Total driving distance: 216 km (3 h 41 min)

9:00 - Morning guide will meet you at the hotel lobby holding the name board, pick-up, and drive out of the city.

First stop is at Jvari Monastery located on top of a mountain. Here, we have introductory story of the area and wonderful panorama over the Armazi Mountains and the town of Mtskheta, confluence of two rivers Aragvi and Mtkvari. This 6th c early Christian masterpiece represents the best sample how harmoniously architecture and landscape could interrelate.

Drive towards Gori - the town that lies at the center of Kartli region. Gori was an important military stronghold in the Middle Ages. At the foot of a sand-stone hill stands the medieval Fortress Tskhra-kara “the Nine-gated”. We do a short walk around and continue to the park by J. Stalin.

*Optional: Two museum visits are available during this tour:

• Josef Stalin House -Museum (works every day)
• Gori Historic-Ethnoghraphical Museum (non-working day is Monday)

Excursion in the museum of the Soviet era will take about 30 minutes. The museum consists of 3 sites: main building contains items related to his life, the house where he was born, and his personal railway carriage.

Lunch is arranged at the restaurant “Shin da Gori”, located nearby.

Next place to visit is the ancient cave town Uplistsikhe - "Fortress of the Lord", an ancient town carved in rock and located in 14 kilometers east of town Gori. The echoing halls, long meandering corridor-streets, chambers for pagan worship and even the remains of the oldest theatre in Georgia, all carved into the rocky plateau are waiting for you to be explored.

After completing the tour in Uplistsikhe drive back to Tbilisi. On the way pass through Mtskheta town, walk a little, and pay a visit to its second UNESCO World Heritage Site - Svetitskhoveli Cathedral. Enjoy relaxing evening and taste local sweets at the souvenir shopping rows. Don’t skip to visit 5th c basilica of the Antioch Monastery located behind the Cathedral.

Evening arrival to the hotel.