11-Day Tour to Azerbaijan and Georgia starts in Baku and finishes in Tbilisi

Day 1 BAKU CITY TOUR

1. 1

   Highland Park

   1 hour

   Baku sightseeing tour starts on day 1 at 10:00 AM. First stop is at the Mountain Park, where we can observe Baku Bay and panoramic views of the city.

2. 2

   Palace of the Shirvanshahs

   1 hour Admission ticket included

   After a short walk in the alley we drive to the old city to visit the Palace of the Shirvanshahs, which was built in the 15th century and served as a stronghold of Baku in the middle ages.

3. 3

   Baku Old City

   2 hours

   Participants of the Baku old city tour will also explore old caravanserai and bathhouse, medieval mosques, art shops.

4. 4

   Maiden Tower

   1 hour Admission ticket included

   Finally visit Maiden tower, 12th century monument under the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Day 2 BAKU – SHEKI

1. 1

   Diri Baba Mausoleum

   1 hour Admission ticket included

   After breakfast at the hotel, tour departs to the west – to town of Sheki. On our way we will make several stops to see 15th century mausoleum of Sheikh Diri-Baba in Gobustan town

2. 2

   Juma Mosque

   1 hour Admission ticket included

   Next visit 8th century Juma Mosque in Shamakhi town.

3. 3

   Palace of Shaki Khans

   30 min Admission ticket included

   In the evening, we arrive in Sheki. The evening Sheki tour explores Sheki fortress, Palace of Shaki Khans, old caravanserai and mosque.

Day 3 SHEKI – SIGHNAGHI

1. 1

   Church of Kish

   1 hour Admission ticket included

   After breakfast we make a short excursion to Kish – a village located 5 km from Sheki. The main attraction of the village is Church of Kish. The existing church building is estimated to be constructed in the 12th century and has served Caucasian Albanian, Georgian and Armenian churches in different times through history. However, archaeologists found that church stands on much older, ancient cultic site.

2. 2

   2 hours

   From Kish we drive to the eastern border of Georgia. Tour guide will assist the participants with border formalities. On the border we change the vehicles. From now on local Georgian guide will assist you and continue the tour. From Georgian-Azerbaijan border we drive to Sighnaghi – a town in a traditional wine-making Kakheti region in the east Georgia. Surrounded by the medieval city wall, Sighnaghi stands on the hills of Gombori range, overlooking Alazani river valley.

3. 3

   Museum of History and Ethnography

   1 hour Admission ticket included

   We are going to visit Sighnaghi Museum that has several important collections and exhibitions, such as the ethnographic and archaeological exhibitions, and collections of the works of prominent Georgian painter Niko Pirosmani. Afterwards we can take a walk in Sighnaghi streets and park.

Day 4 SIGHNAGHI – TSINANDALI – SHUMI – TELAVI - TBILISI

1. 1

   45 min Admission ticket included

   On day 4, after breakfast we depart from Sighnaghi and drive to the village of Tsinandali to visit Aleksandre Chavchavadze House Museum. Aleksandre Chavchavadze was a well-known 18th century Georgian aristocrat, military figure and poet. Nowadays Chavchavadze’s residence, garden and wine-cellar functions as a museum and attracts lots of visitors.

2. 2

   Shumi Winery

   40 min Admission ticket included

   From Tsinandali we move to Shumi – where we can take a look on another, Shumi winery and the wine museum “Vazioni”, where visitors can taste local wine and snacks.

3. 3

   Batonis-Tsikhe Fortress

   1 hour Admission ticket included

   Our next stop is Telavi – major town of Kakheti region. In Telavi we can visit medieval fortress that served as a residence of the Kings of Kakheti – Batonistsikhe.

4. 4

   Gombori Pass

   1 hour Admission ticket included

   We make a short Telavi tour and afterwards depart for Tbilisi through the Gombori pass (1620 m).

Day 5 TBILISI CITY TOUR

1. 1

   30 min

   Tbilisi city tour starts from visiting the Holy Trinity Cathedral (Sameba), one of the tallest Orthodox Christian churches in the world.

2. 2

   Metekhi Cathedral

   30 min

   From Sameba, we move to Metekhi Plateau and Metekhi church built in the 5th century, located on the cliff over river Mtkvari and the old city district.

3. 3

   Narikala Fortress

   1 hour Admission ticket included

   From Metekhi we move to Narikala fortress – ancient fortification overlooking Tbilisi from the hill, which can be reached by a aerial cable car.

4. 4

   Old Town Tbilisi

   2 hours

   From Narikala we take a walk through the old city full of various attractions and sites: the National Botanical Garden of Georgia, Jumah Mosque, Legvtakhevi canyon and waterfall, Abanotubani – historical sulfur bathhouse district of Tbilisi, Shardeni and Erekle II streets and the glass Bridge of Peace. Tbilisi city tour finishes at the Meidan Square.

Day 6 TBILISI – MTSKHETA – ANANURI – GUDAURI

1. 1

   Svetitskhoveli Cathedral

   40 min

   After breakfast at the hotel we drive to the north to Mtskheta – historical capital of Georgia, located near Tbilisi at the convergence of the two rivers of Mtkvari and Aragvi.
   Visit Svetitskhoveli Cathedral - an Eastern Orthodox cathedral located in the historic town of Mtskheta, Georgia, to the northwest of the Georgian capital Tbilisi. A masterpiece of the Early Middle Ages, Svetitskhoveli is recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. It is currently the second largest church building in Georgia, after the Holy Trinity Cathedral.

2. 2

   Jvari Church

   30 min

   Continue to Jvari Monastery is a sixth century Georgian Orthodox monastery near Mtskheta, eastern Georgia. Along with other historic structures of Mtskheta, it is listed as a World Heritage site by UNESCO.

3. 3

   30 min

   Head to the north and drive on the Georgian Military Highway. On our way to Gudauri we make a stop near Zhinvali reservoir.
   The Zhinvali Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Aragvi River in the Caucasus Mountains in Zhinvali, Georgia. The Zhinvali Hydroelectric Power Plant has two turbines with a nominal capacity of 65 MW each having a total capacity of 130 MW.

4. 4

   Ananuri Fortified Castle Ensemble

   30 min

   Visit Ananuri which was a castle and seat of the eristavis (Dukes) of Aragvi, a feudal dynasty which ruled the area from the 13th century. The castle was the scene of numerous battles.

5. 5

   2 hours

   Drive to Gudauri - a ski resort located on the south-facing plateau of The Greater Caucasus Mountain Range in Georgia. The resort is situated in the Stepantsminda District, along the Georgian Military Highway near the Jvari Pass, at an elevation of 2,200 meters (7,200 ft.) above sea level with skiable area enjoying maximum exposure to the sun.

Day 7 GUDAURI – KAZBEGI – TBILISI

1. 1

   Gergeti Trinity Church

   2 hours

   After breakfast we drive to Kazbegi town. On our way we make a stop at the travertine hill and taste local mineral waters. After our arrival in Kazbegi we set off for Mount Gergeti trek. Gergeti Trinity Church is a popular name for Holy Trinity Church near the village of Gergeti in Georgia. The church is situated on the right bank of the river Chkheri (the left tributary of the river Terek), at an elevation of 2170 meters (7120 feet), under Mount Kazbegi.

Day 8 TBILISI – GORI – UPLISTSIKHE – BORJOMI – AKHALTSIKHE

1. 1

   Stalin Museum

   45 min Admission ticket included

   Head to Samtskhe region and drive through Kartli province. Our first stop is at Gori town, where we will visit museum of Joseph Stalin. Joseph Stalin Museum is dedicated to the life of Joseph Stalin, the leader of the Soviet Union, who was born in Gori. The Museum retains its Soviet-era characteristics.

2. 2

   Uplistsiche Cave Town

   1 hour Admission ticket included

   Our next stop in Kartli – Uplistsikhe cave complex is another popular site located near Gori. Uplistsikhe is identified by archaeologists as one of the oldest urban settlements in Georgia. Strategically located in the heartland of ancient kingdom of Kartli (or Iberia as it was known to the Classical authors), it emerged as a major political and religious center of the country.

3. 3

   Borjomi Central Park

   1 hour Admission ticket included

   Next stop is in Borjomi – a spa-resort in Mtkvari ravine, where well-known mineral water ‘Borjomi’ comes from. After a walk in Borjomi park, we depart for Akhaltsihke and arrive there in the evening.

Day 9 AKHALTSIKHE – AKHALTSIKHE CASTLE – VARDZIA

1. 1

   Rabati Castle

   1 hour Admission ticket included

   After breakfast we start Akhaltsikhe (translated as “new castle”) tour and visit its most remarkable monument - Rabati Castle s. Originally established in the 9th century as the Lomisa Castle, it was completely rebuilt by Ottomans. Most of the surviving buildings date from the 17th and 18th centuries.

2. 2

   Vardzia

   1 hour Admission ticket included

   From Akhaltsikhe, we leave for Vardzia in the afternoon. Vardzia is a cave monastery site in southern Georgia, excavated from the slopes of the Erusheti Mountain on the left bank of the Kura River, thirty kilometres from Aspindza.

Day 10 AKHALTSIKHE – TSALKA – TBILISI

1. 1

   Paravani Lake

   25 min

   Paravani lake is a volcanic lake in Georgia, located in Javakheti Plateau between Abul-Samsari and Javakheti Ranges.

Day 11 TBILISI

1. 1

   Tbilisi

   25 min

   Breakfast at the hotel. Check out time before 12:00 pm. End of service.