The best day trips and nearby places from Mtskheta, including travel times, transport options and how long each trip deserves.
Day trips
Where to go beyond Mtskheta
Some of the best experiences may sit outside the destination itself. Compare distance, time and whether each trip deserves a few hours or a full day.
01
Shio-Mgvime Monastery
A sixth-century cave monastery founded by St Shio in a limestone canyon, with rock-cut cells and the saint's tomb beneath an eleventh-century church. The most atmospheric site in the area and the least crowded.
Getting there: Taxi or private driver from Mtskheta; the last section of road is rough. No public transport.
Distance
About 12 km from Mtskheta
Travel time
25–35 minutes by car each way
Allow
2–3 hours round trip
Best season
Spring through autumn; avoid after heavy rain or snow
02
Jvari Monastery
Technically part of a Mtskheta visit rather than a day trip, but it needs its own transport leg and its own half hour on the hill above the confluence.
Getting there: Taxi from the town, a driver hired for the day, or an organised tour. Not walkable in practice.
Distance
About 10 km by road
Travel time
15–20 minutes by car each way
Allow
1–1.5 hours round trip
Best season
Year-round, best in clear weather for the view
03
Zedazeni Monastery
A sixth-century monastery on a wooded ridge northeast of Mtskheta, associated with St John of Zedazeni, the leader of the Thirteen Assyrian Fathers and St Shio's teacher. Quiet, forested and rarely busy, with wide views from the top.
Getting there: Private car or taxi only; the approach road is poor and not suited to low vehicles.
Distance
About 15 km
Travel time
35–45 minutes by car each way on a rough final road
Allow
Half day
Best season
Late spring to autumn
04
Mukhrani and the Kartli wine area
The Mukhrani area west of Mtskheta is the nearest serious wine destination, with estate production and tasting facilities. It is a useful counterweight to the assumption that Georgian wine means Kakheti, though it is a smaller scene.
Getting there: Car, taxi or organised tour. Arrange tastings in advance and do not drive if you intend to taste.
Distance
About 20 km
Travel time
25–35 minutes by car
Allow
Half day
Best season
Spring to autumn; harvest activity in September
05
Saguramo and the Chavchavadze house
The village where the writer and public figure Ilia Chavchavadze lived, now a house museum, in wooded country a short drive from Mtskheta. Of real interest if you want Georgian nineteenth-century intellectual history rather than more churches.
Getting there: Taxi or private car.
Distance
About 10 km
Travel time
15–20 minutes by car
Allow
2–3 hours
Best season
Year-round; check current museum opening before going
06
Tbilisi
Most people do this in reverse, but Mtskheta works as a quiet base from which to visit the capital, with the whole of the city's museums, food and nightlife twenty minutes down the road.
Getting there: Frequent minibuses to Didube, or a taxi or ride-hailing car.