Azerbaijan
Chabiant Winery offers the most appealing visitor experience of Azerbaijan's new breed of vineyards, with a hotel, tastings and swifts swooping between…
Must-see attractions in Georgia, Armenia & Azerbaijan
Armenia
Only accessible by foot or 4WD, this 14th-century monastery was built on the site of a 5th-century basilica and has a church, gavit (antechamber) and bell…
Kutaisi
Kutaisi's cathedral was built in 1003 by Bagrat III, with a tall drum and pointed dome resting on four freestanding pillars. In 1692 a Turkish explosion…
Great Caucasus
This fortress 66km north of Tbilisi is a classic example of Georgian architecture, enhanced by its superb location overlooking the Zhinvali Reservoir. The…
Northern Armenia
Founded in 1188 by the saintly Armenian cleric Mkhitar Gosh, who was buried in a little chapel overlooking the main complex, this monastery features a…
Armenia
Snow covers the top of the highest mountain in modern Armenia almost year-round, so climbing is best from July through September. Be careful, though –…
Armenia
Set on a hill, the stunning orange tuff memorial at Sardarapat commemorates the battle in May 1918 when forces of the first Armenian republic turned back…
Northern Armenia
Perched above the hamlet of Kobayr is the 12th-century monastery of the same name. The main church has some partially restored Georgian-style frescoes and…
Yerevan
Though small, this fascinating museum does a great job of documenting the life and work of the prolific Armenian painter and sculptor. The museum…
Azerbaijan
Two beautiful high-altitude valleys meet at charming little İlisu. Amazingly this diminutive village of photogenic old homes was once the capital of a…
Great Caucasus
The beautiful Truso valley, source of the Tergi River, heads west off the Georgian Military Hwy 17km south of Stepantsminda. It's dotted with ancient…
Quba 1918 Genocide Memorial Complex
Azerbaijan
A startling pair of concrete spike-pyramids rise dramatically above a subterranean museum that very powerfully commemorates the massacres of April and May…
Southern Georgia
Rabati Castle has been comprehensively renovated from the perilous, semi-ruined state it was left in a decade ago, and while it was a much-needed…
Northern Armenia
Built on the site where legend tells us St Thomas buried Christ's swaddling clothes in the 1st century, the core of St Astvatsatsin dates from the 5th…
Azerbaijan
Naxçivan's most attractive settlement appears like an oasis amid craggy desert landscapes. Its central square features a classic old-men's teahouse…
Gori
This impressively ancient church has a beautiful setting above a bend of the pretty, grapevine-strewn Tana valley, 12km south of Gori. Ateni Sioni was…
Azerbaijan
Second only to the Möminə Xatun as Azerbaijan's most impressive medieval tomb-tower, the main 1320 mausoleum is a ribbed cylinder inlaid with ample 'Allah…
Qala Ethnographic Museum Complex
Azerbaijan
This impressive open-air park-museum features several furnished, traditional-style Abşeron buildings – such as a house, blacksmith's forge, potters'…
Azerbaijan
Today's Qəbələ was renamed for an ancient city mentioned in Pliny the Elder’s Natural History (AD 77), and forgotten after it was destroyed by the 18th…
Azerbaijan
One of Northern Azerbaijan's most culturally intriguing villages, Qrız sits on the crag-top plateau that looks out across the cliffs above Çaygoşan. The…
Armenia
This handsome 17th-century church is located in the neighbourhood of Mughni, on the northern edge of Ashtarak. It features striped bands of stone around…
Western Georgia
An exciting 700m-long walkway projects from the edge of this 100m-deep canyon and culminates in a viewing platform that hangs right out over the middle…
Azerbaijan
High above the city, a plateau of summer pastures known as Xan Yaylağı offers truly superb viewpoints back over the valley and northwards towards high…
Tbilisi
The impressive high-arched Parliament building has seen many momentous events, including the deaths of 19 Georgian hunger strikers at the hands of Soviet…
Baku
From historic flatweaves to modernist picture-rugs, this tailor-made museum displays and explains a superb collection of Azerbaijani carpets. It's housed…
Azerbaijan
In decades past, being sent to a Soviet salt mine was a synonym for horror. At Duzdağ, however, a former mine site has been converted into a curative…
Open-Air Museum of Ethnography
Tbilisi
This collection of traditional, mostly wooden houses, from all around Georgia, is spread over a wooded hillside with good views, and makes for an…
Yerevan
Housed on the top floors of the History Museum, Armenia's foremost art gallery holds a large but somewhat underwhelming collection of European and Russian…
Baku
Full of rare trees, cafes, fountains and fairground rides, the central sweep of Baku's seafront park is eternally popular with families, amateur musicians…
Azerbaijan
Across the river from central Quba, Qırmızı Qəsəbə is a much-celebrated Jewish village with two active synagogues, including the Grand Synagogue. Its…
Armenia
Etchmiadzin's main museum houses precious objects and relics, including the Holy Lance (Surp Geghard), the weapon allegedly used by a Roman soldier to…
Northern Armenia
About 13km from Dilijan, Parz Lich (meaning clear lake) is an attractive sight that explodes with tourism during the summer months. Lakeside attractions…
Dilijan Local Lore Museum and Picture Gallery
Northern Armenia
Housing an eclectic collection of European and Armenian art from the 16th to 20th centuries, this gallery is Dilijan's major cultural institution. Some of…
Baku
The most notable feature of the 'Highland Park' that stretches south from the Flame Towers is this sombre row of grave memorials – Bakuvian victims of the…
Azerbaijan
An octagonal tomb-tower with gilded roof-point stands just outside the small side gate at Naxçivanqala's south tip. It was built in 2008 but the brickwork…
Western Georgia
Nokalakevi is an ancient Colchian fortress built on the banks of the Tekhuri River. It's been mooted as one of the (many) places to have housed the Golden…
Omalo
Constructed during the Mongol invasions during the 1230s, these five towers form a protective fortress on the hilltop above Zemo Omalo where locals would…
Western Georgia
The castle-like palace of the Dadiani family (old lords of Samegrelo) is now a museum set in beautifully maintained grounds. As well as interesting 19th…
Northern Armenia
This Soviet-era museum is a shrine to brothers Anastas and Artyom Mikoyan. Anastas was in charge of administering food in the USSR and survived 60 years…
Azerbaijan
The vast Shahdag National Park covers over 1.3 million sq km, encompassing many of the nation's most spectacular peaks and high-mountain trails. Lower…
