ANCIENT CITIES AND CULINARY TRADITIONS

ACCOMMODATION: 4 nights in Tbilisi, 2 nights in Kakheti

 DAY  1: TBILISI

• Arrival in Tbilisi, meeting at the airport with the representative of the company. 
• Transfer in the hotel. Check-in.
• 20:00 A welcome Dinner at a national restaurant with the show program.   (Overnight at the Hotel in Tbilisi).

DAY 2: TBILISI

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Sightseeing tour across Tbilisi.
• After the Excursion, we go on a visit to the wonderful hostess who will give for you a master class on the preparation of the Georgian national dishes. You together with it will prepare Mingrelian kharcho (A chicken in nut sauce), the champignons baked in ketsi with cheese of Suluguni, and salad on - to the Georgian recipe.
• Lunch from the prepared dishes. At dinner also tasting of domestic wines.
• Visit a Wine gallery for wine tasting. (Overnight at the Hotel in Tbilisi).

  
  

DAY 3: TBILISI-MTSKHETA-UPLISTSIKHE-TBILISI ( Approx. 105 km.)

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Transfer on an excursion to the cave city of Uplistsikhe.
• Uplistsikhe (God's Fortress) — the ancient cave city, one of the first cities in the territory of Georgia. Uplistsikhe is cut in the rock. The city arose at the end of II — at the beginning of the I millennium BC, endured several rises and recessions, was finally left in the 19th century and is, thus, a multilayered archaeological object, one of the most important monuments of the Georgian culture.
• Visit of a house wine cellar. Wine of house production of 2 kinds of grades - red, white and chacha. The winemaker will tell the story of grape culture and the production of wine in Georgia. A lunch and master classes of Georgian cuisine –  we will learn to cook khinkali.
• Transfer on an excursion to the ancient city museum of Mtskheta.
• Mtskheta is an ancient city museum, the former capital of East Georgia.
• Visit of the ancient and unique Jvari Monastery and Svetitskhoveli (both monuments enter world heritage of UNESCO) enters the obligatory program of any guest of Georgia.
• Jvari is the first monastery of Georgia, 5-6 century. Exactly here St. Nino set up the cross from a grapevine and began to preach Christianity.
• Svetitskhoveli – central cathedral of  Georgia, the 10th a century. Here crowned and buried kings of Georgia. Unique frescos and shrines of the world orthodox culture are stored in walls of this monastery.
• Transfer to Tbilisi.  Free evening.(Overnight at the Hotel in Tbilisi).

DAY 4: KAKHETI (Approx. 150 km.)

• Breakfast at the hotel. Check out from the hotel.
• Transfer to the region Kakheti.
• The region Kakheti since most ancient times is considered a cradle of the Georgian winemaking. It is very picturesque edge with the most ancient monuments of architecture and hospitable locals.
• Today we will visit the complex Nekresi and Gremi.
• Gremi – a 16th century architectural monument in Kakheti. Complex consists of the royal citadel and the Church of Archangels, and represents the only surviving part of the medieval town of Gremi.
• Nekresi - We will climb the twisting mountain road to the picturesque monastic Nekresi complex, constructions since 4th century remained here. The monastery is founded by one of the Assyrian fathers of Abo Nekreseli. From here the great view of the Alazani valley opens.
• Visit and survey a new type of wine cellars and museum "kvevri"; (a kvevri monument, the museums of wine, the unique, cut kvevri (With their help we can watch process of production of wine in kvevri)). A a guest of the most popular place in Kakheti,we will have a chance to bake the Georgian bread – shot in the “tone”, and  make the Georgian sweet – Churchkhela. During a Lunch on a traditional Georgian feast we will taste the well-known wines of owners of a cellar. 
Transfer to the hotel. Check inn and have a free evening.
• (Ovenight at the hotel in Kakheti ) 

DAY 5: KAKHETI(Approx. 60 km.)

• Breakfast in the hotel.
• Visit of the monastery "Alaverdi" — the cathedral of the first quarter of the 11th century (Saint Georgy's cathedral) and a monastic complex in Akhmeta municipality of Kakheti, Georgia. Before  Sameba's trinity church construction in Tbilisi the cathedral Alaverdi was the highest church construction of Georgia. The cathedral Alaverdi is presented on inclusion in the list the World heritage of UNESCO., and also Ikalto is actually very first monastery in Kakheti. In the past at the monastery there was also an Academy. The monastery Ikalto is founded in the 6th century by Zenon from Ikalto, one of 13 Assyrian fathers. From structures of that era already nothing remained. The temples existing nowadays are built not early the 8th century.
• We will visit Telavi, the museum "Tsinandali" - House museum of Alexander Chavchavadze, local aristocrat and cultural figure. In the territory of the manor the prince in the 19th century laid out a fine garden, having collected plants from around the world and also based the Georgia's first wine cellar of the European type in which wines 19 of a century are still stored. The daughter A. Chavchavadze, Nino, I was Alexander Griboyedov's spouse.
• For lunch we will visit the country house where we will taste house dishes from bio products and domestic wine.  There will be held master classes in Kakheti kebab. 
•  (Ovenight at the hotel in Kakheti )

DAY 6: KAKHETI- TBILISI (Approx. 150 km.)

• Breakfast in hotel and Check out
• Monastery of  Bodbe is a popular place of a pilgrimage. In its territory there the tomb of St. Nino. (exactly thanks to her the Christianity became official religion of Georgia in 326).
• Our following stop will become — "The City of Love" — Sighnaghi. Despite its restoration, a primitive, historical townscape  is kept. Wandering about small streets, we will be able to plunge into the atmosphere of the last centuries and a great views of the Alazani Valley and the Caucasus Mountains!
• Lunch at the local restaurant.
• Further, we will walk (about 500 m) along the biggest Sighnaghi wall: in military years its towers gave a guarantee of protection of nearby villages.
Transfer in Tbilisi.
•  (Overnight at the Hotel in Tbilisi).

 DAY 7: TBILISI

• Breakfast in the hotel.
• Check out
• Transfer to the airport of Tbilisi

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 *Prices can be changed according to dollar exchange at the time of booking.

For more information with prices, please contact the staff of our company. You can find our contacts in the "Contacts" section.