CONCRETE GIANTS
LOST MOSAICS
MOUNTAIN DREAMS
August 24 ⇾ August 31
October 09 ⇾ October 16
In addition to our regular group departures to Georgia, we also offer bespoke tour services for private travel parties and lone wolves alike. As a traveller-oriented boutique operator, tailored trips and bespoke adventures are our bread and butter. Get in touch for more info on our customised journeys to Georgia!
DAY 1 to DAY 3 – Tbilisi and Rustavi
Meet-and-greet at Tbilisi International Airport and transfer to our hotel of choice in central Tbilisi.
Three full days devoted to the unseen side of Tbilisi: crumbling buildings, brutalist concrete shapes, socialist modernist gems, Soviet mosaics, bustling bazaars, improvised street stalls, hidden bakeries and not a single tourist around!
Architectural Highlights: Bank of Georgia, National Radio Building, Industrial College, Chronicles of Georgia Monument, Archeology Museum, Nutzubidze, Gldani, Dezerter Bazaar, Georgia Expo, State Circus, Vake Park, Wedding Palace, National Library.
During our sojourn in Tbilisi, we’ll also take a short half-day excursion to Rustavi, a grey-blocks-and-wide-alleys Soviet satellite town, completely forgotten by all tour operators bar us.
Overnights in Tbilisi.
DAY 4 – Georgian Military Road
After an early breakfast, we’ll head for the astounding mountains of the mighty Caucasus, the impervious range that marks the border between Europe and Asia, Christianity and Islam, the former USSR and the Middle East.
Stretching from the Black Sea to the Caspian shores, the Caucasus is home to both Mount Elbrus, the highest peak in Europe at 5,642 metres (18,510 ft) above sea level, and Mount Kazbek, a dormant stratovolcano located on the tense frontier separating post-Soviet Georgia from Russia.
Driving along the legendary Georgian Military Road, a strategic route connecting Tbilisi with the border town of Stepantsminda and further to Vladikavkaz (the elegant capital of North Ossetia), we will travel through a majestic landscape of high peaks, intimidating ravines and idyllic mountain pastures while slowly approaching the Kazbek.
Major Soviet-themed stops along the route will include the sleepy socialist-classicist town of Dusheti, a spaceship-like monument in Zhinvali dedicated to the 300 Aragvian Highlanders, and the politically controversial memorial to the Treaty of Georgievsk, also known as the Russian-Georgian Friendship Monument.
Once in Stepantsminda, we’ll also allow ourselves a more touristy detour to visit the postcard-like Gergeti Trinity Church, which offers spectacular views over the city and the surrounding mountainscapes.
Overnight in Stepantsminda.
DAY 5 – Gori and Borjomi
We will leave Stepantsminda early in the morning and head southwestwards to Borjomi, a renowned Soviet mountain resort town located in the gorgeous Kharagauli National Park.
En route to Borjomi we’ll obviously call at the pretty Soviet-classicist town of Gori, the birthplace of Stalin and the last Georgian-controlled outpost before the contested border with the internationally unrecognised but de facto suzerain Republic of South Ossetia.
Once in Borjomi, we’ll devote the rest of the day to the socialist sights and architectures of this once-thriving Soviet spa town: sanatoria, apartment blocks, mosaics and nostalgia.
Overnight in Borjomi.
DAY 6 – Chiatura and Kutaisi
In the morning we'll drive back north towards the surreal mining town of Chiatura, a steampunk city famous for his extensive network of rickety but still functioning cable cars from the Soviet 50s.
On our way to Chiatura, we’ll stop in the rough-and-ready towns of Khashuri and Sachkhere to visit somber industrial remnants of better days and splendid Soviet mosaics still shining against all odds.
After having enjoyed a comprehensive Soviet tour of Chiatura and its many socialist-era wonders, we’ll move westwards to Kutaisi along some truly off-the-beaten-track roads crisscrossing the Caucasian foothills and their fair share of proudly nostalgic remote mining hamlets (such as Orpiri and Tkibuli) and isolated Orthodox monasteries (the one in Katskhi being the most famous one due to its spectacular location).
Overnight in Kutaisi.
Bespoke Experiences • Full Soviet immersion in an archetypical USSR-era House of Culture in rural Georgia and a traditional Mingrelian meal with a local family near Zugdidi.
DAY 7 – Tskaltubo and Zugdidi
We’ll spend the early morning hours in Kutaisi focussing on both the Soviet architectural-monumental heritage and the traditional facets of the city, such as the extremely photogenic central bazaar.
We’ll then head to the former Soviet resort town of Tskaltubo to visit its architecturally grandiose Soviet Sanatoriums and meet the new unwilling dwellers inhabiting them: the internally displaced refugees (IDPs) who escaped the secessionist territory of Abkhazia during the dark days of blood and war that followed the disintegration of the Soviet Union.
From Tskaltubo we’ll transfer to Zugdidi touring the mosaic-rich town of Khobi and other little-known Soviet gems along the way.
In the late afternoon we will eventually arrive in Zugdidi, capital of the ethnically-diverse region of Mingrelia, where we’ll spend the final hours of our journey searching for what we love most: Soviet architecture and mosaics, colourful food stalls, and mouthwatering local delicacies.
Overnight in Zugdidi.
DAY 8 – BACK TO TBILISI OR transfer to Abkhazia
After sharing a last Georgian meal together, we'll take care of your transfer to either Tbilisi International Airport or Kutaisi International Airport.
For those interested in visiting the internationally unrecognised self-styled republic of Abkhazia (Apkhazeti): transfer to the de facto Georgian-Abkhaz inner border at Inguri (the sole legal crossing into Abkhazia according to the Law of Georgia) for a 5-day tour to the region.
For those wishing to take the train/bus to reach further destinations: transfer to the local train/bus station in Zugdidi.
End of the tour.
1950 €
INCLUSIONS
Double/twin-room accommodation (breakfast included), private transport in Georgia (car/minivan), all entrance fees, English-speaking guiding service, 24/7 on-site and remote assistance.
EXCLUSIONS
Single supplement, international flights, main meals (lunches and dinners), extra drinks, visa fees (if required), tips, travel insurance.
