Archaeological site · Vani, Vani Municipality, Imereti
Vani Archaeological Site
ვანის ნაქალაქარი · Vanis Nakalakari · Ancient Vani
The excavated hilltop town of ancient Colchis on the western edge of Vani, above the Sulori and Rioni valleys, occupied from the 8th to the 1st century BC, with a museum of its finds nearby.
Where it is
42.0839, 42.5032
Why go
Vani was a political and religious centre of Colchis, and about a century of excavation on its terraced hill has uncovered temples and sacrificial altars, stone buildings showing Greek influence from the 4th century BC, and burials with gold jewellery. Only around a third of the site has been studied. It is a cultural monument of national importance. Gold and silver finds from Vani are exhibited at the Georgian National Museum in Tbilisi, while the Vani Archaeological Museum beside the site, founded in 1985 and named after the excavation's leader Otar Lordkipanidze, keeps gold, silver and bronze objects, coins and pottery from the digs. It is a day trip from Kutaisi.
Near Vani Archaeological Site
Park
Ajameti Managed Reserve
A protected lowland forest on the Rioni plain 15 km from Kutaisi, set aside to preserve relict groves of Imeretian oak and zelkova, with some oaks more than 250 years old.
26 km · straight-line distance; driving distance and time differ
Synagogue
Kutaisi Synagogue
Kutaisi's main synagogue, built in 1886 on Boris Gaponov Street in the historic Jewish quarter, with an ornamented stone façade opening onto the street through a triple arcade and a painted interior.
27 km · straight-line distance; driving distance and time differ
Church
Bagrati 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.
27 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.
29 km · straight-line distance; driving distance and time differ