Yes, Georgia is one of the easiest countries in the Caucasus to backpack alone, with cheap hostels, a dense minibus network and visa-free entry for up to a year for many nationalities.
Dorm beds in
Tbilisi,
Kutaisi and
Batumi cost about 25 to 45 GEL (US$9 to 17), and guesthouses in
Mestia or
Stepantsminda often include dinner for 60 to 90 GEL. Marshrutkas link every major town, though signs are often only in Georgian script, so learn the station names. Younger people in cities usually speak some English, older people Russian. A daily budget of US$25 to 40 covers bed, food and transport.
Ten days is the minimum to see Georgia properly, and two weeks lets you cover the mountains, the cave cities and the coast without rushing.
With five days, stick to
Tbilisi,
Mtskheta and
Kazbegi, which is about three hours north by marshrutka. Ten days adds Kakheti wine country and
Upper Svaneti, reached from Kutaisi in 5 to 6 hours. With 15 days you can fit in
Vardzia,
Kutaisi and two nights in
Batumi. Allow at least three nights in Svaneti, because the trip in and out eats most of a day each way.
Yes, you can travel all of Georgia without a car, mostly by marshrutka (shared minibus), with trains and shared taxis filling the gaps.
From Tbilisi, marshrutkas reach
Stepantsminda in about 3 hours for 15 to 20 GEL (US$6 to 7),
Sighnaghi in about 2 hours, and
Kutaisi in about 4 hours. Trains run from Tbilisi to
Batumi in 5 to 6 hours.
Kutaisi to
Mestia takes 5 to 6 hours by minibus, and shared 4x4s cover the last stretch to
Ushguli. Remote spots such as
Uplistsikhe or
Jvari Monastery need a short taxi ride, usually 20 to 40 GEL.
The essential places in Georgia are Tbilisi, the Kazbegi region, Upper Svaneti and the cave monastery of Vardzia, with Kakheti’s wine villages close behind.
Give
Tbilisi two or three days for its sulfur baths and Narikala Fortress, and add a half-day trip to
Mtskheta, 30 minutes away.
Stepantsminda needs two nights for the Gergeti hike.
Mestia and
Ushguli deserve three nights between them.
Vardzia is a day trip from Akhaltsikhe, about 1.5 hours away.
Sighnaghi, two hours from the capital, is the easiest base for wine tastings.
If you are short on time in Georgia, skip Batumi and the Black Sea coast first, since the mountains and the monasteries are what make the country special.
Batumi costs you 5 to 7 hours each way from Tbilisi or Svaneti for a pebble beach and a seafront promenade.
Gori can also go, unless the Stalin Museum is a priority;
Uplistsikhe nearby is the better stop.
Tusheti and the
Omalo to Shatili trek need 5 days or more and a summer-only mountain road, so save them for a second trip. Focus on
Tbilisi,
Kazbegi and
Svaneti instead.
Yes, our itinerary-planner does exactly that. Set your trip length in days, give your interests and travel style, optionally give start- and end location and/or some mandatory stops you would like to include and the itinerary planner creates your personalized routes for Georgia in seconds. Try it out!
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