Tbilisi
Overview
Tbilisi is the closest thing to a European old-town trip that still fits a modest budget — sulfur bathhouses, a cable-car fortress view, and an 8,000-year-old wine culture, without Schengen prices. It also sits two hours from Gudauri, one of the cheapest ski resorts you can reach from India.
Best time to visit
November through February brings the cheapest flights of the year and a quieter Old Town. If skiing is the goal, aim for late January through March, when Gudauri's snow base is at its best; book lift passes and transfers ahead of a weekend visit since the resort gets busy with regional skiers.
Things to do
- Walk Old Tbilisi and ride the cable car up to Narikala Fortress
- Soak in the sulfur bathhouses of Abanotubani
- Day trip north to Kazbegi for the Gergeti Trinity Church, framed against Mount Kazbek
- Day trip east into Kakheth wine country for a tasting at a family winery
- Ski or just sightsee a day at Gudauri, a scenic two-hour drive from the city
Sample itinerary
- Days 1-2 — Old Tbilisi, Narikala cable car, sulfur baths, Kakheti wine day trip
- Day 3 — Day trip to Kazbegi and Gergeti Trinity Church
- Days 4-5 — Gudauri for skiing (or just the cable cars and mountain views), back to Tbilisi to fly out
