Tbilisi: Kakheti Wine Tour, Sighnaghi & Telavi Day Trip

Georgian Wine Country in One Day: From Vineyard to 900-Year-Old Tree

You spend the day moving through Kakheti's wine villages and historical sites without arranging transport, tastings, or timing yourself. You taste wine and chacha in a working cellar, walk Sighnaghi's old streets, visit Bodbe Convent, and stand under a 900-year-old tree in Telavi. Lunch and an English or Russian-speaking guide are included, and the vehicle is air-conditioned for the full 10-hour day.

Step-by-step itinerary

Kakheti wine tour and sightseeing

• Visit local bakery in Badiauri
• Bake Georgian bread and taste cheese
• Tour Bodbe Monastery and take photos
• Walk Sighnaghi and see Great Wall
• Lunch in Sighnaghi or Telavi
• Visit 900-year-old tree in Telavi
• Taste wine and chacha in cellar

The experience

You don't expect the drive out of Tbilisi to feel like leaving the city at all: the landscape just opens up, and suddenly you're in Kakheti, Georgia's wine region, with vineyards rolling toward the Caucasus Mountains. The guide picks you up in an air-conditioned vehicle and handles the three-hour route, which means you can actually look out the window instead of navigating. The first stop is Badiauri village, where a local bakery is still warm and smells like nothing you've had before. The bread is thick and slightly sour, and the cheese tastes like it came from someone's kitchen, not a factory. You taste it fresh, and then there's wine tasting in a cellar: chacha, cognac, churchkhela, honey. It's not a formal sit-down. It's more like standing around while someone pours and explains what you're drinking.

After that comes Bodbe Convent, built in the 9th century on the burial place of Saint Nino. The legend matters here, and the site feels it. The views down into the Alazani Valley are the kind that make you understand why people built something sacred in this exact spot. Then Sighnaghi, the city of love, which is smaller and quieter than you'd think, with pastel houses and narrow streets climbing a steep hill. You walk the Great Wall of Georgia. It's not the Great Wall, but it's old and it's there, and the museum in town has been rebuilt to modern standards if you want to go inside. Lunch happens in Sighnaghi or Telavi, depending on the day's flow, at a local restaurant where the food is still recognizable as what you saw being made in Badiauri.

Telavi is the capital of Kakheti, and the tour takes you to a 900-year-old chadar tree: a massive, gnarled thing where locals and tourists alike make wishes. From there you can see the palace of King Erekle, which sits in the landscape like it's still waiting for someone to come back. The wine tasting in a cellar here is the second one of the day, and by this point you've tasted enough to know what Georgian wine actually tastes like. It's not like anything else, which is the whole point. The drive back to Tbilisi takes three hours, and you spend it quiet, looking at the mountains disappear.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel pickup from Tbilisi, an air-conditioned vehicle with a knowledgeable guide (English or Russian), wine and chacha tastings in a cellar, bread and cheese tasting in Badiauri village, entry to Bodbe Convent, a walking tour of Sighnaghi including the Great Wall, lunch at a local restaurant, and a visit to Telavi's 900-year-old chadar tree and King Erekle's palace. Return transport to Tbilisi is included.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 09:00

Book up to4h before

AgesUp to age 75

GroupUp to 20

Live guideEnglish and Russian

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 8 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortPublic transport nearby

Operated by Imperial Tours

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to taste Georgian wine in its region without renting a car or planning stops yourself: the fixed route and guide handle the logistics, which is what makes a full day of Kakheti fit into one departure from the city.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Russian.

How long is the drive from Tbilisi to Kakheti?

Approximately three hours each way. The tour is around 10 hours total.

What wines will I taste?

Georgian wine, chacha, cognac, and other local products. You'll taste in a cellar and have the option to buy.

Is lunch included?

Yes, lunch at a local restaurant in Sighnaghi or Telavi is included in the tour.

Can I bake bread during the tour?

Yes, at the Badiauri village stop you can bake Georgian bread and taste it fresh from the bakery.

Is this tour suitable for people with mobility issues?

The tour is suitable for all physical fitness levels, though Sighnaghi involves walking uphill streets and Bodbe Convent requires some climbing.

What is the 900-year-old tree in Telavi?

A chadar tree in Telavi's main square where visitors traditionally make wishes. The palace of King Erekle is visible from this spot.

Can I visit Bodbe Convent if I'm not religious?

Yes, Bodbe is open to all visitors. It's a historical and spiritual site with significant views of the Alazani Valley.