Tbilisi i Kazbegi – stolica i Kaukaz

We give the first day to the capital, exploring the Old Town’s lanes and the Abanotubani sulphur baths, riding the cable car up to the Narikala fortress for the view, and walking past Metekhi Church and the glass Bridge of Peace. Between the sights there is time to slow down over Georgian wine and a proper local meal, settling into the rhythm of the city before tomorrow’s mountains.

We drive north along the Georgian Military Highway, pausing at the Ananuri fortress above the turquoise reservoir and at the Friendship Monument with its sweeping panorama. At Stepantsminda we transfer to a 4x4 for the climb to Gergeti Trinity Church, standing alone beneath the great pyramid of Mount Kazbek, before the scenic return to Tbilisi in the evening.