Georgia for a summer holiday - experience please!

[daystartswithcoffee]

Hi!
We're a 'last minute' kinda family - well travelled, and happy to rough it. And, I'm thinking about booking a 10 - 12 day trip to Georgia late July. We're two adults and a 15 year old girl - who doesn't mind a bit of adventure. Has anyone got any tips? Is 10 days enough? We like rural experiences, different cultures, getting off the beaten track. Is it 'too hot' in July? (We're fairly good with heat though - last year we spent three weeks in Sri Lanka in July. And only booked that two weeks before we flew!) I'd love to hear experiences of other Georgia holidays!

I went last month but with Dh.
It is now my new favourite destination.
I'm not sure what to do with a teenager because I didn't need to research that.

However Tblisi is marvellous. We did a walking tour with wine tasting for about 10 quid.
I really wanted to go to Kazbegi add thought we couldn't go because the roads were shut but on the day before we left they reopened. We went as a guided tour and stopped at the Russian _Georgian monument en route.

We used Get your guide for tours which were inexpensive, a.a ing value, good fun and brilliant guides. We also did the Chronicles of Georgia. We ran out of time as there was loads more I wanted to do.

We took the funicular up the hillside one day, another day we went on the cable cars for a walk around the gardens and up to the statue of Mother Georgia.

The street dogs are amazing if you like dogs and if you don't, they don't bother you.
The wine is gorgeous ( and im not a wine drinker)
The food was great. We only we
nt for a week and apart from the tours we're based in Tblisi. We didn't have enough time to do what I wanted. I will definitely be going back,i was such a good vibe

Re the weather. It was raining when we arrive ( about 05:00hrs) but we went to bed and by mid morning it was warm and sunny. Everyday after that was warm(about 22-24°)
Even on trips to the mountains and we were in the snow, it was warm. O had to take my coat off as I got too hot!

Food was very inexpensive. I cant remember the exact prices but it was very good value.

There were young kids on the tours we did ( except the walking one)and im not sure what is risky about it to be honest.

I would 100% recommend Georgia as a holiday! I want to go back but Dh wants to go somewhere else in October otherwise I'd be back.
I would feel absolutely safe by myself. I have travelled a lot by myself over the 40 years and I know when I get good and bad vibes about a place.

Just to add, a lot of the flights arrive in the early hours of the morning. We flew with British Airways from Heathrow and made our itinerary up as we went along. We used booking.com for accommodation which was good value.

You’d sizzle in Oman in the summer. And if OP wants an adventurous holiday in Georgia I don’t think Oman would tick her boxes.

dizzydizzydizzy
I love a bit of adventure too, OP. Sounds like Georgia may be a bit risky. What about Oman instead? I've only heard good things about Oman
Have you even been to Georgia? Why is it risky? Why put someone off when you don't know about it or expierenced it?

When I was in Georgia some fellow travellers were advised not to speak in their native language - which is Russian.
But there was absolutely nowhere that I felt unsafe, even late in the evening on my own.

Steppes Travel have a selection of interesting places to visit in Georgia. Looks fascinating.

I would so love to go to Georgia!

Go!

I've just popped back to this thread to see how it was going.
I thought I would add some of my best things about Georgia.
1 Tblisi old town - Really good vibes. Loads of lovely restaurants.

2 Wine! They love their wine. Cherry wine is so nice

3 Great Value from a UK point of view

4 Amazing scenery, from being lovely and warm in the town to the fantastic views in the mountains. Nice river walks, walking over the Peace Bridge into the old town, everywhere was vibrant and felt safe. No rowdy groups, no groups of men hanging around, no one trying to scam you or sell you a carpet or fake sunglasses!

5 The street dogs (Ignore this if you don't like dogs!) They are well looked after and like to snooze in the sun.

6 The people. We had lots of chats with locals who have a great sense of humour.

7 Great day trips from Tblisi from walking tours, wine tastinng, trips to the Georgia Russia monument, etc

There's loads of other stuff that I wanted to do but I ran out of time.

There are protests going outside a building in the evening. This is an ongoing thing from the parlimentary elections. It is , or was, when I was there last month, a late evening gathering of people protesting. It didn't affect us at all, as tourists.

Beautiful! Thank you! What time of year were you there?

@daystartswithcoffee August. Started in Azerbaijan and ended in Armenia: it was a great trip :)

Love following this thread. I last went to Georgia 20 years and we have booked to go back next April (me, DH and DD) - can't wait! Im pretty sure that 20 years ago the FCO were still advising against all travel to Abkhazia and South Ossetia - not much had changed there!

This is so good to hear! I can’t wait. I’m only going for a week so only have time for Tblisi and Kazbegi but I’ve been googling some of the more remote regions and it looks absolutely other worldly. Googling lagodeheki national park, the landscape looks like Iceland meets Iran. It’s a shame transport is so tricky if you’re short on time.

Thinking of going in September, world situation permitting. Would a few days in Tbilisi and then a couple of nights in the wine region be doable?

I'm also going this year- cannot wait. It's been at the top of my travel wish list for years. Plan is to stay in Tbilisi for 5 nights with 2 x big day trips (Bonjormi/ Vardzia and Stepantsminda) and 2 days pottering more locally in Tbilisi, and then Kakheti for 2 nights. Haven't booked accommodation yet for for these two days, was thinking about Signagi but any recommendations would be great. Will be with teens, any ideas for sure-fire winners with teens welcome.

So I’m going next week solo. I’ll be seating in Tbilisi for 2 nights https://qarvaslahotel.com/ , which looks incredible, then have found a female driver to take me up to Kazbegi for 5 nights. I’ll be hiking. May do a couple of guided hikes as I’m scared of strolling into Russia by mistake!

Please let us know what this hotel is like as we’re looking at booking for September 😊

@katieakwill do!!
i need someone who’s been to tell me how bad the Georgian Russian Highway is. I’m getting stupidly anxious about it as I’ve read it’s quite crazy in terms of mad driving and hair pin bends!

I didn't drive it myself but it's not the worst road I've ever been on!

That award probably goes to the closed "road" in Mongolia with sheer drop offs to the lakes and rivers which the driver had to ford. I spent a lot of that journey with my eyes closed,

@MrsHamletughhh I remember those types of road in Nepal. How bad is the highway really though?

I really don't remember it being bad at all

@MrsHamlet thank you!!

No problem! I'm quite jealous of your trip now...
...although I'm currently at the airport :)

Following as going for a long weekend in October with my girlfriends. Sounds as though those who’ve been have had a great time! We only have 3 full days so will probably stick with Tbilisi, really want to go to the royal baths!

There's a restaurant near the baths which has traditional music and dance and great food - Terrace Gorgasali

@MrsHamleti will try that place. I want to hear some Georgian music, although my driver is a singer on the side and I will be asking her to sing to me as long as long as it doesn’t distract her from hair pin bends and Russian trucks. Where are you off to?