Travelling Taco

Georgia, a country at the intersection of Europe and Asia, is a former Soviet republic that’s home to Caucasus Mountain villages and Black Sea beaches. It’s famous for Vardzia, a sprawling cave monastery dating to the 12th century,

Day 1 Monday:

Arrival to “ShotaRustaveli “International Airport in Tbilisi at 16:20h.)- Pick up from the Airport - Transfer

to the Hotel - Check-in – Rest Time – Transfer for Dinner – Back to the Hotel . (_/_/D).

*Tbilisi: The history of this amazing city throws back as far as the 5th century when the Georgian king

VakhtangGorgasali ordered to build a city in the center of the fertile valley cozily lying between two

Caucasian ridges. It originated from the word “tbili” - warm. Present-day Tbilisi is one of the safest cities

in Europe,[5] and frequently ranks among the most popular emerging destinations thanks to Georgia's

growing tourism industry.Historically, Tbilisi has been home to people of diverse cultural, ethnic, and

religious backgrounds, though it is overwhelmingly Eastern Orthodox Christian. Notable landmarks

include cathedrals like Sameba and Sioni, the medieval Narikala Fortress, classical avenues Rustaveliand

Agmashenebeli, as well as the exotically-designed Georgian National Opera Theater

Day 2 Tuesday:

09:30h – Monastery Bodbe – Lunch- Sighnaghi City Tour -Wine tasting –Hotel – Dinner – Hotel. (B/L/D).

*Sighnaghi: The administrative center of the Sighnaghi Municipality, one of the country's smallest

towns, busy with the production of wine, traditional carpets and Georgian traditional food Mcvadi. City

is located in the Kakheti region of Georgia, settled since the Paleolithic period. Signagi as a settlement is

first recorded in the early 18th century. In 1762, King Heraclius II of Georgia sponsored the construction

of the town and erected a fortress to defend the area from marauding attacks by Dagestan tribesmen.

*Bodbe: this beautiful monastery is one of the most important places for Georgians, because St. Nino,

who brought Christianity to Georgia, is buried there.

*Georgian Wine:Georgia is one of the oldest wine regions in the world. The fertile valleys of the South

Caucasus house the source of the world's firstcultivated grapevines and Neolithic wine production, from

over 8,000 years ago. Due to the many millennia of wine in Georgian history, and its key economical

role, the traditions of its viticulture are entwined and inseparable with the country's national identity.

Day 3 Wednesday:

10:00h - Tbilisi City Tour – lunch – Mtskheta Old City &Jvari Monastery –Hotel - Dinner – Hotel. (B/L/D).

*The Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisis commonly known as Samebais the main cathedral of the Georgian

Orthodox Churchlocate. Constructed between 1995 and 2004, it is the third-tallest Eastern Orthodox

cathedral in the world and one of the largest religious buildings in the world by total area. Sameba is a

synthesis of traditional styles dominating the Georgian church architecture at various stages in history

and has some Byzantine undertones.

*The bridge of Peace stretches 150 metres over the Kura River was ordered by the City Hall of Tbilisi to

create a contemporary design feature connecting Old Tbilisi with the new district. The official opening

took place on May 6, 2010. The bridge stretches over Kura River providing a unique view of Metekhi

Church, Narikala Fortress and statue of city's founder VakhtangGorgasali on one side, and Baratashvili

Bridge and Presidential Office on the other.

*Narikala fortress was established in the 4th century as Shuris-tsikhe . It was considerably expanded by

theUmayyads in the 7th century and later, by king David the Builder (1089–1125). The Mongols

renamed it "NarinQala". Most of extant fortifications date from the 16th and 17th centuries. In 1827,

parts of the fortress were damaged by an earthquake and demolished.

*Mtskheta is one of the oldest cities of Georgia, at the confluence of the Aragvi and Kura rivers.

Mtskheta is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Due to its historical significance

and several cultural monuments, the "Historical Monuments of Mtskheta" became a UNESCO World

Heritage Site . As the birthplace and one of the most vibrant centers ofChristianity in Georgia, Mtskheta

was declared as the "Holy City" by the Georgian Orthodox Church in 2014.

*Jvari Monastery stands on the rocky mountaintop at the confluence of the Mtkvari and Aragvi rivers,

overlooking the town of Mtskheta, which was formerly the capital of the Kingdom of Iberia. According to

traditional accounts, on this location in the early 4th century Saint Nino, a female evangelist credited

with converting KingMirian III of Iberia to Christianity, erected a large wooden cross on the site of a

pagan temple. The cross was reportedly able to work miracles and therefore drew pilgrims from all over

the Caucasus. A small church was erected over the remnants of the wooden cross in c.545 named the

"Small Church of Jvari".

Day 4 Thursday:

09:30 - Monument of Chronicles of Georgia – Lunch - Shopping in the Mall (B/L/D).

*The Georgian Chronicles is a conventional English name for the principal compendium of medieval

Georgian historical texts, natively known as KartlisTskhovreba , literally "Life of Kartli", Kartli being a core

region of ancient and medieval Georgia, known to the Classical and Byzantine authors as Iberia.

The Chronicles consist of a series of distinct texts dating from the 9th to the 14th century. The dating of

these works as well as the identification of their authors (e.g., LeontiMroveli and Juansheriani) have

been a subject of scholarly debates.

Day 5 Friday:

Check out at 12:00h - Lunch –Transfer to Airport 14:00h - Departure at 17:10h (B/L/_).

Flight

Yes (Return airfare with taxes)