Things to Do in Sachkhere, Georgia: Modinakhe Castle, Mosaics & More

You might know that I have a thing for exploring lesser-visited places in Georgia, particularly in Western Georgia where I now live. The town of Sachkhere definitely falls into this category.

Located in the highlands of Imereti, 90 km north-east of Kutaisi and just past the historic mining city of Chiatura, Sachkhere is quite typical of regional Georgia: It is a small town with a big castle, a short main street, and a long history.

Brimming with Soviet-era artefacts including several mosaics and old cable car stations, Sachkhere is a nice add-on if you’re visiting nearby Zestafoni and Chiatura. Or you can use it as a stop-off when driving the new highway to Racha from Tbilisi.

This quick guide to Sachkhere covers Modinakhe Casle, mosaics, and other things to see and do in this little-visited town in Upper Imereti.

Since this is the perfect location to see fall colours, I’ve also included a suggested itinerary for an autumn road trip through Imereti and Racha, with an overnight stay in Sachkhere.

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Briefly about Sachkhere

Sachkhere is located on the Kvirila River with the spectacular mountains of Racha and the Greater Caucasus to the north, the rolling hills and tea fields of Upper Imereti to the south, and the Likhi Range that divides Georgia directly to the east.

In the past, Sachkhere was located on a branch of the Silk Road and served as an important trading post for merchants passing through Georgia on their way to/from Persia and India. Writing of Sachkhere in 1712, Archil II, King of Imereti, went so far as to describe the town as the ‘connecting link between East and West’.

Sachkhere is closely associated with the Tseretelis, a noble family who fled Dagestan/Ossetia in the 14th century and settled in Georgia. King Constantine II of Imereti handed Sachkhere to the Tseretelis along with the title of tavadi, ‘prince’, and they set about building their residence on a ridge high above the settlement, today’s Modinakhe Castle.

Akaki Tsereteli, poet and beloved public figure who was born in 1840, and Zurab Tsereteli, the modern artist whose large-scale sculptures (including the Chronicles of Georgia) grace Tbilisi, both trace their lineage back to the aristocratic family.

In the 19th century, the population – mostly Georgian and Armenian families – steadily grew until Sachkhere was declared a town in 1964. In the Soviet period, Sachkhere was industrialised like much of Imereti. Several canneries and wineries opened along with a cotton mill.

Sachkhere could also be called a city of poets, with at least three prominent 19th-century wordsmiths hailing from this municipality. Microbiologist George Eliava (of bacteriophage fame) was born in Sachkhere, and so was weightlifting champion Lasha Talakhadze.

Today, Sachkhere is known within Georgia for its Mountain Training School. When driving through, don’t be surprised if you encounter a swarm of cadets marching down the highway in full kit.

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How to get to Sachkhere

Sachkhere is located 90 km (2.5+ hours) from Kutaisi and 175 km (2.5-3 hours) from Tbilisi. If possible, I highly recommend visiting Sachkhere with your own car (see my Sachkhere road trip route below).

If you prefer to use public transport, direct marshrutka vans to Sachkhere depart from Bus Station Nige inside Didube Bus Station in Tbilisi approximately every hour between 7am and 5pm. The fare is 15 GEL.

From Kutaisi, vans depart from Central Bus Station according to the same schedule. They stop at Chiatura on the way. The fare is around 8 GEL.

Train services between Kutaisi and Sachkhere resumed in 2021. There are two daily trains from Kutaisi I, one in the morning and another in the evening – but be warned, these are old electro trains. They aren’t terribly comfortable and they are very slow.

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Copy my mini Sachkhere autumn road trip route

Upper Imereti and Racha are two of the best places in Georgia for autumn foliage. If you want to do some leaf peeping close to Kutaisi, I can highly recommend this driving loop route through Chiatura, Sachkhere and Tkibuli.

You could also add this onto my longer Western Georgia Road Trip Route that goes from Tbilisi to the Black Sea Coast.

We rented a car for 2 days in late November and caught an amazing array of colours plus some early snow at the higher altitudes. Departing from Kutaisi, we first drove to Chiatura with quick stops at Katskhi Column and Mgvime Convent, then continued to Sachkhere where we stayed the night.

The following morning, we took the new highway north through the mountains to Racha, visiting Ambrolauri, Shaori Lake, Tkibuli, and hiking to Tskhrajvari viewpoint. We had time for a quick stop at Motsameta Monastery before returning to Kutaisi.

As always, I recommend renting a car through the Local Rent platform. Prices are very affordable, starting from 30 USD/day.

Be sure to read up on my tips for driving in Georgia before you venture out on the road.

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Where to stay in Sachkhere

There is one hotel in Sachkhere, Hotel Bern, plus a large holiday resort complex on the edge of the city called Sachkhere Gardens. We decided to stay at a local guesthouse in the centre of town instead.

Family Guest House Marso is a typical Georgian guest house: Warm, comfortable, spotlessly clean, and managed by a very friendly matriarch. It has everything you need for a short stay. Street parking is available right outside the front gate.

As an alternative, Limi Sachkhere has a big backyard, a terrace and a cellar for Imeretian wine tastings and meals. It would be a great option for summer.

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Things to see & do in Sachkhere

Modinakhe Castle

Modinakhe Castle or Modimnakhe Fortress is without a doubt Sachkhere’s biggest attraction. Long and slender, the castle is balanced on a rocky ridge above the north-western side of town.

It recently underwent restorations – and as part of that project, a new paved road was installed. It’s very easy to reach the castle by car, and the drive itself is quite something.

The castle was built by Papuna Tsereteli in the 18th century (1730, according to one source) on a site that has likely been inhabited since the early Bronze Age.

According to the legend, Tsereteli had asked for a woman’s hand in marriage only to be refused by her father on the grounds that he didn’t have a fortress to his name. So, he built this beauty and called it Modinakhe, which means ‘come and see’ in Georgian.

There is a nice walking path up to the castle from the carpark plus stairs to lead you around the walls and ramparts.

Like Sachkhere Railway Station (see below) and much of the town centre, the castle was almost completely destroyed in an earthquake in 1991 and only rebuilt in 2019.

I won’t comment on the quality of the restoration – let’s just say it leaves a bit to be desired, which is a shame considering Modinakhe is protected as a Monument of National Importance.

Whatever you think of the work, there is no denying the beauty of the surrounding landscape. The sweeping views of the town and mountains of Racha in the distance are breathtaking, especially in November when the autumn colours are out in full force.

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Abandoned cable car station

In the past, visitors could fly up to the fortress on the Sachkhere Modinakhe Aerial Tramway. I haven’t been able to find any information about its date of completion or when it was decommissioned – if you have any leads, please drop me a comment below.

The former lower cable car station building is located in the centre of town, just off the main square. We happened upon the Brutalist concrete structure by accident. There are no gondolas or lines that I could see, only the lonely, derelict building with its steel arms outstretched and empty.

Based on the design, the ropeway quite possibly dates back to the 1950s when similar station buildings were erected just down the road in Chiatura.

A news report I found online from 2016 suggests that there were/are plans to revive the ropeway and run it all the way to Gorijvari St. George Church above the castle. For the time being, it remains well and truly abandoned.

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Sachkhere Railway Station

I have a thing for old train stations in Georgia – and it was a photo of Sachkhere Railway Station that first put this town on my radar. It’s much smaller in real life than I expected, but I just love the perfectly symmetrical design.

Built from cut stone, the station was inaugurated in 1907 and rebuilt in 2000 after the earthquake. It is a Cultural Heritage Monument and is associated with the Tsereteli family – specifically philanthropist Elisabeth Tsereteli, who sponsored its construction starting from 1904.

Adjacent to the main station building there is a small stone tower.

When I was photographing the station, a friendly gent spotted me and took me inside for a quick tour of the building. Only a handful of electro trains pass through here each day on their way to and from Kutaisi.

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Soviet mosaics in Sachkhere

There are two notable mosaics in Sachkhere that were created during the Soviet period when factories and large-scale agriculture were developed in Imereti.

The first is a decorative wall at a former petrol station. It is located on the highway as you enter town, in a field off to the left (location here). Unfortunately, the author and dates have been lost to history.

The mosaic has two panels, and both are in relatively good condition. The main wall depicts a collection of cars and vintage automobiles with an arrangement of wheels and spokes. The road-facing end wall shows a hand holding a torch aloft, wrapped in golden flames.

The second mosaic decorates the facade of a former cotton processing factory on the opposite side of the Kvirila River (location here). It is a different style, composed of large tiles. Again, the author and dates are unknown.

This mosaic has seven scalloped panels. Decorative cotton plants are interlaced with six full-length figures dressed in traditional Georgian garb. It is truly one of the most beautiful mosaics I’ve seen in Georgia – and it’s in incredibly good condition.

Sadly, the yard of the factory is gated off and I couldn’t get around to take a proper photo. Kathmandu and Beyond have documented the mosaic here on their page.

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Sachkhere Bazari

Almost the entire downtown of Sachkhere is dominated by the outdoor bazaar and  Modinakhe Market. We had a short wander down some of the backstreets and through the undercover Sachkhere Central.

The rather lovely bas-relief sculpture pictured above is on a wall near the bus station. If I had more time to look around I’m sure I would have unearthed more gems.

If you fancy a coffee or something sweet, there is a great cafe-bakery called Rendez-vous located on the corner near the market.

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House museums in Sachkhere

There are at least three house museums in Sachkhere municipality dedicated to different literary icons.

The first belongs to Akaki Tsereteli (1840–1915), who is considered one of Georgia’s national poets. Along with Ilia Chavchavadze, he was an important figure in the national liberation movement that sought to free the nation from the tsars’ yolk.

Tsereteli’s ancestral home is located 3 km north-east of Sachkhere in the village of Skhvitori. Now the Akaki Tsereteli House Museum, it displays a library of Tsereteli’s works alongside a collection of personal items. The 1834 stone house his father built is beautifully kept.

Tsereteli was raised nearby in a peasant household – a tradition that sought to instil humility in the children of the aristocratic family. This home, located south of Sachkhere in the village of Savane, has also been converted into a pilgrimage site for fans of Akaki’s prose.

The next village, Argveti, has two more house museums. The Paolo Iashvili Memorial House was established in 2014 to house manuscripts by the 19th-century poet who famously co-founded the Tsisferkantselebi ‘Blue Horns’ avant-garde movement in Kutaisi.

Also in Argveti, the Mukhran Machavariani Memorial House is the former residence of the poet-parliamentarian and former Chairman of the Union of Georgian Writers.

As luck would have it, we were in Sachkhere on a Monday, so we didn’t get a chance to visit any of these museums. All are open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am-6pm. Entrance is either free or costs a couple of GEL.

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More things to do around Sachkhere

Drive the new road from Sachkhere to Racha

Completed in September 2021, the new mountain highway from Sachkhere to Racha is one of the most scenic roads in Georgia. This is especially true in autumn!

Reaching 1,500 metres above sea level at its highest point, the Khikhata Pass, the road winds for 50 km through high mountains and the thickly forested Kheura Gorge. Along the way, you pass tiny alpine hamlets and spectacular viewpoints that paint the Greater Caucasus in full technicolour.

The new road is smooth as silk and when we travelled, it was completely free of traffic. It’s a great shortcut for getting to Ambrolauri or Oni from Tbilisi.

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Hike the Transcaucasian Trail

If you prefer to walk, a newly mapped stretch of the Transcaucasian Trail – a regional project that aims to unite Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan through a network of hiking routes – leads through the same landscape from Sachkhere to Oni in Racha.

The 74-km hike takes a minimum of two days to complete and is best attempted between May and October. See detailed trail notes here on the TCT website.

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Ride the ropeways in Chiatura

Chiatura is a mere 15-minute drive south of Sachkhere, so it makes sense to pair the two. This can be done as a 2-day self-driving loop or during summer, as an alternative day trip from Kutaisi.

Chiatura is known for its manganese mines and the network of Soviet-era cable cars strung across its river valley to ferry people to and from work. The old ropeways have been retired, replaced with a new set of high-tech gondolas.

Learn more about visiting Chiatura in my detailed guide: 15 Things to Do in Chiatura.

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