Road trip in Georgia: practical information and must-sees
All our tips for planning a trip to Georgia by 4×4, van, motorcycle or bicycle
In this article, we’ll give you some valuable tips and practical information for planning your road trip in Georgia, from the historic city of Tbilisi to the Caucasus mountains!
- If you’re planning a trip around the country by van, 4×4, motorcycle or bicycle, our book EXPLORE GEORGIA will be a great help.
- If you’re looking to rent a car in Georgia (van, 4×4, motorcycle or bike), you’ll find our recommendations here.
Hello! We're Olivia & Victor, authors of the OunTravela guides.
Over the years, our passion for adventure has led us to create original travel guides sold in over 70 countries worldwide. Our mission is to spread a travel philosophy based on adventure, freedom, improvisation and exploration. Our guides inspire travellers to explore the world's forgotten paths, encountering wilderness and civilization.
We hope you find this article, based on our own experience, useful.
Enjoy your reading!
Why travel to Georgia?
Georgia is a country well known to itinerant travelers on the Silk Road. Situated on the borders of Europe and Asia, the country stands out for the diversity of its landscapes and the richness of its cultural and historical heritage. This small mountainous country, surrounded by snow-capped peaks topping 5,000m, boasts vast wilderness areas that are still untouched by mass tourism. Its medieval fortresses, megalithic sites and picturesque valleys will take you back in time.
Georgia is a paradise for those who like to travel off the beaten track, on small dirt tracks or impressive mountain roads! From the volcanic plateaus of the central part of the country to the mountain passes of the Great Caucasus, the driving is sometimes meditative, sometimes challenging. No visa is required to travel to this small Caucasian country. It’s also easily accessible from Turkey: you can import your vehicle for 3 months free of charge. For those wishing to travel by air, tickets are very cheap from Europe, and 4×4 and motorcycle rentals are becoming more and more popular every year. We’ve also compiled a list of the best 4×4 rentals and motorcycle rental agencies in Tbilisi and Kutaisi.
The icing on the cake is the delicious Georgian cuisine, with a wide variety of local dishes and wines! We particularly enjoyed the khachapuri, gourmet breads filled with cheese, and the kindzmarauli, a delicately sweet red wine. Georgians are rightly renowned for their hospitality and sense of celebration! Indeed, they love to party, and regularly organize large banquets to which you may be lucky enough to be invited. Take care before hitting the road again if you’ve had too much to drink!
The Explore Georgia book
Be sure to include at least one day of outdoor activities (hiking, horseback riding, climbing, rafting, etc.) in your program to make this trip an unforgettable adventure! ๐
Practical information before your trip to Georgia
Spoken languages
– Georgian
– Russian
– English only in major cities and tourist areas
Tip: carry a small glossary with you.
Visa
No visa required for members of the European Union. You can stay in the country for up to 1 year. A passport valid for 6 months after your arrival in the country will suffice.
Airline tickets
150-350โฌ return (from Paris). There are international flights to Tbilisi and Kutaisi
Best season: June-September. We prefer spring for green plains!
Cost of living
– Local currency: Georgian Laris (GEL)
– In 2024: 1โฌ=2.9 GEL
– Food: โฌ5-7 for a restaurant meal
– Bed and breakfast: โฌ25-40/person with dinner and breakfast
– Wild camping authorized
– SP petrol: โฌ1/L
– Diesel: 0.9โฌ/L
4x4 rental
Prices for 4×4 rental in Georgia range from โฌ60 to โฌ100/day, depending on the model (Toyota Landcruiser, Prado, Lada Niva, UAZ Buhanka, etc.).
Find our selection of the best 4×4 rental agencies in Tbilisi and Kutaisi, as well as many tips on:
– available models
– the best rental agencies
– road conditions
– insurance
Motorcycle rental
The cost of renting a motorcycle in Georgia is around โฌ80-100/day, depending on the model (Yamaha 600XT, Africa Twin, BMW 650 GS, etc.).
Please note that the offer is quite limited, so we advise you to book in advance. Find all our recommendations in this article: rent a motorcycle in Georgia.
Find a local guide
How to plan your road trip to Georgia?
How much time should I allow in Georgia?
Despite its small size (1/8th the size of France), Georgia abounds in cultural and natural sites, each more breathtaking than the last. We recommend a minimum stay of 15 days to get the most out of your stay.
Driving in Georgia: what you need to know
Road conditions vary greatly from region to region. Roads linking the main towns (Tbilisi, Kutaisi, Batumi) are asphalted and in good condition. Mountain roads, on the other hand, can be severely damaged by landslides and floods. Once you’ve left the main roads behind, you’ll make rapid progress on more or less well-maintained trails. That’s why an off-road vehicle is the best choice. To help you plan your itinerary, we’ve classified the 24 trails in the book by level of difficulty from 1 to 5 (depending on the vehicle you have, your experience, the difficulties, the gradient, etc.). Also beware of the many Georgians who drive fast and carelessly! ๐
Where to sleep?
Bivouacking in Georgia is an experience not to be missed. You’ll be alone, in the middle of nature, and you’ll have the chance to contemplate a starry sky free of light pollution. Camping is permitted everywhere (except in certain protected areas that are not easily accessible). Small, reasonably-priced guesthouses are also easy to find. Dinner and breakfast are often included, and as Georgians love to cook, drink and eat – they’re bon vivants! – you’ll often be welcomed like royalty.
How do you plan your itinerary?
Download a navigation application onto your smartphone to geolocate yourself and download maps in advance (which can be consulted offline). We recommend, for example, Maps.me or OSMand. If you’re using a Garmin-type GPS, download the OpenStreetMap maps before you set off. For those who prefer, you can download the GPS tracks tracks for the book’s 24 trails (with over 150 points: bivouacs, viewpoints, etc.). We can also provide you with afoldable A2 tourist map of Georgia (Scale 1:1,000,000). Here you’ll find the main roads, the 24 book trails and over 80 sites of tourist interest (monasteries, fortresses, museums, lakes, hiking trails, wine cellars, etc.). On the back of the map, you’ll also find a complete French-Georgian lexicon! If you’re looking for a more detailed map of the country. We recommend the 1:350000 Reise Know-How map.
Budget for a 2-week road trip in Georgia
For a 15-day road trip in Georgia in 2025 for 2 people, you’ll need to budget approximately โฌ1,298 per person. This road-trip consists of 15 days in a rented 4×4 with roof tent (Toyota Land Cruiser), with a few nights in a guesthouse. The budget calculation is based on our personal experience!
The 10 essential stages of a road trip in Georgia
Tbilisi’s old town
This will probably be the first stop on your road trip! At the crossroads of East and West, Georgia’s capital Tbilisi is remarkable for its neighborhoods, monuments and multi-influenced architecture. The heart of the capital stretches along the Mtkvari Gorge in a labyrinth of alleyways, with wooden buildings, balconies and vineyards. FromRoustaveli Avenue lined with Haussmann-style buildings to the immense fortress dominating the city, Tbilisi is a surprising city and a must-see during your stay. Discover it on foot, to better appreciate its beauty and the atmosphere of its lively streets. Don’t miss Bagratrip’s Georgia Wine Guide to the best wine bars and wine shops in Tbilisi. For those who have the time, we also recommend a visit to the historic town of Mtskheta, north of the capital.
The wine route in Kakhetia
After leaving the hustle and bustle of the capital and heading east, a recently renovated road winds through the wooded hills of the Gombori mountains. It ends in the sunny plains of Kakhetia, the country’s largest wine-growing region! You can’t visit this region without visiting its vineyards and tasting the wines produced using ancestral methods, in buried earthenware jars. In this respect, we highly recommend Bagratrip’s Guide to Georgian Wines: a comprehensive ebook on Georgian wines, the main grape varieties, must-see wineries and more. Plan to stay in guesthouses to get a taste of local life (and especially of Georgian wines), and don’t miss out on the region’s historic monuments such as Alaverdi Cathedral, Nekressi Monastery or Gremi Fortress. You’ll love wandering through the narrow streets of the old town of Telavi or Sighnaghi , with its breathtaking views of the Greater Caucasus Mountains!
Vashlovani Park
Along the border with Azerbaijan, the climate is much more arid and desert-like. Between dry canyons, mud volcanoes, arid steppes and troglodyte monasteries, the region is a paradise for adventure-seeking travellers. We recommend a visit to Vashlovani Park. Criss-crossed by small dirt tracks, the park covers some 250 kmยฒ and is home to over a hundred species of birds and mammals, including gazelles, lynxes and bears. Leopards used to live in Vashlovani Park before disappearing several years ago! Be careful, in case of rain the tracks become impassable and a 4×4 is compulsory!
Iori Steppes and David-Gareja Monastery
Every Georgian will tell you about the David-Gareja monastery, a beautiful troglodyte monastery nestled in the cliffs on the border with Azerbaijan. But the region has much more to offer adventure-seekers. A dirt track follows the border through the breathtaking panoramas of the Chachuna (route 8) and Iori (route 9) reserves. From desert steppes to lush forests lining the Iori River, the reserve is packed with stunning landscapes that will make you feel as if you’re on another continent, or even another planet. Dotted with thousand-year-old troglodyte monasteries and remarkable geological structures such as mud volcanoes, this itinerary will delight lovers of both wide open spaces and history. Don’t forget your tent, as this itinerary is full of dreamy bivouacs.
La Touchรฉtie: from Omalo to Dartlo
Inaccessible in winter because snow blocks its only access road, the Touchรฉtie region is both mysterious and fascinating. Nestled in the heart of the mountains, it is one of the country’s best preserved natural areas, remarkable for its magnificent Alpine landscapes and the vernacular architecture of its medieval villages. There are some splendid fortified villages, recognizable by their high stone towers. Beware, access to this high mountain region is via a small, winding track on the mountainside culminating at 2826m altitude at the Abano Pass (Route 4 in the Explore guide). A 4×4 or all-terrain vehicle is required, but all your efforts will be rewarded: nestled at an altitude of 2000m, the village of Dartlo is without doubt one of the most beautiful in Georgia. This unique historic site, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, can be discovered on track 5 of the Explore guide.
Mutso and Shatili
Shatili is a fortified medieval village perched in the mountains of the Greater Caucasus at around 1400m altitude. The fortress-village forms an impressive ensemble of stone towers and dwellings linked by secret tunnels and narrow alleyways. This historic village is a must-see on Track 3 of our Explore guide. Just a few km from Shatili, you can also discover the village of Mutso: a remarkable fortified complex which, for centuries, was one of the most powerful outposts in north-east Georgia. Perched on a steep, rocky hill, the fortified village blends harmoniously into the landscape. Thanks to a rehabilitation project, the village has been completely restored. This is undoubtedly one of the region’s most beautiful historic sites, and a must-see!
The Military Route and the Truso Valley
The Georgian Military Road is an ancient and historic route linking Georgia to Russia. It has been used since antiquity for trade and commerce between Europe and Asia, as well as for strategic military movements. It’s still one of the country’s major roads, attracting many tourists as it provides easy access to the Greater Caucasus Mountains and to one of the country’s best-known tourist sites: the fantastic Trinity Church in Stepantsminda. This picturesque chapel sits on a hill at the foot of Mount Kazbegi (5047m). Along the way, don’t miss the Truso Valley (track 1 in the Explore guide). Accessible by a dirt track through a narrow canyon, the valley is remarkable for its meadows colored white and red by the iron springs that gush up from the mountains.
The troglodyte city of Vardzia
The troglodyte city of Vardzia is a fascinating historical site in southern Georgia, close to the border with Turkey. It’s a collection of caves and rock-cut structures that have been inhabited by Georgian Orthodox monks for centuries. Vardzia was built in the 12th century and could accommodate up to 50,000 people at its peak. Located on the western flank of the Mtkvari canyon, the town can be reached via a magnificent, winding, stony track. We cross vast meadows and fields to discover the rural life of this little-known region of Georgia.
The high plateaus of Djavakhetia
If you love wide open spaces, then don’t miss the Djavakhetia region in southern Georgia! This immense volcanic plateau offers lunar landscapes worthy of the steppes of Central Asia. Punctuated by extinct volcanoes and sparkling lakes, the splendid landscapes are home to rare species of migratory birds, as well as thousand-year-old megalithic edifices, relics of Georgia’s pre-Christian history. Don’t miss a visit to Lake Tabatskuri and its picturesque fishing village.
Svaneti: from Mestia to Ushguli
With its snow-capped peaks, verdant valleys and medieval stone towers, Svaneti attracts travelers from all over the world. This north-western region is known for its unique architecture, notably the stone defensive towers built in the Middle Ages to protect families from foreign invaders and vendettas. Some of the thousand-year-old towers are still standing, especially in the villages of Mestia and Ushguli, which are not to be missed! A 2-3 day loop will take you through this mythical region of Georgia, with passes at over 3000 m altitude. We recommend you take advantage of the many hiking trails and panoramic views the region has to offer.
Batumi and the Adjara hinterland
Situated on the shores of the Black Sea, Batumi is the country’s second-largest city. This dynamic seaside town is best known for its lively nightlife. There are numerous bars, clubs and restaurants where you can enjoy the famous adjare khachapuri: a bread filled with cheese. The region also attracts many visitors for its humid, sunny subtropical climate and sandy beaches. But in reality, the region offers many other, wilder facets, which we invite you to discover on tracks 16, 17 and 18 of the Explore Georgia guide. The lush mountains of the Lesser Caucasus, which flow into the Black Sea, are home to unspoilt wilderness and many traditional mountain villages. The inhabitants’ way of life, centred on agriculture and livestock breeding, is particularly rudimentary, but whoever crosses these mountains will be welcomed like a king!
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