Backpacking in Georgia: A Practical Guide to Exploring the Caucasus on a Budget

Backpacking in Georgia: An Unforgettable Adventure Through the Caucasus

Georgia gave me a very pleasant surprise. Several travellers had recommended it and now I can say I completely agree — it is a country absolutely worth visiting. Everything is very affordable: food, transport, and accommodation alike. You'll spend very little on entrance fees for the many tourist attractions, and if you love mountains, you'll find some truly spectacular landscapes. Backpacking in Georgia, you'll discover a country that has everything a budget traveller could want.

Safety in Georgia

Georgia is also a safe country, and using the beautiful city of Tbilisi as a base you can visit a large part of the country. Although Georgia is more touristy than its neighbour Armenia, it remains largely unknown to most travellers.

If you're travelling as a group, it's worth hiring a taxi or a car with a Spanish-speaking guide for day trips. In Tbilisi you'll find plenty of cars and minivans parked on the streets with signs offering tours.

If you want a Spanish-speaking guide, I have good references for a guy called Aleksandre. I had planned to do several day trips with him while waiting for a couple of friends who unfortunately couldn't come due to illness. Alex studied tourism in Madrid and now works as a driver-guide. Here are his contact details:

Alex Berikashvili: WhatsApp: +995591912271 www.facebook.com/berikashvili1 hotmail: berikashvili @ hotmail.com

If you're travelling solo as I was, there are plenty of organised tours at good prices, though many places can also be reached by public transport. Public transport in Georgia is cheap. Travel is normally by minibus, known locally as marshrutkas. You can also hire a car or use apps like Bolt for taxis.

To reach Georgia by air there are good flight deals — for example from Madrid with Pegasus Airlines or Turkish Airlines to Tbilisi, or to Kutaisi with Wizz Air from various European airports.

Practical Information for Backpacking in Georgia

Total spend in Georgia over 14 days: €435 (excluding flights)

Flight Tbilisi – Shiraz (Iran) with Qatar Airways €265 (one way)

1 € = approx. 3.15 lari (April 2026) [VERIFY]

1 litre of petrol = 3.38 lari, 1 litre of diesel = 3.10 lari approx. (March 2026) [VERIFY]

Power sockets: Same as Western Europe (type C and F).

SIM card: from 5–10 GEL with operators such as Magti or Geocell.

Entry requirements: Spanish and EU citizens do not need a visa for stays of up to 1 year.

Backpacker Itinerary Around Georgia

• 19 March: Shared taxi Alaverdi – Tbilisi (Georgia). Sleep in Tbilisi at Envoy Hostel.
• 20 March: Tbilisi. City sightseeing.
• 21 March: Tbilisi. Day trip to Gori, Uplistsikhe and Mtskheta.
• 22 March: Bus Tbilisi – Kazbegi, stopping at Ananuri. Visit Gergeti. Sleep in Stepantsminda at Leo Hostel.
• 23 March: Minibus Stepantsminda – Tbilisi. Sleep at Envoy Hostel.
• 24 March: Tbilisi. Day trip to Vardzia and Borjomi.
• 25 March: Tbilisi. Day trip to Davit Gareja.
• 26 March: Tbilisi. Day trip to Sighnaghi. Night train Tbilisi –
• 27 March: Train arrives in Zugdidi. Minibus to Mestia. Sleep in Mestia at Manoni's guesthouse.
• 28 March: Mestia.
• 29 March: Minibus Mestia – Batumi. Sleep in Batumi at Calypso Hostel.
• 30 March: Minibus Batumi – Kutaisi. Visit Bagrati, Gelati and Motsameta. Sleep in Kutaisi at Star Hostel.
• 31 March: Kutaisi. Visit Prometheus Cave. Minibus Kutaisi – Tbilisi. Sleep in Tbilisi at Why Not Hostel.
• 1 April: Tbilisi.
• 2 April: Flight Tbilisi – Doha /
• 3 April: Flight Doha – Shiraz (Iran).

Tbilisi: The Perfect Base for Backpackers

From the airport you can reach the city centre by taxi, by Bolt, or on public bus no. 337. A taxi costs around 35–40 lari. Bus no. 337 costs 1 lari and can be paid by contactless bank card (1.50 GEL with an international card) or with a MetroMoney/Travel Card. The bus drops you at Freedom Square or the central station (Station Square). It runs from approximately 07:00 to 23:00.

Envoy Hostel: €10 in an 8-bed dorm with breakfast. The hostel is excellent and very well located, though the excursions they offer are pricey.

Why Not Hostel: 18 lari in a 6-bed dorm with breakfast. More of a basic backpacker hostel than the Envoy.

I loved Tbilisi. It has its old town, its fortress and the river — a city with real character. Most tourist attractions are within walking distance. For public transport — metro, buses, minibuses or cable car — you can pay by contactless bank card or buy a rechargeable MetroMoney card at any metro station for 2 lari. Each metro or bus journey costs 1 lari. The Rike–Narikala cable car costs 2.5 lari.

What to See in Tbilisi

Narikala Fortress: You can walk up or take the cable car. Admission is free and the views over the city are superb. Nearby stands the Mother of Georgia statue, and heading down the back you'll find the botanical garden with a lovely waterfall.

The sulphur baths (Abanotubani): In this area beneath the fortress there are several baths of varying categories. The more touristy ones charge around 50–80 lari [VERIFY]. I went to a public bath (number 5) with a fellow traveller I met at the hostel. It was quite an experience — no other tourists in sight. Just a large bathtub and some showers, with men and women entering separately.

Markets: A charming flea-market-style market sets up in the park on 9 March Street, right by the river. The bigger market is near the train station and stadium and can be reached by metro. You'll find everything there, from clothes to food.

Churches worth visiting: Metekhi, Sameba Cathedral (exterior), Sioni and Bethlehem. The narrow lanes near Bethlehem Church are full of charm with their old houses.

Mtatsminda Park can be reached on foot, by minibus, or by funicular. I walked up, first visiting the Mama Daviti church, from where a steep path leads up to the park.

Don't miss the quirky Gabriadze Puppet Theatre.

Day Trips from Tbilisi

Possible day trips from Tbilisi:

From Tbilisi there are tours to every corner of Georgia and even to Armenia. Most are 1-day trips to nearby places, with multi-day options for more distant destinations. Some of the 1-day excursions are quite gruelling, and whenever you have time it's always preferable to spend a night at your destination.

You'll find plenty of agencies on Abjazi Street, off Freedom Square.

If you'd like to book a private or shared tour in Spanish, here is the link.

I didn't get to visit, among other places, the town of Telavi and the nearby Alaverdi Cathedral.

Had I gone in summer, I would have loved to visit Tusheti, a remote region in the mountains to the southeast of Georgia. I saw organised multi-day tours available.

Day Trip to Gori, Uplistsikhe and Mtskheta

Day trip to Gori, Uplistsikhe and Mtskheta:

I booked it at an agency on Abjazi Street for 45 lari (transport only). I went in a car with a Korean couple. We set off at 10 in the morning, starting with the Jvari Church. I think this order works best. Jvari sits on a hilltop near Mtskheta — a beautiful spot with sweeping views.

Next we went to Gori to visit the Stalin Museum. The museum itself didn't thrill me — perhaps with a guided tour it would be different. You can see the exterior for free, including the house where Stalin was born. I was sorry not to visit Gori Fortress.

We then went to Uplistsikhe. This place is absolutely not to be missed.

To finish the day we went to Mtskheta to visit Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, impressive both inside and out. We then saw Samtavro Church, also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We wrapped up the trip at 16:30.

This trip is doable by public transport but very hard to squeeze into one day. There are minibuses to Mtskheta, but getting from there to Jvari by taxi involves a long detour. Gori is also reachable by minibus, but you'll need a taxi to get to Uplistsikhe from there.

Day Trip to David Gareja

Day trip to David Gareja:

I paid 50 lari at one agency; others were asking 59. We were four in a car. We left at 10 and returned at 6 in the evening.

I found it completely unmissable. The road to get there is rough, especially the last 10 kilometres, and it takes around 2 hours to arrive. We spent nearly 3 hours at David Gareja. First we visited Lavra Monastery, wonderfully photogenic. Then we followed the path that climbs to the ridge, starting beside the souvenir shop. It's a good uphill climb — tough in summer, so bring plenty of water. At the top we met a couple of very friendly Azerbaijani soldiers. There's a chapel there, and to the left the path passes through dozens of caves, some with beautiful frescoes. The route crosses the Azerbaijani border repeatedly and leads to Udabno Monastery. The views over a truly unique landscape are breathtaking. From the monastery you descend back to the car by a different path, completing a lovely circular route.

Day Trip to Sighnaghi

I did this one on my own by public transport, and while it was fine, it didn't feel essential. Perhaps on an organised tour with winery visits it gains more interest.

I took a minibus from Tbilisi. There are regular services and the journey takes just over 1h30m. On the way there the minibus was full, so don't cut it too fine. Before reaching Sighnaghi the minibus stopped at Bodbe Monastery, which was perfect as I'd planned to visit it anyway. It has beautiful frescoes and you can walk down to the sacred spring via a steep set of stairs.

In Sighnaghi, head to the upper part of the town to see St Stephen's Church and then St George's, and walk along the town walls.

Day Trip to Vardzia and Borjomi

Day trip to Vardzia and Borjomi:

I wasn't fully satisfied with this trip, as I had hoped to also visit Rabati Castle in Akhaltsikhe — which we bypassed due to time — and I would have liked a brief stop at Khertvisi Fortress since we drove right past it.

I think it's a shame to do this region in just one day, as there is so much to see. Ideally you'd spend at least one night in Borjomi or Akhaltsikhe and, if possible, continue on to Batumi through the mountain region of Khulo.

We started the tour at 8:30 in the morning and finished 12 hours later. It took almost 4 hours to reach Vardzia. The road from Akhaltsikhe to Vardzia is spectacular, and Vardzia itself is truly breathtaking.

Borjomi didn't impress me much, though the surrounding area must be beautiful for walking in the national park. In the town we visited the park with the mineral spring (the water tastes terrible).

Day Trip to Kazbegi (Stepantsminda) via the Georgian Military Highway

Day trip to Kazbegi (Stepantsminda):

After having to postpone my trip to Kazbegi by a day — the famous Georgian Military Highway had been closed by heavy snowfall — I found an agency tour that stopped at Ananuri Fortress and went to the Gudauri ski resort, from where I would continue independently. The tour cost 49 lari.

You can go to Kazbegi by minibus from Didube bus station (reachable by metro) in Tbilisi, but I wanted to stop at Ananuri Fortress (absolutely worth it), which is why I took the tour for the outward journey. When we reached Gudauri, since I wasn't skiing, they dropped me off by the roadside near the petrol station — fortunately an Irish couple got off with the same plan, so we shared a taxi to Stepantsminda for 45 lari (15 each).

Thanks to the previous days' snow the road was beautiful, though very narrow, and we were held up for 2 hours waiting for it to clear. Our taxi driver lost patience and persuaded a passing private car to take us while he headed back — having already been paid in full. The driver was from North Ossetia on his way home, didn't speak a word of English, got nothing from the taxi driver, and was so generous that he gave me a bottle of home-made wine when we arrived in Kazbegi.

In Stepantsminda I stayed at Leo Hostel, 23 lari in a shared room with breakfast. The hostel is on the left at the start of the road that climbs towards Tsminda Sameba. I was the only guest, looked after by the hostel owner's father, who didn't speak a word of English. The next morning I gave him the bottle of wine and he was delighted.

Around 3 in the afternoon, seeing the day was holding clear, I started climbing up towards Tsminda Sameba. I cut across the hillside and it took just over an hour at a good pace, with the final stretch on the path through deep snow. Once up there the view was incredible — the church, the snow, the mountains all around. Mount Kazbegi was perfectly visible. There were few visitors, some arriving by 4WD on the track. I descended cross-country through the snow and was back down in just over 40 minutes. There weren't many places to eat in the village, and in one restaurant I ran into a group of Spaniards heading back to Tbilisi that same evening.

Kazbegi has several hiking routes, though in winter there's too much snow to do them properly without being well equipped or renting snowshoes.

The next morning I caught the minibus to Tbilisi at 9 am. The journey takes about 3 hours.

Mestia and Svaneti

You can get there by minibus from Tbilisi in a long day's journey. I went by overnight train from Tbilisi to Zugdidi.

On arrival in Zugdidi a minibus to Mestia happened to be passing. There were just 3 of us — two young Georgian men and me — as no other tourists had been on the train. They negotiated for a while and assumed I'd pay the same as them. When we reached Mestia I was charged 50 lari, though the driver did drop me at the hostel door. The usual price is 20 lari. The journey took 3 hours along a winding mountain road with a 30-minute breakfast stop.

Sleep in Mestia at Manoni's guesthouse, 30 lari including dinner and breakfast. Recommended.

Mestia is worth the trip. It's not as picture-perfect as a Swiss mountain village — some buildings are ugly or abandoned — but the defensive towers are beautiful. Cows roam freely through the streets, and if you wander the back lanes you'll encounter quite a few stray dogs.

There's a lovely photo opportunity of the village from the new church on the other side of the river.

In winter the snow severely limits the hiking options. You can't reach Ushguli. In summer the route there by 4WD or on foot in four stages of 10–15 km per day must be stunning.

I also skipped Chalaadi Glacier — I met people who had attempted part of the route without reaching the end.

You can go skiing or sightseeing at Hatsvali ski resort, 9 km from Mestia.

I attempted a hike towards Koruldi Lakes, about 9 km away, but didn't make it due to the amount of snow I kept encountering as I climbed.

On the second day I planned to walk to Mount Ushba but stomach problems kept me in bed all day.

I visited one of the tower houses that serves as a museum — essentially you just climb up to the roof on some rather precarious stairs, but the views from the top are good.

The tourist office is in the centre of town and can give you route information. There is also a wealth of information at: www.caucasus-trekking.com

Batumi

From Mestia I took a minibus booked through the hostel. It picked me up at 7:45 am and we set off on roads covered by the previous night's snow. It took 7 hours to reach Batumi. I was initially supposed to change minibuses in Zugdidi, but the driver took me almost to Kutaisi to connect with a minibus heading to Batumi. Price: 30 lari (20 lari for his stretch and 10 lari for the next minibus to Batumi).

Batumi has a bus station, but many minibuses — to Kutaisi or Tbilisi — also depart from the Centro Plaza mall, which is a bit closer to the old or tourist area.

In Batumi I stayed at Calypso Hostel, 15 lari in an 8-bed dorm.

The city is fine for a day's visit, but if you're short on time in Georgia I think it's dispensable. In summer there must be plenty of life and a beach atmosphere. The boulevard promenade, the theatre, and the Medea statue are all worth seeing. Most of the new building construction looked stalled.

Kutaisi

I took a minibus from Batumi, boarding at the Centro Plaza. In reality a small minivan left from there, then on the outskirts of the city they transferred us to a larger bus. Journey time around 2h30m.

Before reaching Kutaisi I was transferred again to another minivan, since my bus was continuing to Tbilisi.

In Kutaisi you're dropped off near the McDonald's where there is a bus station. From here you can take bus no. 1, which runs a circular route through the centre, passes frequently, and costs 1 lari.

Sleep at Star Hostel, 13 lari in a 6-bed dorm with breakfast included.

What to See in Kutaisi and Surroundings

It's possible to see the best of Kutaisi on an exhausting day trip from Tbilisi. There's quite a lot to see in and around Kutaisi.

Near the fountain by the theatre you'll find the tourist office — there's only a small sign so it's easy to miss. Next to the bus station near McDonald's there is a large market.

About a 20-minute walk from the centre will bring you to Bagrati Cathedral (UNESCO World Heritage Site). It's beautiful, especially from the outside.

For the other interesting sites outside the city you'll need a taxi or public transport:

Gelati and Motsameta Monasteries

Gelati Monastery (pronounced Yelati) and Motsameta Monastery:

There are minibuses to Gelati that leave from behind the theatre where there is a police station. I caught a different minibus going in that direction but it dropped me at the road junction, leaving a 2–3 km uphill walk. To be sure, the minibus going to Gelati has a sign in the front in both English and Georgian. The monastery is beautiful and the frescoes inside are superb.

From there, the best way to reach Motsameta is by taxi, as it's 6 km away. Motsameta is in a spectacular setting high above a river gorge.

If you're in a group, definitely take a taxi from Kutaisi to do both in one go.

Prometheus Cave

I took minibus no. 30 from the other side of the river, crossing the red bridge. It takes you to Tskaltubo; get off at the last stop and head to the back of the market, where minivan no. 42 departs for the caves.

The cave is spectacular, beautifully lit throughout. The walking route inside is straightforward, with constant steps up and down. At the end of the visit you board a small boat that takes you back to the visitor centre at the entrance.

Tskaltubo is also known for its spa, though I didn't go. From Tskaltubo you can also continue to Okatse Canyon or Gordi.

Sataplia Cave: I didn't visit this one.

Martvili Canyon: I didn't visit this either.

To return to Tbilisi I took a minibus from the station near the McDonald's. In about 3h30m we arrived at Didube station in Tbilisi, with a 15-minute rest stop along the way.

Note: prices mentioned in this article reflect the author's personal experience during their trip and may have changed. Georgia remains a very affordable destination for backpackers, but it's advisable to check current prices before travelling.

Source: losviajeros.com — reproduced with the author's permission