Traveling to a winter destination was a dream for us. Not everyone may feel this way but count us among those who truly love to see snow in person. Yes our trip to Georgia was a group tour. Visiting Georgia for the first time for a real “winter snow” experience was the goal.
A group of 10 adults and 5 kids. Couldn’t be more fun and chaotic, right? Haha. We stayed for 5 days and 4 nights in Old Tbilisi. We booked the Apartment Panorama in Tbilisi through Booking.com and flew via Jazeera Airways.
I am going to share a secret. The airfare for this trip was booked via Almosafer, which uses Tabby as one of the payment methods. If you are in Kuwait you can use Tabby to split your purchases into four interest-free payments.
- Day 1: Arrival
- Day 2: Snowy
- Gudauri
- Panorama of Zhinvali Reservoir
- Ananuri Fortress Complex
- Day 3: City Tour
- Chronicles of Georgia
- Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi
- River Trip Tbilisi
- Mother of Georgia via Cable Car
- Day 4: UNESCO World Heritage Sites
- Svetitskhoveli Cathedral
- Jvari Monastery
- Uplistsikhe
- Day 5: Departure
We arrived in Tbilisi at 2 PM, and immigration was swift. As a Philippines passport holder, I need an e-Visa. However, since we are also GCC residents, we get visa-free entry. After collecting our luggage, we purchased a physical SIM for data connectivity. We arrived at our accommodation late, around 4 PM. We settled in and started strolling down to the first restaurant we dined in, visiting Georgia for the first time.
Fried rice is always a great choice for any meal of the day. The staff was friendly, and we enjoyed chatting with the Indian staff member who has lived in Georgia for 10 years. The diversity encountered while traveling is truly astonishing. Their chef was kind enough to share with us the sweet delicacy of Georgia, which we actually bought on our fourth day visiting Georgia for the first time.
Visiting Georgia For The First Time: The Cold Didn’t Bother Us Anyway
Day 2 has been exhilarating. We will see the snow for the time in our life. Tropical people is waving. LOL. Before that we had two stopover heading to Gudauri. First was taking photo at the Zhinvali Reservoir and the Ananuri Fortress.
For someone not used to the winter season, it’s really freezing here but the panoramic view eases it all. Picturesque. Picture perfect. Perhaps my vocabulary just can’t describe it. It’s God’s gift.
The Fortress Complex is quite big and definitely worth taking more time to explore—I wish we had more time. I’m sure that getting to know the place is fascinating. Every nook of it is worth checking out.
Now at Gudauri Ski Resort of Georgia. Snow. Let it snow. Snowball fight. Visiting Georgia for the first time felts right.
The one thing we were excited about was the cable car. There was a time limit and we didn’t know. Only few from our group were to able to purchase tickets. Well, bright side was Dunkin Donut’s coffee is almost same worth of the cable car ticket. Definitely coffee is life. Haha! Beside that, everything was fun.
Until I threw up.
Heading back to Tbilisi seemed challenging for me as a person with motion-sickness. It was a night drive already so vehicles were extremely careful and it felt forever. Despite that we ended our night with delish dinner at Indian restaurant.
Visiting Georgia For The First Time: Cruising our City Tour
Friendly reminder: If you are no longer used to drink alcohol beverage don’t try Chacha (traditional wine) yet when you’re heading to climb up the large stairs to the top for the city view. Haha. We had good laughs about it.
The view of the city was breathtaking. The monument was beautifully carved. It depicts the story of imperial history, heroes, and Christianity. These stories are deeply rooted, and if you slow down, you can get to know every pillar that was made.
We did a stopover at The Holy Trinity of Cathedral of Tblisi, the golden dome is so dazzling.
The Tbilisi River Cruise was a nice break from the long walk we had from the Chronicles and the Cathedral. We enjoyed a nice hot chocolate and it gave us another perspective on how to see the city. It was worth it as a pause when visiting Georgia for the first time.
It was already 5 PM when we reached to the Mother of Georgia. Cable car experienced is definitely a must to do when visiting Georgia for the first time.
Places to visit in Tbilisi, like the Mother of Georgia, are worth it when you spend a longer time here. Unfortunately for us, five in the afternoon is already late. We visited in January, during winter, when sunset is earlier. Especially if you are traveling with kids, hiking down to see a better view of the monument and the place requires caution.
UNESCO World Heritage Sites should not be missed when visiting Georgia for the first time!
I couldn’t have been more excited for our fourth day until I realized that I should have worn comfortable shoes throughout this trip. Haha. The places we visited in Mtskheta and Gori were my top favorites.
The temperature here in Svetitskhoveli Cathedral of Mtskheta is no joke. We may appear to be clothed enough, it is really freezing here.
The Jvari Monastery was our last stop-over which was perfect for a sunset viewing.
Uplistsikhe is definitely a must-visit when traveling to Georgia for the first time especially if your family loves to hike. The exit is through a cave tunnel with stairs. It can be really challenging for beginners but it is truly worth it.
We just literally took our time to finalized our luggages during our fifth day visiting Georgia for the first time. Some of our friends bought some snacks since the Carrefour store is located nearby the apartment we stayed in.
As for our tour details, this trip was a kind of DIY type. We booked a coaster that could accommodate us, a group of 15, through a recommendation from a friend who had already experienced Georgia. We only visited a few from those popular tourist destination in Tbilisi since the pickup time was 11 AM.
Will I come back after visiting Georgia for the first time?
It’s definitely a big yes. Perhaps at a slower pace next time. Am I seeing myself traveling and exploring Georgia solo? Yes. Shiwanders in Georgia unlocked.
This trip was taken last January 2025.
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