Ten days driving Georgia's best loop: the iconic mountain road to Kazbegi, a rock-carved cave city near Gori, a Soviet-era spa town, and the vineyard-dotted Kakheti hills, all starting and ending in Tbilisi.
Georgia is one of the most rewarding countries in Europe for a self-drive holiday. In 10 days, this loop from Tbilisi takes you along the Georgian Military Highway to the Caucasus mountains at Kazbegi, south through Stalin's birthplace at Gori and the spa town of Borjomi, then east into the vineyard-covered hills of Kakheti. Every road on the circuit is sealed and manageable in a standard hire car.
Georgia also has a strong argument for being the world's oldest wine-making country, with over 8,000 years of viticulture and more than 500 native grape varieties. Combining mountain drama with ancient churches, a genuinely distinctive food and wine culture, and some of the lowest travel costs in Europe, it consistently punches above its weight as a destination.
All roads on this route are sealed and driveable in a standard car. A 4WD is only needed if you want to drive the rough track to Gergeti Trinity Church at Kazbegi; the hike is a better option anyway. Car hire companies are concentrated in Tbilisi, and rates are competitive.
Most EU and UK driving licence holders do not need an international driving permit in Georgia, but check your specific nationality in advance. Fuel is widely available and inexpensive. The Georgian lari is the local currency; cards are accepted across Tbilisi and main tourist areas, but carry cash for village guesthouses and rural wineries.
Tbilisi rewards three nights. The city has a character unlike anywhere else: medieval and Art Nouveau buildings alongside Soviet-era apartments and bold contemporary architecture, all overseen by the restored Narikala Fortress on the ridge above the Old Town.
Base yourself in the Kala district (Old Town) to reach the main sights on foot. Start with Abanotubani, the sulfur bath district below Narikala, where private bath sessions in domed brick hammams have been part of city life since the 4th century AD. Walk up to Narikala Fortress for views over the Mtkvari River gorge, then take the cable car back down to Rike Park.
The wine bar scene on Erekle II Street and Shardeni Street is excellent and good value. Georgian wines, particularly the amber (skin-contact) varieties fermented in buried clay qvevri vessels, are unlike anything produced elsewhere. A tasting with a knowledgeable host is the best introduction to the country's wine culture.
Use your third day to visit Mtskheta, 20 minutes from Tbilisi, where the 5th-century Jvari Monastery looks out over the confluence of the Aragvi and Mtkvari rivers. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the most atmospheric religious site within easy reach of the capital.
Eight days through the finest UNESCO towns of Bohemia and Moravia: Prague's Astronomical Clock, the bone church of Kutná Hora, Telč's Renaissance square, the fairy-tale castle bend of Český Krumlov and Pilsner Urquell in Plzeň.
Collect your hire car on day 4 and head north on the Georgian Military Highway (S3), the 212km road crossing the Great Caucasus at the 2,395m Jvari Pass before descending into the Terek River valley at Kazbegi.
The drive is a highlight in itself. The route passes the 16th-century Ananuri fortress reflected in the Zhinvali Reservoir, climbs to the Gudauri ski resort, then navigates the final mountain switchbacks to the valley floor. Allow 2.5 to 3 hours without stops.
Kazbegi (officially Stepantsminda) sits at 1,740m with the Greater Caucasus rising sharply behind the village. The Gergeti Trinity Church, a 14th-century Georgian Orthodox church, perches at 2,170m on a rocky ridge directly above. Hike up through forest and open mountain for about two hours, or hire a local 4WD driver for the rough track. Either way, the view of the church against the backdrop of Mount Kazbek (5,047m) is the defining image of a Georgia trip.
With two nights, you have a full rest day for longer valley hikes toward the Gergeti Glacier or horse riding arranged through your guesthouse.
The drive from Kazbegi to Gori takes about three hours via the Zhinvali bypass, working south and west through the hills. Gori is Stalin's birthplace, and the Stalin Museum makes for an illuminating visit: it presents the dictator through the lens of Soviet hero-worship while still acknowledging enough of the historical record to provoke genuine reflection.
Fifteen minutes east of town, Uplistsikhe is more viscerally impressive. This rock-carved settlement was occupied from the early Iron Age through to the medieval period, and hundreds of rooms, a theatre, a pharmacy and an early Christian basilica have all been carved from the sandstone plateau above the Mtkvari River. It is one of the least-visited major archaeological sites in the Caucasus.
From Gori, the drive south to Borjomi takes under an hour on good roads. Borjomi is a quiet spa town in a river gorge, famous since the tsarist era for its naturally carbonated, strongly mineralised water. Free public fountains in the central park dispense it directly; the taste is striking and worth experiencing even if you do not become a convert.
The Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park, one of Europe's largest protected forests, begins at the edge of town. The park visitor centre provides trail maps and can arrange guides. Even a short walk into the beech and fir forest gives a sense of the scale of this landscape. Several trails lead up to high summer pastures used by local shepherds, with views back over the Borjomi Gorge.
From Borjomi, drive east on the E60 through central Georgia before turning into the Alazani Valley. The 200km journey takes about 2.5 hours, and as the road drops into Kakheti you begin to see the clay qvevri amphora shapes that are the symbol of Georgian wine production at the roadside.
Sighnaghi sits within its original 18th-century defensive walls on a ridge above the valley, with unbroken views to the Greater Caucasus range. The walled town itself is small and easily explored in a morning; the main pleasure is the pace and the quality of the guesthouses and wine bars.
Use your second day to drive the valley: Gurjaani, Telavi, and the villages between them all have family-run wineries that welcome visitors. Georgia produces wine from over 500 native grape varieties, and the amber and deep red wines of Kakheti, made by extended skin contact with the grape solids in qvevri vessels, are serious, complex, and genuinely unlike anything produced elsewhere in the world.
The final drive back to Tbilisi takes about 1.5 hours. Return the hire car and use any remaining time in the capital before your flight.
Getting there: Tbilisi International Airport (TBS) has direct flights from Munich, Istanbul, Dubai and Riga. Wizz Air and FlyDubai offer competitive fares from many European cities.
Budget: Georgia is exceptional value. A mid-range budget of USD 60 to 100 per person per day covers comfortable guesthouses, good local restaurants, entrance fees, and hire car costs. Excellent wine costs USD 5 to 10 per bottle in village shops.
When to go: May, June and September are the best months. July and August are hot in the lowlands and crowded at Kazbegi. October is beautiful in Kakheti during the harvest season. The Jvari Pass above Kazbegi is sometimes closed December to March.
Safety: Georgia is a safe destination for independent travellers. The South Ossetia administrative boundary line passes north of Gori; stay on marked roads in that area and do not approach boundary signs.
From Cambridge's Gothic spires to Ely's cathedral rising above the flat Fens, this journey through Cambridgeshire takes in Bronze Age causeways, a Norman cathedral with a theatrical three-arched West Front, and Stamford, England's finest stone town.
The full route — stops, maps, and driving times — is on Routebook by Kington.
A 10-day self-drive circuit from Tbilisi that combines the Georgian Military Highway to the mountain village of Kazbegi, a cave city near Gori, the spa forests of Borjomi, and the vineyard-covered Kakheti hills, all on sealed roads in a standard hire car.
Routebookby Routebook
