Telavi is the main city and administrative center of Georgia's eastern
province of Kakheti. Kakheti is the most important wine region in
Georgia in quantitative, qualitative and even historic terms.
Telavi is the medieval city with a long and complex history, neat
architecture, a royal palace, verdant surroundings, modern amenities,
and hospitable people. The Greater Caucasus Mountain Range, which runs
to the north of the Alazani Valley, can be seen from most of Telavi.
Telavi is also one of the main stops on the Georgian wine route.
Telavi and its surroundings are rich in historical, architectural and
natural monuments. The most important heritage monuments preserved
within the city limits include:
• Dzveli Galavani ("Old Walls") - fortress of the first Kakhetian
kings (9th–10th centuries)
• Church of the St. Mary (16th century)
• Church of the Holy Trinity (6th century)
• Fortress Batonis Tsikhe ("Fortress of Master") built in the 17th
century; one of the only well-preserved medieval royal palaces in
Georgia
• Korchibashishvilebis Tsikhe - castle of the local noblemen named
Korchibashishvilis (16th–18th century)
• akhvakhishvilebis Tsikhe - castle of the local noblemen named
Vakhvakhishvilis (18th century)
Telavi is the only city in Georgia where four fortification monuments
from four historical periods remain relatively intact. Due to this
reason, architects, scholars and art historians consider Telavi as the
most "medieval" city in the country. Another curious sight in Telavi
is a 900-year-old plane tree which is 40 m (130 ft) high and 11 m (36
ft) around the trunk. Other notable landmarks around Telavi include
the Alaverdi Cathedral (11th century), the second highest cathedral in
Georgia after the newly built Tbilisi Sameba Cathedral; the Ikalto
Academy (8th-12th centuries–), where the famous Georgian writer Shota
Rustaveli studied; the Church of St. George (dedicated to the patron
saint of Georgia, where it is said that there are 365 churches named
St. George); ruins of the city and castle of Gremi (the former capital
of Kakheti during the 15th–17th centuries); Shuamta, a complex made of
three churches of different periods—6th, 7th and 8th centuries—in a
highland forest; Akhali Shuamta ("New Shuamta" in English), the
monastery close to Dzveli Shuamta ("Old Shuamta" in English), built in
the 16th century; the stunning Tsinandali Gardens (the residential
Palace of Noblemen Chavchavadzes family); and many others.
Telavi faces the Tsiv-Gombori Range to the south and southwest and
borders on the Alazani Valley to the north and east.The Greater
Caucasus Mountain Range, which runs to the north of the Alazani
Valley, can be seen from most of Telavi.
Because of its beauty, historical monuments and hospitality and the
reputation for kindness of its residents, the city is a popular
tourist destination in Georgia.
Best period to visit: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter
• Gombori Pass
• Alaverdi St. George Cathedral
• Giant Plane Tree
• Shuamta Monasteries
• Monument to Heraclius II
• Qvevri and Qvevri Wine Museum
• Aleksandre Chavchavadze House Museum in nearby Tsinandali
• Iqalto Monastery
• Vanta Palace Complex
• Kisiskhevi Church of the Mother of God