02 August 2023
Why Georgia
We’ve been to Georgia before and we loved it. First time we fell in love with Georgia on arrival in Tbilisi in 2015.
It was very early morning, about 4 am, we flew via Istanbul from London and I was rather exhausted. We were welcomed by beautiful immigration lady officers and we’ve received a bottle of red wine each, together with our stamped passport. “Welcome to Georgia”. Just wow!!!
Georgia is very proud and passionate about its wine and clearly uses it as a promotion. It works – I’ve told all my family and friends about this wine-welcome.
Georgians have been making and drinking wine for at least 8000 years which is longer than some countries’ history.
Wine aside, Georgia is a country of kind and beautiful people, amazing nature, good food (and of course wine) and interesting history.
Why Kutaisi
This time we were looking for a place to go to from Poland in August. Of course, a new airport was a requirement. Alan could not believe his luck when he saw a price of 80zł – about £15 from Katowice to Kutaisi with Wizz Air. We only booked a few weeks in advance and, as we travel with hand luggage only, we did not pay any extra for bags. Result!
The airport in Kutaisi has a brilliant name – David the Builder Kutaisi International (www.kutaisi.aero) and is very popular as budget-airline entry point to Georgia. For example, Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com) flies here directly from around 25 cities all over Europe. Just before our flight there was an arrival from Italy.
It was disappointing that this time we did not get any wine on arrival – times change, I guess.
It was also disappointing that there is no bus to the centre of Kutaisi. Apparently, this service was stopped at the beginning of 2023. There are taxis which try to rip you off by charging up to 60 GEL for approximately 22km ride. You need to negotiate or get Bold taxi app to get a fare of 25-30 GEL. There are however buses to Tbilisi and Batumi if that’s where you are planning to go. If you are interested in booking the bus it can be done on line www.georgianbus.com
We’ve decided to spend a day in Kutaisi, which is a lovely town located by a large river surrounded by the hills. It used to be the capital of several kingdoms within Georgia. Now, Kutaisi is interesting enough for one day of visiting or even more if you want to explore the region of Imereti.
The english speaking, knowledgeable, kind tourist office lady explained to us what we can see in the town and the area. We got equipped with the maps. I love maps. Kutaisi maps are great especially if you want to visit nearby monasteries, waterfalls and nature reserves as it explains which transport to take and from where. Even provides GPS coordinates.
The more we travel the more we enjoy “slow travel” therefore we’ve decided to spend a lazy day in town. Coffee shops provide perfect opportunity for people watching – one of our favourite past times.
What to see in Kutaisi
Overlooking the city is Bagrati Cathedral. Magnificent and majestic. It was built in the 10th century but sadly was destroyed by Ottoman invaders towards the end of 17th century, however beautifully restored since. It is a good hike up the hill and an opportunity to burn some calories. Alternatively you can take a 5 min ride in a cable car (1 GEL) up to the culture and recreation park and walk from there.
On the way back we’ve decided to walk around interesting bridges, get a beer by the river, and visit Colchis Fountain with huge models of ancient golden artifices found nearby.
Time for some wine … but before that a quick visit to a lovely local “Green market” located right in the city centre with local fruit, veg, spices, sweets, Churchkhela (nuts dipped in grape juice), Sulhuni (smoked cheese), Tkemali (sour sauce made of wild plums), meats, some pickles and more…. Great mixture of voices, colours, smells and tastes.
On the market’s side wall is Panorama Colchis – the largest relief sculpture in post – Soviet countries. It took a local artist 10 years to create it and it shows Georgia’s past, present and even future.
We were not tempted by any of the local museums or the Botanical Gardens and after a long walk are ready for food and wine.
What to eat in Kutaisi
We like khachapuri, essentially a cheese pie or cheese bread & khinkali – big spicy dumplings which most Georgians adore. This together with house wine is more than enough for us. We actually got a doggy bag as we could not finish our portion. Sooooo much food.
We’ve eaten at The Museum Bar & Restaurant which is right in centre of Kutaisi and has English speaking staff and nice outdoor area.
How to get to Batumi from Kutaisi
It’s easy! Either 2 hour in Marshrutka (minibus) from the main bus station – 3k out of town – for
10 GEL or 4 hours by train – 1k out of town – for 2 GEL.
We love train travel so decided to go by train. There are only 2 trains per day at 5.40 and 16.30 which is great as we often struggle to make decisions – having only 2 trains to choose from is great.
We are not sure if we will like Batumi so decided to split our stay and get off in Ureki which has a famous black sand magnetic beach.
