The ancient cave cities of Vardzia and Uplistsikhe are two of the most fascinating attractions in Georgia.
Similar in many ways, though different in many others, the cave cities were founded over 2000 years apart. In this article we will go through everything you need to know to plan an amazing trip to Vardzia and Uplistsikhe.
I’ve spent significant time at Vardzia and Uplistsikhe and even more time researching further information for this post. They are amazing places and I’m sure you are going to love them!
Cave cities can be found around the world. From Anasazi pueblos in Colorado to Cappadocia in Turkey, many ancient cultures built vast complexes of caves into cliffsides. These two sites in Georgia rival any of the best cave cities around the world. So let’s get to it!
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Vardzia and Uplistsikhe – What You Need to Know
Where is the cave city of Vardzia?
Vardzia is in southwestern Georgia, a solid 4 hour drive from Tbilisi. It’s in the middle of nowhere near the Turkish border. There is not much else around other than canyons and cattle.
Where is the ancient cave city of Uplistsikhe?
Uplistsikhe is considerably closer to Tbilisi than Vardzia. It’s about 90 minutes west of the capital city. The nearest city is Gori, (where Stalin is from), though the small town of Kvakhvreli sits right outside the site.
How to get to Vardzia and Uplistsikhe
There is an international airport in Tbilisi, the main airport for Georgia. From there it’s best to have a rental car for exploring Georgia. Vardzia and Uplistsikhe are neccesary stops on any road trip around Georgia!
You can search for car rental options from the Tbilisi Airport and book your rental car using the link for Discovercars below. We have found Discovercars to have by far the best rental rates in Europe and we recommend them to our readers. To visit Vardzia and Uplistsikhe you don’t need a 4×4, though if you’re going elsewhere in Georgia it’s definitely advised to have one.
Click here to book a great deal on a rental car from Tbilisi Airport!
Planning on driving in Georgia? Be sure to read this first!
There are also many day trips from Tbilisi that will take you to Uplistsikhe or Vardzia (not both at the same time though). Vardzia is a bit far for a day tour, but there are many outfitters that will take the ambitious traveler there and back in the same day. The Vardzia day tour stops at a few other places on the way and takes about 14 hours total.
Lastly, it is also possible to take a minibus to both sites, but this will take a while when going to Vardzia, with at least one transfer. I don’t recommend this option unless you are very tight on money.
Weather and When to Visit
Georgia is a very mountainous country, so storms can occur anytime. The southwest has a semi-arid ecosystem and is dry and sunny most of the time. Summers can get pretty hot and winters can snow. If you visit in the warmer half of the year chances are you will get favorable weather. While it might be quite hot, it’s not humid so at least it won’t feel hotter than it actually is.
This part of the world is still not a tourist hotspot so you’ll never have to deal with unbearable summer crowds. That being said, it does get pretty damn hot in July and if I went again to this part of Georgia I’d go closer to fall or later in spring. Either way, you won’t have to deal with crowds like the size you’d see at the Acropolis or the Colosseum.
Where to stay
There are only a few options to stay overnight at the Vardzia cave city itself. There are three guest houses and one resort. We don’t recommend the guesthouse we stayed at – SADA Guesthouse – and it’s the best rated of the guest houses. If you have the money, the Vardzia Resort is your best bet. If you can’t stay in Vardzia itself, there are various guesthouses along the road.
Uplistsikhe has even fewer accommodation options, but it is close to Gori and more populated areas so there are plenty of options.
I recommend the Gogi Dvalishvili Wine Cellar for a unique Georgian experience. There is only one room (that can be booked on booking.com) at the wine cellar and they will cook you a massive dinner with unlimited wine tasting (for an extra 50 GEL per person). For a description of what exactly a Georgian wine cellar is, check out my post about Sighnaghi and the Kakheti wine region.
How long to stay
One night around each site is sufficient. It is possible to visit both sites on the same day, but you will be very rushed. The road from Uplistsikhe to Vardzia can be very slow going if you get stuck behind a truck on the winding mountain roads. At the sites themselves, 2-3 hours is ample time to explore the sites and learn about the history.
Language
Georgian is the official language and it’s likely that most people you encounter at Vardzia and Uplistsikhe – aside from the cashiers at the sites themselves – will not speak much English. Many locals will speak Russian though.
Money
The Georgian Lari (GEL) is the currency and you don’t necessarily need cash to visit either of these sites. Carrying cash is handy around Georgia though, so be sure to get some from an ATM in Tbilisi before you leave for the ancient sites. Each site charges 15 GEL for entry.
Food
There are not a lot of dining options near Vardzia. Cafe Vardzia was the only place open when we were there and we found it pretty satisfying. We spent a decent amount of time having local beers and watching the water flow down the river from their terrace.
There are a few more dining options at Uplistsikhe. We ate at Cafe Courtyard Kaklebi and found it decent, but not as good as most of our restaurant stops in Georgia.
Travel insurance
Before heading to Georgia, consider purchasing travel insurance so that you’re protected for the unexpected. We use World Nomads when we travel internationally. World Nomads provides coverage to travelers in over 100 countries. You can search for a coverage plan using the link below.
The Cave City of Vardzia
Vardzia is easily one of the top archaeological sites you will ever see. It’s no Petra, but it’s impressive. Built into a cliffside in the arid mountains of southern Georgia, it is a sprawling ancient city of caves. Thousands of people once called the Vardzia cave city home.
There used to be over 6000 individual homes in Vardzia but earthquakes have destroyed most of them over time. Today there are thought to be about 640 cave homes. Still an impressive amount!
The best guess of its origin dates back to about the 12th Century. Now you might be thinking that the 12th century really isn’t that long ago in archeological terms. And you’re right.
Europeans were living in lavish cities building monstrous cathedrals at the same time these ancient Georgians were still living in caves. But so is the history of human civilization. Some were just behind others. The cave cities of the Anasazi tribe in the American Southwest also date back to about the same time period.
Visit the cave city
Entry to Vardzia costs 15 GEL (less than $5) and is open daily 10:00-19:00. For an extra 15 GEL you can get the audio guide to walk you through the main points of interest. No matter how you get there, you’ll either have to walk up a steep path or pay about $1 USD to take a 3-minute shuttle up a winding road to the entrance of the city.
The main entry is at the base of the mountain but Vardzia is much higher up. If it’s a hot summer day, best to take the bus. Once to the top, there’s a one way path that takes you through the city and leads you down a path back to the parking lot.
The Vardzia cave city itself can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours to explore, depending on how many “houses” you want to pop your head into. There are hundreds of individual caves where people lived and most are accessible either by ancient rock paths or modern steel platforms built recently.
There is also a beautiful monastery built into the cliff. From inside the church there are tunnels that twist and turn through the mountain. You’re free to explore these tunnels. You won’t get lost so don’t worry.
As you wander you’ll also find quite a few wine cellars. It’s not ancient Georgia without wine! You really can’t go wrong as you explore the ancient city taking in the beautiful surroundings.
The terrain
As you might expect from an ancient city built into the side of a cliff, the paths are steep and there are a lot of stairs. Wear comfortable shoes – not flip flops like my wife who learned the hard way when she cut her toe open on the rocks. Watch your head too as the tunnels are only tall enough for children to walk comfortably through. Folks were shorter in those days.
Vardzia region outside the cave city
There is really nothing else out here other than Vardzia. There are a few other ancient cave dwellings and ancient monasteries in the same mountains that are possible to visit, including some right on the border with Turkey. But these are more like a small town if Vardzia is New York City.
Unless you have a lot of time to kill, it’s advised not to spend your time getting to the little cave villages.
You don’t need more than a half day in the region, so if you’re staying overnight it’s best to get going early the next morning. On your way out be sure to stop for photos at Khertvisi Fortress. This is a beautiful ancient castle perched up on a hill overlooking the valley below.
It’s possible to go inside for 10 GEL, though taking photos from the outside is free. If you wish to go inside you’ll climb a steep hill from the parking area, but the views from the top will be splendid.
The Ancient Cave City of Uplistsikhe
If you thought Vardzia wasn’t old enough then Uplistsikhe is for you! This ancient cave city is smaller and built into a flatter mountain. But it dates back to somewhere between 1,000-2,000 BC! That’s at least 2000 years older than Vardzia. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site and can easily be seen in an hour or two.
Uplistsikhe was an important site in ancient Georgia. As the centuries went on Tbilisi and other Georgian cities rose to more prominence and now Uplistsikhe is just an archeological site off the side of the highway, never modernizing into a proper city. This is good news for you though, as you get to visit the ancient cave city as it was millennia ago.
What you see today is only a small portion of the once thriving metropolis. But it is still very impressive. For centuries it was buried and was only excavated by archaeologists in the 1950s. They’ve done a great job preserving it and today the ancient city is in great condition.
Visit the ancient cave city
Uplistsikhe is easy to access and doesn’t require too much walking or any difficult terrain. Entry costs 15 GEL and it’s open 10:00-17:00 except on Mondays when it’s closed. There is a small parking lot right at the entrance along with a small café.
Past the main gate there is a museum that you can visit to learn a little more about the site. You can also get an audio guide (15 GEL) from the entrance station, should you wish to learn about the main points of interest as you see them.
There are some steel stairs at the beginning but once you’re up those you’re really free to wander around the ancient city. There are plenty of old stone paths and steps.
As you wander you’ll see numerous cave dwellings and some ancient wine cellars. You’ll also see a more “modern” church that was added in the 10th century. Christianity didn’t even exist when Uplistsikhe was founded.
Around the Uplistsikhe region
There are few little villages outside of Uplistsikhe, but they were all quite run down and I don’t recommend staying there or spending much time there. The city of Gori is also pretty depressing.
Honestly, there isn’t really anywhere that nice around the site other than the restaurants just outside the gates. If you could do Uplistsikhe in the morning or middle of the day then move on to elsewhere in Georgia that would be ideal.
Honorable Mention – Rabati Castle
Between Uplistsikhe and Vardzia there is not too much, other than green mountains and watermelons for sale on the side of the road. But in the small city of Akhaltsikhe lies the beautiful medieval Rabati Castle. Perched atop a hill at the high point of town, the castle complex is sprawling, essentially its own city.
It should be noted though that nearly all of what you see today was actually built in 2012. The original castle was destroyed numerous times over the centuries and was in a state of complete disarray until the Georgian government decided to rebuild it.
Some people feel this lessens the charm but I was still blown away by the castle. We had planned to stop for maybe 20 minutes just to see it and ended up exploring for nearly 2 hours!
It’s free to enter a small part of the castle but to see the entire site you need a ticket (7 GEL), which can be purchased from a small visitors center near the main gate. The grounds of the castle are beautifully landscaped and you’ll find that the architecture of the different buildings varies depending upon which empire ruled at the time. It’s an eclectic collection.
Overall I thought the castle was awesome and totally recommend stopping there if you are on your way to Vardzia.
Vardzia and Uplistsikhe – FAQs
Can you go inside Vardzia?
You can go inside any of the old cave dwellings in Vardzia so long as they are not gated off, as some are. There are even deep cave passages that take you deep into the rocks.
How old is Vardzia?
Vardzia dates back to the 12th century, making it about 900 years old.
What is the oldest cave in Georgia?
Uplistsikhe is the oldest cave city in Georgia and one of the oldest settlements in Georgia as well. Dating back to somewhere between 1000 and 2000 BC, it is one of the most historical sites in Georgia.
Is Vardzia worth visiting?
Yes, Vardzia is absolutely worth visiting on any trip to Georgia! It is out of the way from most itineraries, but it really is worth the trouble to see this fascinating cave city built into the side of a mountain.
Final Word
The ancient cave cities of Vardzia and Uplistsikhe are must-see destinations on any trip to Georgia. Historical and stunningly gorgeous at the same time, these archaeological sites have not been exploited by tourism yet.
But make sure to get there soon, because I’m sure Georgia won’t be off the average tourist’s radar for long. Better get there before they’re as crowded as the Colosseum!
