Mtskheta-Mtianeti

Mtskheta-Mtianeti begins right outside Tbilisi and climbs. At the bottom is the ancient capital Mtskheta; higher up runs the Georgian Military Road with Ananuri fortress and Gudauri. Everything is strung along one road, which is why it is usually taken as a single route.

What to see

• Mtskheta — Svetitskhoveli and Jvari, both UNESCO sites.
• Ananuri Fortress — 16th to 17th century, on the Zhinvali reservoir.
• Gudauri — a ski resort at two thousand metres and the Friendship of Peoples arch.
• The Jvari pass — 2,379 metres, the highest point of the Military Road.
• Pasanauri — where the White and Black Aragvi meet and run side by side without mixing.

When to go

All year, but differently: winter for snow at Gudauri, summer for green slopes and the pass. In winter the stretch above Gudauri sometimes closes for avalanche risk, decided in the morning.