Georgia｜Spend a Day Exploring Mtskheta and Gori

The ancient city of Mtskheta and Stalin's hometown Gori are both located to the west of Tbilisi. We opted for a car rental 🚗 to visit these two places in one day. ⭕️ Main attractions in Mtskheta: ✅ Samtavro Monastery ✅ Svetitskhoveli Cathedral ✅ Jvari Monastery ⭕️ Main attractions in Gori: ✅ Stalin Museum ✅ Gori Fortress ✅ Uplistsikhe (Cave Town) 🔸 Mtskheta is closer to Tbilisi, while Gori is a bit farther. 🔸 Gori can be reached by train. If not renting a car, you can choose the train 🚊 to visit Gori alone, but public transportation might take more time. 🔸 Among the above attractions, only the Stalin Museum 🏛️ and Uplistsikhe require an entrance fee 🎫. 🔸 Jvari Monastery and Gori Fortress are located at higher elevations, making them suitable for late afternoon 🌇 visits to enjoy the panoramic views. It is recommended to schedule Jvari last for its beautiful scenery overlooking the city and the river 🌊. 🔸 Samtavro Monastery and Svetitskhoveli Cathedral ⛪️ are close to each other, about a seven to eight-minute walk 🚶‍♀️. 🔸 The Stalin Museum and Gori Fortress are relatively close to each other. 🔸 Outside the Stalin Museum, there is a train carriage 🚞, a ground floor exhibition hall, and a small exhibition hall between the first and second floors that are all 🆓 free. Only the main exhibition hall on the second floor requires a ticket 🎫. 🔸 The arched columns in the corridor outside the museum are very photogenic 📸. 🔸 For lunch 🍽️, it is recommended to eat at the entrance of Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, where there are several restaurants. 🔸 We departed from Tbilisi at 10:30 AM 🕥, so we didn't visit Uplistsikhe in Gori. If you start earlier, it can be included in the itinerary. 🔴 Suggested itinerary: 👉 Gori Fortress 🏰 - Stalin Museum 🏛️ - Uplistsikhe - (Lunch) Svetitskhoveli ⛪️ - Samtavro - Jvari 🌅