Motsameta Monastery sits on a dramatic limestone cliff above the Rioni River gorge near Kutaisi, western Georgia, and is dedicated to two royal brothers martyred in the ninth century whose tomb remains a place of active pilgrimage today.
Georgia: Kutaisi – Exploring Georgia’s Second-Largest City
Kutaisi, Georgia: Ancient, Underrated and Quietly Wonderful
Kutaisi is one of those places that sneaks up on you. Georgia’s second-largest city, sitting on the banks of the Rioni River in the western region of Imereti, has been continuously inhabited for well over three thousand years — possibly as many as four thousand, depending on which archaeologist you ask, and they don’t always agree. It served as the capital of the ancient kingdom of Colchis, which will ring a bell for anyone who sat through school lessons on Greek mythology; Jason and his Argonauts reportedly came here in search of the Golden Fleece, a story the city still wears with considerable civic pride. It later became the capital of the mediaeval Kingdom of Georgia, at a period when Georgia was a genuine regional power, producing kings who built monasteries rather than just conquering things, which at least shows a certain amount of forward thinking.
These days, most visitors to Georgia head for Tbilisi and, if they’re feeling adventurous, Batumi. Kutaisi tends to get a rather dismissive write-up in the travel press — as somewhere you pass through, or use as a base for day trips, rather than a destination in its own right. Which is, frankly, both slightly true and considerably unfair. The city itself is not flashy; it has none of Tbilisi’s cocktail bars and rooftop restaurants, and the architecture varies from genuinely old and remarkable to Soviet-era concrete of the sort that tends to lower the spirits. But wander past that and you find a city with a lively central market, a pleasant riverfront, some truly extraordinary things to see within about an hour’s drive, and a population that seems generally pleased to see a visitor rather than exhausted by them.
Getting to Kutaisi is, if anything, easier than getting to Tbilisi for many European travellers, because Kutaisi International Airport is served by a number of low-cost carriers from across Europe. From the airport to the city is about half an hour by taxi, which will cost next to nothing by any western standard, and that sets the tone for the whole place — good value, a bit rough around the edges, and rather more interesting than it first appears.
Overview of Things to Do
🏛️ Admire the View from Bagrati Cathedral
Bagrati Cathedral sits on the Ukimerioni hill, right in the middle of the city, and even if it were surrounded by absolutely nothing else of interest, it would be worth making the climb for the view alone. Built at the turn of the eleventh century under King Bagrat III — the first king of a unified Georgia, and a man who clearly believed in spending his construction budget properly — the cathedral is a substantial piece of early Georgian architecture: cruciform, domed, and built from a pale, warm stone that catches the light pleasantly in the afternoon. It had a difficult few centuries, including being blown up by the Ottomans in 1692, which is not the sort of thing you easily recover from, and spent several hundred years as a rather splendid ruin. A major reconstruction between 2009 and 2012 brought the roof back, made it usable as a working cathedral again, and also caused enough controversy about authenticity that UNESCO quietly removed it from the World Heritage list in 2017 — a decision the Georgians found somewhat vexing. It still holds its original status alongside Gelati Monastery as a single UNESCO entity in some registers, which is the sort of bureaucratic nuance you don’t necessarily need to resolve before you can enjoy standing on that hill looking out over the city and the Rioni valley. Go early if you can; tour groups arrive around mid-morning and it gets busy quickly.
- Location: Ukimerioni Hill, central Kutaisi
- Website: georgia.travel
- Telephone: N/A (public monument)
- Email: N/A
- Opening Hours: Daily, approximately 09:00–18:00 (earlier closure possible during services)
- Fees: Free entry
🏔️ Visit Motsameta Monastery on Its Clifftop Gorge
A quick note before we get going: Gelati Monastery — the obvious first choice here and normally one of the finest things to see anywhere near Kutaisi — is, at the time of writing in October 2026, undergoing significant restoration work. The main cathedral is encased in scaffolding both inside and out, which does rather take the shine off a twelfth-century mosaic of the Virgin and Child. It is still possible to visit the grounds, but the experience is considerably more building site than UNESCO World Heritage Site just at the moment, so we would suggest saving it for a future trip and heading instead to Motsameta, about six kilometres from central Kutaisi and five minutes by car from Gelati itself. It is a much smaller monastery than its famous neighbour, but in some ways a more rewarding visit for it — set on a rocky cliff above a bend in the Tskaltsitela River gorge, surrounded by forest, and with the kind of dramatic, isolated atmosphere that Gelati at full tourist capacity can struggle to provide. The monastery takes its name from the Georgian word for martyr, and the story behind it is properly grim: in the eighth century, during the Arab invasion under Marwan ibn Muhammad, two Georgian noblemen — the brothers David and Constantine Mkheidze — refused to convert to Islam, were tortured and thrown into the river below, and were subsequently canonised by the Georgian Orthodox Church. The present church, a cross-domed structure built by King Bagrat III in the eleventh century, houses their remains in a wooden ark, and a local tradition holds that if you crawl three times beneath it and make a wish, the princes will grant it. We made a wish. Reporting back in due course.
- Location: Village of Motsameta, Tskaltsitela Gorge, approximately 6 km from central Kutaisi
- Website: georgianholidays.com/attraction/motsameta-monastery
- Telephone: N/A
- Email: N/A
- Opening Hours: Daily 09:00–18:00 (entry restricted during services)
- Fees: Free (modest dress required)
🚣 Take the Boat Through Martvili Canyon
Martvili Canyon is about fifty kilometres from Kutaisi, which makes it a decent drive, and for most of the way there you are wondering whether the journey is going to be worth it. Then you arrive, and you stop wondering. The canyon was carved by the Abasha River through limestone gorge over an indeterminate amount of geological time, and the colour of the water — an improbable, almost artificial-looking emerald green — is something that photographs fail to quite capture in the way they normally fail to capture things. It was designated a national park in 2016. The main attraction is a boat trip: flat-bottomed inflatable boats piloted by confident young men navigate about three hundred metres along the narrowest section of the gorge, between walls of moss-covered limestone rising on both sides, with waterfalls coming down here and there from above. There is also a walking trail along the upper edge of the canyon with viewing platforms over the main cascade. The two together take a couple of hours, and the standard advice — which we’d second entirely — is to arrive at opening time before the tour groups arrive and the queue for the boat gets serious. A zip-line over the canyon is available for people with a different relationship to risk than we have.
- Location: Martvili Municipality, approximately 50 km northwest of Kutaisi
- Website: martvilicanyon.ge
- Telephone: N/A (tickets purchased on-site)
- Email: N/A
- Opening Hours: Daily 10:00–18:00
- Fees: Entrance approximately 17–20 GEL per adult; boat ride approximately 17–20 GEL per person (optional); zip-line approximately 50 GEL (optional)
🦇 Descend into Prometheus Cave
Prometheus Cave is about twenty kilometres from Kutaisi, near the town of Tskaltubo, and it is named after the Titan who, in Georgian legend, was chained not to a rock in the Caucasus generically but specifically to Mount Khvamli, which is visible just a few kilometres away — so the mythological branding at least has a local justification rather than just being a marketing decision. The cave itself was opened to visitors in 2011, and it is a genuinely impressive piece of geology: a karst cave system with twenty-two halls in total, six of which are currently open, along with an underground river on which you can take a short boat ride if you want to come out thoroughly damp and very pleased with yourself. The formations are all the ones you’d expect — stalactites, stalagmites, “petrified waterfalls,” hanging stone curtains — illuminated in various colours that presumably somebody thought improved on the natural dark. We found it a bit much with the lighting, if we’re honest, but the scale of the place overcomes the colour scheme without too much difficulty. The walking route through the open sections is 1,420 metres. Allow a couple of hours including the wait and the shuttle back to the car park, and note that the cave is closed on Mondays.
- Location: Village of Kumistavi, Tskaltubo Municipality, approximately 20 km from Kutaisi
- Website: prometheus.ge
- Telephone: +995 431 24 09 09
- Email: N/A (book via website or tour operator)
- Opening Hours: Tuesday–Sunday 10:00–18:00 (17:00 in winter); closed Mondays
- Fees: Cave entry approximately 25 GEL per adult; optional boat ride approximately 20 GEL per person
🌊 Stroll Across the White Bridge and Colchis Fountain
This one requires considerably less effort than the others, which after a day of monasteries and caves is not unwelcome. The White Bridge is a pedestrian bridge across the Rioni River in the heart of Kutaisi’s old town, and it has been a feature of city life since its iron frame was imported from France in 1872 — a replacement for an earlier wooden bridge that had been damaged in flooding twelve years before. It gets its name not just from the paint but from the white limestone boulders scattered across the river bed below, which are rather lovely on a sunny afternoon. The bridge was renovated in 2019 and now has glass inserts in the walkway through which you can watch the river rushing directly beneath you, which is either pleasing or alarming depending on how you feel about glass floors. There is a statue of “Picasso’s Boy” — a character from an old Georgian film — at one end, marking the tradition of young Kutaisian men jumping from the bridge into the water as a rite of passage. A short walk from the bridge brings you to the Colchis Fountain, unveiled in 2011 in the central square, with enlarged bronze replicas of ancient jewellery and animals excavated in the region, celebrating the mythological heritage of Colchis. It is rather good fun and worth a photograph.
- Location: White Bridge — Old Town, central Kutaisi; Colchis Fountain — David Agmashenebeli Avenue, central Kutaisi
- Website: georgia.travel/the-white-bridge
- Telephone: N/A (public spaces)
- Email: N/A
- Opening Hours: Accessible at all times
- Fees: Free
Planning Your Visit to Kutaisi
By Air
Kutaisi has its own international airport, David the Builder Kutaisi International Airport (KUT), which sits about ten kilometres west of the city centre and has in recent years become something of a budget airline hub for the Caucasus region. Wizz Air in particular operates routes into Kutaisi from a number of European cities, and the airport sees enough traffic to make it a genuinely useful entry point into Georgia for those who want to explore the western part of the country without the extra leg to Tbilisi. Taxis and minibuses connect the airport to the city centre, and the journey takes around twenty minutes.
By Train
Kutaisi is connected to Tbilisi by rail, with several services a day running along the main east-west line. The journey takes around four to five hours and passes through some impressive Caucasian scenery as it drops down from the highlands towards the Rioni valley. The train station in Kutaisi sits a short taxi ride from the centre. There is also a faster intercity service that cuts the journey to around three hours, though it does not run with the same frequency as the slower trains.
By Marshrutka
The quickest and most popular way to travel between Tbilisi and Kutaisi for most Georgians and budget travellers is the marshrutka, the shared minibus that forms the backbone of public transport across the country. Marshrutkas depart from Tbilisi’s Didube bus station when full rather than to a fixed timetable, run throughout the day, and cover the roughly 230-kilometre journey in around three hours depending on traffic and the enthusiasm of the driver. The fare is very low by any Western standard. Marshrutkas also connect Kutaisi with Batumi on the Black Sea coast, making it straightforward to combine the two on a longer itinerary.
🚗 Getting Around
The city centre is compact enough to cover on foot, and most of Kutaisi’s own sights are within comfortable walking distance of one another. For the major attractions outside the city — the Prometheus Cave, Bagrati Cathedral, Gelati Monastery and the Okatse Canyon, among others — a hire car gives the most flexibility and is inexpensive by European standards. Hire firms operate in the city and at the airport.
Taxis are plentiful and cheap, and the Bolt ride-hailing app works well in Kutaisi, which takes the uncertainty out of agreeing a fare in advance. For day trips further afield, local marshrutkas serve many of the surrounding towns and villages from the central bus station, though schedules can be irregular and departure times are best treated as approximate rather than binding. Many visitors find it worth hiring a local driver for a day to cover the main sites outside the city, which remains affordable and takes the logistical pressure off entirely.
The Best Time to Visit Georgia
🌸 Spring (March–May)
Spring is widely considered one of the finest times to visit Georgia. Temperatures climb gently from the cool of late winter — Tbilisi averages around 12–18 °C by April — and the landscape transforms dramatically. The foothills of the Greater Caucasus turn a vivid green, wildflowers carpet the valleys of Kakheti, and the orchards of Samtskhe-Javakheti erupt into blossom. Rainfall is moderate and spread throughout the season rather than concentrated into heavy downpours, keeping the air clean and the mountains sharp against the sky.
The cultural calendar is also lively. Easter (Aghdugseba) is one of the most atmospheric celebrations in the Georgian Orthodox calendar, marked by candlelit processions, midnight church services, and family gatherings. Wine lovers benefit from visiting in May, when the previous autumn’s vintage is settling nicely and producers open their cellars for tasting. Crowd levels remain manageable; hotels and guesthouses in Tbilisi’s Old Town are available without advance booking pressure, and the mountain resorts such as Kazbegi and Mestia are accessible but not yet overwhelmed.
What to pack. Bring layers you can peel off — a light fleece, a waterproof jacket, and a packable umbrella. Comfortable walking shoes with grip are essential for wet cobblestones. Evenings remain cool until late April, so a mid-weight jumper pays dividends. Add a light scarf for church visits.
☀️ Summer (June–August)
Summer is Georgia’s peak tourist season, and for good reason. Long days, reliably sunny skies, and warm temperatures — often reaching 30–35 °C in Tbilisi and the lowland river valleys — make it ideal for those who want heat and activity in equal measure. The mountain regions offer a natural escape: Svaneti and the Kazbegi area sit at altitude and remain pleasantly cool, making them busy but spectacular destinations for hikers and trekkers. The Caucasus Trail draws serious walkers from across Europe between June and August.
The Black Sea coast around Batumi is in full swing during summer, with beach resorts, botanical gardens, and a lively restaurant and bar scene. Tbilisi itself hosts numerous festivals — the Tbilisi Open Air music festival in late June is a particular highlight — and outdoor dining along Rustaveli Avenue and the banks of the Mtkvari River reaches its zenith. The downside is congestion: popular sites such as Vardzia cave city, the Alazani Valley wine estates, and the Gergeti Trinity Church above Kazbegi are genuinely crowded. Prices rise sharply in July and August, and booking accommodation several weeks ahead is strongly advisable.
What to pack. Lightweight, breathable clothing is essential — linen and cotton fabrics are ideal. Sun cream, a wide-brimmed hat, and sunglasses are non-negotiable for the lowlands. For mountain excursions, add a waterproof layer and a warm fleece, as altitude weather changes rapidly. Sturdy hiking boots if you plan to trek. A modest wrap or shawl for monasteries.
🍂 Autumn (September–November)
Autumn rivals spring as Georgia’s most rewarding season, and for many travellers it edges ahead. September and October bring the Rtveli — the grape harvest — which is the defining event of the Georgian agricultural and cultural year. Vineyards across Kakheti turn gold and amber; families and friends gather to tread grapes by foot in traditional clay qvevri buried in the earth, and wine flows freely at communal feasts known as supras. Temperatures are comfortable — highs of 22–26 °C in September, cooling to 12–15 °C by October — and the crowds of high summer have thinned.
The forests above Borjomi and around Signagi put on a spectacular display of autumn colour, and photography conditions in the mountains are outstanding as the first dustings of snow appear on the high peaks while the valleys remain warm. November brings a marked change: colder temperatures arrive, some mountain passes close, and rainfall increases. Early November can still be pleasant in the cities, but late November signals the onset of the Georgian winter proper.
What to pack. A versatile mid-layer system works best — a long-sleeved base, a warm jumper, and a windproof outer. Sturdy shoes or boots that handle mud are worth the bag space, particularly for vineyard visits. Bring a compact tripod if you photograph landscapes. A small hip flask for the inevitable impromptu supra is entirely appropriate.
❄️ Winter (December–February)
Winter divides cleanly into two very different experiences. In the mountain resorts — particularly Gudauri and Bakuriani — it is the liveliest and most purposeful season of all. Gudauri, perched at around 2,200 metres on the Georgian Military Highway, receives substantial snowfall and operates well-maintained ski runs catering to a growing international clientele. The ski season typically runs from December through March, and February half-term sees the resort at its most energetic. Lift queues are shorter and prices more reasonable in January.
In Tbilisi and the lowlands, winter is quiet and atmospheric. The city’s ancient churches and medieval streets take on a particular beauty in the low winter light, and the absence of tourist crowds allows for unhurried exploration of the Narikala Fortress, the sulphur baths of Abanotubani, and the vibrant Dezerter Bazaar. Christmas (7 January in the Orthodox calendar) and New Year are celebrated with great warmth: the Alilo procession on Orthodox Christmas morning through Tbilisi is one of the most moving public events in the Georgian year. Road access to some mountain villages and monasteries may be limited by snow, and the Gergeti Trinity Church above Kazbegi requires a 4WD vehicle or a guide. Temperatures in Tbilisi hover around 3–8 °C, occasionally dipping below zero.
What to pack. Warm, windproof and waterproof outer layers are essential. For skiing, full ski kit (hire is available at Gudauri). Thermal underlayers, warm socks, and insulated waterproof boots. A good hat and gloves. Hand warmers are welcome in the mountain air.
🏆 Overall Best Time to Visit
For most travellers, September and October represent Georgia’s golden window. The harvest season brings the country’s deepest cultural traditions to the surface, the landscape is at its most photogenic, temperatures are comfortable for both city exploration and mountain excursions, and the frenetic pace of the high-summer rush has subsided. Spring — particularly April and May — runs a very close second, offering similarly pleasant conditions with the added bonus of blossom and the Orthodox Easter celebrations. Both seasons reward the traveller with a Georgia that feels lived-in and generous rather than packaged for tourism.
Where to Stay in Kutaisi
Kutaisi Inn ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5-Star)
Kutaisi Inn is the only five-star hotel in the city, sitting on David Agmashenebeli Avenue in the centre of town and within a fifteen-minute walk of the State Historical Museum and the main square. It is, admittedly, the sort of five-star that a Parisian hotelier might raise an eyebrow at — several reviewers have observed it is closer in real terms to a well-run four-star — but by Kutaisi standards it is genuinely comfortable, the rooms are spacious and well appointed, the breakfast is a proper buffet affair, and the staff are consistently praised for going out of their way to be helpful, which in the context of a city still finding its tourism feet is worth a great deal. The hotel has a restaurant, a bar, a gym and a terrace, plus spa services, which gives it rather more than most of the competition. For anyone who wants a proper base camp with reliable Wi-Fi, air conditioning that works, and a good breakfast before heading out to the canyons or the monastery, this does the job rather well. Rates start from around $120 per night for a double, which is extraordinarily good value by any western European comparison.
Newport Hotel Kutaisi ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4-Star)
The Newport Hotel is a consistently well-reviewed four-star sitting on Newport Street in the very heart of the city, a twelve-minute walk from Bagrati Cathedral and six minutes from the Green Bazaar. It has 34 rooms, all with minibars and safes, a restaurant serving Georgian cuisine, a coffee shop and a bar, and it offers a free breakfast buffet from 08:00 to 11:00 every morning, which is the sort of thing that starts a day in the right spirit. Reviewers on Booking.com rate it at 9.4 out of 10, which for a hotel this size in a city that is not exactly overrun with direct competition is a reliable indicator that the staff actually care — the service gets a particular mention, along with the location and the quality of the food. It is housed in an attractive building in the old part of the centre and has a character that the more obviously modern hotels lack. One for couples and solo travellers who want a proper hotel experience without the impersonal feel of a large international chain.
Hotel Memoire Kutaisi ⭐⭐⭐ (3-Star)
Hotel Memoire is a centrally located three-star boutique hotel that is widely regarded as one of the most thoughtfully designed places to stay in the city, and it makes a reasonable case for itself from the moment you walk in. It is within a ten-minute walk of the Green Bazaar and the State Historical Museum, 1.3 kilometres from Bagrati Cathedral, and it has a restaurant on site, a coffee shop and a wine bar, which is the sort of addition you find yourself being very pleased about on a quiet evening after a long day’s sightseeing. The 17 rooms are air-conditioned and have minibars and complimentary bottled water, and the free breakfast has been consistently praised in reviews on Booking.com, where the hotel scores around 9.0 out of 10. It has a slightly more personal feel than the larger hotels, in the way that boutique properties generally do, and the staff have a reputation for being genuinely helpful rather than merely professionally polite. A solid, sensible choice for anyone who wants something comfortable and well-placed without the full-service hotel pricing.
Best Western Kutaisi ⭐⭐ (2-Star Budget)
For anyone who wants the reassurance of an international brand name and a reliable if unremarkable experience, Best Western Kutaisi delivers on both counts. It is centrally located, a short walk from Bagrati Cathedral and the Botanical Garden, it has two restaurants and a bar, and it provides complimentary Wi-Fi throughout — none of which sounds especially exciting, but when you have had a long day in a cave and a canyon and all you want is a clean room and a decent night’s sleep, straightforward reliability is precisely what you are looking for. On Booking.com it has accumulated a substantial number of reviews with a score in the high eights, which suggests it is doing what it promises on the tin consistently enough to satisfy most guests. The rooms are not large, the styling is standard international mid-range, and the breakfast, while perfectly adequate, is not going to win any awards. It is also one of the few places in Kutaisi where arriving staff will reliably speak English, which, in a city where that is still not universal, has a practical value that is easy to underestimate.
Hostel: Bao Hostel Kutaisi (Hostel)
Bao Hostel is the most consistently well-reviewed hostel in Kutaisi, with a rating of 9.6 on Hostelworld from over 360 reviews and similarly positive scores on Booking.com, which makes it about as reliable a budget recommendation as you can get in a city this size. It is centrally located, 0.38 kilometres from the city centre, and it offers a shared lounge, a terrace, a shared kitchen, free Wi-Fi throughout, and a mix of private rooms with en-suite bathrooms and mixed dormitory rooms for those travelling light and on a budget. Dorm beds run from around €4.50 a night and private rooms from €7.65, which, in a city already remarkable for being cheap, represents extraordinary value. The social atmosphere gets repeated mentions in reviews, as does the helpfulness of the staff when it comes to sorting out transport to the caves, canyons and monasteries. If you are travelling solo and want to meet other people and swap notes on the sights, this is the natural base of operations. Those who want more privacy should note that the kitchen is shared and the communal vibe is the point, not an inconvenience.
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