Kutaisi: the city on the Rioni that serves as base for half of western Georgia

There are cities that are the destination and cities that are the base, and Kutaisi is one of the second kind, although it is three thousand years old and has been capital of Colchis, of Imereti and, from 2012 to 2018, seat of the Parliament of Georgia in a glass building that now stands empty. On the banks of the Rioni, with the cathedral on the hill, a centre of 19th-century streets slowly being done up, a market that is the best thing in town and an airport 20 km away where the cheap flights from Europe land, it is the place from which you see western Georgia: caves, canyons, monasteries and a ruined Soviet spa town, all within an hour.

What there is in the city

Bagrati and Gelati

Bagrati cathedral, consecrated in 1003 by Bagrat III, the first king of united Georgia, lay in ruins from the time the Ottomans blew it up in 1692 until it was rebuilt whole in 2012, with so much concrete that UNESCO removed it from its list in 2017; it is a twenty-minute climb from the centre and the view of the river repays it. Gelati monastery, 10 km away in the hills, was founded by David the Builder in 1106 as an academy, and is still on the list: 12th-century mosaics, frescoes of every period and the king's tomb in the gateway, so that everyone who entered would tread on it.

The centre and the market

The central square with the Colchis fountain, an enlarged copy of the gold jewellery from the Vani burial mounds; the White Bridge over the Rioni, with the statue of the boy; the streets of wooden-balconied houses between the square and the river; the theatre garden; and the Green Bazaar, two streets from the square, a Soviet hall with reliefs where everything Imereti produces is sold. Half a day covers the city; the rest of the time is for the surroundings.

The excursions

Prometheus cave, 20 km away, a kilometre of lit stalactites and a boat at the end, with Sataplia next door; the Martvili canyon, 45 km away, with the boat ride on the green river, and Okatse, with its hanging walkway, at 50; Tskaltubo, at 10, the Soviet spa town of abandoned sanatoriums explored by torchlight; Motsameta, on a spur above the river, at 6. And with more days, Svaneti: Mestia is five or six hours away via Zugdidi and the Enguri dam, and from there the Chalaadi glacier and Ushguli.

How many days and how to get about

Two days cover the city, Bagrati, Gelati, Motsameta and Prometheus; three add Martvili and Okatse, or Tskaltubo. The city is walked; for outside, the practical thing is a taxi for the day, arranged in the square or at your lodging, a few lari depending on the route, or the marshrutkas from the station. Kopitnari airport, with Wizz Air flights from several cities in Spain and Europe, is 20 km away, with a bus timed to the flights; the train to Tbilisi takes five hours and the marshrutka four.

Frequently asked questions