RTL Today - DIARIES OF... inspired travellers: 12 reasons to discover Georgia

This week, Anabel & Jorge Valente share with us their best travel finds in Georgia

If we had to choose only one reason why everyone should visit Georgia soon, perhaps we would elect the hospitality of Georgians! But, despite the people, there are many more reasons to visit this incredibly welcoming country. Here are our elected 12 reasons why everyone should add Georgia to their travel lists soon:

1 - Tbilisi

Tbilisi / © Diariesofmagazine.com

Tbilisi is traditional and modern, quiet and vibrant, humble and glamorous. It’s cosmopolitan style coexists with am almost parish feel. We were not at all surprised that we kept returning to this Euro-Asian capital.

2 - The sulphur baths

The Abanotubani district is dedicated to the art of relaxation with the traditional sulphur baths. There are dozens of sulphur baths, as it is said that Georgians cure their hangovers with a sulphur bath followed by a Khashi soup. There are bathhouses for all budgets, with different levels of luxury and Zen-like atmosphere, all offering hot water, massages and scrubs. The cheaper, the more authentic the place.

3 - Batumi

Batumi is a prosperous city that boasts a renovated historic old town, a lovely coast by the Black Sea, modern and ostentatious buildings at the Miracle park and a stylish seven-kilometre-long seaside boulevard. The beach-spa of Ureki is more modest and preferred by those that search its magnetic properties with healing powers.

4 - The Military Road

This is one of the most beautiful mountain roads in the world. It runs between Tbilisi and Vladikavkaz (in Russia). It is an historic route that has been used both for traders and invaders. On the right side, the concrete monument commemorates friendship between the two neighbours and was built in 1983.

5 - David Gareja

Located in the Kahketi region, the Georgian Orthodox Monastery David Gareja stands on the half-deserted slopes of Mount Gareja. The huge religious complex was built as much for religious reasons as for strategy. Its location, on the remote mountains, near the Azerbaijani border, was obviously for defence against enemy invasions.

6 - Modern architecture

The new parliament building was inaugurated in 2012 in Kutaisi, 300 kilometres from the capital city of Tbilisi. The government promoted it as a symbol of Georgia’s democratic future and transparency. There are many contemporary buildings in the country, many of which were built during the rule of Mikheil Saakashvili, known for his love for architecture.

7 - Georgian wine

Georgians are proud of the title that the country holds of being the cradle of winemaking. Georgia has been producing wine for at least 8,000 years. Their traditional winemaking method, called Kvevri, has been listed in UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

8 - Ushguli

The characteristic Svanetian stone towers rise out of the villages making these look even more picturesque. They are historic and defensive house-towers, built in the middle ages, and used both for protecting against external attacks and against avalanches.

9 - Okatse canyon

The Okatse canyon measures about 16 kilometres in its length, its width ranges from 10 to 15 metres, while its depth is about 50 metres. Along the canyon, as well as in the nearby area, you can find several waterfalls, the longest of which, Kinchkha, measures 70 metres high.

10 - Bagrati cathedral

Kutaisi is not the prettiest of the Georgian towns. But it is a good base to visit the many points of interest in the area. The Orthodox cathedral of Bagrati was built in the eleventh century but has been severely damaged throughout the years. UNESCO has once considered it as a World Heritage Site, but after its reconstruction work removed it from the list.

11 - Svaneti

We drove to Mestia, where we had some of the most beautiful hikes in the region of Svaneti. The starting points of most of the trails are located in the centre. We chose to hike the 25 kilometres round hike to the Koruldi lakes, situated at 2,740 metres on the way to Mount Ushba. Delighted, we could see the Greater Caucasus’ peaks, all around us, covered in white.

12 - Food

"Every Georgian dish is a poem" These are the words of famous Russian poet Alexander Pushkin and we couldn’t agree more with them. Georgian traditional cuisine is a colourful poem made up of all the juicy ingredients provided by a mild climate, cooked with ancestral techniques, from the times when the merchants of the greatest empires – such as the Ottomans, the Mongols or the Persians, passed through Georgia, strategically located on the Silk Road.

About the Diaries of

Anabela discovered her passion for travelling soon after finishing her language studies. She has travelled all the continents including Antarctica, and knows that there is so much more to be seen and experienced with all the senses.

Anabela and her companion Jorge are passionate travelers
and they are keen on sharing her travel experience. After an epic journey through South America with their motorbike they decided to launch Diaries of.

More than making the readers travel around the world whilst reading it, Diaries of intends to inspire the readers to see the world for themselves.

The Valente will take our readers through a series of very inspirational destinations...Will you catch the travel bug?

Diariesofmagazine.com