Overview
- Celebrate New Year’s Eve at a gala dinner with a Georgian show as fireworks light up Tbilisi
- Make khinkali, khachapuri and churchkhela at a family-hosted supra with Georgian music and dancing
- Discover Kakheti’s wine heritage at Bodbe, hilltop Sighnaghi and Khareba’s underground wine tunnels
- Bake shoti bread in a clay oven and make gozinaki, Georgia’s walnut-and-honey New Year sweet
- Visit UNESCO-listed Jvari Monastery (6th century) and Svetitskhoveli Cathedral (11th century) in Mtskheta
- Journey to Gudauri, around 2,200 m above sea level, for winter scenery and sweeping Caucasus views
- Stay five nights in one central Tbilisi hotel, relax in a sulfur bath and enjoy a free New Year’s Day
The best New Year memories are made around a table. On this six-day journey, you will cook with Georgian hosts, share a festive dinner, discover the country’s wines and welcome the new year in Tbilisi.
Begin with the historic streets of Tbilisi and the churches of Mtskheta. In the evening, join your hosts at a family-run wine cellar for a Georgian dinner filled with food, music and dancing. Make khinkali, khachapuri and churchkhela together before sitting down to eat.
The following day brings a different taste of Georgian tradition. Travel through Kakheti to Sighnaghi and Bodbe, then enter Khareba’s underground wine tunnels. After a guided wine tasting, bake shoti bread in a traditional clay oven and make gozinaki, the walnut-and-honey sweet shared at New Year. Lunch at the winery and a sulfur bath back in Tbilisi complete the day.
On New Year’s Eve, follow the Georgian Military Highway into the Caucasus for a winter visit to Gudauri. Return to Tbilisi for a gala dinner and Georgian New Year show. January 1 is yours to spend slowly, while your five nights in one Tbilisi hotel make the whole journey easy to enjoy.
Gallery
Itinerary
- Tbilisi — Tbilisi
- Tbilisi — Mtskheta — Tbilisi
- Tbilisi — Sighnaghi — Kvareli — Tbilisi
- Tbilisi — Gudauri — Tbilisi
- Tbilisi
- Tbilisi — Tbilisi
Arrival in Tbilisi
Welcome to Tbilisi. Your driver meets you at the airport and takes you to your centrally located hotel, where you will stay for all five nights of the tour. Settle in without having to think about another hotel change during the journey.
The rest of the day is yours. Depending on your arrival time, take a first walk around Meidan and the streets of Old Tbilisi, glowing with holiday decorations, or find a welcoming restaurant for dinner at your leisure. Tomorrow, your guide will introduce you to the city beyond your first impressions. Overnight in Tbilisi.
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Tbilisi & Mtskheta, Supra with a Local Family
After breakfast, explore Tbilisi with your guide. Walk through the old quarters, past carved wooden balconies and historic churches, and cross the glass-and-steel Bridge of Peace. From Rike Park, take the cable car above the city for views over the Mtkvari River and the rooftops below. Continue to Abanotubani, the district whose distinctive brick domes cover Tbilisi’s natural sulfur baths.
In the afternoon, travel to Mtskheta, Georgia’s ancient capital. Visit Jvari Monastery (6th century), perched above the point where the Aragvi and Mtkvari rivers meet. Below, explore Svetitskhoveli Cathedral (11th century), one of the country’s most important churches. Both monuments form part of Mtskheta’s UNESCO World Heritage site.
Return to Tbilisi for an evening hosted at a family-run wine cellar. Learn to fold khinkali, the juicy, pleated Georgian dumplings traditionally eaten by hand; prepare khachapuri, bread filled with melted cheese; and make churchkhela, walnuts threaded onto a string and dipped in thickened grape juice. Then gather around the table for a SUPRA a Georgian feast shaped by shared dishes, wine and toasts with polyphonic singing and dancing. Overnight in Tbilisi.
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Kakheti: Bodbe, Sighnaghi & Khareba Winery
Leave Tbilisi for Kakheti, Georgia’s celebrated wine region. Visit Bodbe Monastery, closely associated with St Nino, and continue to Sighnaghi. From this walled hilltop town, look out across the Alazani Valley towards the Caucasus.
At Khareba, follow your guide into wine tunnels carved deep into the rock. Hear how the cool underground setting is used to store wine, then taste a selection of Georgian wines. Afterwards, roll up your sleeves for two traditions you have not tried at the previous evening’s dinner. Bake shoti, the long, boat-shaped Georgian bread cooked against the hot inner wall of a clay tone oven. Then make gozinaki: toasted walnuts bound with honey, cut into pieces and shared at New Year with wishes for a sweet year ahead.
Enjoy lunch at Khareba before travelling back to Tbilisi. Your day ends in Abanotubani with time to unwind in a traditional sulfur bath.
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Gudauri Winter Adventure & New Year Gala
After breakfast, set out along the Georgian Military Highway, one of the most scenic roads into the Greater Caucasus. Stop beside the blue-green waters of Zhinvali Reservoir, then explore Ananuri Fortress (16th–17th century), once the stronghold of the Dukes of Aragvi. Its towers and churches still stand above the mountain road.
Continue to Gudauri, where the ski area stretches from around 2,000 to 3,300 metres (6,500–10,800 ft). Spend time among the snow-covered slopes and panoramic Caucasus views. You may choose to ski, try a snowmobile ride, or simply enjoy the mountain setting. Ski equipment, snowmobiles and other winter activities are optional and are not included in the tour price; availability depends on weather and conditions.
Return to Tbilisi with time to get ready for New Year’s Eve. Tonight, join your group for a festive gala dinner and Georgian New Year show. As the countdown reaches midnight, fireworks light up the sky across the capital. Overnight in Tbilisi.
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Free Day in Tbilisi
After the New Year’s Eve celebration, enjoy a day with no early start and no scheduled excursion. Have breakfast at your own pace, then decide how you would like to spend the first day of 2027.
Walk through Old Tbilisi, follow Rustaveli Avenue towards the city’s festive decorations, or return to a neighbourhood that caught your eye earlier in the tour. You may prefer to linger over a long lunch or simply take the day slowly. Your hotel remains your base in the heart of the city, and the time is entirely yours. Overnight in Tbilisi.
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Farewell Georgia
Enjoy breakfast according to your flight schedule, then meet your driver for the included transfer from your hotel to Tbilisi International Airport.
Your six days in Georgia have taken you from UNESCO-listed churches and Kakheti’s wine tunnels to a Georgian family table, the winter slopes of Gudauri and a New Year’s Eve celebration in the capital. Safe travels and take the recipe for gozinaki with you.
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Included
Our tour program's list of attractions is a guide, not exhaustive. Unlisted sites may be visited, and listed ones might be viewed from a distance. Conditions like operating hours, weather, or local rules may affect access. Thank you for your understanding.
Brochure
Want the Full Story on Georgia Countdown?
More than just a PDF, this brochure is your first step into the journey. It includes practical travel tips, what to pack, how to prepare, and a visual experience that brings Georgia Countdown to life.
