1 destination · 10 things to do

Georgia

Tbilisi is one of the most rewarding and least predictable capitals in Europe’s far corner, a city of carved wooden balconies, domed sulfur baths and Soviet-era printing houses turned design hotels, strung along the Mtkvari river beneath the walls of Narikala Fortress. The old town tumbles down the hillside in a jumble of churches, wine bars and courtyards; the grand avenue of Rustaveli runs past the national museum and the opera; and the golden cross of Holy Trinity Cathedral watches over everything from its hill across the river. Georgia’s food and wine are reason enough to come, from cheese-filled khachapuri and soup dumplings to amber wines made in buried clay qvevri, a tradition thousands of years old. And within a day’s drive lie the country’s greatest set pieces: the medieval churches of Mtskheta, the old royal capital; the vineyards and hilltop walls of Sighnaghi in Kakheti; and Gergeti Trinity Church high under the glaciers of Mount Kazbek. This guide books the tours worth booking, flags the winter road closures that can affect the Kazbegi trip, and shows how to fit it all into a first visit.