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St George & Dragon Monument
A golden statue of Georgias patron saint, St George, spearing his dragon, stands on a tall pedestal in the middle of the busy traffic nexus Tavisuplebis moedani (Freedom Sq). The statue was a gift to the city from its sculptor, the Moscow-based Georgian Zurab Tsereteli, in 2006.
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Martvili Canyon
Rides up the Abasha River through this 40-to-70m-deep canyon start at Inchkhuri, 5km north of Martvili. Its a pretty though not overwhelmingly exciting ride: the price per small inflatable boat (five or six passengers) is 30 GEL to go 350m up the canyon and back, or 60 GEL for 700m
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Otsindale Monastery
At Taia village, a few kilometres southeast of Mukhuri and 15km north of Chkhorotsu, this monastery stands on a superbly panoramic hilltop. Its church dates back to the 11th century: a solar disc on its ceiling and the nearby phallus stone are survivors from pre-Christian rites her
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Batonistsikhe Castle
Batonistsikhe was the residence of the Kakhetian kings in the 17th and 18th centuries. The complex includes a Persian-style palace where Erekle II was born and died, and art and history museums, but at research time was completely closed for renovations, probably till at least 2017
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Main Gate
To enter Uplistsikhe by its old main access track, go about 5m up the rocks opposite the cafe at the entrance, and follow the rock-cut path to the left. Metal-railed steps lead up through what was the main gate, with the excavated main tower of the Shida Qalaqi’s defensive walls to
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Museum of Money
Off the opposite corner of Tavisuplebis moedani is the well-presented Museum of Money , set up by the National Bank of Georgia next door. You can see Georgian money from the 6th century BC to the present day, including the Monopoly-style coupons used in 1993–94 before the lari was
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Borjomi Museum of Local Lore
Housed in the former Romanov offices, off the western end of Rustaveli, this diverse collection includes the first-ever bottle of Borjomi mineral water (1890) and other displays on the waters, plus china and glass from the Romanov palace, and sizeable exhibits of stuffed wildlife a
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Concert Hall & Exhibition Centre
The two large tubular metallic structures at the north end of Rike Park were commissioned from Italian architect Massimiliano Fuksas during the Saakashvili era as a concert hall and exhibition centre. After Mikheil Saakashvili lost power, funding dried up and the project stood unfi
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Public Service Hall
Nicknamed the Umbrellas, this building by Italian Massimiliano Fuksas is the biggest of a dozen Public Service Halls opened in new, contemporary buildings around Georgia by the Saakashvili government – one-stop shops for citizens to deal quickly with government bureaucracy in an op
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Mosque
On the short walk up to the Botanical Gardens you pass the only mosque in Tbilisi that survived Lavrenty Beria’s purges of the 1930s. Its a red-brick building dating from 1895 and, unusually, Shia and Sunni Muslims pray together here. The interior is prettily frescoed and visitors
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Ortajame Mosque
Batumi’s only surviving mosque, built in the 1860s, is finely painted in pinks, greens and blues, with Koranic calligraphy on the walls – but is no longer big enough to accommodate the faithful who overflow on to the streets during Friday prayers. Batumis Muslims have been seeking
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Gori Fortress
This oval citadel stands on the hill at the heart of Gori, a short walk west from Stalinis gamziri. It dates mostly from the Middle Ages, with 17th-century additions. With fine views, it’s a good place to be around sunset. At its northeast foot, a circle of mutilated metal warriors
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Samtskhe
The Samtskhe-Javakheti History Museum has well-displayed exhibits ranging from archaeological finds from the 4th-millennium-BC Kura-Araxes Culture to Christian stone carvings, Ottoman and Georgian weaponry, and regional costumes from the 18th and 19th centuries. A guide is a partic
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Batumi Tower
Towards the north end of Batumis bulvari rises Georgias tallest building, the 200m-high Batumi Tower, looking a bit like a mini Empire State Building – with a mini Ferris Wheel implanted in its side! Constructed under the Saakashvili government to be a technological university, it
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Armenian Cathedral of St George
This large cathedral just above Meidan was founded in 1251, though the current structure dates mainly from the 18th century. Its interior is surprisingly small but has colourful 18th-century frescoes. King Erekle II’s famed Armenian court poet Sayat Nova was killed here during the
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Schuchmann
A very professional modern operation 7km southeast of central Telavi, producing 1.5 million bottles a year – 30% is qvevri wine (under the Vinoterra label) and the rest European wine, fermented and aged in stainless-steel tanks, under the Schuchmann label. Theres also an excellent
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Kutaisi Historical Museum
The history museum has superb collections from all around western Georgia, but a guided tour is a good idea as labelling is poor. The highlight is the Golden Fund section, with a marvellous exhibition of icons and crosses in precious metals and jewels, including a large, reputedly
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Residence of Bidzina Ivanishvili
The enormous residence of Bidzina Ivanishvili, Georgias richest man, who was prime minister from 2012 to 2103, looms over the city from the west end of the Sololaki ridge. You cant see much of the palatial private residence up close (the road discreetly passes beneath it) but from
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Rike Park
This attractive flowery expanse along the eastern riverbank, with its winding paths, pools and fountains, is joined to the west side of the Mtkvari by the Peace Bridge .The two large metallic tubes at the parks north end are a concert hall and exhibition centre (unfinished at the t
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Abaata Fortress
At the north end of Primorsky Park in Staraya Gagra, the surviving walls of the 4th-to-5th-century AD Abaata fortress enclose some of Russian Prince Oldenburgskys early-20th-century resort buildings (now turned into an attractive hotel), the lovely little 6th-century Church of St I
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