Georgia

Georgia (საქართველო in Georgian, Sakartvelo) is 3.7 million people country in the eastern border between Europe and Asia, in the Caucasus. It's surrounded by Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Turkey. Georgia has two territorial conflicts in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The population is mostly Georgian Orthodox Christians (with a significant Muslim minority, particulary in Adjara and Azerbaijani minority), the official language is Georgian (Abkhaz is official in Abkhazia; many people can still speak Russian too) and the official currency is the Georgian lari (₾). The main city, and the capital city, of Georgia is Tbilisi, with other important cities like Batumi, Kutaisi or Rustavi.
http://georgianmuseums.ge/en/

What can I visit in Georgia?

Georgia has some regions with special status. Click on the following links to get all the information about them.
Here you have a list of places in Georgia that are worth to be seen. Check them out and find out the ones you want to visit

History

Skull of the Homo erectus georgicus
The earliest evidence of human occupation of the territory of present-day Georgia goes back to circa 1.8 million years ago. In the archaeological excavations of Dmanisi a serie of skull were found, corresponding to the Homo erectus georgicus, that are some of the earliest known evidence of hominins outside Africa. Later prehistoric remains are known from numerous cave and open-air sites in Georgia. The earliest agricultural Neolithic occupation is dated sometime between 6000 and 5000 BC, known as the Shulaveri-Shomu culture. These people used local obsidian for tools, raised animals (such as cattle and pigs), and grew crops, including grapes (the earliest evidence of wine to date has been found in Georgia, where 8,000-year old wine jars were uncovered). This culture also developed early metallurgy, and from the beginning of the 4th millennium, metals became used to larger extend in East Georgia and in the whole Transcaucasian region.
Trialeti Gold Roundel
In the Chalcolithic period (4th and 3rd millennia BC), Georgia and eastern Asia Minor were home to the Kura-Araxes culture, giving way to the Trialeti culture in the 2nd millennium BC.
The Kingdom of Diauehi, a tribal union of proto-Georgians, first appear in written history in the 12th century BC. They were characterized by advanced metallurgy and goldsmith techniques. Between 2100 and 750 BC, the area survived the invasions by the Hittites, Urartians, Medes, Proto-Persians and Cimmerians, and the ethnic unity of Proto-Kartvelians broke up into several branches (leading to the formation of modern Kartvelian languages: Georgian, Svan, Megrelian and Laz). Two core areas of future Georgian culture and statehood formed in western and eastern Georgia by the end of the 8th century BC: the Kingdom of Colchis (west) and the Kingdom of Iberia (east).
Kindoms of Colchis and Iberia
The kingdom of Colchis (6th-1st centuries BC) is regarded as the first early Georgian state formation and Colchians was used as the collective term for early Kartvelian tribes who populated the eastern coast of the Black Sea (Mingrelians, Lazs and Chans). Greeks established many trading colonies in the coastal area of Georgia between 1000 and 550 BC, among them: Naessus, Pityus, Dioscurias (modern Sukhumi), Guenos, Phasis (modern Poti), Apsaros, and Rhizos (modern Rize, Turkey). In the eastern part of Georgia there was a struggle for the leadership among the various Georgian confederations, won by the Kartlian tribes, and the Kingdom of Kartli (also known as the Kingdom of Iberia) was founded around 300 BC by Parnavaz I. Colchis and Iberia survived successive invasions by the Iranian Median Empire, but not to Achaemenid Persians. Neither Iberia nor Colchis was incorporated into the empire of Alexander or any of the successor Hellenistic states of the Middle East but, however, the culture of ancient Greece had considerable influence.
Gonio Fortress,
site with Roman origin
Later the area was an arena of long and devastating conflicts between major and local powers such as Rome, Armenia and the short-lived Kingdom of Pontus. In 189 BC, the rapidly growing Kingdom of Armenia took over more than half of Iberia and, between 120 and 63 BC, Armenia's ally Mithridate VI Eupator of Pontus conquered all of Colchis. Pompey's campaign in 66-65 BC annexed Armenia and then he headed north along the Kura river and then west down the Rioni river to the Black Sea, but Rome did not establish her power permanently over Iberia. Nineteen years later, the Romans again marched on Iberia forcing King Pharnavaz II to join their campaign against Caucasian Albania. The former Kingdom of Colchis became the Roman province of Lazicum ruled by Roman legati and Caucasian Iberia freely accepted the Roman Imperial protection. Iberia strengthened her position in the area in the 2nd century AD, especially during the reign of King Pharsman II (achieving full independence from Rome and reconquered some of the previously lost territories from declining Armenia).
Kingdom of Lazica-Egrisi

In the early 3rd century, Rome had to give up Albania and most of Armenia to Sassanid Persia and the province of Lazicum was given a degree of autonomy (developing into full independence with the formation of a new Kingdom of Lazica-Egrisi). This new state survived until 562, when it was absorbed by the Byzantine Empire. Iberia became a tributary of the Sasanian state during the reign of Shapur I. Relations between the two countries seem to have been friendly at first, but the aggressive tendencies of the Sasanians were evident in their propagation of Zoroastrianism. However, in the Peace of Nisibis (298), the Roman empire obtained control of Caucasian Iberia again as a vassal state.
King Marian III of Iberia
Before Christianization, the cult of Mithras and Zoroastrianism were commonly practiced in Iberia from the 1st century. The Kingdom of Iberia became one of the first states in the world to convert to Christianity in 327, when the King of Iberia Mirian III established it as the official state religion, adoption that tied these territories to the Byzantine Empire. Rome ceded control of Iberia to Persia in 363, promoting the teachings of Zoroaster. During the 4th and most of the 5th centuries, Iberia was under Persian control, despite Prince Vakhtang I Gorgasali orchestrated an uprising to restore Iberian statehood, reincorporated into Persia as a province once again when his son died. When the Persians abolished the kingdom, Georgian nobles urged the Byzantine emperor to revive the kingdom of Iberia, but Byzantium and Persia decisively agreed to divide Iberia between them (Tbilisi in Persian hands and Mtskheta under Byzantine control). By the late 7th century, the Byzantine-Persian rivalry for the Middle East had given way to Arab conquest of the region and subsequent invasions to ensure Arab hegemony in the Caucasus.  
Bagrat III of Georgia
Bagrationi dynasty came to rule over the region of Tao-Klarjeti, establishing the Kouropalatate of Iberia (nominal dependency under the Byzantine Empire). However, the Bagrationi dynasty failed to maintain the integrity of their kingdom till, at the end of the 10th century, Curopalate David of Tao invaded the Earldom of Iberia (Kartli) and gave it to his foster-son Bagrat III. Bagrat was a potential heir to the Kingdom of Abkhazia, a kingdom in west Georgia and Abkhazia that succeeded the Kingdom of Lazica and got independence from the Byzantine Empire under Leon II around 778. Bagrat III of Georgia first inherited the Abkhazian throne and then the Kingdom of Iberia, becoming the first king of a unified Georgia. Bagrat annexed the easternmost Georgian kingdom of Kakheti-Hereti around 1010. Bagrat eliminated or at least diminished the autonomy of the dynastic princes (scared from the Klarjeti line of the Bagrationi).
Kingdom of Georgia in 1000 AD
His foreign policy was peaceful in order to avoid the conflicts with both the Byzantine and Muslim neighbours (even Tao remained in the Byzantine and Tbilisi in the Arab hands). Bagrat III was succeeded by his son George I of Georgia, whose reign has a war against the Byzantine Empire for the territories of Tao that ended in a Byzantine victory, forcing George to abandon his claims to Tao, surrender several of his southwestern possessions, and to give his son, Bagrat IV, as hostage. When Bagrat IV became king, the unification of all Georgian lands had an gained irreversible situation: the kings ran from Kutaisi all the Kingdom of Abkhazia and most of Iberia (but Tao, the Muslim emirate of Tbilisi and the autonomous king of Kakheti-Hereti). The Georgian crown was confronted with two external foes: the Byzantine Empire and the resurgent Seljuq Turks.
King David IV the Builder
This made Georgia and the Byzantine Emprie to seek closer cooperation. The Seljuqs made their first appearances in Georgia in the 1060s and the Seljuk sultan Malik Shah I surged into Georgia in 1076 and reduced many settlements to ruins, the Georgian king was was pressured into submitting to Malik-Shah.
  King David IV the Builder inherited the throne in 1089 and created the regular army and peasant militia to be able to resist Seljuq colonization of his country, favoured by the The First Crusade. He stopped paying tribute to the Seljuqs and had liberated most of the Georgian lands (but Tbilisi and Hereti) and he reorganized the Georgian Orthodox Church, Then the Georgian army took over Hereti and other lands, turning Tbilisi into an isolated Seljuq enclave. The ruler of Alania recognized himself as King David's vassal in 1120. After the Seljuq Sultan Mahmud declared Jihad on Georgia, the Georgians defeated them at the Battle of Didgori and they took over Tbilisi.
Georgia and its dependencies
in the Georgian Golde Age

A large portion of Armenia was liberated by David's troops and in 1124, David also became the King of Armenians. His successors continued the policy of Georgia's expansion, subordinating most of the mountain clans and tribes of North Caucasia and further securing Georgian positions in Shirvan. However, the most glorious sovereign of Georgia of that period was Queen Tamar, David's great-granddaughter. The reign of Queen Tamar represented the peak of Georgia's might in the whole history of the nation. In 1194–1204 the armies of Georgia launched several successful campaigns into Turkish-controlled Southern Armenia, becoming a protectorate of the Kingdom of Georgia. The temporary fall of the Byzantine Empire in 1204 to the Crusaders left Georgia and Bulgarian Empire as the strongest Christian states in the whole East Mediterranean area, and Queen Tamar sent her troops to take over the former Byzantine Lazona and Paryadria, transformed into the Empire of Trebizond in 1205 (dependent on Georgia),
Queen Tamar and his father
George III of Georgia
and invaded modern day Iranian Azerbaijan, placing it under a Georgian protectorate. This era is usually called the Golden Age of Georgia, marked by the development of Georgian architecture, literature, philosophy and sciences. In the 1220s, the South Caucasus and Asia Minor faced the invasion of the Mongols that, in spite of fierce resistance by Georgian-Armenian forces and their allies, eventually fell to them. Queen Rusudan of Georgia signed a peace treaty with the Mongols in 1243, losing her client-states, ceding many territories and the remaining part of the kingdom started disintegrating. The period between 1259 and 1330 was marked by the struggle of the Georgians against the Mongol Ilkhanate for full independence, with many uprising until the successful one leaded by king George the Billiant (managing to stop paying tribute to the Mongols and restore pre-1220 borders).
Caucasus territories in 1490

The invasions under the leadership of Tamerlane (1386-1403) devastated Georgia's economy, population, and urban centers (except in Abkhazia and Svaneti). Georgia remained connected to the West through contact with the Genoese colonies of the Crimea but after the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks (1453), the ties between Georgia and Europe were cut. The Georgian Kingdom suffered economic and political decline and in the 1460s, it fractured into several kingdoms and principalities: the Kingdoms of Kartli, Kakheti and Imereti; and the Principalities of Guria, Svaneti, Meskheti, Abkhazeti and Samegrelo.
Shah Abbas I
By the late 15th century the Ottoman Empire was encroaching on the Georgian states from the west and Safavid Iran in the east, becoming a battleground between these rival powers for centuries. In 1555, the Ottomans and the Safavids signed the Peace of Amasya following the Ottoman-Safavid War, assigning Imereti in the west to the Turks and Kartli-Kakheti in the east to the Persians. But this agreement didn't solve the disputes between both powers, having several more wars. After the Ottomans utter failure to gain permanent foothold in the eastern Caucasus, Iranians made the Kingdoms of Eastern Georgia integral parts of the empire during the next 150 years (although various Georgian kings and nobles rose into rebellion, many kings and aristocrats fully accepted Persian overlordship). In the early 17th century Shah Abbas I made a punitive campaign into his Georgian territories after Teimuraz I of Kakheti assaulted the Karabakh governor and killed him. Facing important resistence in Tbilisi, the Shah ordered a massacre of the public (between 130,000 and 200,000 died).
Erekle II
In the early 18th century, Kartli, the most politically dominant region of all Georgian areas, saw a partial recovery under Vakhtang VI, who instituted a new law code and tried to improve the economy (here it was established the first Georgian-language printing press in 1709). After the Safavid Empire collapsed, the Ottomans and Russians divided Georgia by the two, recovered under Nader Shah of Iran in 1735. Teimuraz II of Kartli and Erekle II of Kakheti remained loyal to the shah, who granted the kingship of Kartli to Teimuraz and of Kakheti to Heraclius. When Nader Shah was assassinated, they cooperated with each other and expelled Persian garrisons from Georgia and, when Teimuraz II died, Heraclius succeeded him as king of unified Kartli-Kakheti (1762-1798). He turned towards Russia for protection against Ottoman and most notably Persian attacks.  In 1783 Erekle signed the Treaty of Georgievsk with Russia, according to which Kartli-Kakheti got established as a protectorate of Russia (keeping Georgia's territorial integrity and the continuation of its reigning Bagrationi dynasty).
View of Tbilisi (1832) by
Nikanor Chernetsov

But when another Russo-Turkish War broke out in 1787, Erekle maintained diplomatic contacts with the Ottomans, resulting in the Russians withdrawing their troops from the region. In 1795, the new Persian shah (Agha Mohammed Khan) invaded the country and captured and burnt Tbilisi, reestablishing Persian rule over Georgia.
 After Erekle's death, a civil war broke out over the succession to the throne of Kartli-Kakheti and in 1801, Tsar Paul I of Russia signed a decree on the incorporation of the Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti within the Russian Empire (dethroning the Georgian heir to the throne David Batonishvili and deployed a government headed by General Ivan Petrovich Lasarev).
Caucasus Viceroyalty
In 1810, the kingdom of Imereti was annexed by the Russian Empire after the suppression of King Solomon II's resistance. From 1803 to 1878, as a result of numerous Russian wars against Turkey and Persia, several formerly Georgian territories were annexed to the Russian Empire (Batumi, Artvin, Akhaltsikhe, Poti, and Abkhazia). Modern-day Georgia was divided in Kutais Governorate and Tiflis Governorate. The Russian authorities aimed to integrate Georgia into the rest of their empire, but at first were insensitive to local law and customs, leading to a conspiracy by Georgian nobles (1832) and a revolt by peasants and nobles in Guria (1841). When Mikhail Vorontsov was appointed as Viceroy of the Caucasus, he won over the Georgian nobility but Georgian serfs lived in dire poverty (few of them lived in the towns, where what little trade and industry was in the hands of Armenians).
Ilia Chavchavadze
Georgian dissatisfaction with Tsarist autocracy, the loss of independence of the Georgian Orthodox Church and Armenian economic domination led to the development of a national liberation movement in the second half of the 19th century, under the leadership of Prince Ilia Chavchavadze (who founded new Georgian schools, supported the Georgian national theatre and inspired other Georgian intellectuals of that time like Akaki Tsereteli or Niko Nikoladze). A large-scale peasant revolt occurred in 1905, which led to political reforms that eased the tensions for a period, and the Marxist Social Democratic Party became the dominant political movement in Georgia (being elected to all the Georgian seats in the Russian State Duma established after 1905). The revolution was leaded by Josef Vissarionovich Djugashvili, known as Joseph Stalin, a Georgian Bolshevik.
Borders of the Democratic
Republic of Georgia
 The Russian Revolution of October 1917 plunged Russia into a bloody civil war during which several outlying Russian territories declared independence. Georgia proclaimed Democratic Republic of Georgia on May 26, 1918 (following the break-up of the Transcaucasian Federation). The new country was ruled by the Menshevik faction of the Social Democratic Party, which established a multi-party system and was leaded by Noe Zhordania, and was recognised by Soviet Russia (1920) and the major Western powers in 1921. In February 1921, the Red Army invaded Georgia and after a short war occupied the country (making the Georgian government forced to flee).
Rebels in August Uprising
Guerrilla resistance in 1921-1924 was followed by a large-scale uprising in 1924, August Uprising, controlled by Soviet authorities (about 50,000 people were executed and killed). During the Georgian Affair of 1922, Georgia was forcibly incorporated into the Transcaucasian SFSR comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia (including Abkhazia and South Ossetia); the Soviet Government forced Georgia to cede several areas to Turkey (the province of Tao-Klarjeti and part of Batumi province), Azerbaijan (the province of Hereti/Saingilo), Armenia (Lore region) and Russia (northeastern corner of Khevi). More than 150,000 were purged under Stalin and his secret police chief, Lavrenti Beria. In 1936, Georgia became the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic.
Georgian SSR and its autonomous territories
During WW2, Georgia contributed with almost 700,000 fighters (350,000 were killed) to the Red Army but, however, a number of Georgians fought on the side of the German armed forces (the Georgian Legion). In this time, Meskhetian Turks were deported from Samtskhe (Meskhetia). Stalin's successful appeal for patriotic unity eclipsed Georgian nationalism during the war and diffused it in the years following. The decentralisation program introduced by Khrushchev in the mid-1950s was soon exploited by Georgian Communist Party officials to build their own regional power base, making Georgia one of the most economically successful Soviet republics. Corruption was very important in Georgia and Eduard Shevardnadze (USSR's interior minister 1964-1972) ascended to the post of First Secretary of the Communist Party in Georgia. He ruled Georgia from 1972 to 1985, improving the official economy and dismissing hundreds of corrupt officials.
Protests against Soviet rule
Shevardnadze's appointment as Soviet Foreign Minister in 1985 brought his replacement in Georgia by Jumber Patiashvili (who coped poorly with the challenges of perestroika). Some Georgian territories were given autonomy, building the Abkhazian Autonomous SSR, Adjara ASSR, and South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast. Towards the end of the late 1980s, increasingly violent clashes occurred between the Communist authorities, the resurgent Georgian nationalist movement and nationalist movements in Georgia's minority-populated regions, notably South Ossetia. An anti-Soviet demonstration was brutally crushed by the Soviet Army in 1989, April 9 tragedy, resulting in 21 deaths and hundreds of injuries, what radicalised Georgian politics.
Opposition pressure on the communist government was manifested in popular demonstrations and strikes, ultimately resulting in democratic parliamentary elections 1990 (Round Table/Free Georgia bloc captured 54% of the vote and the Communists, 30%).
Zviad Gamsakhurdia
during 1991-92 Georgian coup d'état
Zviad Gamsakhurdia became the head of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Georgia and in 1991 organised a referendum on independence, approved by 98.9% of the votes, and declared the independence of Georgia on April 9, 1991. He opposed any vestiges of Russian dominance and declined to join the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Gamsakhurdia was elected president on May 26, 1991, but then was widely criticised for an erratic and authoritarian style of government. In December 22, 1991, armed opposition groups launched a violent military coup d'état, 1991-92 Georgian coup d'état, besieging Gamsakhurdia and his supporters in Tbilisi (although he managed to flee to the breakaway Chechnya in January 1992).
 
Eduard Shevardnadze
The new government invited Eduard Shevardnadze to become president in March 1992. In August of that same year, a separatist dispute in the Georgian autonomous republic of Abkhazia escalated when government forces and paramilitaries were sent into the area to quell separatist activities, beginning the War in Abkhazia (1992-1993). The Abkhaz were helped by paramilitaries from Russia's North Caucasus regions (and alleged support from Russian military in Gudauta), and in September 1993, it took place the Fall of Sukhumi (government forces suffered a catastrophic defeat). Around 14,000 people died, another 300,000 were forced to flee due to the ethnic cleansing of Georgians in Abkhazia and Georgia lost control of all the region but Kodori Valley. Ethnic violence also flared in South Ossetia but was eventually quelled (with 100,000 refugees fleeing into Russian North Ossetia) and in the autonomous republic of Ajaria, Aslan Abashidze managed this republic as a personal fiefdom (1991-2004).
Georgian Civil War (1992-1993)
In the wake of the Abkhaz disaster, Zviad Gamsakhurdia returned from exile to organise an uprising against the government (specially strong in western Georgia) and the Georgian Civil War began, but Shevardnadze was assisted by Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. Once the rebellion collapsed, Shevardnadze's government agreed to join the CIS. Despite winning the presidential elections of 1995 and 2000, he became increasingly associated with pervasive corruption. The war in Chechnya caused considerable friction with Russia (accusing Georgia of harbouring Chechen guerrillas), increased by the close relationship that Shevardnadze had with the United States.
Rose Revolution (2003)
A powerful coalition of reformists headed by Mikheil Saakashvili and Zurab Zhvania united to oppose Shevardnadze's government in the parliamentary elections of 2003 but after it was concluded that the elections were rigged, opposition organised massive demonstrations in Tbilisi, the Rose Revolution, and Shevardnadze resigned.
 A new election was held in 2004 and the party National Movement-Democrats (NMD), supporting Mikheil Saakashvili, won 67% of the vote and he won the Georgian presidential election with an overwhelming majority of 96% of the votes cast. Following the bloodless Rose Revolution in 2003, Georgia strongly pursued a pro-Western foreign policy and it introduced a series of democratic and economic reforms aimed at integration into the European Union and NATO.Saakashvili faced the issue of more than 230,000 internally displaced persons put an enormous strain on the economy, as well as the fragile peace in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
Saakashvili and George W. Bush
Saakashvili government initially achieved impressive results in strengthening the capacity of the state and toppling corruption but such achievements could only result from the use of unilateral executive powers, failing to achieve a balance between democracy-building and state-building. The Ajarian leader, Aslan Abashidze, had very relationships with Saakashvili and another war seemed inevitable, but massive demonstrations forced him to resign and flee. Relations with Russia remained problematic due to Russia's continuing political, economic and military support to separatist governments in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. But already in 2005 discontent over unemployment, pensions and corruption, and the continuing dispute over Abkhazia, have greatly diminished his popularity. His government launched libertarian reforms and he managed to win 2008 presidential elections too.
Russo-Georgian War (2008)
Tensions between Georgia and Russia began escalating in 2008 with a bomb explosion targeting a car transporting Georgian peacekeepers, causing exchanges of fire. Saakashvili announced a unilateral ceasefire and called for peace talks on 7 August 2008, but escalating assaults against Georgian villages in South Ossetia make Georgia attack the capital of the self-proclaimed Republic of South Ossetia, Tskhinvali. But by then parts of the regular Russian Army had already moved to South Ossetian territory, accusing.
Russian occupation of Gori
Georgia of aggression against South Ossetia and launched a large-scale land, air and sea invasion of Georgia, the Russo-Georgian war of 2008. Abkhaz forces opened a second front by attacking the Kodori Gorge, Tskhinvali was seized by the Russian military, as well as occupied the cities of Zugdidi, Senaki, Poti, and Gori. South Ossetians conducted a campaign of ethnic cleansing against Georgians in South Ossetia (displacing 192,000 people). Nicolas Sarkozy, President of France, negotiated a ceasefire agreement on 12 August 2008, and Russia recognised Abkhazia and South Ossetia as separate republics (Georgia has maintained that Abkhazia and South Ossetia are occupied Georgian territories).
 
PM Bidzina Ivanshvili and
President Margvelashvili
In 2011 the Georgian tycoon Bidzina Ivanishvili entered to politics, establishing the opposition party Georgian Dream. In the parliamentary elections of 2012 Georgian Dream achieved an 54% of electorate vote, with Saakashvili admitting his defeat and naming Bidzina Ivanishvili Prime Minister. A new constitution came into effect which devolved significant power from the President to the Prime Minister and Giorgi Margvelashvili won the Georgian presidential election in 2013. In this period, Georgian Dream named different PMs like Irakli Garibashvili, Giorgi Kvirikashvili or Giorgi Gakharia after winning 2016 and 2020 parliamentary elections. In the Presidential elections of 2018 Salome Zourabichvili became the first female President of Georgia and in 2020, the ruling Georgian Dream said that its aim was applying for EU membership in 2024.
 
Georgia isn't a big country, but it has its different antonomous republics and regions, each one which special features and characteristics, and today it is divided in these administrative divisions:
Administrative provinces and republics of Georgia

Unforgettable experiences

This places and experiences are a must if you want to discover and understand Georgia and all its situation. This is my top 10:
  1. Tbilisi: this city by lake Ohrid is the most touristic one in all the country and, despite noth being among the largest, it has its own airport. Ohrid has an awesome group of churches, specially St. Jovan Kaneo Church and St. Sofija Cathedral, built during the times where Clement of Ohrid established here one of the major cultural centers of the First Bulgarian Empire and that make this city the only place in North Macedonia that was placed in UNESCO World Heritage list. It's also very interesting getting lost in town to discover its traditional Ottoman houses, small churches and walking on the promenade by the lake.
  2. Mtskheta: this city by lake Ohrid is the most touristic one in all the country and, despite noth being among the largest, it has its own airport. Ohrid has an awesome group of churches, specially St. Jovan Kaneo Church and St. Sofija Cathedral, built during the times where Clement of Ohrid established here one of the major cultural centers of the First Bulgarian Empire and that make this city the only place in North Macedonia that was placed in UNESCO World Heritage list. It's also very interesting getting lost in town to discover its traditional Ottoman houses, small churches and walking on the promenade by the lake.
  3. Mestia: the largest city in North Macedonia and its capital city is an interesting place to begin your journey in North Macedonia With plenty of museums explaining Macedonia's history and cultural legacy, interesting churches and the largest bazaar in the Balkans, Čaršija, it's worth to spend at least a day here. It can also be seen the impact that plan Skopje 2013, a controversial plan that consisted in building nationalist statues and modify building with a Neoclassical outlook.
  4. Telavi: largest national park in the country, located sandwiched between lakes Ohrid and Prespa, close to the border with Albania and south from Ohrid.Its location make it unique this park and the views are particulary beautiful when going up any of its peaks, being able to see both lakes. But moreover this place has many traditional mountanous and fishing villages by lake Ohrid, like Elšani, and interesting places such as Bay of Bones Museum, St. Zaum Monastery, St. Naum Monastery, Golem Grad or many nice beaches.
  5. Pelister National Park: oldest and 2nd largest national park in North Macedonia, located between Bitola and lake Prespa, around Pellister peak (2,601 m). This site is perfect to get in touch with Macedonian nature, particulary to see the Macedonian pine or molika, and discover some traditional mountanous villages with nice trails, churches or natural sights such as Brajčino, Dihovo or Magarevo. Close to it can be found the nice town of Resen.
  6. Batumi: the 2nd largest city in North Macedonia, not far from the border with Greece and close to Pelister National Park, used to be known as the City of Consuls because under the Ottoman Empire it was home of consulships of many countries. Nowadays the city is interesting enough to be worth a visit and discover its mosques and churches, its bazaar, parks and cementeries from WW1. But the main sightseeing point here is visiting Heraklea Lynkestis, one of the best archaeological sites in North Macedonia that owns nice mosaics and remains of old buildings.
  7. Mavrovo National Park: national park located around Mount Korab (2,764 m), highest mountain in North Macedonia, close to the borders with Kosovo and Albania. The park has very nice landscapes and is home of two ethnographic groups part of Macedonians, Mijaks and Muslim Macedonians or torbeš. Visiting Mijak traditional villages such as Galičnik or Lazaropole and Rostuša and its monastery can make the visitor enjoy a lot this trip.
  8. Kutaisi: the 4th largest city in North Macedonia isn't the place in the country with the most sightseeing points but it's still interesting to visit it. Its main sightseeing place are Marko's Towers (10th-14th centuries towers) and the Mound of the Unbeaten, a monument to Yugoslav partisans that died during WW2 to free Prilep from Bulgarian forces. Its strategical location make it perfect to visit Bitola, Kruševo, Veles or Kavadarci.  
  9. Sighnaghi: the largest city in North Macedonia and its capital city is an interesting place to begin your journey in North Macedonia With plenty of museums explaining Macedonia's history and cultural legacy, interesting churches and the largest bazaar in the Balkans, Čaršija, it's worth to spend at least a day here. It can also be seen the impact that plan Skopje 2013, a controversial plan that consisted in building nationalist statues and modify building with a Neoclassical outlook.
  10. Gori: largest national park in the country, located sandwiched between lakes Ohrid and Prespa, close to the border with Albania and south from Ohrid.Its location make it unique this park and the views are particulary beautiful when going up any of its peaks, being able to see both lakes. But moreover this place has many traditional mountanous and fishing villages by lake Ohrid, like Elšani, and interesting places such as Bay of Bones Museum, St. Zaum Monastery, St. Naum Monastery, Golem Grad or many nice beaches.

Planning your holidays

These are some possible routes you may do in Georgia to visit parts of it or discover it all. Here are some possible tours:

    a) 10 days tour

This short journey in North Macedonia would begin on its capial city, Skopje. The visitor can enjoy there the largest Ottoman bazaar in the Balkans, Čaršija, as well as visiting the museums that make Skopje a perfect introduction to understand North Macedonia and all its history. Discovering its different historical and religious buildings in a walk is an excellent idea. After a day in Skopje you can go south, close to the border with Greece, to visit North Macedonia's 2nd largest city, Bitola, the "City of Consuls" and with a long history (Heraklea Lynkestis should be visited). On the 3rd day you may go on a day trip to discover lake Prespa and Pelister National Park, a mountainous park with the unique molika (Macedonian pine). The last stop, for the 4th day, should be the most important sightseeing place in North Macedonia, Ohrid (Cultural and Natural World Heritage Sites by UNESCO in 1979 and 1980). Its traditional architecture and its very important old churches by lake Ohrid will impress and make the visitor love this laid-back city. For the 5th and last day, a day trip to Galičica National Park can be organised. Located on the border with Albania and between lakes Prespa and Ohrid, this park has many nice beaches, routes to trail, cute villages to discover or churches and museum to visit.

   b) 12 days tour

This journey in North Macedonia would begin on its capial city, Skopje. The visitor can enjoy there the largest Ottoman bazaar in the Balkans, Čaršija, as well as visiting the museums that make Skopje a perfect introduction to understand North Macedonia and all its history. After a day in Skopje you can go to enjoy the morning at Mavrovo National Park, a very nice park with an interesting mixture of nature and culture, visiting the cultural capital of Albanians in North Macedonia, Tetovo, in the afternoon and evening. The 3rd day could consist in going south, stopping in the beautiful Kruševo to discover the Vlachs (and their architecture) and then visiting the nice city of Prilep (in the center of the country) known for Marko's Towers. On the 4th day, close to the border with Greece, you can visit North Macedonia's 2nd largest city, Bitola, the "City of Consuls" and with a long history (Heraklea Lynkestis should be visited). On the 5rd day you may go on a day trip to discover lake Prespa and Pelister National Park, a mountainous park with the unique molika (Macedonian pine). The last stop, for the 6th day, should be the most important sightseeing place in North Macedonia, Ohrid (Cultural and Natural World Heritage Sites by UNESCO in 1979 and 1980). Its traditional architecture and its very important old churches by lake Ohrid will impress and make the visitor love this laid-back city. For the 7th and last day, a day trip to Galičica National Park can be organised. Located on the border with Albania and between lakes Prespa and Ohrid, this park has many nice beaches, routes to trail, cute villages to discover or churches and museum to visit.

   c) 15 days tour

This journey in North Macedonia would begin on its capial city, Skopje. The visitor can enjoy there the largest Ottoman bazaar in the Balkans, Čaršija, as well as visiting the museums that make Skopje a perfect introduction to understand North Macedonia and all its history. After a day in Skopje Kumanovo can be a nice place for a day trip, visiting the city and its surrounding area, including the cute town of Kratovo and Kokino megalithic observatory. Those who want to experience out of the beaten path tourism can go on the 3rd day to the largest city in eastern North Macedonia, Štip, and the smaller Strumica, not far from the border with Bulgaria. Starting the 4th day in Veles, a nice town with one of the best preserved traditional architectures in all the country, exploring Stobi archaeological site and any winery in Tikveš area. Going west from Skopje on the 5th day you can enjoy the morning at Mavrovo National Park, a very nice park with an interesting mixture of nature and culture, visiting the cultural capital of Albanians in North Macedonia, Tetovo, in the afternoon and evening. The 6th day could consist in going south, stopping in the beautiful Kruševo to discover the Vlachs (and their architecture) and then visiting the nice city of Prilep (in the center of the country) known for Marko's Towers. On the 7th day, close to the border with Greece, you can visit North Macedonia's 2nd largest city, Bitola, the "City of Consuls" and with a long history (Heraklea Lynkestis should be visited). On the 5rd day you may go on a day trip to discover lake Prespa and Pelister National Park, a mountainous park with the unique molika (Macedonian pine). The last stop, for the 9th day, should be the most important sightseeing place in North Macedonia, Ohrid (Cultural and Natural World Heritage Sites by UNESCO in 1979 and 1980). Its traditional architecture and its very important old churches by lake Ohrid will impress and make the visitor love this laid-back city. For the 10th and last day, a day trip to Galičica National Park can be organised. Located on the border with Albania and between lakes Prespa and Ohrid, this park has many nice beaches, routes to trail, cute villages to discover or churches and museum to visit.


How can I arrive and move within Georgia?

  Georgia is well communicated with neightbouring countries such as Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan (although not with Russia, country that has several conflicts with Georgia), mainly via Tbilisi. Tbilisi, Batumi and Kutaisi are connected with most of the important destinations in the Caucasus and in the rest of Europe and Middle East. The best mean of transport to move in the country is the bus (high frequency) but train is also a good one, although the train are slower (but in most of cases, cheaper).
  • Train map of Georgia
    Plane: there are international flights to Tbilisi International Airport (the most important one in Georgia) from many European cities and also to the airport in Batumi and Kutaisi (most of the flights to this airport are from low cost companies).
  • Train: Georgia's railway system is a bit slow but cheap. However, it can be interesting to take night trains to cross the country. The railway system connects Tbilisi with places like Rustavi, Gori, Telavi, Akhaltsikhe, Kutaisi, Zugdidi or Batumi. There are also trains to international destinations like Baku or Yerevan. 
  • Bus: this is the main and probably best mean of transport in all Georgia (and along the Caucasus). There are frequent buses from Tbilisi to all the main cities and towns of the country and there are also connections among them (although less frequent). There are buses that connect Tbilisi and Batumi with places such as Vanadzor, Yerevan, Ganja, Baku or Vladikavkaz. The offer of bus trips in Tbilisi is larger, including destinations like Istambul, Moscow or Athens.
  • Car: this is almost always the most comfortable way of moving for the lack of timetables to follow. It's required to have a green card (International Insurance Card). Most of the roads in Georgia are in good conditions but driving in the country is quite dangerous because of Georgian's attitudes and the difficulty of the landscape. Hitchhiking is also possible and a very good country to try it since Georgians love showing their hospitality.

What can I eat and drink in Georgia?

Khachapuri
Georgian cuisine has similarities with Caucasus cuisine, heavily influenced by travellers in the Silk Road and famous throughout the former Soviet Union. Every region of Georgia has its own distinct style of food preparation. Khachapuri [ხაჭაპური], cheese-filled bread with eggs and salt, is the national dish and several varieties like adjaruli, imeruli, megruli, guruli, atchma or phenovani. In the country salads are quite popular, for example adjapsandal [აჯაფსანდალი] seasoning salad; badridjanis salati nigvzit [ბადრიჯანის სალათი ნიგვზი], nuts and aubergine salad; or pomidoris da katris salati [პომიდორი და კატრიუს სალათი] tomato and peppers salad).
Tchikhirtma
Like in many former Russian Empire countries soups and stews are important in Georgian gastronomy, some are tchikhirtma [ჩიხირთმა], chicken, onion and coriander soup; tchakapuli (ჩაქაფული, lamb stew with onions, tarragon leaves and tkemali), khachi (ხაჩი, intestine and garlic soup), kharcho (ხარჩო, ox meat with rice and seasoning soup) or ostri (ოსტრი, lamb, tomato, potato and rice soup). Due to regional influence, in Georgia there's a version of kebab, called kababi. Talking about regional food in Georgia, the regions with more food personality are Kajetia. In the Georgian coastal zone some traditional dishes with fish are kefali (კაფალი, roasted fish), sturgeon or tskhotskal (ცხ.წყალკალი, boiled river fish served cold). In Kajetia and eastern region it's typical the mtchadi (მჭადი, cornbread), lobio (ლობიო, prepared beans with coriander, walnuts and garlic), mtsvadi (მწვადი, meat brochette with onion).
Tchanakhi
Another typical dish is the khinkali (ხინკალი, Georgian dumplings). In Georgia the kheveli cheese is also traditional and with many meals, there are 4 main kind of sauces: adjika (აჯიკა, with red peppers), baje (adjika but with nuts and coriander), tkemali (ტყემალი, season fruits with salt and coriander), and tomatis satsecbina (spicy tomato). Some of the dishes with meat are tchanakhi (ჩანახი, lamb stew with tomatoes, aubergines and potatoes), satsivi (საცივი, chicken with walnut sauce), sliavi (სიავი, fresh herbed lamb with dry plums), šiupinys (stew made from variety of ingredients), balandėliai (cabbage leaves stuffed with meat), kupati (კუპატი, typical Georgian sausages), apkhazaouri (აფხაზური, seasoned filled meat), chicken tabaka (წიწილა ტაბაკა, roasted chicken with tkemali sauce), kaourma (კაუმა, roasted chicken liver  with onion and potatoes), odjakhuri (ოჯახური, roasted pork with potato and mushrooms) and khuchmachi (ხუჩმახი, bowels with saffron, onion and coriander). Some Armenian dishes are also popular, mainly with tolma (ტოლმა, stuffed vine leaves filled with lamb).
Tchacha
Usually the meals are served with lavachi (ლავაში, Georgian bread) or lobiani (ლობიანი, beans-filled bread). For breakfast, it's very common the yogurt matsoni (მაწონი). In desserts the most popular one are churchkhela (ჩურჩხელა, grape must, nuts and flour), gonizaki (გოზინაყი, caramelized nuts served on Christimas), karaliokis chiri (კარალიოკის ჩირი, dried persimmons) and nazuki (ნაზუქი, Surami typical dessert). Talking about drinking, the most famous Georgian drink is the wine (ღვინო) throughout all the country, with each region having it's specialitie, like alazani (ალაზანი), akhasheni (ახაშენი) or saperavi (საფერავი). As in many other northern countries, there are many other kind of stronger spirits like gomi (გომის, Georgian vodka) or tchacha (ჭაჭა, grape pomace brandy). There are also traditional beers, loudi (ლუდი) and non-alcoholic drink like borjomi (ბორჯომი, mineral water), limonadi [ლიმონათი], Georgian lemonade; or lagidze water [ლაღიძის წყალი], the Georgian soda.

Learn some Georgian

   Georgian is the official language of Georgia and is currently spoken by 3.7 million people aprox. Georgian language belongs to the Katvelian languages (together with other smaller Georgian languages like Svan, Mingrelian or Laz) and is written on its own alphabet, Georgian script. Currently the country is undergoing a process in which English language is getting a lot more important so you can probably try to use it with young population. In case of speaking Russian, old people are the most likely to understand you.
These are some basic words in Georgian:

Georgian
English
Georgian
English
გამარჯობა
/Gamarjoba/
Hello
გთხოვთ
 /Gtkhovt/
Please
ალო
/Alo/
Hi
მადლობა
 /Madloba/
Thanks
როგორა ხარ?
/Rogora khar?/
How are you?
კი  
/K’i/
Yes
ნახვამდის!
/Nakhvamdis!/
Goodbye!
არა
 /Ara/
No
უკაცრავად
/Uk’atsravad/

Excuse me
მე არ ვლაპარაკობ ქართულად
 /Me ar vlap’arak’ob kartulad/

I don’t speak Georgian

Useful links

 In case you want to look for more information about Georgia (https://gnta.ge/; https://georgia.travel/) or its cities, towns, places and routes (https://www.caucasus-trekking.com/), here there's a list with some pages to get it: 

 
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