Things to Do in Ozurgeti & Guria: Guide to Georgia’s Tea Route

Wedged between Imereti, Adjara and Samegrelo in Western Georgia, Guria region is one of least-visited yet most unique places in the country.

Guria is Georgia’s smallest region by size (around 60 kilometres at its widest point) and yet the landscape is quite varied – with an eastern fringe of mountains, a leafy interior of rolling hills, and a sliver of Black Sea coastline.

Within Georgia, Guria is best known for its tea fields and hazelnut plantations. In Soviet times, Georgia was the biggest tea producer in the USSR and the majority of farms were located in warm and humid Guria. As you make your way around the region, you’ll see hints of this history in the rusted skeletons of shuttered tea factories, remnants of beautiful bus stops, and Soviet-style mosaics a plenty.

Georgia’s tea heritage is what drew me to visit Guria in the first place. In my eyes, the Western Tea Route is every bit as interesting (and delicious) as the Kakheti Wine Route. Tea tourism is still under development in Guria with four tea producers now offering tours and tastings.

Guria’s two popular mountain resorts of Gomismta and Bakhmaro, which sit atop twin peaks overlooking Ozurgeti, Guria’s biggest city, are both beloved for their A-frame cottages, sunset views and hiking trails. Moving towards the coast, the landscape changes to thick pine forests before you land on Guria’s black sand beaches, less developed and more serene than those down the coast in Batumi.

Guria is also known for its rich regional culture. Gurians speak their own dialect, eat a fabulous cuisine (you might already know Gurian Khachapuri, a cheesy pie stuffed with boiled eggs), and have their own folklore and traditions.

One of the more peculiar customs is Lelo Burti, an unusual Easter ritual that pits two villages against each other in a fierce (sometimes fatal) fight for a giant ball filled with 16 kilograms of sand. Gurian horsemanship, another tradition, is showcased at several annual festivals, most famously the Bakhmaro Horse Festival.

All in all, Guria is a fascinating region that’s still unknown to most foreign travellers but more than worthy of a spot on your Georgia itinerary.

After visiting twice last summer, again in fall, and again for Orthodox Easter, I decided to put together this guide to the region, covering the best things to do in Ozurgeti and beyond plus general travel advice.

Before I go on, a very important travel tip: Bring your bug spray! Outside of winter, Guria is a bit like Southeast Asia in the wet season – hot, sticky, and buzzing with mozzies.

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Best time to visit Guria

Guria is hot and sticky in summer and cold in winter. Summer high season (especially July and August) is busy on the coast and very humid.

I recommend visiting in either late spring or autumn for the best chance of mild temperatures and clear skies. I’ve visited Guria in August and in September – it was a little muggy and overcast but otherwise pleasant.

There are two major festivals to plan your trip around. The Bakhmaro Horse Festival (Bakhmaros Doghvi) takes place on the same date every year, August 19, while Lelo Burti is held on Orthodox Easter Sunday in Shukhuti village. Both are very much worth attending.

If you want to spend time in Gomismta and/or Bakhmaro, note that the high mountain roads are only navigable by snowmobile in winter and normally reopen to traffic in late April or May.

Where to stay in Guria

Komli Farmstay (Tsitelmta): This beautiful family farmhouse has a small tea plantation and a creek running through the back garden. Hosts Meri, Lika and Mariam offer comfy rooms and exquisite home-cooked meals to their guests. Komli is part of the Tea Route and also offers tours and professional tea tastings. The house is located around 10 minutes’ drive from Ozurgeti (transfers available). Book here via Booking.com.

Menadbe Winery (Shemokmedi): This gorgeous wine cellar-guesthouse is set inside a heritage wooden house and features a sprawling yard, wine tastings and an onsite restaurant. The location close to the centre of Ozurgeti is very convenient. The rooms are extremely romantic and cosy. We had a great stay here on our second trip to Guria. Book here via Booking.com.

Misha’s Place (Ozurgeti): If you want to stay in the centre of Ozurgeti for convenience sake, I highly recommend this Airbnb. Misha and Chika are very generous (and helpful) hosts with lots of local tips to share, and the house is spacious and comfortable. Book here via Airbnb.

Chamo (Vakijvari): Also run by Misha and Chika, Chamo offers camping and a gorgeous cottage in a small village at the foot of Bakhmaro mountain. Book here via Airbnb.

GiNA Shekvetili (Shekvetili): If you want to stay on Guria’s Black Sea coast, I highly recommend Shekvetili beach and GiNA, a simple and affordable hotel with clean rooms and friendly staff a few steps from the waterfront. Book here via Booking.com.

How to get to Guria

Getting to and from Guria is relatively easy thanks to good rail and road transport connections. The most convenient place to base your Guria adventure is in Ozurgeti, the region’s biggest city and transport hub.

Travelling to Guria by train

There is a daily passenger train to Ozurgeti from Tbilisi, departing in the morning. It is older train (not the fast Stadler train that runs from Tbilisi to Batumi), thus the journey to Ozurgeti takes a good 9 hours. Tickets cost 10-35 GEL depending on the service and can be purchased at the station or online in advance via TKT.GE.

Check the train schedule here.

Travelling to Guria by van

Marshrutka minivans to Ozurgeti are available from every major town and city in Georgia. From Tbilisi, the journey takes around 6 hours.

If your itinerary permits it, it’s more convenient (and less tiring) to travel to Ozurgeti from Kutaisi. The journey takes around 2-2.5 hours, and tickets cost around 7 GEL. Vans depart from Kutaisi’s main bus station throughout the day from late morning until early afternoon. Double check times locally.

Travelling to Guria by car

Guria is a terrific place to explore with your own car. The roads in this region are good and traffic is fairly light (depending on the time of year).

I personally use Local Rent to hire cars in Georgia – the website aggregates local agents so prices are always great, and many vehicles come with comprehensive insurance included (and no deposit).

If you prefer not to drive yourself, a one-way transfer by private car to Ozurgeti from Tbilisi costs around 80 USD when booked through GoTrip. As well as having an experienced driver and flexible departure time, you can stop wherever and whenever you like along the way – one of the reasons I prefer using GoTrip over vans for longer road journeys. Read my review of GoTrip here.

How to get around Guria

Guria is small but spread out with limited bus connections. It’s therefore preferable to visit with your own car. My first visit was part of a longer Georgia road trip – I had a terrific time driving to the smaller villages and through the tea fields. I’ve since been back with my own car several times. Many of the places on this list of things to do in Guria are only really accessible by car. Find my tips for driving in Georgia here.

If you don’t have your own car, you can always organise a driver for the day through your guesthouse in Guria. Prices vary depending on the distance you want to cover.

Note that higher villages in upper Guria may be inaccessible in winter. The roads to Bakhmaro and Gomismta are closed to normal vehicles in winter and can be quite dangerous at the best of times, so it’s preferable to go with an experienced driver.

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Things to do in Ozurgeti city & surrounds

My first impression of Ozurgeti was of driving into a ghost town. It’s definitely one of the smallest and quietest of the regional capitals I’ve visited in Georgia. I only say this to manage your expectations: Don’t come expecting a Kutaisi or even a Zugdidi or Telavi.

Having said that, the fact that Ozurgeti is completely walkable with lots of green space adds to its appeal. The eerie quiet somehow suits the old architecture and is a nice contrast to the hubbub of the market area at the western end of town, which is definitely where all the action is.

The most recognisable landmark in Ozurgeti is the Dramatic Theatre with its imposing facade of high arches and a statue of Gurian-born film director Alexander Tsutsunava out front. It’s the second-largest theatre building of its kind in Georgia and along with Ozurgeti Railway Station, one of the city’s architectural gems.

The theatre recently reopened after extensive renovations – the interior looks quite spectacular.

Much of downtown was constructed in the Soviet era and looks like it hasn’t been touched since. On the outskirts of the city you’ll find industrial complexes, workers’ housing estates and other buildings of this ilk.

If you’re interested in Soviet history and mosaics, you’ll have a field day exploring Ozurgeti and the surrounding villages. I’ve highlighted some of the major landmarks to look out for in the sections below.

Here are my recommended things to do in Ozurgeti and in the vicinity of the city.

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Explore the tea fields in Anaseuli

You can find tea plantations large and small spread all over Guria, but there is a particularly high concentration in Anaseuli on the south-western side of Ozurgeti.

Purpose-built during the Soviet period, Anaseuli is a small settlement entirely dedicated to supporting the tea industry. Back in the day, it housed processing factories, a scientific institute and various workers’ housing complexes edged by a vast landscape of tea fields. 

Anaseuli’s first tea shrubs were planted in 1847 in a last-ditch effort by the Russian Empire to cultivate Chinese tea in the Caucasus. Where the plants had withered in other areas, they thrived in hot and balmy Guria – so much so that leaves could be harvested for 6 or 7 months throughout the year. In 1893, industrial-scale tea production began, helped along by Chinese tea expert Lao Jin Jao who was invited to Georgia specially to steer the fledgling industry.

The tea trade all but collapsed in the 1990s and only a few factories remain today. Now the industry is now undergoing something of a revival with artisan tea brands springing up in Guria, Adjara and Imereti. One of my favourite things to do in Tbilisi is visit the Bitadze Tea Shop, a tiny museum-shop in Sololaki run by the family who head up the Tea Producers Association.

Anaseuli is a living memorial to Georgia’s tea heritage. Visitors can walk or drive through the old tea plantations, which are numbered one through 14, and view the housing estates and old tea institute building. Many of the residential areas and small farmhouses in Anaseuli are still occupied, but these days families are more likely to grow hazelnut trees, which yield a more profitable crop.

We started our drive through Anaseuli here at the very grand abandoned Tea and Subtropical Crops Institute building where there are a couple of beautiful mosaic-clad fountains.

The tea fields open up from there – it’s simply a matter of following the winding dirt roads up and over the hillocks.

When we arrived at the first unkempt field, we weren’t entirely sure what we were looking at. A man trundled down the road towards us with a shovel in hand and after some back and forth, confirmed it was indeed chai bushes that stretched out to the horizon.

One of my favourite sightings was this farmgate cobbled together from an old propaganda-style poster board.

Do a Gurian tea tasting at Komli

While the fields in Anaseuli are fun to explore, if you want to learn about the history of tea in Georgia then the best place to head to next is Komli. This farmhouse just outside Ozurgeti offers guest accommodation and tours. The family has been involved with the tea industry for generations and now keep a small field in their back garden.

Hostess Lika knows everything there is to know about tea in Georgia, much of her knowledge inherited from her mother, Meri, who worked as a tea scientist. After touring the field you can sit down for a tasting of the green and black tea on the front deck of the family’s wooden Oda house.

Packets of tea leaves are also available to purchase – I brought a couple back to Tbilisi with me and they lasted a month a piece.

Even if you’re not staying at Komli, it’s still possible to organise a tour, tea tasting and home-cooked meal if you call ahead. I do recommend staying here if possible – the property is gorgeous. There are rooms inside the house to choose from or you can sleep in a converted Diogenes barrel in the garden.

And a wine tasting at Menabde Cellar

Long before Guria’s tea fields were planted, this part of Georgia was known for its wine. Because of the hot and humid climate, vintners use a special technique called Olikhnari to grow their grapes on tall props raised above the ground. In the past, some varieties of grapes were even grown on tree trunks.

Chkhaveri is Guria’s most famous grape. It’s commonly used to produce a light, fresh Qvevri red with notes of summer berries and a subtle spice. To be completely honest I didn’t like Chkhaveri at all the firs time I tried it – but as I discovered, it needs more time than some other wines to breathe and mellow out. I.e. it gets better the deeper into the bottle you go!

There are a few cellars around Ozurgeti where you can do a Chkhaveri wine tasting. My favourite is Menabde, a winery-restaurant-hotel that also offers meals and accommodation. If Komli is booked out, this is a great place to stay near Ozurgeti city.

If you can, do try and eat here – the food is divine and the menu features some unusual Gurian specialties you can’t find elsewhere (such as chestnut soup). The buffet breakfast offered to guests (pictured above) is unreal!

Walk-ins are welcome to drink wine and eat in the garden. I recommend calling ahead a day or two in advance. Contact details here.

Get a view from Ekadia Church of St. George

If you like to kick things off with a view like I do, this should be your first port of call. The best outlook over Ozurgeti is from the yard of St. George’s, a small Orthodox church on a hill on the south-western edge of the city.

Built on the site of an old medieval church, St. George’s sits above the Buzhuzhi River, which collects two smaller rivers that run through the centre of town. Verdant hills unfold in every direction, studded with the red roofs of one and two-story houses, the occasional Socialist-style monolithic apartment block sticking out like a sore thumb.

As well as a view, you can get a feel for Guria’s climate from this elevated position. I wandered around the churchyard for about 20 minutes and in that time watched the sky morph from thick violet storm clouds to piercing blue.

Have a coffee at Eight + 1

A trendy cafe serving iced lattes and carrot cake was the last thing I expected to find in Ozurgeti. Eight + 1 (the name comes from an old local newspaper) opens at 10am and is your best bet for a nice cup of coffee.

Founded in 2015 by the Young Teachers Union, Eight + 1 is a community cafe that employs young people from the community and doubles as a space for meetings, events and co-working. As well as coffee and cake they also serve light meals.

The cafe is located down a quiet alleyway in the centre of the city – you can recognise it from the ivy-covered wall dotted with colourful birdhouses.

Buy hazelnuts & straw hats from the Ozurgeti Farmer’s Market

Ozurgeti’s bazaar is a vibrant display of produce and a hive of activity. This being Georgia’s main hazelnut-growing region, you can see huge bags of unprocessed nuts being traded from rows of colourful shops at the front of the market.

Inside, a maze of outdoor and undercover stalls sell fresh veg, spices and woven straw farmers’ hats – which seem to be a staple part of the wardrobe in Guria. Foreign faces are few and far between, so expect lots of attention from stallholders and food samples as you walk the rows.

The market is open daily from 8am until around 6pm. A second market in Chokhatauri, a smaller town north-east of Ozurgeti, takes place on Sunday mornings.

Photograph Ozurgeti street art

A number of large street murals have popped up in Ozurgeti recently. Created by local artists under the Niko Project, each one reflects an aspect of Gurian culture and life.

The first mural, ‘Resort Gomismta’, was painted by Giorgi ‘Pablo’ Kalandarishvili in 2021. It depicts a group of horse riders on their way up to Gomi Mountain.

There are two more colourful murals near the market, including ‘Astronaut Girl’ by Tamoonz (2021).

Both these artists have works in Batumi and Tbilisi as well. You can find the exact locations for the Ozurgeti murals on my Guria Map below.

Walk through the Platanus Garden

There are four large greenspaces in the very centre of Ozurgeti, three of them belonging to the Platanus Garden complex. The gardens were planned out by a Scottish landscaper in the 19th century at the request of Mamia III Gurieli, Prince of Guria.

Though not a patch on Zugdidi’s Botanical Garden (which was also commissioned by the local royal family), the park offers walkways lined with mature trees, plazas and a few fountains.

There are a couple of noteworthy buildings on the edge of the Garden, including Ozurgeti’s old cinema house, built in the 1930s in typical Soviet boxy style but now disused. At the western end of the Garden you’ll find Gurieli Palace, built in the 1860s as a dynastic residence. The oldest building in the city, it’s now used by the Orthodox church.

Find the ruins of Gurieli’s Bath

When I read about the ruins of a two-story Byzantine bathhouse having been uncovered in the centre of Ozurgeti, I was expecting to find a large excavation site. Unfortunately the city’s main police station is located adjacent, which I’m guessing has made things a bit tricky.

The two-story bathhouse is thought to have been constructed for private use for the region’s Gurieli rulers. Behind the police carpark, unsigned and quiet hidden away, you can see the remnants of the structure in a tiny open-air pit. All you can really make out is the foundations of a room or two and a small section of arched brickwork. You’d be forgiven for walking past the site and not noticing it at all.

Track down Ozurgeti’s Soviet-era mosaics

Along with neighbouring Samegrelo region, Guria has a high concentration of Soviet-era mosaics – many of them relatively well preserved. Most are located outside Ozurgeti and will be covered later, but there are two prominent mosaics in the city that are worth a detour for.

The first adorns the facade of Ozurgeti Public School at 27 Viktor Dolidze Street. It depicts a group of young athletes – volleyball players and footballers – and a gymnast in mid-flight. It’s in very good knick, no doubt because it’s still maintained by staff at the school.

The second mosaic is at the old Askanit clay processing factory near the railway station. There are a number of interesting buildings in this area, including a large housing estate that looks almost Bavarian in style. I later learned that the roofless, overgrown brick building with high arched windows next to the train station is an old silk factory.

The clay factory is totally abandoned and from what I could see from the fence line, a complete wreck. The partially destroyed mosaic panels line the top of the facade facing the road, so you can get a good look without going inside. The coloured glasswork is also interesting.

If you’re wondering how I find these mosaics, this free map created by GeoAir has a lot of mosaics and Soviet-era buildings in Tbilisi and all across Georgia plotted out.

Walk up to the 12th-century Shemokmedi Monastery

Like every region in Georgia, Guria has plenty of noteworthy monasteries and churches, each with an interesting story. Part of the reason we chose to visit Shemokmedi Monastery in particular is the location – it’s perched high on a mountainside with commanding views from the top.

To reach the monastery, you need to walk a short distance uphill. Part of the path leads through an overgrown cemetery and is very atmospheric.

Of course there’s more to the 12th-century Shemokmedi than just the views. Burial ground for the Gurieli dynasty, this used to be the ‘wealthiest’ monastery in all of Georgia and once housed a library containing important manuscripts, relics and other treasures. Much of the collection is now housed at the Georgian National Museum in Tbilisi.

The complex consists of a bell tower and two cathedrals, all constructed from an unusual mottled grey stone. One of Georgia’s oldest icons is apparently housed in the domed Zarzma church, although it was closed at the time of our visit so I didn’t get a chance to see it.

Watch a performance at the Folklore Centre

Located in the centre of the city opposite the Dramatic Theatre, this is the Western branch of a national institute aimed at preserving Georgia’s polyphonic singing and musical traditions.

The Centre hosts regular song and dance performances that visitors are welcome to attend. Check their Facebook Page for events and announcements.

On the outside of the building you can find an impressive stone bas relief reminiscent of the one that decorates the Green Bazaar in Kutaisi.

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Things to do in Guria beyond Ozurgeti

Here are more things to do beyond Ozurgeti, including the upper villages of Guria and the Black Sea Coast.

Chase the clouds on Gomismta or Bakhmaro

Gomismta (2,755 metres) and Bakhmaro (1,950 metres) are two popular mountain resorts in Guria. In the warmer months, shepherds bring their herds up to pasture and local families spend their holidays in summer cabins.

There are plenty of cottages and A-frame cabins in both villages where you can spend the night, as well as campgrounds. Note that amenities are quite basic.

The popular thing to do is drive up for sunset. Because of the climate, the mountaintops and valleys beyond are often shrouded in thick, ethereal clouds, creating the illusion of the sun setting over a sea of cotton-balls. (That’s if you’re lucky enough to visit on a clearish evening – I was not!) My friends in Vietnam used to call this ‘chasing the clouds’.

The road up to Bakhmaro is bitumen and can be tackled with a sedan, but you’ll need a 4WD for the unpaved road to Gomismta. There’s also an option to hike up to either peak from the closest lower village or from one to the other. Hikers should also note the trail from Gomismta to Tbikeli Lake in neighbouring Adjara region.

If you do plan on coming up for sunset, make sure you travel with an experienced driver as both roads are quite challenging and unlit after dark. In winter, the roads are either closed or only accessible by snow mobile, so this is only an activity for the warmer months.

If you happen to be visiting Guria in August, note that the Bakhmaro Horse Festival takes place every year on the 19th. Riders from every corner of the country descend on the village for festivities and a winner-takes-all horse race.

Admire the Soviet-era architecture in Shroma & Natanebi

Some of the more remote villages in the northern part of Guria are filled with hidden gems. The residents of Shroma and Natenebi, two such villages, knew incredible wealth during Soviet times and endowed their communities with ornate Oda houses, grand civic buildings and sprawling citrus gardens.

Many of these buildings now lay partially abandoned and overgrown, including the two Collective Farming (kolkhoz) Administration Buildings in Shroma (1956) and in Natanebi (1953). They aren’t marked on any map, but they are impossible to miss. Natanebi’s is located on the main road in the former village of Shava, while in Shroma, you need to follow the winding road until you see the humongous building looming in a clearing to your left.

On my first visit, I was apprehensive about trying to get inside the partially abandoned building in Shroma and was a little taken aback when a woman sweeping the terrace outside opened the door and invited me in.

The grand entryway contains elaborate plasterwork, friezes, ceiling roses and glass mosaics. Portraits of village elite (I assume?) still hang on the walls. I had a peek through a few doorways and most of the offices are completely ruined, floorboards stripped and filled to the brim with junk.

Outside the building is a huge and very beautiful Soviet-style mosaic (pictured above) that commemorates WWII. After the war, residents of Shroma purchased a tank and built a memorial in the centre of town – you can see it nearby.

There are more beautiful buildings in Shroma to photograph if you have the time, including the incredible Village Culture House.

Go searching for Soviet-era bus stops

One of the biggest perks of bringing your own car to Guria is being able to stop at the many Soviet-style bus stops and monuments that litter the roadside.

There are dozens of beautiful mosaics to photograph as you travel from village to village – my personal favourite is this one in Gurianta. The peaked shelter is totally unique and the mosaics depicting tea pickers and hazelnut farmers appear just as vibrant as the day they were created.

I wish I could tell you more about this mosaic but as far as I know, the artist and date are unknown. There is another bus stop with a more abstract mosaic just down the road in Meria. Both are marked on my Guria Map linked below.

Eat fresh trout at Restaurant Achi

I have our hosts in Ozurget, Misha and Chika, to thank for this recommendation. Achi is a tiny village 15km south of Ozurgeti on the edge of a pretty river. Restaurant Achi – which I’m told is a bit of a local institution – specialises in river trout, caught and cooked to order.

This isn’t any old trout, though – it’s stuffed with Bazhe spiced walnut paste and topped with lemon. Delicious. The little wooden bungalows perched over the river are the perfect backdrop to a hearty lunch. A really special dining experience… But like I said, remember your bug spray.

If you’re driving to Restaurant Achi from Ozurgeti, do not follow Google Maps as it routes you the wrong way offroad through Adjara region (speaking from experience here). Instead, head towards Likhauri and follow the road signs towards Achi from there.

Swim on a black sand beach in Ureki or Shekvetili

Guria’s 22-kilometre stretch of Black Sea coastline is home to several popular beaches, including Ureki, Shekvetili and Grigoleti. All them feature ‘magnetic sands’, dark-coloured, fine sands that are high in iron and other minerals and thus lauded for their curative properties.

This stretch of coast is much quieter and cleaner than the resort city of Batumi and most beaches in Adjara. I personally preferred Shekvetili over Ureki – it’s quiet but still with a good range of accommodation and food options (including the wonderful At Nellie’s restaurant – see the next section).

Sunsets on the Black Sea coast are something else and Shekvetili is no exception. The beach is just a 40-minute drive from Ozurgeti but I highly recommend spending a night here so that you can enjoy the sunset and dinner.

Visit the Miniature Park & Dendrological Park in Shekvetili

Shekvetili Miniature Park was our wildcard for Guria and despite my suspicion that it would be underwhelming, I’m so glad we made time for it. Attached to the huge and rather gaudy Tsitsinatela theme, the Miniature Park is located a few minutes south of Shekvetili beach. It’s essentially an open-air museum dedicated to Georgia’s most famous landmarks, all immortalised in miniature form and clustered together around a set of walking paths.

Mini Svetitskhoveli sits next to a mini set of Tush towers, a tiny version of Oni Synagogue and a scaled-down version of Narikala Fortress. If you’re been travelling around Georgia for a while, it’s really fun to spot the buildings you’ve seen in person and pick out the ones you’ve missed. Everything is well-signed and you can learn a lot from the panels.

The Miniature Park is open daily from 10am until 6pm (later in summer). I recommend you avoid visiting during the middle part of the day as it’s completely exposed and very hot. Entrance costs 3 GEL. More info here.

Just up the road, Shekvetili Dendrological Park covers 60 hectares of land along the coast and is home to more than 200 old-growth trees and 58 species of birds, including flamingos. Having launched in 2020, the park was financed by former Georgian politician Bidzina Ivanishvili and is shrouded in controversy. There’s even a documentary about it, Taming the Garden, which reveals how the billionaire transported the trees to Shekvetili by barge across the Black Sea.

Shekvetili Dendrological Park is open from 11am-5pm five days a week (closed Mondays and Thursdays). More info here.

Where to eat in Guria

While there are plenty of food options in the beach resort towns, away from the coast, food options in Guria are more limited (even in Ozurgeti). There are a couple of good restaurants I suggest you try.

Eight + 1 (Ozurgeti)

As mentioned above, this cafe serves coffee and an excellent carrot cake.

Coffee In (Ozurgeti)

This little pit-stop cafe in the centre of town is great for grabbing a coffee and quick snack to go.

Menabde’s Wine Cellar (Shemokmedi)

The winery-restaurant serves amazing Georgian and Gurian fare. Call ahead to make a reservation. If you choose to stay here, the buffet breakfast is spectacular.

Restaurant Achi (Achi)

I also listed this above, but it’s worth reiterating that this place serves amazing fresh trout. A must-eat when in Ozurgeti.

Pirosmani (Ozurgeti)

This typical Georgian restaurant serves large portions at affordable prices. The ambiance is lacking a bit (the blaring speakers in the enclosed concrete courtyard don’t help), but the khinkali are good.

At Nellie’s (Shekvetili)

This unsuspecting little restaurant was my favourite meal in Guria after Restaurant Achi. Everything is homemade and delicious (especially the trout and the chvishtari cheesy cornbread – now there’s a combo). The outdoor courtyard is lovely on a summer evening and the family who run the restaurant are very kind.

Guria map

You can find all the points of interest, landmarks and restaurants mentioned above on my Guria Map. Click here to open my Guria map on Google Maps.

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Suggested Guria itinerary

For the full Guria experience, I recommend spending two full days in the region. There’s a lot more to see beyond the places I’ve listed here, but I’ve tried to cover most if not all of the main highlights.

Here’s an example of how you might structure your visit to Guria over two days. This is essentially the itinerary I followed on my most recent visit.

• Day one: Explore Ozurgeti city; drive through the Anaseuli tea fields; eat lunch in Achi; do a wine tasting at Menabde; end the day at Bakhmaro/Gomismta.
• Day two: Drive to Shroma via Meria; stop off at Natanebi; head to Ureki on the Black Sea coast for lunch; visit the Miniature Park and Dendrological Park in Shekvetili; end the day in Shekvetili.

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There might not be a whole lot of big-ticket attractions in Ozurgeti and Guria but I really enjoyed my three recent visits to this part of Georgia. I’m fascinated by Guria’s tea history and I think it’s worth a visit for that (and the Soviet-era mosaics) alone.

Have you explored this part of Western Georgia? Do you have any recommendations for me for next time?

If you’re planning a trip to Georgia and you have any questions about Guria or anything else, feel free to leave me a comment below and I’ll do my best to help out.

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More resources for Guria region

• Tips for attending the Lelo Burti festival in Shukhuti