2026-10-02
A 10-day Georgia itinerary is, in our experience at Hawa Georgia, the most balanced length for a first visit: enough for the capital, the Caucasus at Kazbegi, the vineyard villages of Kakheti, the forests of Borjomi and Bakuriani, the caves around Kutaisi and the Black Sea at Batumi, without coming home road-weary. Below: the route day by day with real distances, the rule behind the order, and the whole-car cost with an Arabic-speaking driver.
The route runs one way, east to west: four nights in Tbilisi as a base for the mountains and the vineyards, then south to Borjomi, west to Kutaisi and on to the coast. You never drive back over a road you have seen, and you open your suitcases four times in ten days.
The rhythm rule: no two long road days in a row
Every long programme we build follows one rule: a day with more than three hours in the car is followed by a day when the luggage stays in the room. The figures below are approximate, checked in October 2026; the full distance table is in Distances and Driving Times Between Georgian Cities.
Days 1 and 2: arrival, Tbilisi and Mtskheta
Day 1. We meet you at Tbilisi airport with a sign bearing your name and a SIM card for the week; the centre is 17 km away. Most Gulf flights land by midday, so the evening is a gentle walk through the old town and across the Bridge of Peace.
Day 2. Tbilisi at an easy pace: the cable car up to Narikala fortress, the sulphur-bath quarter of Abanotubani, Rustaveli Avenue, and in the afternoon the old capital Mtskheta with Jvari monastery above it, 20 km away.
Days 3 and 4: Kazbegi, then Kakheti
Day 3. The longest day and the finest: 156 km north on the Georgian Military Highway, about three hours without stopping, and we stop often: Ananuri fortress on the Zhinvali reservoir, the Jvari Pass viewpoint, then Stepantsminda and Gergeti church beneath Mount Kazbek. Back to Tbilisi before dark. The road stage by stage, and what happens when snow closes the pass, is in Kazbegi and the Caucasus: A Day Trip Guide from Tbilisi.
Day 4. A shorter day east: two hours to Sighnaghi, 110 km away, the walled town above the Alazani valley, Bodbe monastery, and the villages of Kakheti among vineyards and old fortresses. Back by late afternoon; four nights in one base means nobody has packed anything yet.
Days 5 and 6: Borjomi and Bakuriani
Day 5. The first move with luggage: 160 km south-west to Borjomi in about two and a half hours, with a stop at the cave town of Uplistsikhe near Gori, then Borjomi's park and mineral spring.
Day 6. No luggage: only 30 km up to Bakuriani, forty minutes through pine forest. In winter it is snow, sledges and gentle slopes for children; in summer a cable car to the summit, horses and easy walks.
Days 7 and 8: Kutaisi, caves and canyons
Day 7. About two and a half hours west to Kutaisi, with Prometheus cave on the way: lit chambers and an underground river crossed by boat. The afternoon in Kutaisi and at Gelati monastery.
Day 8. A full day without bags: Martvili canyon, where boats glide between green rock walls, and Okatse canyon with its walkway hung over the drop. Families with small children do Martvili only. All the cave options are in Georgia Caves and Waterfalls Tours.
Days 9 and 10: Batumi and home
Day 9. The last move: about two and a half hours to Batumi, arriving around midday with the evening on the seafront: the boulevard, the Alphabet Tower, the moving statue of Ali and Nino, and the cable car up to Anuria hill at sunset.
Day 10. A morning at the botanical garden or the Makhuntseti waterfall, then the airport. For a Tbilisi departure, most Gulf flights leave after midnight, so we set off after lunch for the 370 km, about five and a half hours.
The family version and the couples' version
Families with children. We drop the Kutaisi base and make the cave a stop on the road: on day 7 we drive from Borjomi straight to Batumi with Prometheus cave in the middle, and Batumi gets three nights instead of one: the sea, the water park and the Adjara countryside. Three hotels in ten days, which is exactly how Georgia 10-Day Complete Family Tour is built.
Couples and nature lovers. The route as written, with the Kutaisi base; you can also swap the Kazbegi day trip for a night in Stepantsminda, taking one night from Tbilisi. That is Georgia 10-Day Grand Tour – Mountains and Sea in full, and the rest of the programmes at this length are in Georgia Tour Packages 10 Days.
What ten days cost
The rule is the same across all our programmes: the private car with an Arabic-speaking driver is priced per day for the whole car, including fuel, parking, the driver's lodging and every transfer and tour, from 85 USD a day for a sedan and 100 USD for a minivan. Ten days qualify for the 5% length discount that starts at seven days, so a sedan is 808 USD and a minivan 950 USD for the whole car.
The hotel is optional, from our approved hotels, shown as a whole-stay total with breakfast, never a nightly rate: nine nights in a double room from 891 USD at 4-star level and 1,791 USD at 5-star level outside high season. A minivan with 4-star hotels for a couple is 1,841 USD; a family of four adults in two rooms 2,732 USD; children under 5 stay free. Flights, meals and some entry fees are not included. With fourteen days the route stretches to Svaneti, as in The Best Two Week Georgia Itineraries (14 Days).
Frequently asked questions about 10 days in Georgia
Are ten days too many for a first visit?
No. It is the length that lets you see mountain, vineyard, forest and sea without sleeping one night in a town and leaving the next morning. Seven days force you to drop the coast; fourteen add depth rather than breadth.
Can we start in Batumi instead of Tbilisi?
Yes, if your ticket lands at Batumi or Kutaisi airport. We run the same route in reverse.
Does this itinerary work in winter?
Yes, with an extra night in Bakuriani for the snow in place of a Batumi night, and flexibility on the Kazbegi day depending on the pass. The full route is at its best from May to October.
How do we pay?
On arrival in Georgia, in cash in US dollars or lari, or by bank transfer. With a driver only you pay day by day; with hotels the total is paid on arrival.
Book your ten days
Send us your dates, the number of travellers and the children's ages, and you will receive the route written day by day with hotels and the final figure. There is no prepayment, you pay on arrival in Georgia, and cancellation is free up to 48 hours before arrival for a driver-only booking and 72 hours with hotels. Hawa Georgia Travel has been registered in Tbilisi since 2018, registration 415120808. WhatsApp: +995 550 000 663