Kakheti Wine Tour: David Gareja, Sighnaghi & Tastings

A 6th-century monastery carved into a rock mountain, rainbow-colored slopes, and five wines to taste in one day.

This private wine tour departs Tbilisi at 9:30 am and covers the Kakheti wine region over 8 to 11 hours, with stops at David Gareja desert monastery, Bodbe convent, the walled city of Sighnaghi, and an organic wine cellar where you taste at least 5 types of wine and 2 cognacs. Hotel pickup, entrance fees, an English-speaking guide, and smoked Shoti bread with cheese are included in every package. Lunch and wine inclusions vary by option you choose at checkout.

Step-by-step itinerary

Kakheti Wine Tour and David Gareja Visit

• Pick up from hotel at 9:30 am
• Taste Churchkhela, wine, and chacha in Manavi
• Taste hot Shoti bread with cheese in Badiauri
• Visit Bodbe convent and St. Nino's burial place
• Explore Sighnaghi, the city of love
• Visit David Gareja desert monastery and rainbow mountains
• Wine tasting and food at organic wine cellar
• Return to hotel

The experience

How do you fit a monastery carved into a mountainside, a convent built over a saint's tomb, a walled city known as the city of love, and a wine tasting into one day without driving yourself? The tour handles the route and the timing. You're picked up at your hotel at 9:30 am and driven east into Kakheti, stopping first at a Churchkhela shop to taste Georgian candies, wine and chacha before the main sites. The drive continues through the Alazani valley (the landscape that makes the region famous for wine), and you'll stand in front of each place with enough time to move through it without rushing.

David Gareja is the centerpiece: a 6th-century monastery complex carved directly into the rock face of a desert mountain, with rainbow-colored geological layers visible on the slopes around it. Before that, you stop at Bodbe, the convent where Saint Nino (who converted Georgia to Christianity in the 4th century), is buried, and the views down into the Alazani valley from there are the reason people bring cameras. Sighnaghi, surrounded by defensive walls and 23 towers, sits on a ridge overlooking the same valley. It's a short drive from Bodbe and the town itself is small enough to walk through without a plan. At each stop, the guide explains what you're looking at and why it matters to Georgian history.

The wine tasting happens at an organic cellar at the end of the day, and this is where your package choice matters. All packages include at least 5 types of wine and 2 cognacs with snacks. If you book with lunch, you get a heavy Georgian dinner with barbecue and wine instead. Either way, you taste the wines where they're made. The drive back to Tbilisi leaves you at your hotel in the evening. Along the way, in Badiauri, you stop for hot Shoti bread and homemade cheese. This is included and it's the kind of detail that makes the day feel less like a checklist and more like someone showing you how people actually eat here.

What’s included

• Private transportation from your hotel.
• hotel pickup at 9:30 am and return in the evening.
• entrance fees to David Gareja monastery, Bodbe convent and the organic wine cellar.
• an English-speaking guide for the full day.
• at least 5 types of wine and 2 cognacs tasting with snacks or a Georgian dinner depending on your package.
• smoked Shoti bread and homemade cheese in Badiauri.

Options for this experience

4 options

Value tour, lunch not includedGuide in English or Russian · 08:30, 09:30 and 10:30All listed locations. Optional horse riding: we can visit a ranch where you can try horse riding, 75 lari per hour. Duration: 8 hours. Wine and chacha tasting: we will visit the Manavi "Churchkela" house, where you can taste 2 types of wine and 2 types of 45° chacha. For non-drinkers, this stop is skipped. Private air-conditioned sedan. Badiauri bakery: includes a visit to the Badiauri bakery for hot Georgian bread and cheese. Pickup is included.

Organic wine and snacksGuide in English or Russian · 08:30, 09:30 and 10:30Compare factory wine with cellar wine: we will visit the KTW wine factory and taste 4 wines and 2 chachas in total. Duration: 9 hours. Wine cellar tasting: visit a wine cellar and taste 4 types of organic wine and 2 types of chacha with tasty snacks. 1-hour info tour. All tourist spots: we will visit every spot listed in the itinerary. Private air-conditioned vehicle. Pickup is included.

Organic wine and home-cooked lunchGuide in English or Russian · 08:30, 09:30 and 10:30Visit the organic winery in a private, natural setting, where you can taste 5 types of wine and Georgian chacha. Duration: 11 hours. Dinner: a very Georgian family dinner with pork barbecue and chicken, homemade khachapuri, eggplant with walnuts and excellent wines. Comfortable air-conditioned vehicle. Pickup is included.

Unlimited food and wine optionGuide in English or Russian · 08:30, 09:30 and 10:30Have your host as toastmaster: Mr Vakho will sit with your table during dinner, speaking English, and share stories about traditions and culture. Duration: 1 day. Barbecue, khachapuri, lobio: in this option, wine and food are provided without limit. Visit to the famous Velistsikhe wine cellar. Air-conditioned sedan or SUV. Pickup is included.

You pick the guide language when booking.

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 08:30, 09:30 and 10:30

Book up to1h before

AgesAdult (18 to 90 years) · Senior (91 to 95 years) · Youth (7 to 17 years) · Child (3 to 6 years) · Infant (under 3)

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish and Russian

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 2 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortStroller-friendlyInfant seats availablePublic transport nearby

Operated by Karlo-Georgia

Is this one for you?Book this private pickup tour if you're traveling from Tbilisi and want a guide to contextualize each site (Bodbe convent, Sighnaghi's walled city, and David Gareja monastery) rather than navigating between them yourself. Choose the value package if you're skipping lunch, or add a meal at checkout.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Russian.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (7 to 17 years); Child (3 to 6 years); Infant (under 3).

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What exactly is David Gareja and why is it worth the drive from Tbilisi?

David Gareja is a 6th-century Orthodox monastery complex carved directly into a desert rock mountain, with rainbow-colored geological layers visible on the slopes. It's the main historical site on the tour and the reason the route heads east into the Kakheti region. The monastery itself and the landscape around it are what make the day distinctive.

Do I have to choose a package before I book, or can I decide what to eat when I get there?

You choose your package at checkout. There are four options: a value tour without lunch, one with bio wine and snacks, one with bio wine and a home-cooked lunch, and one with unlimited food and wine. All packages include the wine tasting, Shoti bread and cheese, and entrance fees. The difference is what you eat at the organic cellar at the end of the day.

How long does this tour actually take, and when do I get back to my hotel?

The tour runs 8 to 11 hours depending on how long you spend at each stop and which package you book. You're picked up at 9:30 am and driven back to your hotel in the evening, so plan for a full day out of the city.

Is the wine tasting at a real winery, or is it more of a shop?

It's an organic wine cellar where the wines are made and stored. You taste at least 5 types of wine and 2 cognacs there, and depending on your package, you either have snacks or a full Georgian dinner with barbecue and wine while you're tasting.

What's included in the price, and what would I have to pay extra for?

Hotel pickup, private transportation, entrance fees to the monasteries and the wine cellar, an English-speaking guide, Shoti bread and cheese, and the wine and cognac tasting are all included. Lunch is included only in the packages you choose at checkout. The value package includes none, while the other three include either snacks or a full meal.