People turn off at Akhaltsikhe for what stands right above the town: Rabati fortress. It has been restored in full, and inside the walls a church, a mosque and a synagogue stand side by side — a trace of centuries as a border town changing hands.
What to see
Rabati Fortress — restored in 2012, with a church, a mosque and a synagogue inside the same walls.
Vardzia — a 12th-century cave monastery about an hour south.
Khertvisi Fortress — on the road to Vardzia, one of the oldest still standing in the country.
When to go
April to October. The region sits on a high plateau and winters are noticeably colder than in Tbilisi, with some surrounding roads drifting over.
Mituda