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- Georgia on my Mind
Georgia on my Mind
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Highlights:
Often overlooked by innovative travelers, it is worth committing slightly over a week to explore this colorful country, especially since it has fully emerged from the days of Soviet domination and despite being the birthplace of Stalin.
Today, wine is the main focus for many visitors followed closely by food. History lovers will not be disappointed either, especially those interested in ecclesiastical art and architecture.
Often overlooked by innovative travelers, it is worth committing slightly over a week to explore this colorful country, especially since it has fully emerged from the days of Soviet domination and despite being the birthplace of Stalin.
Today, wine is the main focus for many visitors followed closely by food. History lovers will not be disappointed either, especially those interested in ecclesiastical art and architecture.
SKU:
Explore: Georgia
Customizable Itinerary - 9 Days (from $3,278 per person)
Day 1: Depart USA
You board your aircraft for the overnight flight to Europe where you connect to your flight to the Georgian Capital of Tbilisi.
Day 2: Arrival in Tbilisi
You will arrive in Tbilisi and be met by one of our guides who will escort you to your hotel where you can relax for the remainder of the evening.
Dinner
Day 3: Walking and Wine Tasting in Tbilisi
After breakfast, take advantage of your hotel’s location as your guide takes you on a walking tour of Old Town, dating back to the 5th Century. You will visit Metkhi Church, Narikala Fortress and Sioni Cathedral. You will then visit one of our favorite Georgian restaurants, touring their wine cellar to get an introduction to Georgian wines. Have some lunch and then proceed to the Georgian State Museum. Later, return to your hotel for a chance to rest and in the early evening your guide will return to take you on a walk on Rustaveli Avenue – one of Tbilisi’s most fashionable streets. After your evening stroll, dine at one of the city’s many fine restaurants.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 5: Sighnaghi and the Tradition of the Tamada
After breakfast at the hotel you will meet up with your guide and head to the East of Georgia and the province of Kakheti, a rich, fertile region with abundant vineyards and wine producing villages. First however, you will stop in Sighnaghi – a royal town built by King Erekle II in the 18th Century and noted for its defensive wall enhanced by 23 watch towers. The town had many gates through which Georgia was connected with Europe and Asia by various trade routes. After enjoying the town’s tiny and cozy streets and the views of the Alazani Valley, you will head to a local winery to enjoy a taste of the “Pheasant’s Tears” wine as a prelude to lunch at a local wine bar. After lunch, stop in the village of Gurjaani where you visit a local family home for some down-home cooking lessons. This evening will be spent in Telavi where you will visit a typical Georgian guest house where you will share a fine dining experience enhanced by the presence of a Tamada or toast maker, who will assist you in enjoying many toasts with fine Georgian Wine, providing you a night to remember.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 6: The Wines of Kvareli
Start your day with a visit to the local food market in Telavi before continuing on to Gremi which was the residence of Kakhetian kings in the 16th and 17th Centuries. Arriving in Kvareli you will visit several local wineries before lunch at a local restaurant. You continue on to the Tsinandali estate and the winery founded by the famous poet Alexander Chavchavadze in the 19th Century. Then explore the vineyards and the cellar where the oldest wines dating back to 1814 are stored. Return to Telavi where another excellent meal awaits.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 7: Stalin and the Bean Secrets of Shrosha
Your first stop today will be Gori, the birthplace of Joseph Stalin the infamous leader of Russia. You will see the house in which he was born and the museum with some of his artifacts. Your next stop will be the ancient complex of Uplistsikhe which was founded in the Hellenistic period and flourished through the early Christian era. You will be able to see banquet halls, temples and narrow streets, many carved from the ancient rock. After lunch at a local restaurant you pass through the town of Kutaisi before arriving in Shrosha and its basket market. While in Shrosha you will learn the secrets of making Lobio, a classic Georgian appetizer made from beans and walnuts. You return to Kutaisi where you will stay overnight in a charming boutique hotel.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 8: An Ecclesiastical Heritage
Like its neighbor, Armenia, Georgia has a long Christian heritage and on your way back to Tbilisi you will see several manifestations of that starting with the Gelati academy and monastery complex created in the 12th Century and noted for its murals and mosaics dating from the 12th through the 17th Centuries. You will then drive to the ancient town of Mtskheta, a cultural and political center dating from the 3rd Century. You will have lunch in town and then drive to Jvari Monastery an excellent example of Georgian Medieval architecture dating from the 6th Century. Your last visit will be Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, an 11th century architectural monument. You arrive back in Tbilisi to enjoy a farewell dinner enhanced by a folk performance.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 9: Return to USA
In the morning you will be transferred to the airport for the beginning of your return to the USA which will occur later that same afternoon.
Breakfast
You board your aircraft for the overnight flight to Europe where you connect to your flight to the Georgian Capital of Tbilisi.
Day 2: Arrival in Tbilisi
You will arrive in Tbilisi and be met by one of our guides who will escort you to your hotel where you can relax for the remainder of the evening.
Dinner
Day 3: Walking and Wine Tasting in Tbilisi
After breakfast, take advantage of your hotel’s location as your guide takes you on a walking tour of Old Town, dating back to the 5th Century. You will visit Metkhi Church, Narikala Fortress and Sioni Cathedral. You will then visit one of our favorite Georgian restaurants, touring their wine cellar to get an introduction to Georgian wines. Have some lunch and then proceed to the Georgian State Museum. Later, return to your hotel for a chance to rest and in the early evening your guide will return to take you on a walk on Rustaveli Avenue – one of Tbilisi’s most fashionable streets. After your evening stroll, dine at one of the city’s many fine restaurants.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 5: Sighnaghi and the Tradition of the Tamada
After breakfast at the hotel you will meet up with your guide and head to the East of Georgia and the province of Kakheti, a rich, fertile region with abundant vineyards and wine producing villages. First however, you will stop in Sighnaghi – a royal town built by King Erekle II in the 18th Century and noted for its defensive wall enhanced by 23 watch towers. The town had many gates through which Georgia was connected with Europe and Asia by various trade routes. After enjoying the town’s tiny and cozy streets and the views of the Alazani Valley, you will head to a local winery to enjoy a taste of the “Pheasant’s Tears” wine as a prelude to lunch at a local wine bar. After lunch, stop in the village of Gurjaani where you visit a local family home for some down-home cooking lessons. This evening will be spent in Telavi where you will visit a typical Georgian guest house where you will share a fine dining experience enhanced by the presence of a Tamada or toast maker, who will assist you in enjoying many toasts with fine Georgian Wine, providing you a night to remember.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 6: The Wines of Kvareli
Start your day with a visit to the local food market in Telavi before continuing on to Gremi which was the residence of Kakhetian kings in the 16th and 17th Centuries. Arriving in Kvareli you will visit several local wineries before lunch at a local restaurant. You continue on to the Tsinandali estate and the winery founded by the famous poet Alexander Chavchavadze in the 19th Century. Then explore the vineyards and the cellar where the oldest wines dating back to 1814 are stored. Return to Telavi where another excellent meal awaits.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 7: Stalin and the Bean Secrets of Shrosha
Your first stop today will be Gori, the birthplace of Joseph Stalin the infamous leader of Russia. You will see the house in which he was born and the museum with some of his artifacts. Your next stop will be the ancient complex of Uplistsikhe which was founded in the Hellenistic period and flourished through the early Christian era. You will be able to see banquet halls, temples and narrow streets, many carved from the ancient rock. After lunch at a local restaurant you pass through the town of Kutaisi before arriving in Shrosha and its basket market. While in Shrosha you will learn the secrets of making Lobio, a classic Georgian appetizer made from beans and walnuts. You return to Kutaisi where you will stay overnight in a charming boutique hotel.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 8: An Ecclesiastical Heritage
Like its neighbor, Armenia, Georgia has a long Christian heritage and on your way back to Tbilisi you will see several manifestations of that starting with the Gelati academy and monastery complex created in the 12th Century and noted for its murals and mosaics dating from the 12th through the 17th Centuries. You will then drive to the ancient town of Mtskheta, a cultural and political center dating from the 3rd Century. You will have lunch in town and then drive to Jvari Monastery an excellent example of Georgian Medieval architecture dating from the 6th Century. Your last visit will be Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, an 11th century architectural monument. You arrive back in Tbilisi to enjoy a farewell dinner enhanced by a folk performance.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 9: Return to USA
In the morning you will be transferred to the airport for the beginning of your return to the USA which will occur later that same afternoon.
Breakfast