Anyone been to Georgia on holiday, country not state?

[JulietteHasAGun]

So me and Dd are going to go next summer and I need to get planning. She really wants to see a /church in the north of the country which looks quite remote. Gergeti Trinity Church. ChatGPT has recommended a website where you can hire private drivers for trips so think we’d probably do that to get there.

Has anyone done their own DIY trip round Georgia and how did you find it? Did it feel safe?

I went to Georgia a month before I was diagnosed with coeliac disease. Although it was wonderful and I would recommend it as a country to visit, being coeliac would be really really hard there. Not just everything containing bread, but the waiters just would not have grasped the no cross-contamination thing whether you have the translation cards (I know the ones). It’s unfortunately one of the places I’ve been that I don’t see how I could return to. Wheat was just in everything and any menu modifications were often misunderstood (I had kids with me).

Absolutely beautiful country. Very safe and easy to get around. We did a combination of self driving and day trips from Tbilisi. We did a day trip up to Gergeti. The trip was great and the scenery was stunning. The mountains surrounding the church and the view of it is really as breathtaking as it looks in photos, if not more so. We are desperate to go back to Georgia again so you should definitely go!

The bread dish Khachapuri is their national dish and the dumplings Khinkali are lovely. I recommend Klike’s Kinkali. Rustic venue but excellent Kinkali.

Make sure to do the cable cars- great for views, the sulphur baths are a really envigorating experience and the architecture is fascinating. The cathedral at night with its golden dome is a beautiful sight. All in Tblisi.

Klike’s is in Tblisi.

We went last year. Loved Tbilisi, we went to the wine region for a couple of days, had an amazing wine tour and the food was incredible. I’d like to go back and go to the mountains. It was a very easy country to be in.

I went last year when DH was working there. Fabulous country. Tbilisi is very safe and welcoming. I wandered the city alone with no problems. Pretty much everyone speaks English. We did some day tours out to different areas of the country which were really interesting. Would recommend.

Can I ask, ish, how much it has been to pay a local driver? I can see it will be a lot if you're on your own but might be reasonable split between a few people?

We have done 2 full day trips, a half day this afternoon and the airport transfers, worked out at roughly €250 each, including a 4 wheel drive when we did our mountain day.
We added a picnic on one of that day which was €50 bextra, a luxury but we enjoyed it.
For the winery yesterday we choose a to visit a small family winery, it was the costlier option, but again our choice
Viator and Get your Guide have lots of options, plus lots of offices in the old town selling yours..