most of the churches in Georgia that believers seek to visit are located in large cities, which are easily accessible by different means of transport.
The only exception can be made only by the cave monastery complex Vardzia, located 70 km from Borjomi. It was founded in the XII century and was originally a fortress where you could hide from the Persians. Then monks settled here. Many underground passages were filled up due to earthquakes, but the monastic cells survived. They have preserved frescoes of the 12th century, on which you can see Queen Tamara and Tsar George II.
What else do pilgrims want to see in Georgia?
- Sioni Cathedral in Tbilisi;
- Svetitskhoveli temple in Mtskheta;
- Jvari monastery in the same place;
- Monastery of St. John of Zedazni, Mtskheta.
To the beaches in Batumi
In recent years, the Old City in Batumi has changed significantly. It is actively being turned into an ultra-modern tourist center. Construction here goes by leaps and bounds, buildings of unusual design and strange fountains evoke exclamations of admiration. But tourists still go to Adjara for the sea and the sun. The city of Batumi offers its guests 21 km of pebble beaches. The use of the beaches is free. Nothing interferes with rest at the edge of the surf. It is prohibited to build any kiosks, discos and restaurants closer than 50 meters from the sea. The only disadvantage of rest in Batumi is the rather high prices for accommodation and meals.
Not so promoted, but no less interesting is the town of Gonio, which is located only 12 km from Batumi. It is famous for its ancient Byzantine fortress, where, according to legend, the Apostle Matthew is buried. Here the sea is calmer than off the coast of Batumi, and the air is cooler. In addition, in Gonio you can swim not only in the sea, but also in a lake with crystal clear water, under a beautiful waterfall.
