I plan to visit Georgia, and would love to see some old pretty architecture and experience old culture. I will be flying in from the Ukraine, so the closer to the sea, the better, although this is not a must. Where should I go if I wish to see culture, architecture, and of course the amazing landscape. Also, I speak only English and Russian, so will this be an issue? (Due to the tensions with Abkhazia).
Edited by: JustinGolden
Georgians get along just fine with Russians. It's Putin they despise. Many Russian tourists visit Georgia. Many Georgian adults speak Russian in addition to Georgian.
For interesting architecture, visit Old Rustavi-x. It's a city with beautiful, decaying, patina'd buildings of the Stalinist era. (Unfortunately, you won't find the real Rustavi-x in the LP; instead there's some village the LP identifies as Rustavi-x.)
But the real Old Rustavi is only about 40 minutes away from Tbilisi. You can take a marshrutka from various points in Tbilisi to Old Rustavi-x for only 1 lari and 30 tetri. The marshrutka will drive through New Rustavi-x, then over the Mtkvari River into Old Rustavi-x.
Both New and Old Rustavi-x are quite walkable. You can get a marshrutka back to Tbilisi as late as 10:00 p.m.
Before you get onto a Rustavi-bound marshrutka, ask "rustavi meria"? The meria is the city hall in Old Rustavi-x. It's a giant plaza. This just ensure you are on a marshrutka that goes all the way to the Old part of the city instead of ending in New.
At the plaza are two restaurant/bars with good food: Hollywood's and Giorgi's. Good pizza. Just be sure to say you don't want mayonnaise on the pizza if you decide to order one.
Kutaisi also has interesting architecture in its old town.
Edited by: mzurie
#1 offers a slightly odd suggestion in Rustavi.
If you're flying fromKyiv I assume you'll land at Tbilisi. The most impressive archtecture is right there in Tbilisi and nearby Mtskheta. This is also where old culture is most accessible. Nearby are trhe cave monateries of davit gareja (day trip from Tbilisi or Rustavi) and Vardzia (more likely to need an overnight stay in Borjomi or Akhaltsikhe).
As #1 says, Russian is widely spoken and pretty much everyone born before 1970 is fluent in Russian. No problem speaking it although a few words of Georgian are always appreciated.
Hi -*JustinGolden.
Just one little pointer....
It is no longer 'The' Ukraine. Just Ukraine.
Done.
For landscapes, Kazbegi or Mestia are a must. There is excellent hiking a various levels, but the best bit is you stay in homestays. In Georgian homes with Georgian people eating Georgian food. It's a quick immersion into the culture.
As for the language, Georgia is making a major push to replace Russian with English. So you can easily talk to older people in Russian and younger people in English.
Old Town Tbilisi, Mtskheta for churches and architecture. David Gareji for fantastic desert scenary and cave monasteries. Vardzia is also a great cave monastery complex. Batumi, the beach down at Sarpi on the Turkish border. Kazbegi is the easiest place to get to in the mountains. More out of the way is Svaneti (though they're turning Mestia into a ski resort), and even more than that is Tusheti or Khevsureti. Racha is also very very beautiful and very undervisited, though if taking public transport you have to plan ahead a bit or fall back on hitchhiking.
You won't have any problems with Russian. English is not as widely spoken as it seems and usually your best bet for English are the 13-15 years olds or of course, people that deal with tourism. Most people 25+ can speak Russian, though a lot of it has to do with their level of education.
To everything what has been said, I'd like to add Kakheti. I really loved this region. Go to Signagi (marshrutka costs 6 lari and leaves from Isani starting from 8-9am). It's a nice town, surrounded by hills. Its museum and Bodbe convent (2km walk from the town) are worth a visit. You can visit wineries and just relax :)