2-day tour to Kakhet

• Alazani Valley
• Telavi town
• Batonis-Tsikhe Fortress
• 900-year old plane tree
• Famous places from the "Mimino" movie
• Tsinandali village, Chavchavadze house-museum
• Kvareli town
• Kindzmarauli Winery, excursion, wine tasting
• Lake Ilia
• Nekresi Monastery
• city of love Signaghi
• Bodbe Monastery, St. Nino's grave and spring
• Signagi fortress

1 day:

• Armenian-Georgian border, “Bagratashen” customs point

• Telavi town

• Batonis-Tsikhe Fortress

• 900-year old plane tree

• Famous places from the "Mimino" movie

• Tsinandali village, Chavchavadze House-Museum

• Kvareli town

• Kindzmarauli Winery, excursion, wine tasting

• Rest in the hotel

The first stop of our tour is Telavi town, located in the heart of Kakheti, in the valleys of the Iori and Alazani rivers. Telavi is a world of ancient temples and monasteries, picturesque rivers and valleys, where amber grapes grow under the warm rays of the sun. Telavi is the center of all Georgian winemaking, which is elevated to a cult here. The town is located at an altitude of 490 m above sea level. The landscapes of Telavi and its surroundings are very impressive. Here you can simultaneously enjoy the greenery of the river valleys, the slopes of the mountains of the Greater Caucasus, crowned with thousand-meter peaks, its slopes, overgrown with hornbeam and oak forests, turning into alpine meadows. The modern period of Telavi town is counted from 1801. But its history is as deep as the roots of these centuries-old elms. According to many historians, it is these trees (In Georgian they are “tela”) that grow here in abundance which gave the name to the town.

        Batonis-Tsikhe fortress is located in the center of Telavi town. "Batonis-Tsikhe" is translated as "Fortress of the Lord". In the XVII - XVIII centuries this fortress was a residence of the Kakhetian kings. According to the historians, it was built in two stages - in 1667-1675 and in the second half of the 18th century. The fortress complex includes the fortress fence, the royal palace, two court churches, a bathhouse and a tunnel. The fence of the Batonis-tsikhe fortress is a 5-meter-high crenellated limestone wall with towers.

         In Telavi we will also see the famous places from the "Mimino" movies: the monument of Heraclius II, the famous plane tree, etc. Chinar (plane tree) in Telavi town is the oldest tree in Georgia. Its height exceeds 40 meters, and the girth of the trunk is almost 12 meters. The exact age of the tree is not known, but the local residents assure that it is definitely over 900-year old.

Then we will visit Tsinandali village, where there is a house-museum and a homestead, the palace of the princely family of Chavchavadze, which is associated with many amazing and tragic events in the history of Georgia. The palace in Tsinandali is the reflection of his aspirations. He did not limit himself with the introduction of European architectural techniques in construction and internal planning and laid out an English garden around the palace. Not only trees, but also gardeners were invited from the UK. Continuing the work, Chavchavadze also invited the best winemakers from Europe, with whom he built the first factory on wine production by the  European technology. Thus the famous «Tsinandali» wine has appeared today.

          Kvareli town is our next stop, which is located in the northeast of the Alazani Valley, 150 km from Tbilisi and 25 km far from Telavi. The Kvareli Fortress belongs to the 16th-17th centuries and looks like a square with four towers; it is located on Chavchavadze street in the center of the city.

          «Kindzmarauli Corporation» is one of the main sights of Kvareli. It is located in the city center on Chavchavadze Street. Here we will get acquainted with the traditions of winemaking that have been preserved in Kakheti since time immemorial, we will have an excursion in the factory and taste the wines. The factory produces about 70 different types of wine. The most famous of them are Kindzmarauli, Saperavi, Tsinandali and Akhashenie. On the territory of the plant there is a shop where you can buy wine or cognac.

2 day:

• Breakfast at the hotel 

• Lake Ilia

• Nekresi Monastery

• city of love Signagi

• Bodbe Monastery, St. Nino's grave and spring

• Signagi fortress

• Return to Yerevan

        After breakfast at the hotel, we will walk around the city, then visit the picturesque lake Ilia, located near Kvareli town. The next stop will be the ancient Nekresi monastery complex located on the top of a mountain in the Alazani Valley in Kvareli. Many centuries ago, there was once the town of the same name Nekresi, whose ruins can be seen from the height of the monastery. The Nekresi monastery complex unites several monuments of Georgian architecture, among them there are three temple buildings. A small basilica from the second half of the 4th century is one of the first churches in Georgia. The chapel was built in Nekresi during the reign of King Mirian.

                     The last stop of the tour will be the city of love Signagi, i.e. a beautiful and comfortable city on the slope of the mountain. The name of the city in translation from Turkish means "refuge". Signagi seems to be floating in the air above the Alazani Valley. The city has small winding and cozy streets and colorful tiled roofs of two-storied houses. Here we will see the famous Signagi Fortress. The fortress is the only ancient defensive structure in the territory of Georgia that has preserved the fortress walls in their original form. The total length of the fences is 4.5 km. They are adjoined by 28 watchtowers. The main fortress gate looks like an arch made of stone. You can climb the walls by the nearby stairs, from where the beautiful view to the city and the Alazani Valley is opened. Nothing is known for certain, who and when began  building the city of Signagi. There are many assumptions, versions and legends. Signagi is also called the city of lovers. The wedding palace is open around the clock in the city.

               Then we will visit the Bodbe Monastery in Bodbe area located 2 km far from Signagi, which is the national Georgian shrine. The remains of Equal-to-the-Apostles Nino of Cappadocia, the great baptist of Georgia, the harbinger of the Christian era, are buried here in the Cathedral of St. George. The tomb of St. Nino is located to the right of the altar. There is a belief that it heals mental and physical ailments. Every day, a divine service is held at her grave for the peace and well-being of Georgia and the entire Orthodox world. The cult complex in Bodbe has been repeatedly repaired and restored. In the XVI-XVI centuries, Bodbe was an important educational center. In 1837 the monastery was abolished. In 1889, the women's monastery of St. Equal-to-the-Apostles Nino was opened here, which has been operating up to now.

Departure: 06:30 of the first day

Arrival: 23:30 of the second day

Departure place: Hakob Hakobyan str. 1