Georgia

Georgia

by Tim Burford and  Nancy Chuang

Publication Date:  09th Aug 2024


£18.99

Georgia travel guide, 7th edition. Expert advice and tourist information, from Tbilisi hotels and restaurants to the Transcaucasian Trail and other treks. Covers hotels, homestays, wine, Caucasus history and politics, ecotourism, churches, architecture, Mtskheta, Svaneti, Mestia, Batumi, Borjomi-Kharagauli, Vardzia, Karkheti, Gelati/Bagrati.

Related products

About this book

This new seventh edition of Bradt’s Georgia remains the only dedicated guide to this fascinating, budget-friendly Caucasian country, where tourism continues to increase and domestic travel is increasingly straightforward. Thoroughly updated throughout to reflect recent developments, this guidebook includes revised and new listings for hotels, homestays, restaurants, what to see and do, and how to get around by public transport.
At the intersection of Europe and Asia, nestled between Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey, Georgia is the hub of the Caucasus – a country known for its mountains and Black Sea coast, and its wonderful food, wine and all-round hospitality. With Bradt’s Georgia, you can experience the new alongside the old in a country where most cultural and historical sights are free of charge or very cheap. The capital, Tbilisi, boasts a charming, cobbled old town, the centuries-old tiled baths of Orbeliani and numerous cultural highlights, but has also seen major developments recently, including conspicuous new projects such as the Peace Bridge. Already famous for the cave monastery of Vardzia and the ancient wine-growing region of Kakheti, Georgia’s more remote areas are becoming more accessible. Networks of rural guesthouses and hiking trails (including the increasingly popular Transcaucasian Trail, a volunteer-led project to create two long-distance hiking routes) are being developed alongside a push towards more sustainable and responsible tourism. On the Black Sea, the city of Batumi has developed into a glitzy playground for regional tourism.
Appropriately, given that the country is considered to be the birthplace of wine, the Georgian wine industry features prominently, with particular emphasis on the UNESCO-listed natural qvevri wines (made in clay amphorae set in the ground). Also covered are: skiing at Gudauri, Bakuriani and Mestia; cycling; the World Heritage sites of Mtskheta, Svaneti and Gelati/Bagrati; Georgian fusion cuisine (now celebrated in Tblisi’s stylish new restuarants); 5th-century churches and other Christian architecture; cave cities; and Georgian polyphonic singing.
Bradt’s unique guide to Georgia is the ideal companion for travellers, from serious hikers to wine buffs, high-end culture lovers to winter-sports enthusiasts, and city-break aficionados to backpackers of all ages.

About the Author

Tim Burford (unraveltravel.org) studied languages at Oxford University. In 1991, after five years as a publisher, he began writing guidebooks for Bradt, firstly on hiking in east-central Europe and then on backpacking and ecotourism in Latin America. He has now written ten guides for Bradt, stretching from Uruguay to Uzbekistan, and including five editions of the guide to Georgia. He also leads hiking trips in Europe’s mountains. Burford first went to Georgia in the late 1990s and found it possessed the authentic charm that Romania had in 1991 but soon began to lose. Happily, Georgia’s authenticity has been preserved in many ways by a passionate national commitment to its food, drink and customs. These are exactly the things that Burford enjoys discovering when he travels, as much at home as abroad – any excuse to get on a bike and explore.

Additional Information

Table of Contents

Chapter 1
Background Information
Geography, Climate, Natural history and conservation, History, Economy, People, Language, Religion, Culture
Chapter 2
Practical Information
When to visit, Highlights, Suggested itineraries, Tourist information, Tour operators and travel agents, Red tape, Getting there and away, Health, Safety, Women in Georgia, LGBT travellers, What to take, Money, Budgeting, Getting around, Accommodation, Eating and drinking, Shopping, Media and communications, Other practicalities, Business, Cultural etiquette, Travelling positively
Chapter 3
Tbilisi
History, Getting there and away, Getting around, Tourist information, Where to stay, Where to eat and drink, Entertainment and nightlife, Activities, Other practicalities, Shopping, A day’s tour of Tbilisi, What to see and do
Chapter 4
Shida (Inner) Kartli
Mtskheta, Around Mtskheta, The roads west from Mtskheta, Gori, Around Gori, West of Gori
Chapter 5
The Georgian Military Highway
North of Mtskheta, Stepantsminda (Kazbegi), North of Stepantsminda, Khevsureti
Chapter 6
Samtskhe-Javakheti
Nedsvi, Borjomi, Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park, Bakuriani, Southwest from Borjomi, Vardzia, Ninotsminda and beyond
Chapter 7
Imereti, Racha, Mingrelia and Guria
Imereti, Kutaisi, Around Kutaisi, Racha, Mingrelia, Poti, Guria, Abkhazia
Chapter 8
Svaneti Culture and history, Getting there and away, Mestia, Ushguli
Chapter 9
Adjara Kobuleti, Batumi, To Gonio and the Turkish border, Mountainous Adjara
Chapter 10
Kakheti Getting there and away, Eastwards from Tbilisi, Ninotsminda and Tsinandali, Telavi, West of Telavi, Tusheti, East of Telavi: from Gremi to Kvareli and Lagodekhi, Sighnaghi and beyond, Davit-Gareja
Chapter 11
Kvemo (Lower) Kartli
Marneuli and Bolnisi, Betania and Manglisi