Castles and Fortresses in Georgia: 14 Sites, History and Routes

Georgia has a fortress on almost every road: for centuries the country sat between empires and every gorge needed guarding. Most of those walls are ruins at the end of an unmarked path. Below are fourteen castles I think are worth the drive: you can reach them in a day, there is something to see inside, and they fit easily with other stops along the way.

Castles in Georgia at a glance

Distances are by road. Add about a quarter to the time your navigation app shows: mountain bends, roadworks and photo stops. A dash under "Entry" means there is no fixed ticket or the price is best checked on site.

Tbilisi and around

Narikala

The fortress above the Old Town where most people start exploring Tbilisi. The first walls date back to the 4th century; Arabs, Georgian kings and Persians all added to them later. Entry is free; you can walk up or ride the cable car from Rike Park. Everything about the climb and the best views is in my Narikala Fortress guide, and a guided walk is part of the Narikala tour from ₾135.

Ananuri

A 17th-century fortress-monastery on the Zhinvali reservoir, 65 km from Tbilisi. Inside the walls are two churches with carved facades and a watchtower overlooking turquoise water. Ananuri is the first big stop on the Georgian Military Highway, so most people see it on the way to Kazbegi. For a dedicated trip there is the Ananuri tour from ₾175.

Ujarma

Ruins of a 5th-century fortress linked to King Vakhtang Gorgasali, 40 km from Tbilisi on the old road to Kakheti. There are almost no tourists and the views over the Iori valley are excellent — a good short stop if you drive to Kakheti.

South: Samtskhe-Javakheti

Rabati

Georgia's most photogenic castle stands in Akhaltsikhe. The first fortifications appeared in the 9th century; in the Middle Ages it was the seat of the Jakeli princes and later an Ottoman stronghold. Inside are a church, a mosque, a synagogue, a palace, a museum and lookout towers. The lower courtyard is free; the upper section costs ₾20 for foreigners and ₾10 for Georgian citizens, and the museum another ₾15.

Khertvisi

A fortress on a rock where the Mtkvari and Paravani rivers meet — one of the oldest in Georgia. It sits on the road to the cave city of Vardzia, about 15 km before it, and is clearly visible from the highway. It is the main photo of this article.

Rabati and Khertvisi pair well with Vardzia and Borjomi — see the Samtskhe-Javakheti region page. If a long drive is too much, Rabati is also part of the shorter Borjomi tour from ₾178.

East: Kakheti

Gremi

A 16th-century royal citadel on a hill above the Alazani valley. What remains of the old Kakhetian capital is the Church of the Archangels, a tower with a small museum and the walls. The tower and museum cost about ₾10. I explain how to fit Gremi into a wine day in my Kakheti guide.

Sighnaghi walls

Sighnaghi is a hill town ringed by an 18th-century wall with about twenty towers. You can walk part of it for views of the Alazani valley and the Caucasus on the horizon. The walls are part of the Sighnaghi tour from ₾175.

Centre: Shida Kartli

Goristsikhe

A fortress on a rocky hill right in the centre of Gori. The climb takes ten minutes and the top looks over the whole town and the Mtkvari valley. It is usually paired with the cave city of Uplistsikhe, as on the Gori and Uplistsikhe tour from ₾155. More on the region: Shida Kartli.

Black Sea coast

Gonio

The Roman fortress of Apsaros, 13 km south of Batumi, almost at the Turkish border: a rectangle of massive walls and towers, excavations and a small museum. Tradition says the Apostle Matthias is buried here. Entry for foreigners is about ₾15. Gonio is an optional stop on the Batumi day tour from Tbilisi from ₾250.

Petra

A 6th-century Byzantine fortress in Tsikhisdziri, 21 km north of Batumi. Walls on a hill right above the sea and the ruins of a basilica remain — a good stop between Batumi and Kobuleti. More coastal sights are on the Adjara page.

Four more fortresses worth a detour

Batonis Tsikhe, Telavi

"The lord's castle" in the centre of Telavi was the residence of the kings of Kakheti in the 17th–18th centuries. Inside the walls stand the surviving palace of King Erekle II, two churches and a museum with archaeological finds, manuscripts and a small art gallery. It takes under an hour and fits into any Kakheti wine day.

Kvetera

A fortress on a forested hill near the village of Naduknari in Akhmeta municipality, once the citadel of a medieval town. It is first mentioned in the 11th century. Inside is a small four-apse church from the early 10th century, restored in 2013–2014 and on UNESCO's tentative list. It sees far fewer visitors than Gremi.

Surami

About 135 km from Tbilisi, roughly 5 km from Khashuri, on the road to Borjomi. The walls, a tower and the Church of St George remain. Surami is known for its legend: the walls kept collapsing until a boy named Zurab was walled into them, and his mother is said to still weep over the ruins. Sergei Parajanov told the story in his 1985 film "The Legend of Suram Fortress". It is an easy stop on the way to Borjomi or Rabati.

Shatili

Not a single castle but a whole fortified village in Khevsureti: stone towers that served as both homes and defences, built where two mountain rivers meet. It is about 150 km and four hours from Tbilisi over the Datvisjvari Pass at 2,600 m, and the road is usually open only from June to October. Go with a 4×4 or a driver who knows mountain roads.

When to visit Georgia's castles

• Spring and autumn — the best time for most fortresses: mild days and green or golden hills. See Georgia in October for the autumn routes.
• Summer — Rabati, Gonio and Gremi get hot, so go in the morning. It is the only season for Shatili.
• Winter — Narikala and Ananuri can be visited in any season; the mountain fortresses of Khevsureti are cut off by snow.

Narikala is best at sunset, when the Old Town lights come on below the walls.

Reaching the castles without a car

• Narikala — walk up from the Old Town in 15–20 minutes or take the cable car from Rike Park.
• Ananuri — any marshrutka to Stepantsminda (₾15 for the full route) passes it; ask the driver to stop.
• Goristsikhe and Surami — marshrutkas and trains run to Gori and Khashuri; Goristsikhe is in the centre of Gori, and Surami is about 5 km from Khashuri by taxi.
• Rabati — it stands in Akhaltsikhe itself, reachable by marshrutka from Tbilisi or Borjomi.
• Gonio and Petra — from Batumi by local bus, marshrutka or Bolt.
• Khertvisi, Kvetera and Shatili — realistic only by car or on a tour.

How to combine castles into a route

• Tbilisi, half a day: Narikala and the Old Town on foot.
• North, one day: Ananuri on the way to Kazbegi.
• Kakheti, one day: Ujarma, Gremi and the Sighnaghi walls between wineries.
• South, a long day: Borjomi, Rabati, Khertvisi and Vardzia — leave at 7 am.
• Adjara, half a day: Gonio and Petra from Batumi.

If you want ancient churches as well as walls, see monasteries in Georgia — many fortresses and monasteries sit on the same routes.