Georgian Wine Trails: Tbilisi to Kakheti Self-Launched
8 days · Georgia
Georgia Country Tours LLC charges £1,090
No-markup version: ~£325 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
An independent, self-launched version of the 8-day "Georgian Wines Spirit" group tour — same route (Tbilisi, Mtskheta, Uplistsikhe, Telavi, Kvareli, Sighnaghi, David Gareja), rebuilt with hostel/guesthouse stays, marshutka (minibus) and shared-taxi transport, and wine tastings booked directly with the cellars. Georgia is extremely solo-friendly and cheap: guesthouses cost £10-15 a night, a marshrutka ride across Kakheti is £2-3, and most cellar tastings run £5-10 including generous pours and food. Prices below are rough backpacker estimates per person and assume you share transport costs where it makes sense.
Day-by-day
Old Tbilisi on foot: fortresses, sulphur baths and a first qvevri tasting
Tbilisi
Arrive at Tbilisi International Airport and take bus #337 (about 1 GEL / £0.30, ~40 mins) or the official taxi app Bolt (~15-20 GEL / £5-6) into the Old Town. Check into a hostel or guesthouse in Abanotubani or Sololaki. Walk the classic loop yourself: Metekhi Fortress and the church on the cliff, Rike Park, then the Rike Park cable car (2.5 GEL / £0.75) up to Narikala Fortress for the city panorama, down past the Leghvtakhevi waterfall and through the Abanotubani sulphur-bath district. Cross the Bridge of Peace and peek at the Gabriadze Theatre's wonky clock tower. End with a walk-in wine tasting at Old Marani or a Vino Underground (both in the Old Town) — a 5-wine flight is around 25-35 GEL (£7-10). Dinner of khinkali and a jug of house wine: £8-10.
🚌Airport bus #337 ~£0.30, or Bolt taxi ~£5-6; everything else on foot plus 2.5 GEL cable car
🛏Hostel dorm or private room in Old Town guesthouse, £12-18
- →Self-guided Old Tbilisi walking loop
- →Narikala cable car and fortress
- →Leghvtakhevi waterfall and sulphur bath district
- →Wine tasting at Old Marani / Vino Underground
Mtskheta, Uplistsikhe cave city and Ateni wine
Mtskheta / Uplistsikhe / Ateni (day trip from Tbilisi)
Marshrutka from Didube bus station to Mtskheta takes 30-40 mins and costs about 2 GEL (£0.60). Visit Jvari Monastery on the hill above town (bus or a 30-min walk uphill), then Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in Mtskheta's old town. From Mtskheta take a shared taxi or local bus towards Gori and hop off at Uplistsikhe — the pagan cave city carved into the rock — entrance ~15 GEL (£4.50). On the way back, catch a local marshrutka/shared taxi to Ateni for Sioni Monastery and a tasting at a family winery (Ateni cellar tastings ~20-30 GEL / £6-9, booked by phone or via your guesthouse). Return to Tbilisi by evening; the whole day's transport should stay under £12 if you share a taxi for the Uplistsikhe/Ateni legs.
🚌Marshrutka Tbilisi-Didube to Mtskheta ~2 GEL, shared taxi or bus to Uplistsikhe and Ateni ~£3-6 each leg
🛏Same Tbilisi hostel/guesthouse, £12-18
- →Jvari Monastery
- →Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, Mtskheta
- →Uplistsikhe cave city (entry ~£4.50)
- →Sioni Monastery, Ateni
- →Ateni family winery tasting
Over the Gombori Pass to Telavi and Tsinandali
Telavi / Tsinandali
Take the morning marshrutka from Tbilisi's Isani station over the Gombori Pass to Telavi (~2 hours, 8-10 GEL / £2.50-3), a spectacular mountain road. Coffee stop at the 900-year-old plane tree in Telavi, then visit King Erekle's Palace Museum (~5 GEL). Walk or take a cheap local taxi to Tsinandali for the House-Museum of Alexander Chavchavadze with its beautiful gardens (entry ~10 GEL / £3) and a tasting at Shumi Winery (~25-35 GEL / £8-10). On the way back, stop at Aroma Wine Cellar for handmade desserts and wine if time allows. Overnight in a Telavi or Tsinandali guesthouse — this is far more relaxed than the tour's long drive back to Tbilisi.
🚌Marshrutka Tbilisi (Isani) to Telavi ~8-10 GEL; local taxi to Tsinandali ~10-15 GEL shared
🛏Telavi or Tsinandali family guesthouse with breakfast, £12-16
- →Gombori Pass drive
- →900-year-old plane tree and Telavi old town
- →King Erekle's Palace Museum
- →Chavchavadze House-Museum, Tsinandali
- →Shumi Winery tasting
Gremi, Nekresi, Chateau Eniseli and the Khareba wine tunnel
Kvareli
Base yourself in Kvareli for two nights (marshrutka or shared taxi from Telavi, ~1 hour, 5-8 GEL). Hire a local driver for the day (about 80-120 GEL / £25-35 for the car — split it with other travellers from your guesthouse) to cover the cluster of sights: Gremi Church and Citadel (~5 GEL), Chateau Eniseli tasting (one of Kakheti's best-value tastings, ~25 GEL / £8), Nekresi Monastery perched on a hill with views over the Alazani valley, and the Khareba wine cave at Kvareli where you walk a tunnel through the rock with tastings at the end (~20-30 GEL / £6-9). Finish with a stroll by Ilia Lake as the sun drops behind the Caucasus.
🚌Marshrutka/shared taxi Telavi-Kvareli ~5-8 GEL; full-day local driver ~80-120 GEL per car (split between 2-4 people)
🛏Kvareli guesthouse, £12-16
- →Gremi Church and Citadel
- →Chateau Eniseli wine tasting
- →Nekresi Monastery
- →Khareba wine tunnel and tasting
- →Ilia Lake sunset
Slow day in Kvareli: lake swim, guesthouse cooking and more wine
Kvareli
The tour gives you a free day here — use it well. Sleep in, swim in Ilia Lake, and ask your guesthouse host to teach you to make churchkhela (walnut-and-grape-must sweets) or khinkali — most family guesthouses will happily do this for the price of ingredients. Walk out to a small village cellar (your host will know several) for a qvevri tasting straight from the clay amphora, £5-8. Optional: the Kvareli Lake resort spa day-pass if you fancy a bit of luxury (~40-60 GEL / £12-18).
🚌On foot and local taxis, ~£3
🛏Kvareli guesthouse, £12-16
- →Ilia Lake swim
- →Guesthouse cooking class (churchkhela / khinkali)
- →Village qvevri cellar tasting
- →Optional spa day pass
Numisi wine museum, Bodbe Monastery and Sighnaghi
Sighnaghi
Marshrutka or shared taxi from Kvareli to Velistsikhe to see the quirky Numisi Wine Museum (a private family collection of winemaking kit, ~10 GEL, tasting extra). Continue to Sighnaghi via Bodbe, where St Nino Monastery sits above a spring and the tomb of Georgia's illuminator. Check into a Sighnaghi guesthouse (many have balconies over the Alazani valley, £12-18). Explore the 'City of Love' on foot — cobbled lanes, the Sighnaghi National Museum with its Niko Pirosmanashvili paintings (~10 GEL), and the walk along the 18th-century town wall ramparts for sunset views towards the Caucasus and Azerbaijan.
🚌Marshrutka/shared taxi Kvareli-Velistsikhe-Bodbe-Sighnaghi ~£5-8 total
🛏Sighnaghi guesthouse with valley view, £14-18
- →Numisi Wine Museum
- →St Nino Monastery, Bodbe
- →Sighnaghi National Museum (Pirosmanashvili)
- →Sighnaghi town wall walk at sunset
Badiauri bread, David Gareja monastery and back to Tbilisi
David Gareja / Tbilisi
Split a local taxi from Sighnaghi to the semi-desert David Gareja monastery complex (~1.5 hours, 80-120 GEL per car shared between 2-4 people). The Lavra and the painted cave chapels are free or a couple of GEL to enter; the landscape on the Azerbaijan border is the highlight. Stop at Badiauri on the way back — the village bakeries are famous for tone bread baked in clay ovens, still about 2 GEL a loaf. Continue to Tbilisi by shared taxi or marshrutka from Sagarejo (~£4-6). Last night in Tbilisi: a farewell supra-style dinner at a budget-friendly local restaurant (Shavi Lomi or a Pasanauri branch), £10-12 with wine.
🚌Shared taxi Sighnaghi-David Gareja ~£7-9 per person; Badiauri to Tbilisi ~£4-6
🛏Tbilisi hostel or guesthouse, £12-18
- →David Gareja Monastery Complex
- →Cave chapels and semi-desert walk
- →Badiauri tone bread bakery stop
- →Farewell supra dinner in Tbilisi
Last morning and departure
Tbilisi
Pick up last-minute souvenirs at the Dry Bridge flea market (Sundays) or the Dezerter Bazaar for churchkhela, tklapi and a bottle or two of Saperavi to take home. Then take bus #337 or a Bolt taxi back to Tbilisi International Airport, roughly 45 minutes — leave a good buffer as traffic can be slow.
🚌Airport bus #337 ~£0.30 or Bolt taxi ~£5-6
🛏None (departure day)
- →Dry Bridge flea market / Dezerter Bazaar
- →Wine shopping for home
Self-launched vs. Georgia Country Tours LLC
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Georgia Country Tours LLC | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£325 | £1,090 |
| Duration | 8 days | 8 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £765 per person (70%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Georgia Country Tours LLC-style trips? Check them out here.~£325
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Georgian Wine Trails: Tbilisi to Kakheti Self-Launched cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £325 per person for 8 days in Georgia. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with Georgia Country Tours LLC?+
Yes — Georgia Country Tours LLC charges around £1,090 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £325 — a saving of roughly £765 (70%) per person.
How long is the Georgia trip?+
This itinerary runs 8 days, covering 8 day-by-day stops through Georgia.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a foodie, culture, budget trip through Georgia, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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