13 Things to Do in Mtskheta: Sacred Sites & Secret Spots

An atypical guide to Mtskheta, Georgia’s ancient capital – including the classic sights, and places most day trippers miss.

One of the oldest cities in Georgia and the kingdom’s capital for almost a millennium, Mtskheta is located just 20 kilometres north of Tbilisi and is easy to reach in under an hour by road.

Mtskheta played a pivotal role in the evolution of Christianity in Georgia, and the small city is packed with important churches, monasteries and holy sites as a result. The UNESCO-listed Historical Monuments of Mtskheta include some of the country’s most significant religious buildings, noted for their frescoes, early Georgian inscriptions, and extraordinary history.

Most people come here to photograph the view from Jvari Monastery and walk around Svetitskhoveli Cathedral. Both are must-sees – but they are just the beginning.

Cave monasteries scooped out of sandy cliffs, hidden pilgrimage trails, Soviet mosaics, homemade khinkali, and one of the best sunsets in Georgia – this guide brings it all together.

Here are my favourite things to do in Mtskheta, on and off the beaten path.

Mtskheta essentials

How to get there: While self-driving offers the most flexibility to visit the hilltop monasteries around Mtskheta, organising a private driver for the day via GoTrip is a budget-friendly and stress-free alternative. Travellers who are content with visiting just the centre of town can easily reach Mtskheta from Tbilisi by marshrutka van. More details in the ‘How to Get to Mtskheta’ section below.

Guiding services: There is no organised guiding service in Mtskheta itself, so the best option is to join an organised day tour to Mtskheta from Tbilisi. I recommend this half-day tour.

When to visit: Mtskheta is a year-round destination that is suitable for all seasons. Late spring and autumn generally have the most pleasant weather. Weekends are usually busier, and the key sites do get crowded around mid-morning through to the early afternoon with tour buses, especially in the high summer season.

Svetitskhovloba (Mtskhetoba): This annual festival takes place every October 14th, and sees the Catholicos-Patriarch host a ceremony for pilgrims and a mass-baptism. While the celebration on Mtskheta’s main square has a great atmosphere, traffic in and out of the city can be gridlocked on this day, making it very tricky to get in and out. For this reason, most tour operators will not perform trips.

Church opening hours: Most monasteries and churches in Mtskheta open their gates between 9am and 10am and remain open until dusk, around 6pm or 7pm depending on the season. Svetitskhoveli is open until 10pm, while Shiomgvime opens late on weekends.

Liturgy services: Most churches in Mtskheta are still active and hold Saturday evening Vespers (approximately 5pm-8pm) and Sunday morning Divine Liturgy (approximately 9am-1pm). Individual visitors are typically still allowed to go inside during these hours, but excursion groups may not be allowed in. If visiting during a service, I recommend you stand towards the back and be extra discreet.

Dress code: Visitors most observe a certain dress code when visiting religious monuments in Georgia: Long pants (or a long dress for women), and covered shoulders are essential. Women must also cover their hair when entering a church – scarves are always available to borrow, but I recommend you bring your own for ease. Some churches are very strict, and you may be refused entry if you fail to comply.

Bring coins: Coins and small bank notes do come in handy for buying votive candles and small trinkets at the market. All restaurants and larger shops in Mtskheta accept card payment. There are several ATMs in the centre of town.

Taxis in Mtskheta: The further-flung monasteries (Jvari, Shiomgvime, Zedazeni) as well as sites around Saguramo require a car. If you don’t have your own, the Bolt app does work in Mtskheta, but there are not always drivers available. Local taxis gather on the square near Tourist Info and the entrance to Svetitskhoveli. As a rough guide, a car to Jvari should cost around 15 GEL one-way; Shiomgvime is around 12 GEL one-way.

How long to spend in Mtskheta

If you do not have a particularly keen interest in religious history or architecture, then you might find that 3-5 hours in Mtskheta is enough. Most organised day trip from Tbilisi end up being half days because they typically combine Mtskheta with nearby Gori and Uplistsikhe.

For efficiency, it’s best to use private transport for a short visit. My top pick for a short group tour is this half-day tour of Mtskheta, while this private tour is more in-depth. Use the promo code wanderlush at checkout for 10% off.

With a full day in Mtskheta, you can visit a further-flung monastery outside the centre, enjoy lunch in town, and maybe add one or two extra sights to your day.

But if your Georgia itinerary allows for it, then I highly recommend spending a night in Mtskheta. This is what we did on our most recent visit – and I really, really enjoyed it a lot more ‘after hours’ when the tourist buses had gone.

Mtskheta is a convenient place to break up the journey between Kazbegi and Western Georgia, for example. If you are road tripping around Georgia, a night here saves you having to drive into Tbilisi. The Georgian Military Highway opens up just outside Mtskheta, and it is a very convenient place to start the drive from.

24 hours is enough time to hit most of the things on my Mtskheta list below, provided you have your own car.

Things to do in Mtskheta

1. Visit Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, Georgia’s most sacred church

The second-largest church in Georgia by volume after Sameba in Tbilisi, Svetitskhoveli sits at the heart of Old Mtskheta. This is the ‘First Georgian Church’, erected on a spot chosen by Saint Nino, one of Georgia’s patron saints and the woman responsible for spreading Christianity. It houses dozens of precious relics, including what is believed to be Christ’s Mantle, a 4th-century baptismal font, and a piece of cedar wood salvaged from the original structure.

Svetitskhoveli translates to ‘Life-Giving Pillar’. The scene of a cedar column being lifted into heaven is an image you’ll see on icons all around Georgia – and the place where the tree sprung from the earth is located right in the centre of the cathedral. I’ll leave the rest of the story for you to read up on while you’re there.

The interior of the church feels about as voluminous as it looks. As you move around, look out for the incredible zodiac frescoes on the eastern wall, and the many elaborate graves underfoot. Several of Georgia’s most important monarchs are buried here, including King Vakhtang Gorgasali, the founder of Tbilisi.

Svetitskhoveli is fully walled and set inside a large yard, with patches of shade and plenty of places to sit and people-watch or photograph the cathedral from different angles.

Arrive first thing when the gates open at 8am for a tranquil experience, or an hour or so before sunset for golden light on the exterior. Services are usually held on Saturday evenings from around 5pm to 8pm and on Sundays from around 9am to 1pm, plus on major Orthodox holidays. Individual visitors can still enter during liturgy, but groups are not usually permitted inside.

After Svetitskhoveli, Jvari Monastery is the second must-see landmark in Mtskheta. Perched atop a rocky cliff overlooking the city from the opposite side of the river, it’s instantly recognisable as one of Georgia’s most striking Orthodox churches – perhaps second only to Gergeti Trinity in Kazbegi.

Jvari dates to the 6th century and is similarly tied to the story of Saint Nino. As the story goes, this was the first place she arrived after returning to Georgia from Armenia. Finding a pagan temple on this site, she erected a large cross – famously crafted from twisted grape vines fastened together with strands of her own hair – to make this one of the country’s first Christian pilgrimage sites. The stone church was added later, between 590-605 AD.

The church building itself is important because it represents Early Medieval Georgian architecture and is the first ‘Jvari’-style church of its kind. But honestly, it’s the views that make Jvari special – so don’t worry too much if you arrive before doors are unlocked at 10am.

Two rivers, the Mtkvari and Aragvi, meet directly below the monastery and at certain times of year, you can see a distinct colour difference between them (one deep and inky, the other milky blue). The city of Mtskheta and the gigantic Svetitskhoveli Cathedral can also be seen, framed by a backdrop of low mountains. It’s said that King Mirian III and Queen Nana of Iberia – the first Georgian monarchs to embrace Christianity – were baptised by Saint Nino at the point where the rivers converge.

When it was constructed, Jvari had an underground tunnel network that led all the way down the hill and under the river to Svetitskhoveli. Under threat of invasion, monks would deliver holy relics from the cathedral up to Jvari via the tunnel for safekeeping. (You can see the old door to the now-closed tunnel on the left-hand side of the main viewing platform.)

The underground passages are said to extend to other important monasteries in the area, including Shiomgvime and Zedazeni (see below). Along with Svetitskhoveli and St. John’s Monastery to the south, these five structures form a giant crucifix, with Jvari at the centre.

To get up to Jvari, you can take a taxi from the Mtskheta’s main square, or hike up via the marked trail (more details in #3 below).

Right below the spot where tourists gather to photograph the view from Jvari Monastery, there is a hidden path on the rocky hill that few people seem to notice. Follow it down, and you will eventually come to a little forest chapel and hermitical monastery that is home to just one monk. It marks the site of a sacred spring tied to Saint Nino, famed for its fertility-boosting powers.

Pinned to the wall outside is a print-out with the names of some 220 couples who successfully conceived after sipping the water from a special spring here!

The resident monk certainly doesn’t get many visitors – least of all Australians – and he welcomed us kindly to look around the small complex. We left with a bottle of the auspicious water, and a surprisingly detailed set of instructions for how to use it.

If you’re looking to break away from the crowds at Jvari, this is a lovely little detour. The path is very steep in places, with metal stairs and handrails on the worst sections, and I found it was tricker going down than coming up. You definitely need proper shoes and a keen sense of balance for this one.

You can also use the pilgrimage trail to reach Jvari from the side of the highway, which is a nice option if you want to hike up to the monastery rather than take a taxi.

Walking distance from Svetitskhoveli, Samtavro Convent is a church and active nunnery enclosed within high stone walls. Established in the 4th century on another site associated with Saint Nino, it also forms part of the UNESCO-listed Historical Monuments of Mtskheta.

Compared with the grandeur of Svetitskhoveli, Samtavro feels much quieter and more intimate. The grounds are shaded and peaceful, with flower gardens and small chapels. The nuns here run a tight ship and have a reputation for being quite strict, especially when it comes to dress code and behaviour inside the church – so better be on your best behaviour! On a lighter note, they sell cookies and muffins at the gift shop if you need a sweet pick-me-up.

King Mirian III and Queen Nana – the first Georgian monarchs to embrace Christianity – are buried here. Their twin stone sarcophagi sit inside a small stone pavilion in one corner of the church, topped by two beautiful glass and stone mosaics.

Samtavro is also associated with one of Georgia’s most beloved modern saints, Gabriel Urgebadze, better known as Saint Gabriel. After publicly setting fire to a Lenin banner during the Tbilisi May Day parade in 1965, the priest was arrested and declared mentally unstable by Soviet authorities. He spent his later years at Samtavro, and after his death in 1995, was buried on the convent grounds.

Today, pilgrims queue to visit his tomb and the small room where he lived. Inside the church, a striking pink marble sarcophagus stands as a memorial to the monk saint, who was canonised in 2012.

Also look out for the dramatic Caravaggio-esque painting of Jesus, illuminated with a chiaroscuro effect.

Shiomgvime sits 11 kilometres west of Mtskheta along the Mtkvari River in a completely different landscape of sandy cliffs and dry hills that reminds me a lot of Vashlovani. This is my favourite religious site in Mtskheta, and not one to miss.

You’ll need a car to travel up the sealed road, but it is well worth the extra effort to visit what was once the largest monastic community in Georgia.

Shiomgvime (literally ‘Shio’s Cave’) was founded by a monk named Shio, one of the 13 Assyrian Fathers who came to Georgia in the 6th century as Christian missionaries. Together, the monks first established Zedazeni Monastery (see #9 below) before going off in different directions to start their own orders. David Gareja is perhaps the most famous of the group – he went on to found the cave monasteries near the Azerbaijan border.

Apparently Father Shio was unsure where to start his own monastery, so he placed a hot coal in the palm of his hand and let the direction of the smoke guide him. It led him to this spot, where he established an elaborate system of caves capable of housing 2,200 monks. Shio himself retreated to a deep cave here and spent the final 15 years of his life in silence and solitude.

Caves can still be seen dotted all over the cliff face that shields the complex, and there are several smaller churches and chapels in the surrounding area, including Kaloubani St. George Church. Having recently visited the Kaspi Burial Tombs not far from here, I was reminded of the long, complex history in this part of Georgia.

After visiting the cave – now Shio’s mausoleum – you can wander the monastery complex to see the gardens, olive trees brought to Georgia from Jerusalem, and two churches. The larger church is extraordinary inside, with its evocative Tarot card-like frescoes.

For the best views of Svetitskhoveli Cathedral and Mtskheta as a whole, cross over to the opposite side of the river and climb up to Armaztsikhe, the ancient fortress-city that once guarded the old capital.

Also known as Bagineti, Armaztsikhe was one of the main citadels of ancient Mtskheta and an important royal residence during the Iberian period. The site is associated with Armazi, the pre-Christian sky and war deity whose cult was centred here before Georgia’s conversion to Christianity.

The complex is right on the main road with no parking and no clearly marked entrance. We found a safe place to park here on the side of the road, not too far from Salobie restaurant (see #11 below), then walked a little way further before turning up the hill at this brown sign.

Eventually we reached the proper stone path, which climbs up the hill via sets of wooden stairs. In less than five minutes you reach the first viewpoint above the river – but the view gets better and better the higher you go, so you will want to keep walking.

After around 10 minutes, the path flattens out and winds between archaeological remains scattered across the hillside. There are fragments of walls, halls, the remains of a palace complex, and the king’s bath, whose upper level is one of the best-preserved parts of the site and now protected by a roof.

I also loved the carved basilica stone with its scroll motifs, still sitting out in the open.

Like many archaeological sites in Georgia, Armaztsikhe feels desperately neglected in places. The signs are sun-damaged and faded, the boardwalks are broken, and it’s hard to know what you’re looking at. But the setting more than makes up for it.

Come in the late afternoon for the best light. We visited around two hours before sunset, when the town and cathedral were glowing amber. It’s honestly one of the most impressive sunset views I’ve seen in Georgia – and the source of my favourite photos from this trip!

From one edge of the complex you can also get a view of Jvari Monastery.

It’s worth hanging around in Mtskheta for dinner just to try Garajebi.

Located between apartment blocks in the residential part of the city, Mtskheta’s ‘garages’ are exactly what you might imagine: A set of concrete carports attached to family homes that have been converted into small, DIY restaurants.

There are at least three to choose from – all in a row on the same street. We went to Angelina’s Family Kitchen, which has been operating since 1997.

This is definitely one of the most unique dining experiences we’ve had in Georgia so far! Guests enter through the narrow garage door, with an open kitchen to the left where khinkali and other dishes are made to order. You can sit out back or upstairs on an open concrete terrace beneath the grape vines, with a view of suburban Mtskheta from your table.

Homemade khinkali are hard to beat, and Angelina’s dumplings are easily in my top 10: Butter-coloured dough, very soupy, and surprisingly sweet. There is no English menu, but her grandson speaks English and is often around to help.

Alongside its medieval monuments, Mtskheta has some noteworthy mosaics and memorials that date to the Soviet period.

The old cinema building in the centre of town is hard to miss. The mosaic on its facade is titled Tree of Life, and was completed by Jemal Laliashvili in 1973. It feels slightly absurd that one of Georgia’s most important historical cities – if not the most important – still doesn’t have a functioning museum. This building is set to open as the Mtskheta Archaeological Museum in the (hopefully near) future.

In the residential part of town, look out for the old (auto?) shop with a huge relief sculpture above the entrance. Vintage cars, churches and ecclesiastical imagery are all folded together.

Saguramo, a 15-minute drive from Mtskheta, is also worth the detour if you are interested in Soviet-period art and architecture. We originally went out to see the abandoned Institute of Space Structures, but we were unfortunately turned away by the caretaker.

It was still worth the drive to see this mosaic on the facade of an old warehouse – definitely one of the most impressive I have seen in Georgia. The two panels were created for a construction supply manufacturer called Saqcommshen, and despite the building having been de-roofed and mostly dismantled, they are still in surprisingly good condition. One panel shows a female worker, the other her male counterpart.

The fortified Zedazeni Monastery sits high on the forested Saguramo Range, around 18 kilometres east from Mtskheta by road – and even though it’s not that far from Shiomgvime as the crow flies, the landscape could not feel more different. After the sandy cliffs and dry river valley, the drive up to Zedazeni takes you deep into Tbilisi National Park, through cool beech and hornbeam forest.

The monastery here is one of the oldest in Georgia, founded in the 6th century by Saint John of Zedazeni, the leader of the 13 Assyrian Fathers. According to tradition, he settled on Mount Zedazeni on the site of a former pagan shrine dedicated to Zaden, then sent his disciples out across Georgia to establish their own monasteries – including Shio at Shiomgvime.

The views here are spectacular and on a clear day, you can see all the way out to Tbilisi.

The Zedazeni Cross towers over the monastery parking lot. Part telecommunications tower, part monument, part church, it’s a mysterious and rather odd ensemble, with a collection of icons, posters and artworks at its foot, and a tiny pale-blue chapel with an image of the Virgin and Child. Oftentimes there is a nun here selling bracelets and other handmade things.

As you drive up to the monastery, you will notice a visitors centre for Tbilisi National Park and several yellow hiking trail markers dotted around the forest. These newly marked trails cover several routes across the Saguramo Ridge towards Mamkoda and down to Saguramo.

If you’ve driven between Tbilisi and Mtskheta, chances are you’ve noticed the huge figure of Ilia Chavchavadze standing on a hillside above Saguramo. I had passed this monument dozens of times before finally stopping to climb to the top – and the views turned out to be even better than I expected.

A long, ceremonial (recently renovated) staircase leads up through dry grass to the giant statue of Ilia, the 19th-century writer, publisher and public figure who helped shape modern Georgian national identity.

From the top, you get beautiful views across the valley towards Mtskheta and Jvari Monastery, which rises dramatically on its rocky outcrop in the distance. Svetitskhoveli can also be picked out among the trees .

It’s a quick stop, but a worthwhile one if you’re already heading out towards Saguramo or Zedazeni Monastery.

For another old-school Mtskheta food experience, stop at Salobie, a huge roadside restaurant complex best known for its beans.

The grounds are enormous, with indoor dining halls, outdoor tables, and even seating inside an old konka tram carriage from Tbilisi. Find a table first and take a photo of the number, then go inside to order and pay at the counter. There are two buildings/counters: One for salads and appetisers, and another for khinkali and meat dishes.

The kitchen was all out of the famous Mtskheta meat pie when we visited, but beans are the house specialty anyway. Lobio (stewed, spiced kidney beans) is served hot in a clay pot with a fat circle of mchadi cornbread for a lid.

In the restaurant courtyard, you’ll see Pushkin’s Spring, a fountain and plaque said to mark the place where Alexander Pushkin stopped to rest during his 1829 journey across the Caucasus. (I don’t suppose he ordered the beans?) The Russian writer passed through Georgia on his way to Erzurum during the Russo-Turkish War, a trip he later wrote about in A Journey to Arzrum.

Take note of the outdoor picnic tables: Each one has a loose single chair at the end, ready for the tamada to pull up and take his rightful place. It was already rather lively here on a weekday afternoon, and I can imagine it gets pretty rowdy at night!

As you’re strolling around Mtskheta town, keep an eye out for this delightful little mosaic niche hiding under a big tree on a street corner. The shrine is dedicated to Saint Mary, with a few icons, lanterns and candles propped up against a beautiful gold mosaic of the Virgin and Child.

The arched niche is embedded into a stone fence – was it created by the owners of the house? I have no idea, but it’s lovely!

While Armaztsikhe is the best golden hour spot in Mtskheta, the riverside is another place to watch the sun go down. After seeing the confluence of the Mtkvari and Aragvi rivers from above at Jvari, it’s nice to come down to ground (water) level and watch the two waterways merging up close.

There is a small boat jetty here where river cruises depart, and in the warmer months, the embankment has a relaxed atmosphere with people fishing. There is also a camping area nearby where motorhomes and trucks often park up beside the river.

Right at the water’s edge sits Mtskheta Antioch, also known as Saint Stephen the Protomartyr Convent, a tiny sandstone church dating back to the 4th century. I visited a few years ago, but on this trip I noticed the gates were closed with a phone number and instructions for worshippers to ‘Call to pray’ if they want to go inside.

Mtskheta map

Here is everything mentioned in my Mtskheta guide, pinned on a Google Map.

How to get to Mtskheta from Tbilisi

If you’re travelling independently, there are several ways to reach Mtskheta from Tbilisi.

Note that the railway station remains closed for restoration at the time of writing and there are no trains from Tbilisi to Mtskheta at present.

If you are coming from the west – from Gori, Kutaisi, or even from the mountains – most marshrutka drivers will be happy to drop you off on the side of the highway outside Mtskheta before entering Tbilisi.

Tbilisi-Mtskheta marshrutka

Marshrutka minivans depart from Didube Station in Tbilisi throughout the day, starting from around 7am. Vans leave when full, with departures every 15-20 minutes. I recommend arriving nice and early to ensure you get away on time.

The fare to Mtskheta costs 2 GEL, and travel time is around 45-60 minutes depending on traffic. Paper tickets can be purchased from the cash desk before you board the bus.

To find the departure point at Didube: From the Didube Metro Station exit, walk straight through the underpass and cross the road. Turn right and walk through the narrow market alley, then turn left. You will see the ticket counter and marshrutka vans with ‘Mtskheta’ written on their dashboards. If in doubt, just ask around and someone will point you in the right direction.

See the exact location of the cash desk here on Google Maps and view my Didube Bus Station Video Tour here on YouTube.

When you arrive in Mtskheta, the van will drop you off in the centre of town. To get back to Tbilisi, you can simply return to the same place and flag down any van travelling the opposite way. Pay the fare directly to the driver when you disembark.

Alternatively, a taxi to Mtskheta costs around 50-60 GEL when booked through the Bolt app.

Private transfer with GoTrip

If you want to go beyond the highlights of central Mtskheta to visit Shiomgvime, Zedazeni, and other spots mentioned on this list, then you’re better off hiring a private driver for the day.

GoTrip is the website I use to find drivers in Georgia. Pricing is fair and transparent, with online or cash payment available, and you can create your own itinerary by inputting different landmarks and destinations into the planner. It’s especially handy for a place like Mtskheta where the best monasteries are scattered in the hills and can only be reached by car.

This example itinerary that I created for Mtskheta features most of the above destinations, with prices starting from 50 USD for a return trip to/from Tbilisi (incredibly good value when you consider the price of a guided tour). Your driver will wait for you while you do your sightseeing, and you can make spontaneous photo stops/detours at any point for no extra cost.

→ Check prices here on GoTrip