Borjomi and Vardzia in 2 Days
A two-day loop through Samtskhe-Javakheti that splits the long drive to Vardzia in half: Borjomi's park and springs, the Green Monastery, Rabati Castle in Akhaltsikhe and Khertvisi on day one, then Queen Tamar's cave city before the crowds and the high Javakheti plateau on the way home.
BorjomiPhoto: Sergey Sebelev, CC BY-SA 4.0Vardzia is one of the most striking places in Georgia, a cliff honeycombed with hundreds of rooms dug out in the late 12th century, but it lies about four hours from Tbilisi. Doing it in a single day means eight hours in the car. This private tour gives it two days and fills them well. On the way out you stop in Borjomi, the spa town in a forested gorge whose salty water is famous across the former Soviet world, walk to the Green Monastery in the woods and then spend the late afternoon inside the restored walls of Rabati Castle in Akhaltsikhe. You sleep in a family guesthouse in the Mtkvari gorge, a few minutes from Vardzia, and are at the gate when it opens.
The drive back takes a different road, climbing to the Javakheti plateau at around 2,000 m and passing Lake Paravani, the largest lake in Georgia, before descending through Tsalka to Tbilisi. That makes a true loop with no stretch driven twice. Walking is easy to moderate: Vardzia has steep stairs, low tunnels and some exposed ledges with railings. We run the tour from May to October; in the colder months we return via Borjomi instead, since snow can close the plateau road.
Highlights
- Borjomi mineral water straight from the spring in Central Park
- The Green Monastery of the 9th to 10th century, hidden in the Borjomi forest
- Rabati Castle, a walled citadel holding both a mosque and a church
- Sunset over Khertvisi Fortress on its rock between two rivers
- Vardzia in the early morning, with Queen Tamar's portrait in the cave church
- The open Javakheti plateau and Lake Paravani on the drive home
Tour facts
Borjomi park, Rabati's lower courtyards and the viewpoints at Khertvisi and Lake Paravani are reachable on level ground near the car. Vardzia itself has long flights of steps, narrow tunnels and uneven ledges, so travellers with reduced mobility can view the cliff from the lower path and the site entrance only.
Places on this tour
11 places · tap any place to read its guide
- 1Borjomi, the Green Monastery, Rabati and Khertvisi
- 2Vardzia at opening time, then home over the Javakheti plateau
Day by day
01Borjomi, the Green Monastery, Rabati and KhertvisiOvernight: Vardzia
We leave Tbilisi at 8 am and follow the E60 west past Gori and Khashuri, then turn into the Borjomi gorge. In Central Park you fill a cup at the spring and taste the famous water: salty, fizzy, an acquired taste. A short drive takes you to Chitakhevi and the Green Monastery, whose small church of greenish stone stands among pines, a reminder of the monks killed here, according to tradition, during a 16th-century raid. Further up the Mtkvari, Atskuri Fortress makes a quick photo stop. After a late lunch in Akhaltsikhe you explore Rabati: the Jakeli family's stronghold, heavily restored in 2011 to 2012, with an 18th-century mosque, a church, a museum and the walls to walk. In the golden hour you pass Khertvisi on its rock above the Paravani and Mtkvari and reach your guesthouse near Vardzia for dinner.
02Vardzia at opening time, then home over the Javakheti plateau
After breakfast it is a few minutes to Vardzia, so you start before the day tours arrive from Tbilisi. The complex was cut into the cliff of Mount Erusheti under King Giorgi III and finished by his daughter Tamar around 1200. An earthquake in 1283 sheared off the cliff's outer face, which is why the cells, chapels, wine cellars and passages now stand open to the valley. Your guide leads you up the stairs and through the tunnels to the Church of the Dormition, where Tamar and her father are painted on the wall. Nearby, the older and quieter cave monastery of Vanis Kvabebi is worth a short look. Then the road climbs to Akhalkalaki, crosses the treeless plateau beside Lake Paravani at about 2,070 m and drops through Tsalka to Tbilisi, where you arrive in the late afternoon.
Prices
Price per person for a private tour, by the size of your group. Sample prices
| Group size | Per person | Whole group |
|---|---|---|
| Solo traveller | $645 | $645 |
| 2 travellers | $390 | $780 |
| 3-4 travellers | $310 | from $930 |
| 5-8 travellers | $255 | from $1,275 |
| 9-15 travellers | $215 | from $1,935 |
Room and children
- Single room supplement: $60
- Children under 6 free (sharing a bed); ages 6-11 pay 70% of the adult price.
- Prices change with hotel level and season; your quote is final.
Popular add-ons
- Tbilisi airport transfer (car, 1-3 people)$30
- Extra night in Tbilisi with breakfast$80
- Supra dinner with folk music$60
What's included
- Pickup at and return to your Tbilisi hotel
- A dedicated guide in your language on both days
- Private air-conditioned car or minivan and driver
- One night in a family guesthouse near Vardzia, breakfast included
- Lunch on both days and dinner at the guesthouse
- Tickets for Rabati Castle and Vardzia
- Water in the vehicle throughout
- Alcoholic drinks beyond wine at the guesthouse dinner
- Single room supplement
- Optional tips for guide and driver
- Travel insurance that includes health cover, required for every visitor to Georgia since 1 January 2026
Good to know
Who it's for
- Travellers who want Vardzia without spending a whole day of eight hours in the car
- History lovers drawn to medieval fortresses, cave monasteries and the age of Queen Tamar
- Couples and small families with a free weekend in Tbilisi and an appetite for a night in the countryside
- Photographers who like early light on cliffs and the bare upland scenery of Javakheti
If you only have one day and prefer short drives, our Uplistsikhe, Gori & Mtskheta Day Trip shows a cave town much closer to Tbilisi.
What to bring
- Shoes with good grip for the polished stone stairs and dim tunnels at Vardzia
- A small torch or phone light for the darker passages inside the cliff
- A warm layer for the open Javakheti plateau at around 2,000 m, which stays cool even in summer
- A cup or refillable bottle to taste Borjomi water at the spring
- Sun hat and sun cream, since the Vardzia cliff face gets the full afternoon sun
- Clothing that covers knees and shoulders, plus a headscarf for women, for the Dormition cave church
- Day one has about five hours on the road with several stops, so the day is full from 8 am to dinner.
- From roughly November to April we may return via Borjomi instead of the plateau road, as snow and ice can affect it.
- Vardzia's cave church is an active place of worship: cover shoulders and knees, and women should bring a headscarf.
- Some Vardzia tunnels are low and tight, which may not suit people with claustrophobia; the outer paths can be walked instead.
- Following a rockfall in 2026, a limited area of Vardzia is shut, though you can still explore most of the cave monastery.
Guest reviews
Questions about this tour
Why not see Vardzia as a day trip from Tbilisi?
You can, but it means about eight hours of driving for two or three hours at the site, and you arrive at midday with everyone else. Sleeping nearby lets you add Borjomi and Rabati without rushing and see Vardzia in the quiet morning light.
How hard is the walk at Vardzia?
Allow two hours. The path climbs steadily with many stone and metal steps, and some tunnels are low and narrow, so tall people must stoop. Railings line the exposed ledges. Anyone who manages a few flights of stairs at a steady pace will be fine.
Is Vardzia a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
Not yet. It is on Georgia's tentative list for UNESCO, together with other monuments of the region.
What are the guesthouses like?
Simple and comfortable, run by local families, with private bathrooms and rooms looking over the river. Dinner is home-cooked, often with trout from the Mtkvari valley and vegetables from the garden.
Can we visit in winter?
Yes. Vardzia and Rabati are open all year and look beautiful under snow, but days are short. In winter we drive back through Borjomi rather than over the Javakheti plateau, where snow and ice can make the road difficult.
Can we add Bakuriani or Sapara Monastery?
Sapara, with its fine frescoes, is about half an hour from Akhaltsikhe and fits on day one if you skip the Green Monastery. Bakuriani is better as a separate stay, especially in ski season.
