The Ultimate Travel Itinerary for the Caucasus Region

The Caucasus has burst onto the travel scene in recent years as one of the must visit regions in the world. The countries of Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan have so much to offer every type of traveller, from stunning landscapes to delicious food and the friendliest people you’ll ever meet. If you’re planning a trip to the region, then a travel itinerary for the Caucasus can ensure that you get to see the best that the region has to offer.

I spent nearly two months exploring the three countries and would go back in a heartbeat. But if it’s your first time going to Georgia or one of the other Caucasus’ countries, then I’ve outlined a few travel itineraries below to help you plan your trip. Whether you’ve just got two weeks or over a month, this post will help you see the best places in the Caucasus.

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Best time to visit the Caucasus

The best time to travel to the Caucasus is in Spring and Autumn/Fall. The months from April to May and September to November offer the most temperate weather. I personally prefered Autumn around October and November because of the beautiful fall colours and fewer crowds.

Winter is a hard time to travel to the Caucasus. The cold is harsh and snow falls in most places across the region. Some of the mountain passes and trails are still covered in snow until April.

Summer from June to August is the most popular time to travel around the Caucasus and places like Mestia, Batumi and Kazbegi can become especially crowded at this time.

How to travel around the Caucasus

The most common form of transport in the Caucasus is the local marshrutka or marshrutky, which are minivans or minibuses. You pay for a seat from one place to another. They tend to congregate in either official bus stations or random car parks, but they are relatively well organised. Most marshrutkas have signs on their dashboards and the drivers will often help you work out where you need to go.

They sometimes adhere to a timetable and other times simply leave whenever they’re full. Although it may not sound like it, they’re quite efficient and it’s easy to travel around the entire region using them.

There are also some decent train journeys that you can take instead, although the network is limited. They tend to cost more than a marshrutka, but they are more comfortable. Popular train trips are from Tbilisi to Zugdidi in Georgia, from Tbilisi to Batumi in Georgia, from Tbilisi to Baku in Azerbaijan and from Tbilisi to Yerevan in Armenia.

Georgia will be your anchor and main base for exploring the Caucasus region. This is mostly because you can’t travel overland between Armenia and Azerbaijan, so you’ll likely have to return to Georgia more than once if you’re hoping to cover the three countries in one trip. Georgia is also generally more accessible by air from Europe and overland from Turkey.

My itineraries outlined below will help you navigate across the three countries and cover the best sights.

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How long to spend in the Caucasus

How long to spend in the region is really up to you. You can see some of the highlights in a couple of weeks, or delve a little deeper and cover a lot of places over six weeks. It also depends on whether you want to visit one or all three of the countries, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. While Georgia has more well-known sights, you could still easily hop over to Yerevan or Baku and explore more of the region in a matter of days.

Below I’m outlining a few two-week itineraries for those looking for a quick taste of the region and time to cover some of the main sights. But if you have a little longer, than I’m also breaking down a nice one month itinerary so you can see much more of what the Caucasus has to offer.

If you want an overview of the best places to visit in the Caucasus, read my post here.

View of old town — View of Old Town, Tbilisi

The ultimate one month Caucasus itinerary

This travel itinerary for the Caucasus takes in the best of Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan in one month. It’s suited for independent travellers who are comfortable using public transport, although private transfers and day trip options can be utilised if you prefer more comfort.

Tbilisi (3 days)
Mestia (2 days)
Batumi (2 days)
Akhaltsikhe & Vardzia (1 day)
Gyumri (1 day)
Yerevan (4 days)
Goris & Tatev (2 days)
Dilijan (2 days)
Back to Tbilisi (1 day)
Kazbegi (2 days)
Back to Tbilisi (1 day)
Sighnaghi (2 days)
Sheki (2 days)
Baku (3 days)

Georgia

Begin your Caucasus trip in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. You could easily spend three days in Tbilisi. There’s plenty of things to see and do in the trendy city, from exploring the Old Town and colourful markets to trying all the typical Georgian food in one of the many restaurants.

From Tbilisi, you can head to Mestia by marshrutka to explore the beautiful Svaneti region. Spend a couple of days there taking a day trip to Ushguli and a day hike to Chaladi Glacier.

From Mestia, travel down to Batumi, the party city on the Black Sea coast. A couple of days is enough here to explore the port city that is known for its interesting architecture and fun nightlife.

From Batumi, take a marshrutka to Akhaltsikhe. Stay one night in the small town, which is enough time to see the Rabati Castle and explore the cave city of Vardzia on a day trip.

Armenia

From Akhaltsikhe, you can take a marshrutka to Gyumri in Armenia, a road not many tourists tend to take. Gyumri is the second-largest city in Armenia and a nice place for a one-night stop for an introduction to the country.

From Gyumri, travel to Yerevan, the beating heart of Armenia and a great city to explore for four days. There’s plenty of things to do in Yerevan from exploring the various museums to cafe hopping with the locals and taking a day trip outside of the city.

From Yerevan, head to Goris in the south of the country for a couple of days. This will give you time to appreciate the beautiful landscape of southern Armenia and visit the stunning monastery at Tatev.

Head back to Yerevan and then change marshrutka to continue north to Dilijan. Spend a couple of days exploring Dilijan National Park, the perfect place for outdoor enthusiasts.

Georgia (again)

Go back to Tbilisi, Georgia from Dilijan for a night to break up your travel time. From there, you can head north the next day along the Georgian Military Highway to Kazbegi. Spend a couple of days in Stepantsminda to see the famous Gergeti Trinity Church as well as hiking up to the Gergeti Glacier.

Return again to Tbilisi and then go east to Sighnaghi, a picturesque town in Georgia’s wine region.

Azerbaijan

From Sighnaghi, head just an hour further east to the border by marshrutka or taxi. Cross the Georgia-Azerbaijan border on foot. Once in Azerbaijan, you can catch an onward marshrutka or hitch a ride to Qax in Azerbaijan. From there you can take a bus to the small town of Sheki. Spend a couple of days understanding the role Azerbaijan played along the famous old Silk Road.

From Sheki, head to Baku, the fascinating capital of Azerbaijan. You can easily spend three days there seeing the Old City and going on a day trip to Gobustan National Park.

You can either fly out of Baku or take the overnight train from Baku to Tbilisi in Georgia to end your trip!

If you have longer than a month?

Here’s what you can add to your Caucasus travel itinerary to extend it to six weeks of travel in the Caucasus:

From Tbilisi, you can head north to Pankisi Gorge and stay for a couple of days in the small town of Jokolo. This is one of the most misunderstood places in Georgia. It’s a narrow valley running to the Russian border and home to the ethnic minority, Kists, who have roots across the border in Chechyna.

From Tbilisi or from Jokolo, head to the Tusheti region of northern Georgia. You can spend a couple of days hiking around the town of Omalo in Tusheti. The beautiful Caucasus Mountains there are far less explored than around Mestia in the Svaneti region.

If you’re a keen hiker and have the time spare, you can’t miss tackling the four-day trek from Mestia to Ushguli in the Svaneti region of Georgia. This popular multi-day trek takes in incredible Caucasus Mountain scenery and utilises local guesthouses along the way.

You can head away from Baku and into the stunning mountains of northern Azerbaijan. From Baku go to Quba by marshrutka where you can spend a few days visiting the remote villages of Khinaliq and Laza.

Two week itinerary Georgia + Armenia

If you have two weeks to explore the region, then you have enough time to see some of the best places to visit in the Caucasus in Georgia and Armenia.

Tbilisi (3 days)
Kazbegi (2 days)
Dilijan (2 days)
Yerevan (3 days)
Gyumri (1 day)
Akhaltsikhe & Vardzia (1 day)
Batumi (2 days)