Must see attractions in Kakheti

Less of a monastery than a series of cave-hewn chapels, Udabno runs along a steep escarpment looking down to grassy plains in Azerbaijan. While many caves…

Prince Alexander Chavchavadze (1786–1846) was one of the most colourful and influential characters in Georgian history, and the palace and gardens he…

At the beginning of the 11th century, when Georgia was entering its cultural and political golden age, King Kvirike of Kakheti had this majestic cathedral…

Batonistsikhe was the residence of the Kakhetian kings in the 17th and 18th centuries and remains today a superbly preserved old castle right in the…

This well-displayed, modern museum has good exhibits on Kakheti archaeology and history downstairs, and a room of 13 paintings by Kakheti-born artist Niko…

Most of Erekle II’s 4km defensive wall still stands, with 23 towers and each of its six gates named after a local village. Part of the wall runs along…

A very professional modern operation 7km southeast of central Telavi, producing 1.5 million bottles a year – 30% is qvevri wine (under the Vinoterra label…

This remote, 244-sq-km nature reserve climbs to heights of over 3000m in the Caucasus above the small town of Lagodekhi in eastern Kakheti near the…

A family-run operation making qvevri and European wine, 23km north of Telavi. Visits include its comprehensive qvevri wine museum and a tasting of three…

This interesting smallish winery produces wines of numerous appellations under the Shumi and Iberiuli labels, and has a vineyard of 432 vine varieties,…

A few kilometres outside Dedoplis Tskaro, Eagles Canyon is home to enormous griffon, black vultures and black storks. It's an epic place best explored…

The Vashlovani Protected Areas total 370 sq km of territory harbouring a very high concentration of different species including 46 mammals, 135 birds, 30…

The 6th-century cave church Peristsvaleba contains Davit Gareja's tomb, to the right of the icon screen.

Nekresi’s early Georgian architecture and the views across the Alazani valley from its hillside-woodland site are marvellous. The monastery is 4km off the…

This monastery, beautifully situated in a cypress grove, was one of two famous medieval Georgian Neoplatonist academies, the other being Gelati near…

Bodbe Convent, the revered final resting place of St Nino, is set among tall cypresses 2km south of Sighnaghi, a pleasant walk on country roads. The…

From 1466 to 1672, Gremi was the capital of Kakheti, but the town down to the west of the citadel was totally devastated by Shah Abbas in 1616. Within the…

This restored monastery is on three levels, with buildings from many periods. You enter by a gateway decorated with reliefs illustrating stories of the…

What's special here is the 7.7km of wine tunnels, dug out of a hillside in the early 1960s for storing and ageing wine at constant temperatures. Today the…

This impressive hilltop ruin is an extraordinary site to behold and it's hard to imagine how it was even constructed atop such a steep peak. The truly…