Telavi: a guide
Telavi, the centre of Kakheti: when to go, how to get there, and what it costs.
Telavi is the main town of Kakheti, sitting above the Alazani valley and facing the main Caucasus ridge. Half a day is enough for the town itself, but it is the most practical base for inner Kakheti: Alaverdi, Ikalto, Gremi and Tsinandali are all within about half an hour. The wine cellars are mostly in the villages around it.
When to go
- ·September and October is the harvest. The most interesting time to come and the busiest, especially at weekends.
- ·May and June: the valley is green, the weather is kind, and there is still snow on the mountains.
- ·July and August are hot, often up to 35 degrees on the plain. Do your sightseeing early or late in the day.
- ·November to March is cold, quiet and cheap. The town carries on as usual, but most of what is laid on for visitors winds down.
Getting there
- ·By marshrutka from Ortachala bus station in Tbilisi, about 10 to 15 GEL, two to three hours depending on the road it takes.
- ·The shortest road is over the Gombori pass, about two hours. In recent years it has been closed for long stretches for roadworks, in which case traffic goes round through Gurjaani, roughly half an hour longer. Check before you set off.
- ·By taxi from Tbilisi, roughly 150 to 200 GEL for the car.
- ·Local minibuses run out to the villages, but not often, and they stop early in the evening.
What it costs
A night in a guesthouse60 to 130 GEL
A night in a hotel120 to 300 GEL
Dinner with wine30 to 60 GEL
A tasting at a cellar20 to 50 GEL
A driver for a day round the villages100 to 180 GEL
Rough figures. They move with the season and the place.
Worth doing
- ·Batonis Tsikhe, the palace of the Kakhetian kings, Erekle II among them. It is now a museum.
- ·The giant plane tree near the palace, said to be several centuries old.
- ·Alaverdi cathedral, about twenty minutes away, one of the tallest churches in Georgia.
- ·Ikalto monastery and the ruins of its old academy, about ten minutes from town.
- ·Gremi, the sixteenth-century royal citadel with its Church of the Archangels, on the road to Kvareli.
One thing worth knowing
Telavi is a base more than a destination: it has a market, transport, and food at every price. Hire a driver for the villages here rather than bringing one from Tbilisi; it costs a good deal less.
