• Tour Program
• Map of the tour
• Notes and suggestions
• Quotation Request

<

>

Day 1. Arrival in KUTAISI

Arrival in Kutaisi, transfer to the hotel and overnight.

Day 2. Kutaisi city tour - Prometheus Cave - Borjomi - Akhaltsikhe

After breakfast, visit of the city center of Kutaisi with some time to discover the central market, a unique opportunity to get in touch with the everyday life of the locals. Departure for Prometheus Cave, one of the richest and most surprising caves in Europe, characterized by the presence of underground rivers, stalactites and stalagmites which are a true natural architectural masterpiece. It is also possible to travel the boat route along the underground river (the excursion is subject to the security conditions and the effective navigability of the underground river). Continuation to Borjomi, a famous spa town, with a stop in the large city park to taste the mineral waters directly from the springs. Arrival in Akhaltsikhe and visit to the old city, called Rabati, characterized by colorful Georgian-style houses and the with a Castle, built in the XIV century, inside which there is a church, a mosque, a Koranic school and a museum. Overnight in Akhaltsikhe.

Day 3. Akhaltsikhe - Vardzia - Khertvisi - Gyumri

After breakfast, departure for Vardzia, one of the most incredible places in Georgia, a city founded in the XII century by Queen Tamar, entirely carved into the rocky wall of a hill overlooking the valley of the Kura River. Still today is possible to admire a church with well-preserved frescoes, wine cellars, refectories and hundreds of residences dug up to a depth of 50 meters in the rock. Stop at the fortress of Khertvisi, built in the X century and located on the top of a rocky promontory at the confluence of the Paravani and Kura rivers, and continuation to the Armenian-Georgian border of Bavra. After border formalities, change of guide and transport and continuation of the journey to Gyumri, the second largest city of Armenia. Visit of the city center of Gyumri, that extends all around Vardanants Square, overlooked by the church of Yot Verk, inside which there is a venerable icon of the Virgin with the Seven Wounds, the church of the Holy Savior, currently in reconstruction, and the Town Hall building. Visit to the local market, the largest in the region. Gyumri, formerly known as Kumayri, in tsarist times as Alexandrapol, and in Soviet times as Leninakan, is sadly famous for the earthquake that struck it in 1988 which caused tens of thousands of victims. Today the city has recovered from this sad event and offers visitors a relaxed lifestyle and beautiful black tuff houses dating back to the early 1900s in Neoclassical and Art Nouveau styles. Overnight in Gyumri.

Day 4. Gyumri - Saghmosavank - Amberd - Echmiadzin - Yerevan

Breakfast at the hotel and departure for the Aragatsotn region, whose views are dominated by Mount Aragats, the highest in Armenia. Visit of the Park of Letters, a modern monument, unique in the world, dedicated to the Armenian alphabet, codified in the V century by Saint Mesrop Mashtots. Continue to Saghmosavank Monastery, the Monastery of Psalms, built in the 13th century in a spectacular location on the edge of the Kasagh River Gorge. Ascent to Amberd, a VII century fortress located on the slopes of Mount Aragats at about 2300m above sea level. Its name means "fortress in the clouds" and archaeological evidence shows that this site was inhabited since the Bronze Age and used to be a key defense site in the region until its conquest and destruction by Timur Lenk in 1236. Continuation to Echmiadzin, a city nicknamed the "Armenian Vatican" because it is the seat of the Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Visit the Mayr Ator Cathedral, the oldest Christian cathedral in the world and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the church of Saint Hripsime, built on the tomb of the holy martyr. Arrival in Yerevan and overnight.

Day 5. Yerevan city tour - Garni - Geghard - Yerevan

After breakfast, visit of Yerevan starting from Victory Park, which houses the statue of Mayr Hayastan (Mother Armenia), to admire the best view of the city. Visit of Matenadaran, the museum-library, unique in the world, which houses a collection of thousands of manuscripts. Continuation to Cascade complex, a monumental staircase that houses the modern art collection of Gerard Cafesjian. Walk in the center of Yerevan to admire the Armenian Opera Square and continuation along Northern Avenue, Yerevan's pedestrian street, to Republic Square, surrounded by the most beautiful buildings in the city, where Stalinist style meets Armenian architecture, and where the dancing fountains show takes place every evening in the summer. Ddeparture to Kotayk region to visit the temple of Garni, a Hellenistic Roman temple from the I century AD and the only one to survive after the Christianization of Armenia in the IV century AD. Continuation of the journey to Geghard monastery (UNESCO World Heritage Site), located in a narrow gorge and partially carved into the rock. The name of the Monastery, Geghard, in Armenian language means "spear", as the spear that pierced Christ's side on the Cross was kept here for centuries. Short descent into the gorge of Garni, a deep canyon with walls covered by basaltic rock formations in the shape of organ pipes that have earned the name of this place of "Symphony of Stones". Return to Yerevan and overnight.

Day 6. Yerevan - Khor Virap - Noravank - Selim - Noratus - Sevan - Dilijan

After breakfast, departure towards south-east entering the Ararat Region to visit the monastery of Khor Virap, dominated by the snowy profile of Mount Ararat, in a suggestive position near the border with Turkey. In the fortified monastic complex there is the well-prison (Khor Virap means "deep well") in which in the fourth century St. Gregory the Illuminator was imprisoned for 13 years. Continuation to the wine region of Vayots Zor, whose landscape is characterized by jagged gorges and wild peaks. Stop at a local winery in Areni for a tasting of Armenian wines made from native grapes and continuation to Noravank monastery, the masterpiece of the architect Momik, surrounded by rugged gray and red rocky mountains, with the two-storey church of Surp Astvatsatsin richly decorated with bas-reliefs. Continuation towards the north of Armenia, climbing up the central Armenian plateau up to the Selim pass with a stop for a visit to the ancient Orbelian Caravanserai, an important station along the silk road, which testifies to the importance of Armenia as an important commercial hub between East and West. Continuation, through unforgettable landscapes of mountains, lush valleys and green meadows, to Lake Sevan, the "Emerald of Armenia", one of the highest freshwater alpine lakes in the world, to visit the Sevan peninsula, on which stands the Sevanavank Monastery, to admire the spectacular views of the lake and surrounding mountains. Arrival in Dilijan, a town nicknamed "Switzerland of Armenia" due to the dense woods that surround it. Walk along the Sharamberyan street, the historic part of Dilijan, recently renovated, where small workshops of ceramic crafts, wood carvings and typical products were born. Overnight in Dilijan.​

Day 7. Dilijan - Sanahin - Haghpat - Akhtala - Tbilisi

After breakfast, departure towards the Debed River Valley, with its treasures of armenian religious architecture. Visit to Sanahin Monastery, built in the X century and nowadays a UNESCO World Heritage Site, famous for its three nave Gavit, for its academy and for its book repository. Continuation to Haghpat Monastery (built in the X century and now a UNESCO heritage site), which was the most important spiritual center of Medieval Armenia in the XII century. Its university was very famous throughout the Armenian world and its school of copyists and miniaturists was among the most renowned in Armenia. The famous Armenian poet, composer and storyteller Sayat-Nova spent 20 years of his life here. Visit of the fortified church of Akhtala, built on a rocky spur surrounded by high and deep canyons, famous for being one of the few churches in Armenia with interior walls covered with frescoes counted among the best examples of Byzantine art outside the Empire of Byzantium. Transfer to the Georgian-Armenian border of Bagratashen and, after customs formalities, change of transport and transfer to Tbilisi. Overnight in Tbilisi.

Day 8. Tbilisi city tour

After breakfast, full day dedicated to the discovery of Tbilisi, the fascinating and multicultural capital of Georgia, a city of ancient origins crossed by the Kura River and strategically located at the crossroads between Europe and Asia, along the historic Silk Road. Today Tbilisi is the most important industrial, commercial and socio / cultural center of Georgia and offers a wide variety of monuments and places to visit. The tour begins with a visit to Metekhi Church, located on a hill overlooking the Kura River. With a modern cable car that starts from the Rike park you will reach the Narikala Fortress, built in the IV century on the hill overlooking the city, whose current shape is due to the interventions made in the XVI and XVII centuries. Descent on foot to the Abanotubani district, one of the few places in the world where there are, a few steps from each other, a church, a mosque - where Shiites and Sunnis pray together - and a synagogue. Visit of Sioni Cathedral, which houses the cross relic of Saint Nino, the evangelizing nun of Georgia, and Anchiskhati Basilica, built in the VI century and the oldest church in Tbilisi. Visit of the Georgian National Museum and then walk on Rustaveli Avenue, the main street of Tbilisi with beautiful nineteenth-century buildings, among which the Town Hall, the Vice King's palace, the Rustaveli Theater, the Opera, etc. stand out. Overnight in Tbilisi.

Day 9. Tbilisi - Gergeti - Ananuri - Tbilisi

​​After breakfast, departure to north, along the famous Georgian Military Road, to reach Stepantsminda, a small village located at the foot of the Greater Caucasus mountains. Visit of the Trinity church of Gergeti, located at 2100 m altitude, famous for its spectacular position dominated by the Kazbek glacier (5047 m). The church was built in the XIV century and its isolated location surrounded by the vastness of the natural landscape has made the church a true symbol of Georgia. Continuation to Ananuri and visit of the fortified complex located on the banks of the Zhinvali basin. The fortress contains civil, military and religious buildings and the main church is covered with bas-reliefs and engravings in Georgian. Return to Tbilisi and overnight

Day 10. Tbilisi - Mtskheta - Gori - Uplistsikhe - Kutaisi

​Breakfast at the hotel and departure for Mtskheta, the ancient capital and religious center of Georgia. Visit the Jvari Church, built in the VI century and located on a hill overlooking the city, and the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, built in the XI century on the place where, according to tradition, the tunic of Christ was buried. Both places are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Continuation to Gori for a visit to the Stalin museum, an imposing building built near the brick house where Stalin was born and where he lived with his family for four years. Visit of the rock-cut city of Uplistsikhe, whose name translates as "Fortress of the Bishop", one of the oldest settlements in the territory of Georgia containing structures ranging from the Early Bronze Age to the Middle Ages. The city, famous for its combination of different styles of troglodyte cultures of Anatolia and Iran, as well as for the coexistence of pagan and Christian architecture, is now included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Return to Tbilisi and overnight.

Day 11. Kutaisi - Gelati - transfer to airport - Departure

​​Breakfast at the hotel and visit to the Gelati Monastery, a complex made up of three churches founded in 1106 by the Georgian king David II "The Builder". For a long time this place was one of the main cultural centers of medieval Georgia, with an academy whose fame grew to such an extent that contemporaries called it "the new Greece" or "the second Mount Athos". The Monastery, which also houses the tomb of King David II, is now a UNESCO heritage site. Transfer to airport.
​End of services.

• The visit of the Prometheus Cave by boat will be possible only if the safety conditions of the underground river that flows inside will permit it. This will only be verifiable upon arrival on site.
  
• The visit of Vardzia takes place on a bumpy path inside caves and on winding paths.
  
• The interiors of Echmiadzin Cathedral are currently closed for restoration. For this reason, until the end of the works, the visit will be made only from the outside.
• The road that goes through the Debed Valley leading to the Haghpat and Akhtala monasteries is undergoing renovation works that will last until end of 2022. A spirit of adaptation is required due to the rough conditions of the road surface and the inevitable slowdowns that these entail. However, the scheduled visits will be carried out normally.
• People with reduced mobility must be aware that both in Georgia and in Armenia there are unfortunately no devices that allow them to overcome stairways and unevennesses and moreover, within the sites, the pavements are often uneven and the paths are unpaved.
• It is advisable to bring comfortable shoes and clothing that takes into account thermal excursions, even in summer.
• All museums and the Tatev cable car are closed on Mondays.
• The Vernissage market is open every day but can only be visited at its maximum extent on Saturdays and Sundays.​