Vardzia, Borjomi & Rabat tour from Tbilisi: Private guide

A 12th-century cave city carved 50 meters deep into the mountainside.

This private tour from Tbilisi visits Vardzia, a 12th-century cave monastery with 13 levels and over 500 rooms carved into rock; Borjomi, a gorge town where you walk the city center, ride the cable car to a plateau, and taste mineral water at the source; and Rabat, a medieval fortress that once stood between Christian and Muslim worlds. A live guide in English, Italian, German or Russian leads the day, and hotel pickup is included. Entry tickets to each site are optional at checkout.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Borjomi, Rabat, and Vardzia

• Drive through gorge to Borjomi
• Walk around Borjomi city center
• Visit Borjomi park and monument
• Climb cable car for views
• Taste Borjomi mineral water
• Visit medieval Rabat fortress
• Explore Rabat palace halls
• Learn about Akhaltsikhe history
• Travel to Vardzia cave complex
• Explore Vardzia rock city rooms
• See Khertvisi fortress panorama

The experience

The tour builds around three sites that anchor Georgian history. Vardzia is the centerpiece: a fortress-monastery complex built in the 12th century with churches, chapels, residential cells, libraries and treasuries stacked across 13 levels, rooms reaching 50 meters in depth and rising eight floors high. You explore the preserved water systems, secret passages and the panorama of Khertvisi fortress on the approach. Borjomi comes first, a road through a gorge leading to the city center where you walk the park, see the Prometheus monument and a waterfall, then ride the cable car up to a plateau for views across the valley. At the source, you taste the mineral water mined there. Rabat, the third stop, is a fortress that functioned as a transit point between Christian and Muslim territories, its halls decorated in old Georgian style and its scale and ornamentation meant to impress.

The guide speaks English, Italian, German or Russian and travels with you in an air-conditioned vehicle with WiFi on board. The day runs 13 hours from pickup at your hotel. Entry tickets to Borjomi, Rabat and Vardzia are optional purchases at checkout, as is the ticket to Khertvisi fortress. Lunch is not included, though the guide will point you toward options along the route.

What’s included

• Private transportation in an air-conditioned vehicle.
• a live guide in your choice of English, Italian, German or Russian.
• WiFi on board.
• hotel pickup and return.
• access to walk through all three sites with the guide's commentary on their history and architecture.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 07:00

Book up to1h before

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish, German, Italian and Russian

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup is optional; you can also go straight 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 14 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortInfant seats available

Operated by ushba travel

Is this one for you?Choose this tour if you speak English, Italian, German or Russian and want a private guide who can go deep into the history and architecture of each site without the pace or commentary of a group. The 13-hour day is built to fit all three legendary places into one journey from Tbilisi.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, German, Italian and Russian.

What exactly is Vardzia and why does it take so long to explore?

Vardzia is a cave monastery carved into rock in the 12th century, not a single chamber but a vertical city with 13 levels, over 500 rooms including churches, chapels, libraries and residential cells, and passages running 50 meters deep into the mountainside. The scale and the network of rooms, water systems and secret passages mean there is genuinely a lot to walk through and examine.

Do I need to be fit to climb around inside Vardzia?

The tour is suitable for all physical fitness levels. Vardzia does involve walking and some climbing between levels inside the cave complex, but the guide sets the pace and you move through at your own speed.

What's included in the price and what costs extra?

The price includes private transportation from your hotel, the guide, WiFi on board and the vehicle itself. Entry tickets to Borjomi, Rabat, Vardzia and Khertvisi fortress are optional purchases you choose at checkout. Lunch is not included.

How long is the drive from Tbilisi to these sites?

The entire tour runs 13 hours from hotel pickup, which includes driving time, the stops at each site and the guide's commentary. The three locations are spread across southern Georgia, so expect significant time on the road alongside time at each attraction.