Neighborhoodsin Mtskheta

The cathedral quarter

The pedestrianised streets enclosing Svetitskhoveli, with the souvenir stalls, most restaurants and nearly all the visitor traffic. Everything a short visit needs is inside a few hundred metres, and the town's character changes completely here between mid-morning and late afternoon.

Best for

The most convenient base and the only part of town with an evening atmosphere. Expect daytime noise and coach traffic on the approach streets.

Riverside and the confluence side

The streets running down towards the Aragvi and its meeting with the Mtkvari, with the Antioch church, quieter walking and several restaurants that grill outdoors in warm weather. Two minutes from the centre and considerably calmer.

Best for

Quiet and pleasant, and still within walking distance of everything in the town itself.

Residential Mtskheta

The ordinary town behind the visitor core: shops, schools, houses and residents going about a normal day. There is nothing to see in a guidebook sense, which is exactly why walking through it is the fastest correction to the idea that Mtskheta is a heritage set.

Best for

Cheaper accommodation, but you will walk a little further and there is little open in the evening.

Bebris Tsikhe and the northern edge

The upper end of town towards the fortress, with views back over the roofs and rivers. It is a short uphill walk from the centre and sees a fraction of the visitors.

Best for

Few options and an uphill return, but quiet.

Across the river towards Jvari and Armazi

Not a neighbourhood so much as the other side of the valley, holding Jvari on its hill and the archaeological sites at Armazi and Armaziskhevi. Reaching any of it requires a vehicle.

Best for

Some guesthouses and roadside properties, all car-dependent and disconnected from the town on foot.