1-Day Georgia: Mtskheta, Gori and Uplistsikhe

DESCRIPTION: Visit UNESCO world heritage sites in Mtskheta, find out where Joseph Stalin spent his childhood and explore the unique cave town of Uplistsikhe only in one day.

Places to visit: Mtskheta, Gori, Uplistsikhe.

Pick up from the hotel in Tbilisi and drive to Mtskheta. Have a short city tour in the former capital of Georgia. The historical monuments of Mtskheta are listed as UNESCO world heritage sites and today, we will pay a visit to two of them:

✔ Jvari monastery – built in the VI century on a hill overlooking the stunning confluence of Aragvi and Mtkvari rivers.

✔ Svetitskhoveli Cathedral – the second largest church building in Georgia. The complex includes the church, a gate, a bell tower, castles and clerical residences and preserves the mantles of Christ and Prophet Elijah;

Drive to Gori – a city known as Stalin’s birthplace. Photo stop at Gori Fortress and visit Stalin’s house-museum. You will see the house where Stalin was born and spent his childhood, pavilion for defense, Stalin’s personal armor-plated train carriage and a museum.

Our final sight for today is Uplistsikhe cave town, situated 15 km away from town Gori, on the left bank of the river Mtkvari. It dates to the I-II millennium B.C. In the Hellenistic and the late Antique periods, Uplistsikhe had a very important role in politics, religion and culture – it was an important trade center on the road from Asia to Europe. It was destroyed by Mongols in the XIII century. Complex includes several important cave structures such as the Theatre – a temple from the 1st or 2nd centuries AD, pre-Christian Temple of Makvliani, the big hall known as the Hall of Queen Tamar, Uplistsuli Church, the triple-church basilica on the top of the hill and a long tunnel going down to the Mtkvari River.

Drive back to Tbilisi.