Jvari Monastery above the meeting of the Aragvi and Mtkvari rivers

Mtskheta

Mtskheta and Jvari, half day

The old capital, twenty minutes from the new one

1 day
≈ 4 h
4 stops
from $120 per carfrom €110 per carfrom ₾315 per car

The price is per car for the whole tour, not per person.

Mtskheta was Georgia's capital for almost a thousand years and is still its spiritual centre: Svetitskhoveli, where kings were crowned, and Jvari on the hill above the meeting of two rivers. It is the easiest half day out of Tbilisi, in the morning or after lunch. The car and the driver wait for you at every stop.

Pickup: 09:00 or 14:00 at your hotel in Tbilisi
Length: about 4 hours
On the road: about 1 h 15 min of driving, 50 km
Best season: all year round

Book this tour

Pick the date and the car. No payment now, you pay the driver after the tour.

Car

Mercedes-Benz V-Class7 seats≈ $25 per person≈ €23 per person≈ ₾64 per person$170€155₾445
Mercedes-Benz S-Class3 seats, recommended≈ $40 per person≈ €37 per person≈ ₾105 per person$120€110₾315
Toyota Land Cruiser Prado4 seats≈ $40 per person≈ €37 per person≈ ₾105 per person$160€145₾420

Date

Time

Passengers2

Book$120€110₾315

per car, for the whole tour
Starts in Tbilisi
Free cancellation up to 24 h before

Itinerary

4 stops

The line shows the order of the stops. Your driver takes the best road on the day.

1
Jvari Monastery09:30
The 6th-century church on the hilltop opposite the town, built where St Nino raised her cross. Twenty minutes for the church and the view down to the confluence.
2
Svetitskhoveli Cathedral10:15
The great cathedral of 1029 inside its walls, where Georgia's kings were crowned and buried. Frescoes, stone carving, and the quiet of a working church.
3
Samtavro11:15
The convent where King Mirian and Queen Nana, the first Christian rulers of Georgia, are buried, with a 4th-century chapel in the garden.
4
The old town11:45
A stroll through the lanes between the churches: churchkhela stalls, a bakery for lobiani, a coffee. Then back to Tbilisi, or on to Shio-Mgvime if you have an extra hour.

What's included

Car and driver for about four hours
Fuel and parking
Water, Wi-Fi and chargers on board
Child seats on request, free of charge
The order of the stops adapted to the light and the crowds

Not included

Entrance to Shio-Mgvime's small museum, if you add it
A licensed guide. The churches have free leaflets in English and Russian

Details and questions

About this tour

Mtskheta sits where the Aragvi flows into the Mtkvari, twenty kilometres north of Tbilisi. It was the capital of the kingdom of Iberia from the 3rd century BC and the place where Georgia adopted Christianity in the 4th century. The whole town is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Jvari, the 6th-century church on the hill opposite, is the picture every Georgian knows, with the town and the confluence laid out below it.

The half day runs in a loop: up to Jvari first, while the light is on the valley, then down across the river to Svetitskhoveli, the 11th-century cathedral in the middle of town, and the convent of Samtavro a few streets away. Between them are the old lanes with their bakeries and stalls of churchkhela, the walnut-and-grape sweets that hang from every doorway.

Four hours is enough for all of it at an easy pace. With an extra hour the road continues to Shio-Mgvime, a monastery carved into the cliffs of a side valley, or to Zedazeni on the ridge above the town.

Best time to go

Mtskheta is a year-round half day. Spring and autumn give the clearest views from Jvari. Summer mornings are better than afternoons, when the valley heats up. In winter the churches are quiet and the hills are often dusted with snow, which suits the place.

Food and wine

Mtskheta is known for lobio, beans stewed in a clay pot and eaten with pickles and cornbread, and for lobiani, the bean-filled bread from its bakeries. A simple lunch in town is 25 to 40 GEL per person. Most guests prefer to be back in Tbilisi for a proper lunch. Your driver drops you at the restaurant.

Which car

Any car suits this half day. Two guests travel best in the S-Class. Families and small groups in the V-Class.

Tips from our drivers

Mornings are quieter at Svetitskhoveli. Tour buses arrive after eleven.
Churches ask for covered shoulders and knees. Wraps are lent at the gates.
Mtskheta combines well with a morning arrival: airport, tour, hotel check-in at lunchtime.

Morning or afternoon?

Morning for the light on the valley and fewer people. Afternoon if you arrive that day. Both work in every season.

Can we start at the airport?

Yes. We meet your flight, drive to Mtskheta directly, and bring you to your Tbilisi hotel afterwards. The airport pickup is included in the tour price.

How much walking is there?

Very little: a few hundred metres at each stop, with some steps at Jvari. The tour suits older guests and children.

Can we add Kakheti or Gori?

Mtskheta is on the way to both. A full day with Gori and Uplistsikhe, or with the Kakheti wineries, is priced as the longer tour.