Tbilisi to Mtskheta and Jvari Monastery: Private day trip

Main attractions

• The ancient capital of the Kingdom of Kartli and the spiritual heart of Georgian Orthodox Christianity — a small town at the confluence of the Mtkvari and Aragvi rivers, 20 km north of Tbilisi, its UNESCO-listed monuments preserving the earliest and most sacred layer of Georgian religious culture
• Svetitskhoveli Cathedral (1010–1029) is the second largest church in Georgia and the most important — built over the site where Christ's robe is said to be buried, its interior preserves extraordinary medieval frescoes and the tombs of Georgian kings across fifteen centuries of royal burial
• Jvari Church perches on the cliff above the town confluence — a 6th-century Georgian cross-dome church of perfect proportional harmony, visible from miles away and offering panoramic views across the river junction and the Caucasus foothills

Take note

• Modest dress is required at all religious sites — shoulders and knees covered for all, headscarves for women are expected inside the cathedral and are available at the entrance

Main attractions

• A 6th-century Georgian Orthodox church perched on a rocky summit above the confluence of the Mtkvari and Aragvi rivers — one of the oldest and most perfectly preserved examples of Georgian ecclesiastical architecture, its cross-dome design establishing the template for Georgian church building for the following millennium
• The view from the monastery terrace is among the most celebrated in the Caucasus — the river confluence directly below, Mtskheta's Svetitskhoveli Cathedral visible in the town across the water, and the Caucasus foothills extending north toward the Greater Range on clear days
• The interior preserves the original 6th-century stone cross (jvari means cross in Georgian) around which the church was built — a place of active pilgrimage and continuous worship for over 1,400 years

Take note

• Modest dress required — shoulders and knees covered for all, and head covered for women; the road to the summit is paved but steep and narrow; your driver handles the ascent while you take in the view