Artvin

Artvin has a spectacular setting on a mountainside climbing up from the Çoruh River, with steep streets zigzagging from the bottom of town to the top. Sadly, the town itself is not in the least pretty, and kilometres of dam and road works have scarred the valley below. However, Artvin is a good jumping-off point for the beautiful mountain country and relics of old Georgian culture to its east, and a possible stopover between Yusufeli or Erzurum and the coast.