Central and Southern Georgia: Kartli and Meskheti

On the doorstep of Tbilisi, fertile Kartli is a notable centre of wine production and has played a significant role in Georgia’s history, while the provinces of Meskheti and Javakheti in southern Georgia have a very rural feel as well as several important historical attractions.

Just twenty minutes from the Georgian capital, the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Mtskheta occupies a stunning location at the confluence of the Mtkvari and Aragvi rivers and is dominated by the vast Sveti Tshoveli (Cathedral of the Twelve Apostles) – one of Georgia’s most important religious sites. Most visitors first see Mtskheta from the lovely 7th-century Jvari Monastery, which sits on a prominent hillside overlooking the town. Nearby are the extensive grounds of the Chateau Mukhrani winery, which has played a leading role in establishing European-style wine-making in Georgia.

Travelling east, one reaches Uplistsikhe – an ancient religious and trading centre carved into the rock that commands stunning views as far as the eye can see. Gori, the birthplace of the notorious Iosif Dzhugashvili – better known as Stalin – is just a short drive up the road and is home to a controversial museum dedicated to the dictator’s memory.

Georgia’s attractive southern province of Meskheti has a relaxed, bucolic, and Mediterranean feel. It is reached from Tbilisi either by crossing the volcanic uplands, lakes and marshes of sparsely populated Javakheti (with its unusual darbazi houses and megalithic ruins) or by driving through the Alpine-like mountains that surround the spa town of Borjomi.

The great multi-level 12th-century cave city and monastic complex of Vardzia sits in a valley of astonishing natural beauty and is Meskheti’s most important site. Below Varzdia, the rushing Mtkvari River is a beautiful place for rafting. The fortresses of Khertvisi and Tmogvi also merit exploring, but we are less keen on the over-restored and ‘Disneyfied’ Rabati castle in Akhaltsikhe.