2026-10-02
Snow in Georgia usually settles from mid-December at the altitude of Gudauri and Bakuriani and lasts to late March, two hours from Tbilisi airport. You do not need to ski to enjoy it: most of our Gulf guests come to see and touch snow, ride the cable car and sledges, and sleep in mild Tbilisi. Here is when it snows, where to see it with children, what to wear, and what the road is like.
We at Hawa Georgia, registered in Tbilisi since 2018, arrange the trip around a private car with an Arabic-speaking driver, priced per day for the whole car, with no prepayment: you pay on arrival in Georgia. Figures are approximate, checked in October 2026, and nobody can guarantee snow on a given date. The resort comparison is in Gudauri or Bakuriani? Which Georgia Ski Resort Is Better.
When and where does it snow in Georgia?
Snow you can play on needs altitude. Gudauri at about 2,200 m has a steady cover from roughly mid-December to late March, and days around zero with nights near minus ten. Bakuriani at about 1,700 m follows a week or two later, slightly milder. Kazbegi at about 1,750 m is white from December to March.
Do not count on Tbilisi: at about 450 m, with January days around 7 to 9 degrees, snow visits once or twice a winter and melts the same day. So you sleep in a mild city and reach the snow in two hours.
The winter road: the Jvari Pass and Kazbegi
Tbilisi to Gudauri is about 120 km and two hours; beyond it the road climbs to the Jvari Pass at about 2,400 m towards Kazbegi. On stormy days or under avalanche risk the police close the pass or run cars in convoy; it happens a few times every winter, so the Kazbegi day needs a ready alternative and a driver who checks the road each morning. Winter details are in Kazbegi and the Caucasus: A Day Trip Guide from Tbilisi.
The road to Bakuriani is longer, about 180 km via Borjomi, but crosses no high pass, so we suggest it to families. We leave early, with winter tyres and chains, and a 4x4 takes the last stretch on heavy days. A single transfer from Tbilisi to Gudauri by minivan is 110 USD for the whole car.
What to do in the snow if you do not ski
More than half our winter guests do not ski. The Gudauri cable cars climb in stages to above 3,000 m, sightseeing tickets are sold to non-skiers, and the view from the top is the photograph of the trip. Below the first station are sledging and tubing lanes that need no lessons, and snowmobiles with a guide.
Bakuriani is quieter and more of a family place: horse-drawn sleighs, a small learning slope near the centre, the narrow-gauge Kukushka train from Borjomi through white trees, and Borjomi park in the snow. On a clear day in Kazbegi a local 4x4 takes you up to the Tsminda Sameba church.
December and January, or February?
Late December and January are the festive season: Tbilisi's lights, New Year's Eve, school holidays, full resorts. Early December can be thin in some years, and short days end mountain activities around four.
February is historically the deepest-snow month, days are longer, and crowds thin after mid-January. March brings spring snow: sun, relative warmth and still enough cover in Gudauri, the best fit for small children. The temperature table is in Georgia Weather Month by Month: Tbilisi, Batumi and Mountain Temperatures, and What to Pack.
New Year in the Georgian snow
New Year's Eve is our most requested night: three nights in Tbilisi around the celebration and its fireworks, then two or three nights in Gudauri or Bakuriani, as in Georgia 6-Day New Year Tour – Tbilisi and Gudauri. Resort hotels for those nights fill two or three months ahead, so book in October or November; a booking with us takes no deposit.
What to wear in the Georgian snow
The usual mistake is not too few clothes but the wrong kind: one heavy coat sweats in the car and freezes outside. Wear three layers: a thermal base, a fleece, and a waterproof shell, plus waterproof gloves, a hat over the ears, snow boots with grip and wool socks. Children need a full snow suit and spare gloves; ski gear and snow clothing can be hired at both resorts.
5-day and 7-day snow itineraries
Five days give real snow if you pick one resort, and this is the shape of Georgia 5-Day Snow Tour – Gudauri:
- Day 1: Arrival in Tbilisi, welcome with a name sign, a night in the capital.
- Day 2: Up to Gudauri past Ananuri; afternoon on sledges and the cable car.
- Day 3: A full day in Gudauri: cable car, snowmobiles, or a first ski lesson.
- Day 4: Kazbegi if the pass is open, then down to Tbilisi and the sulphur baths.
- Day 5: A morning in the old town, then the airport transfer.
Seven days add a city day and an extra mountain day, as in Georgia 7-Day Snow Tour – Gudauri and Tbilisi; a family with small children takes the same shape towards Bakuriani, as in Georgia 6-Day Family Snow Tour – Bakuriani. All winter programmes are in Georgia Winter and Snow Packages.
How much does a snow trip to Georgia cost?
Our car price is the same in summer and winter and covers the whole car: a sedan for five days is 425 USD, a minivan for six for five days 500 USD, and from seven days a 5% discount brings a minivan for a week to 665 USD, including fuel, parking, the driver's lodging, airport meeting, the SIM card and child seats.
The hotel is optional, from our approved hotels, shown as the whole-stay total with breakfast: four nights in a double room at a 4-star hotel from 396 USD, and a family of four in two rooms with a minivan and a 4-star hotel for seven days from 1,853 USD; high-season nights around New Year total higher and appear in full when you enter your arrival date. Children under 5 are free. Your own mountain spending: a day lift pass in Gudauri roughly 70 to 90 GEL, ski hire about 40 to 60 GEL a day,; check the resort's official prices.
Frequently asked questions
When does it snow in Georgia?
In Gudauri and Bakuriani from roughly mid-December to late March, deepest in February.
Can I see snow on a day trip from Tbilisi?
Yes, Gudauri is two hours away, though one night in the mountains gives children the white morning they came for.
Is the road safe in winter?
With a driver who knows the road and a winter-equipped car, yes; the police close the Jvari Pass on dangerous days.
Is the car price different in winter?
No, the price is the same all year. Only the hotel total rises on New Year and holiday nights, shown in full before you confirm.
Book your snow trip on WhatsApp
Send us your dates, the number of travellers and the children's ages, and we reply with a written day-by-day programme and the full total. No prepayment, you pay on arrival in Georgia, in cash in USD or GEL or by bank transfer; cancellation is free up to 48 hours before arrival for a driver-only booking and up to 72 hours when the booking includes hotels. WhatsApp: +995 550 000 663.