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Places to Visit in Kutaisi, Georgia, Europe

Kutaisi is the 2^nd largest city and legislative capital of Georgia as well as the capital of Imereti region, situated about 225 km northwest of Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. Tourism is the backbone of Kutaisi’s economy. Kutaisi is situated on the banks of the Rioni River, covering an area of 82 sq. km. It coordinates with 42°15′0″ N latitude and 42°42′0″ E longitude and is located at an altitude between 125 and 300 meters. Kutaisi features a humid subtropical climate with hot and dry summers and wet and cool winters.

 

History of Kutaisi:

According to the historical sources, Kutaisi served as the capital of the ancient Kingdom of Colchis in the second millennium BC. Kutaisi also served as the capital of the United Kingdom of Georgia (978 – 1122 CE) and the Imeretian Kingdom (1500s- 1810). The historical identities of Kutaisi include Bagrati Cathedral, Gelati Monastery, Geguti Palace and Motsameta Church.

 

How to reach Kutaisi?

Kutaisi is served the David Builder Kutaisi International Airport, situated around 14 km away from the city centre and handles flights to Minsk, Moscow, Baghdad, Katowice, Warsaw, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kiev and Tbilisi.

Kutaisi has a good connectivity to Tbilisi by train. Generally train departs Tbilisi at 8:50AM and reaches Kutaisi at 3:00PM and charge would be 5 GEL.

Buses are also regular between Kutaisi and Tbilisi, departing Didube Bus Station in Tbilisi to Kutaisi. Marshrutkas (minibus) is an additional option for both short and long distance travel.

 

Culture, Food and Shopping in Kutaisi:

Kutaisi is the site of plenty of class museums related to the history, culture, tradition and sport of Kutaisi. Kutaisi is also home to many grand festivals.

Cotton clothes and traditional handicrafts are purchasable items in Kutaisi and the major food corners in Kutaisi include:

• Cafe de Paris
• Mirzaani brewery
• Bar-Restaurant Palaty

 

Tourist Attractions in Kutaisi:

Kutaisi State Historical Museum:

Kutaisi State Historical Museum is an ideal place to know the complete and rich history of Georgia. Wide research library and laboratories in the museum have made it Georgia one of the major scientific-research institutions. It is home to around 16 0000 exhibits covering archaeological and paleographical tradition of Georgia.

 

David Kakabadze Fine Art Gallery:

Situated at 8 Shota Rustaveli Street in Kutaisi, the David Kakabadze Fine Art Gallery was founded in 1976, housing more than 2800 objects of many renowned artists such as Gigo Gabashvili, E. Akhvlediani, S.Kobuladze and Niko Pirosmani. The museum is spread over an area of 1048 m².

 

Bagrati Cathedral:

The Bagrati Cathedral is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated few kilometers away from the heart of Kutaisi city. The king of Georgia, Bagrat III who was the founder of the cathedral, founded in the 11th century. Another UNESCO World Heritage Site of the city Gelati Monastery is situated near Bagrati Cathedral.

 

List of other places of interest in Kutaisi includes:

• Kutaisi Museum of Sport
• Kutaisi Museum of Martial Art
• Museum of Zakaria Paliashvili
• Kutaisi Meliton Balanchivadze State Opera House
• Kutaisi State Historical Archive
• Motsameta Church
• Hermann-Wedekind-Jugendtheater
• Kutaisi State Scientific-Universal Library
• Sataplia Cave
• Kutaisi Iakob Gogebashvili State Puppet Theatre
• Geguti Palace
• Kutaisi Lado Meskhishvili State Academic Theatre

 

Best time to visit Kutaisi:

The best time to visit historical Kutaisi is during the months between April and October.

 

Accommodation options in Kutaisi:

Kutaisi is a historical city rich in culture, tradition and infrastructure as well as hospitality industry with top class hotels with latest tourist favor facilities. The reputed hotels in Kutaisi are as follows:

• Hotel Kolkha
• Aeetes Palace Hotel
• Hotel Old Town
• Hotel Beka
• Hotel Rcheuli Palace
• Imeri Park Hotel
• Family Hotel – B&B – Deda Lali
• Hotel Gora
• Gelati Guest House
• Elegant Hotel
• Empire Hotel
• Hotel Bagrati
• Guest House Gegi
• Gia Guesthouse
• Hostel Kutaisi
• Hostel Leila

Batumi Tourist Places to Visit in Batumi, Georgia, Europe

Batumi is the capital of Adjara (autonomous republic) in the southwest Georgia on the coast of Black Sea. It is especially noted for the production of the abundance of citrus fruit and tea and is also known for its food processing, and light manufacturing industries as well as natural and manmade tourist destinations.

 

Geography of Batumi:

Batumi is positioned between latitude 41°38′45″ in the north and longitude 41°38′30″ in the west, around 365 km west of Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. Batumi is located at an altitude of 3 meters covering an area of 64.9 square kilometers.

 

History of Batumi:

Batumi takes its name from the Greek phrase ‘bathus limen’ which means ‘deep harbor’. It was initially founded in the 8th century and it gained a city status in the year 1866. Batumi also saw the rule of the Russian Empire between 1878 and 1886.

 

Connectivity to Batumi:

Batumi has an international airport which is situated 2 km away from the city centre operating flights to Kiev, Minsk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Moscow, Istanbul, Odessa and Tbilisi, served by Georgian Airways, Turkish Airlines, Belavia, Aerosvit and many other renowned airlines.

There are regular buses plying between Batumi and Tbilisi that takes around 6 hours and charges about 18 Lari. Also bus services are available from Turkey to Batumi.

Trains generally depart Tbilisi Railway Station at 22:25 and reach Makhinjauri Station in Batumi at 7:05. Batumi is also reachable by ferry from Russia.

 

Culture, Food and Shopping in Batumi:

The Adjara State Museum in Batumi is concentrated on the history and culture of Adjara. The major shopping options in Batumi include:

• King and Queen Boutique
• Goodwill Supermarket

Here are some nice restaurants in Batumi:

• Zaqara Restaurant
• Cafe Literaturuli
• San Remo Restaurant
• Privet iz Batumi

 

Things to do in Batumi:

• Beach exploration
• Visiting museums
• Shopping

 

Tourist Attractions in Batumi:

 

Batumi Botanical Garden:

The Batumi Botanical Garden is situated in the northern part of Batumi, taking around 20-30 minutes to reach from the heart of the city by vehicle. It is situated next to the Black Sea, boasting abundance of colorful flower plants and it takes around half day to explore.

 

Church of the Holy Spirit:

Built in the late 1990s, the Church of the Holy Spirit is a Roman Catholic Church, designed by Oleg Pataridze and Giorgi Baghoshvili (both of them are Georgian architects).

 

Batumi Synagogue:

Batumi Synagogue is one of the best tourist attractions in Batumi which was constructed in the year 1904 by Semyon Vulkovich. Bring camera to take some classy pictures of the synagogue. Great construction and nice architecture, must visit.

 

Other places of interest in and around Batumi include:

• Cathedral of the Mother of God
• Saint Barbara Church
• The Batumi Mosque
• The Batumi Synagogue
• Adjara State Museum
• Black Sea
• Theater Square
• The Batumi Armenian church
• Batumi University Fountain
• Sheraton Hotel
• Batumi Neptun Square
• The Batumi Dolphinarium
• Public Service Hall
• Georgian Alphabet Tower
• Remains of Gonio Fortress
• Nurigeli Lake

 

Ideal time to visit Batumi:

From the middle April to October is the best time enjoy holidays in Batumi.

 

Accommodation options in Batumi:

Being one of the most important city as well as tourist centers of Georgia, Batumi houses dozens of accommodation centers ranging from budget options to high class hotels. The prominent hotels in Batumi are listed here below:

• Radisson Blu Hotel Batumi
• Sheraton Batumi Hotel
• Hotel Elegant
• Best Eastern Intourist – Batumi
• President Plaza Hotel
• Aisi Hotel
• Golden Fish Hotel
• Batumi World Palace
• Sputnik Boutique Hotel
• Hotel Sanapiro
• Prestige Hotel
• Hotel Mgzavrebi Batumi
• Old City Hotel
• Antika Hotel
• L Bakuri Hotel
• Dzveli Batumi Guesthouse

Best Tourist Places to Visit in Georgia, Europe

Georgia is a country in Eurasia geographically positioned between 42.0167° N latitude and 43.7333° E longitude. Tbilisi is the official capital and the largest city, Kutaisi is the legislative capital, Georgian is the official language and Lari is the currency of Georgia. The government of Georgia follows unitary semi-presidential republic system.

Georgia is surrounded by Russia in the north, Turkey and Armenia on the south, Azerbaijan towards southeast and in the west by the Black Sea. Situated between Western Asia and Eastern Europe, Georgia is spread over an area of 69,700 sq. km.

The major cities of Georgia are as follows:

• Tbilisi
• Kutaisi
• Batumi
• Rustavi
• Zugdidi

 

History of Georgia:

It is believed that, Georgia derives its name from a Christian martyr, Saint George. Until the beginning of the 19th century, Georgia was under the rule of the independent kingdoms when it became the part of the Russian Empire. Later in the year 1921, Georgia was conquered by Soviet Russia, converting it as the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic. Finally the independence of Georgia was declared on April 9, 1991 from the Soviet Union and finalized on December 25, 1991.

How to reach Georgia?

Tbilisi International Airport is the most important airport of Georgia located in the national capital, Tbilisi. This airport operates flights from and to most of the major European and some Asian cities such as Munich, Amsterdam, Kiev, Dubai, Baghdad, Rome, Moscow, Athens and Tehran.

Tbilisi in Georgia is connected to Istanbul in Turkey and Baku in Azerbaijan by direct bus services. Also direct train services are available to Istanbul and Baku.

Minibus, train, rental car and bike are the options for local travel.

 

Culture, Food and Shopping in Georgia:

Orthodox Christianity forms the higher majority of Georgia’s population and Georgia has a mixed culture of Georgian, Greeks, Roman and Russian.

Khachapuri and khinkali are the national dishes of Georgia and Chacha and wines are also very famous in Georgia.

Gold and silver items are purchasable in Georgia and other items include Georgian wine, brandy and paintings. Most of the major upgraded shopping centers and food corners of Georgia are in the capital Tbilisi.

 

Tourist Attractions in Georgia:

Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi:

Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi or Sameba is the 3^rd tallest Eastern Orthodox Cathedral in the globe, built between 1995 and 2004, designed by Archil Mindiashvili.

Mount Kazbek:

Situated in the Kazbegi District in Georgia, the Mount Kazbek is a dormant stratovolcano and the 3^rd highest mountain in Georgia with an altitude of 5033 meters. It is a great site for adventure sport lovers.

 

Janashia Museum:

Janashia Museum is located at Rustaveli Avenue 3 in Tbilisi, encompassing thousands of artifacts related to archeology and ethnography of Georgia and Caucasia. The entrance fee is 3 GEL.

 

List of other places of interest in Georgia includes:

• Lake Ritsa
• Uplistsikhe
• Svetitskhoveli Cathedral
• Narikala
• Gergeti Trinity Church
• Bagrati Cathedral
• Turtle Lake
• Kartlis Deda
• National Botanical Garden of Georgia
• Joseph Stalin Museum
• Cow Island
• Anchiskhati Basilica
• Vashlovani National Park
• Armazi
• Dadiani Palaces Museum

 

Best time to visit Georgia:

Georgia can be visited throughout the year, especially between May and September will be ideal to visit Georgia.

 

Accommodation options in Georgia:

Georgia is home to all sorts of accommodation centers categorized as hotels, BB and Inns, lodges and vacation rentals. Private homes are the cheaper and most enjoyable option in Georgia and the country’s most luxury hotels are situated in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. The prominent hotels in Georgia (Tbilisi) include:

• Demi Hotel
• Radisson Blu Iveria Hotel
• Hotel British House
• Tbilisi Marriott Hotel
• Holiday Inn Tbilisi
• Betsy’s Hotel
• Courtyard Tbilisi
• Hotel River Side
• Hotel Villa Mtiebi
• Hotel City
• Mia Guesthouse Tbilisi
• Sheraton Metechi Palace Hotel
• Hotel Armazi Palace
• Hotel Sharden
• Hotel Ambasadori