A Borjomi, Rabati and Vardzia day trip from Tbilisi is possible, but it is a 13–14 hour day door to door, with eight to nine hours in the vehicle. If you can take a day that long, it saves a day of your trip; if not, the same three places fit comfortably into two days with a night in Borjomi or Akhaltsikhe. Below is how the day runs hour by hour, how demanding Vardzia is, how it compares with Uplistsikhe, and what you pay on top.
One day or two?
Take the day trip if about an hour and a half at Vardzia and the same at Rabati is enough, and a 07:00–07:30 pickup with a return around 21:00 does not put you off. Take two days if you travel with small children, get carsick on winding roads, or simply want the route without the rush.
| One day | Two days | |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 13–14 hours door to door | two days with one night away |
| Where you sleep | Tbilisi | Borjomi or Akhaltsikhe |
| How it works | scheduled small-group trip, up to 14 people | on request, quoted for your own dates |
| Suits | travellers short on days | families and anyone who wants comfort |
The single-day version is our Borjomi, Rabati and Vardzia day trip from Tbilisi. For two days, plan your trip and you will have an itinerary within 24 hours. Whatever length you see quoted elsewhere for this route, plan on 13–14 hours door to door: that is how long our day takes, with time at each stop.
If Vardzia is one of several day trips on your holiday, keep the next day slow and in Tbilisi. Do not put it next to the Martvili and Okatse canyons, which mean about 580 km of road in a day: two days like that in a row add up to 14–15 hours in a vehicle within 48 hours. Kazbegi or Mtskheta sit better beside it, because they are much shorter days.
Borjomi, Rabati and Vardzia day trip: how the day runs
The route follows one road south-west and there is no shorter version of it: Borjomi first, then Rabati, Vardzia last, and then the long drive home.
| When | Where | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 07:00–07:30 | Tbilisi | pickup from your hotel in the centre |
| about 2.5 hours later | Borjomi | a walk up the central park to the spring |
| next stop | Akhaltsikhe, about 50 km further south | about an hour and a half at Rabati, lunch in town |
| last stop | Vardzia, about 60 km into the gorge | about an hour and a half in the cave city |
| around 21:00 | Tbilisi | back at your hotel, with one break on the way |
At 07:00 most hotel kitchens are still closed, so arrange breakfast the night before or take it with you. We confirm the exact pickup time on WhatsApp the evening before.
Borjomi: the water at its source
The first stop is the spring of Borjomi mineral water, in the town's central park, which climbs a wooded gorge. Straight from the ground the water is lukewarm, salty and slightly sulphurous, and tastes little like the cold bottled Borjomi you may know. Park entry is not included, and the park's cable car is a separate ticket; the warm sulphur pools are not in the park itself but about 2.5 km away along a marked trail.
Rabati: four faiths inside one wall
Rabati spreads across the whole hill above Akhaltsikhe. It was restored in 2012, in a way not everyone likes, and today a mosque with its minaret, an Orthodox church, a synagogue and the citadel keep stand inside the same walls: together they show who has lived in this border province. We spend about an hour and a half here, and lunch is usually in Akhaltsikhe near the fortress, or earlier in Borjomi, depending on timing. The upper citadel and the history museum are paid separately.
Vardzia: what you see and how hard it is
Vardzia is a 12th-century cave city from the reign of Queen Tamar, dug into a cliff above the Mtkvari: hundreds of chambers on thirteen tiers, joined by tunnels and narrow stone steps. At its centre is the Church of the Dormition, with 12th-century frescoes. To get there the road enters a narrowing gorge and passes Khertvisi fortress, where the rivers meet.
Vardzia is the part of the day that needs your legs:
- a shuttle minibus runs from the ticket office to the cave entrance and spares you about a kilometre of uphill road; you pay for it there;
- after that you walk narrow steps, uneven rock, short tunnels and some stretches open to the drop;
- you will not need ropes or climbing ladders, but there is not a handrail everywhere;
- the lower tiers already show a great deal, and you can stop wherever you like.
Vardzia is not suitable for anyone with limited mobility and cannot be reached with a wheelchair or a pushchair; Borjomi park and the Rabati grounds are far gentler. If you go independently: according to the National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation, Vardzia is closed on Mondays and open 10:00–19:00 on other days (checked 9 October 2026). Hours change with the season, so check them before a winter visit.
Vardzia or Uplistsikhe?
If you only have time for one cave town, Uplistsikhe is the easy choice and Vardzia the spectacular one. Uplistsikhe fits into a 9–10 hour day with Mtskheta and Gori; Vardzia needs a 13–14 hour day.
| Uplistsikhe | Vardzia | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | a town cut into a rock terrace, lived in from the Iron Age to the Mongol raids | a 12th-century cave city on thirteen tiers |
| Time on site | about an hour and a half | about an hour and a half |
| Walking | 20–30 minutes over bare rock and cut steps | stairs, rock and tunnels throughout the visit |
| The whole day | 9–10 hours, with Mtskheta and Gori | 13–14 hours, with Borjomi and Rabati |
Uplistsikhe is on our Mtskheta, Gori and Uplistsikhe day trip.
When to go
Late spring and autumn are the best seasons. In July and August the gorge gets genuinely hot, and short winter days make an early-starting route like this harder. The scheduled dates are on the tour page; if none suits you, ask for the two-day version. If snow or ice on the road south changes the plan, you choose another date or a refund.
What is included and what you pay on top
The day trip covers transport and the guide; the three sites' tickets and lunch you pay yourself, in Georgian lari.
- Included: an air-conditioned vehicle with fuel and parking, a licensed guide in English or Russian, hotel pickup and drop-off in central Tbilisi, bottled water.
- Not included: Borjomi park entry, Rabati's upper citadel, Vardzia entry and its shuttle, lunch, tips and travel insurance.
- Cash: bring lari, because not every ticket office takes cards. The prices Rabati and Vardzia publish are listed in our guide to day trips from Tbilisi.
- Take: shoes with real grip for Vardzia, something for motion sickness on the winding gorge road, and your breakfast.
- Cancellation: free up to 3 days before departure, and you pay only once the booking is confirmed.
For flights, documents and insurance before you travel, see our complete guide to a trip to Georgia. Every tour we run in the country is on the Georgia page.
Frequently asked questions
Can you visit Vardzia in a day from Tbilisi? Yes, together with Borjomi and Rabati, in a 13–14 hour day. Pickup is at 07:00–07:30 and you are back around 21:00, with eight to nine hours spent in the vehicle.
How long do you get at Vardzia? About an hour and a half in the cave city. A shuttle minibus takes you from the ticket office up to the entrance, and from there you climb stairs and rock on foot, as high as you want to go.
Is the trip suitable for children? For children who cope with long hours in a car, yes, though a fourteen-hour day is tiring for a small child. The gorge road is winding, so bring something for motion sickness. With young children, the two-day version is the more comfortable choice.
What language is the tour guided in? English or Russian. If you need a guide in another language, ask for a private trip through the planning form, and we will confirm whether we can provide one for your dates.
Are entrance fees included? No. You pay for Borjomi park, Rabati and Vardzia, plus the Vardzia shuttle, at each gate, in lari. The sites set those prices themselves.