The Crossroads of Civilizations: Georgia, The Cradle of Culture

Arrive at Tbilisi International Airport and transfer to Hotel Qarvasla in the Old City. A welcome dinner of traditional Georgian dishes marks the first introduction to the supra, the Georgian feast led by a tamada (toastmaster), whose toasts move from God and homeland to family and friendship.Overnight: Tbilisi, Hotel QarvaslaMeals included: Welcome Dinner

The day begins with a ten-minute cable car ride from Rike Park up to Narikala Fortress. Its walls watched over Tbilisi through centuries of Persian, Arab, Mongol and Ottoman rule, and today the whole Old City opens out below.From the fortress, the group walks down into Abanotubani, the sulfur bath district where the city’s story began. According to legend, King Vakhtang Gorgasali founded Tbilisi here after discovering the hot springs, and the city took its name from the Georgian word tbili, meaning “warm.” The brick domes of the old bathhouses still rise over the springs today.Lunch is hosted by Tekuna at Litera, one of Tbilisi’s most celebrated modern Georgian kitchens.A short walk leads to the religious quarter of Old Tbilisi, where a mosque, a synagogue, Armenian and Catholic churches, and Orthodox churches dating from the 6th to 15th centuries stand within a single district, a living record of Georgia’s long history of coexistence.At the Georgian National Museum, a guided walk traces Georgia’s story as a crossroads between continents, from ancient civilizations to the trade routes that connected East and West.Nearby stands Anchiskhati Basilica, Tbilisi’s oldest surviving church, built in the 6th century. Its unrestored interior has changed little since the days of early Christian Georgia.Dinner at a traditional Georgian restaurant. Overnight: Tbilisi, Hotel QarvaslaMeals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

The journey moves east into Kakheti, the heartland of Georgian wine. At Tsinandali Estate, the 19th-century home of the Chavchavadze family, the group discovers the world of Georgia’s aristocracy. Prince Alexander Chavchavadze was among the first in Georgia to produce and bottle wine in the European manner, and his estate became a meeting place for writers and thinkers from across the Russian Empire.At Alaverdi Monastery, founded in the 6th century, the 11th-century cathedral was the tallest church in Georgia for nearly a thousand years. Its monks have made wine in qvevri for centuries, a tradition revived after the Soviet era.In the village of Vardisubani, a master qvevri maker demonstrates how these great clay vessels are shaped by hand. Buried underground, qvevri have held fermenting wine for 8,000 years, a tradition UNESCO recognizes as intangible cultural heritage.In the village of Kondoli, a local winemaker opens the family cellar and vineyards, showing the journey from vine to qvevri and ending with a tasting of traditional Georgian wines.In the evening, the group continues to Kisiskhevi, near Telavi. Overnight: Kisiskhevi (Telavi), Schuchmann Winery and ChâteauMeals included: Breakfast

The day begins in Sighnaghi, a hilltop town fortified by King Erekle II in the 18th century. Its cobblestone streets, walls and towers still stand, and from them the view stretches across the Alazani Valley to the Caucasus.On the way back to Tbilisi, the group stops at Vellino Winery in Sagarejo, a family-run estate where the winemaker leads a tasting and two hands-on masterclasses: churchkhela, walnuts threaded and dipped in thickened grape juice, Georgia’s traditional harvest sweet; and shoti bread, baked on the walls of a round clay tone oven.Dinner at a traditional Georgian restaurant in Tbilisi.Overnight: Tbilisi, Hotel QarvaslaMeals included: Breakfast, Dinner

Thirty minutes from Tbilisi lies Mtskheta, Georgia’s ancient capital and the place where Christianity became the state religion in the 4th century. Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, built in 1010–1029 by the architect Arsukisdze, is the spiritual heart of Georgian Orthodoxy and, by tradition, the burial place of the robe of Christ. It is part of the Historical Monuments of Mtskheta UNESCO World Heritage Site. On the hill above stands Jvari Monastery, built at the end of the 6th century over the meeting of the Mtkvari and Aragvi rivers. Its four-apsed design became a model for church architecture across Georgia and Armenia.Lunch at Tsiskvili Restaurant, with traditional Georgian dishes and a live performance of folk music and polyphonic singing.In the afternoon, the group travels west to the spa town of Tskaltubo. The day closes with a private evening concert by the Kutaisi Women’s Chamber Choir, presenting classical and operatic repertoire, arranged exclusively for the group.Overnight: Tskaltubo, Legends Tskaltubo Spa ResortMeals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

The morning is free to relax. Tskaltubo was once one of the great spa resorts of the Soviet world, built around radon-carbonate mineral waters that rise from the earth at a constant 33–35°C. Guests may enjoy the spa, book a treatment or simply rest.After lunch at the hotel, the group drives to Kutaisi. Founded in 1106 by King David IV the Builder, Gelati Monastery was home to one of medieval Georgia’s leading academies and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Within its walls, a live performance of Georgian polyphonic singing fills the sacred space beneath centuries-old frescoes.We continue to the Kutaisi Folk Center, where a live performance of traditional dance and music reveals the energy, rhythm and storytelling power of Georgia’s folklore.Dinner at a traditional Georgian restaurant in Kutaisi before returning to Tskaltubo.Overnight: Tskaltubo, Legends Tskaltubo Spa ResortMeals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

The group drives to Sisatura Ethno Village in Samegrelo, where lunch includes hands-on masterclasses in three Megrelian classics: elarji (cornmeal with cheese), gebzhalia (cheese rolls in a minted yogurt sauce) and cheese-filled Megrelian khachapuri, prepared with local ingredients and traditional techniques.The road then climbs to Mestia, the historic center of Upper Svaneti, whose medieval tower-houses and villages were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.Overnight: Mestia, Hotel Gistola Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch

A 15-minute cable car ride lifts the group to the summit of Hatsvali, above the treeline.Lunch is served at altitude, accompanied by a performance of senior Svan singers. Svan polyphony has roots older than Christianity, passed down orally from voice to voice across generations. Georgian polyphonic singing was proclaimed a UNESCO Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2001.Back in town, the Svaneti Museum of History and Ethnography holds medieval icons sent up from lowland Georgia for safekeeping during invasions. For centuries, Svaneti’s isolation made it the nation’s high-altitude vault, preserving what the plains could not protect.At the Mestia Theatre, the group attends a mimodrama staged exclusively for us, an entirely non-verbal performance told through movement, image and music and drawn from the mythological world of Svan culture.The evening concludes with a kubdari masterclass at Ratiani Machubi, learning to prepare Svaneti’s defining dish, bread filled with spiced meat, followed by dinner.Overnight: Mestia, Hotel GistolaMeals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

The day begins with a 4WD journey to Ushguli, one of the highest continuously inhabited settlements in Europe, beneath Mount Shkhara. Its medieval stone towers are part of the Upper Svaneti UNESCO World Heritage Site. The group has free time to explore the village and enjoy lunch independently.In the afternoon, the 4WD journey continues over the mountain road through Lentekhi in Lower Svaneti and on to Kutaisi.Dinner at Sisters Restaurant in central Kutaisi.Overnight: Kutaisi, Best Western KutaisiMeals included: Breakfast, Dinner

The group drives back to Tbilisi. In the evening, the historic funicular carries us up Mtatsminda Mountain for panoramic views over the city. A farewell dinner at the Funicular Complex brings the journey to a close in the city where it began.Overnight: Tbilisi, Hotel Qarvasla Meals included: Breakfast, Farewell Dinner

After breakfast, the group transfers to Tbilisi International Airport. The journey ends, but its stories and songs travel home with you.Meals included: Breakfast