Church · Kutaisi (Ukimerioni Hill), Kutaisi, Imereti
Bagrati Cathedral
ბაგრატის ტაძარი · Cathedral of the Dormition · Kutaisi Cathedral
Bagrat III's cathedral on Ukimerioni Hill in Kutaisi, left in ruins after an Ottoman attack in the late 17th century and rebuilt in 2010.
Where it is
42.2773, 42.7043
Why go
An inscription using Arabic numerals dates the building to 1003, and the name ties it to Bagrat III, the king who unified Georgia. Most of what stands today is the 2010 reconstruction, and that matters when planning: in 2017 the World Heritage Committee redrew the Gelati property to exclude Bagrati, finding that the rebuilding had harmed its integrity and authenticity. The reason to come now is the hilltop itself, which is visible across the city and looks out over Kutaisi. It sits inside town, so it fits easily into a day that also takes in Gelati and Motsameta.
Near Bagrati Cathedral
Cave
Sataplia Cave
A karst cave and a set of fossil dinosaur footprints in a wooded reserve on the edge of Kutaisi, with a glass viewing platform out over the Imereti hills.
5 km · straight-line distance; driving distance and time differ
Monastery
Motsameta Monastery
A small monastery on a rock promontory in a bend of the Tskaltsitela river, a few kilometres from Kutaisi and usually visited on the way to Gelati.
5 km · straight-line distance; driving distance and time differ
Monastery
Gelati Monastery
The twelfth-century monastery and medieval academy founded by David the Builder above Kutaisi, and the only UNESCO World Heritage site in western Georgia.
6 km · straight-line distance; driving distance and time differ
Cave
Tetra Cave
A karst show cave just outside the spa town of Tskaltubo, opened to visitors in 2021, with stalactites, stalagmites and helictites and a wine store kept at the cave's steady temperature.
9 km · straight-line distance; driving distance and time differ