Gori: what to see, where to stay and how to get around
Ioseb Jughashvili, the son of a cobbler, was born in Gori in 1878 and grew up to become Stalin. The town built him a museum after his death and kept it almost unchanged after the Soviet Union fell, which makes it a strange and revealing place to visit. This walk goes down the avenue that still bears his name, through the museum and out to the memorial of a much later war. About two hours, most of it inside the museum; guided tours in English run through the day.
A short history of Gori
Gori, in the Mtkvari valley in central Georgia, grew up around the fortress on the hill, Goris Tsikhe, which is mentioned as early as the Middle Ages. About ten kilometres away is the cave town of Uplistsikhe, which dates back to the 1st millennium BC. In 1878 Ioseb Jughashvili, known to the world as Stalin, was born in Gori, and in 1957 a museum in his memory opened in the town, which also preserves the house where he was born and his private railway carriage. In August 2008, during the war between Russia and Georgia, the town was bombed and occupied by the Russian army for several days, and many of its residents fled.
The ten best sights in Gori
1Stalin MuseumA Soviet shrine more than a history museum; read it with that in mind
2Stalin's birth houseA two-room cottage under a marble canopy in front of the museum
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3Stalin's railway carriage
His armoured carriage beside the museum; a separate small ticket
4Gori FortressOn the hill in the middle of town; free, and the best view of the valley
52008 War MemorialAt the foot of the fortress, for those killed in the August war
6Eristavi TheatreThe town theatre on the main avenue; Georgian-language plays
7UplistsikheA town cut into the rock, 15 minutes east; wear shoes with grip
8Ateni SioniA 7th-century church in a vineyard gorge, 15 minutes south
9Rkoni MonasteryForest monastery with a medieval stone bridge; rough road for the last part
10Kvatakhevi MonasteryA working monastery in a wooded gorge near Kaspi
Scan with your phone camera to open the map there
What is an audio walk?
Tours in Gori →A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Gori:
Free walking tours in Gori
Stalin's town
Ioseb Jughashvili, the son of a cobbler, was born in Gori in 1878 and grew up to become Stalin. The town built him a museum after his death and kept it almost unchanged after the Soviet Union fell, which makes it a strange and revealing place to visit. This walk goes down the avenue that still bears his name, through the museum and out to the memorial of a much later war. About two hours, most of it inside the museum; guided tours in English run through the day.
- Stalin Avenue · A large statue of Stalin stood in the square in front of the town hall until June 2010, when the authorities took it down at night, without warning, to avoid protests. The avenue kept his name.
- Stalin's birth house · His parents rented one room of this brick cottage, with a cellar below where his father had his workshop. Church records give his birth as December 1878, though Stalin later used a date in 1879. In the 1930s the houses around it were cleared and the cottage was enclosed in a marble temple.
- Stalin Museum · The palace-like museum opened in 1957, a year after Khrushchev denounced Stalin in Moscow, and it still tells his life as a story of glory. One room shows his death mask; only a small later addition mentions the repression in which millions died.
- Stalin's railway carriage · Stalin disliked flying, and this armoured carriage carried him across the Soviet Union from the 1940s, including to the Yalta and Potsdam conferences. Inside are his desk, a bathroom with a bath and a small kitchen.
- Eristavi Theatre · The theatre is named after Giorgi Eristavi, the playwright who founded the modern Georgian theatre in Tbilisi in 1850. Plays here are in Georgian, but the building is a good example of the town's Soviet-era centre.
- 2008 War Memorial · In August 2008 Russian aircraft bombed Gori during the war over South Ossetia, and Russian troops held the town for about ten days. The occupied line is still only a few kilometres north, which is why the memorial stands here, under the fortress.
Rock and forest
Long before Gori was a town, the Mtkvari valley around it was the road between east and west Georgia, and people cut homes, halls and temples into its sandstone. Later the monks built in the forested gorges to the south, away from the road and its armies. This drive starts on the fortress hill, goes east to the rock town and then south through the vineyards to two forest monasteries. A full day; Rkoni's road is rough and best in dry weather.
- Gori Fortress · The town takes its name from this hill: "gora" is a hill in Georgian. Its walls were rebuilt many times, last in the 17th and 18th centuries, and an earthquake in 1920 left them as they are now.
- Uplistsikhe · The name means "fortress of the lord". People lived here from the early Iron Age, and the rock town grew into a city of streets, halls and pagan temples on the trade route along the river. It declined after the Mongol invasions of the 13th century.
- Uplistsuli Church · On top of the rock town stands a brick basilica of the 10th century, built over what may have been the site of the main pagan temple. Below it a tunnel cut through the rock leads down to the river, the town's secret way to water.
- Ateni Sioni · The church was built in the 7th century, and its walls were painted in the 11th with frescoes that are among the finest of their age in Georgia. The gorge around it is planted with vines for Atenuri, a light white wine named after the village.
- Rkoni Monastery · The monastery dates from the 12th century, deep in an oak forest, and a single-arched stone bridge of the same age still crosses the stream below it. It is one of the best surviving medieval bridges in Georgia.
- Kvatakhevi Monastery · Kvatakhevi means "stone gorge", and the domed church of the 12th and 13th centuries sits deep inside one. Monks returned after the Soviet years, and the monastery is active again.
Councils and queens
West of Gori the road to Kutaisi runs through Shida Kartli, the inner heart of old Georgia, a plain of orchards with an ancient church in nearly every village. Here St Nino first preached, and here King David the Builder gathered the church council that reformed the kingdom. This drive goes west village by village to a church with a portrait of Queen Tamar. Half a day to a full day; carry a scarf for the churches.
- Urbnisi · The Georgian chronicles say that St Nino, coming from the south, first stopped in Urbnisi, then a large town, and stayed a month before going on to Mtskheta. Archaeologists have dug up the town that she would have seen, under the village.
- Urbnisi Sioni · This long, plain basilica was built in the 6th century, before Georgians had learned to raise domes, and it is one of the oldest churches still standing in the country.
- Ruisi Cathedral · In 1103 David the Builder called the Council of Ruisi-Urbnisi, which removed corrupt bishops and put the church under the crown. It was the start of the reforms that made his reign the beginning of Georgia's golden age.
- Samtsevrisi · A small domed church of the 7th century stands here on a bluff over the Mtkvari, with the ruins of a fortress beside it. It is one of the early domed churches that came after basilicas like Urbnisi.
- Kintsvisi Monastery · The main church was painted in the early 13th century, and on its walls are portraits of Queen Tamar with her father George III and her son Lasha Giorgi. The figure most visitors come for is an angel in a robe of brilliant lapis blue.
- Tsromi Church · Built in the 620s and 630s, Tsromi was famous for a mosaic of Christ in its apse, one of the very few church mosaics in early Georgia. The surviving fragments were taken to Tbilisi, but the tall walls still stand over the village.
Getting to Gori and getting around
- Gori railway station · On the Tbilisi-Batumi line, south of the centre; a taxi up is cheap
- Gori central bus station · Marshrutkas to Tbilisi, about an hour, and to the villages around
Cheap eats in Gori
Gori is a provincial town, not a tourist one, and its food is honest and cheap: hot bread from the tone, khachapuri, lobiani and grilled meat. Georgia uses the lari, and a quick lunch can cost less than ten. The region around it is Georgia's orchard, so in late summer and autumn the bazaar is piled with apples, peaches and plums.
- Tskheli Shoti · Hot shoti bread from the oven, about 1 lari
- Khachapuri from Zina · Khachapuri to go, about 5-9 lari
- Mag Bakery · Pastries and lobiani, about 2-5 lari
- Kasradzeebi · Cakes and sweets on Stalin Avenue, about 3-7 lari
- Café 22 · Coffee near the museum, about 4-7 lari
- Gori new bazaar · A bag of fruit and some cheese, about 5-10 lari
Museums in Gori
- Stalin Museum · His life told as the Soviets wanted it told
- Uplistsikhe · Rock-cut halls, a theatre and a tunnel to the river
- Ateni Sioni · 11th-century frescoes in a vineyard gorge
- Kintsvisi Monastery · Queen Tamar's portrait and the blue angel
- 2008 War Memorial · The names of the dead of the August war
Nature and day trips near Gori
- Rkoni gorge · Oak forest, a stream and a medieval bridge
- Ateni valley · Vineyards along the Tana river south of Gori
- Kvernaki ridge · Low ridge east of town with views of the Caucasus
- Kvatakhevi gorge · Forest gorge around a working monastery
- Samtsevrisi bluff · A church and fortress on a cliff over the Mtkvari
Things to do in Gori with kids
- Gori Fortress · Walls to climb and the whole town below
- Stalin's railway carriage · Step inside a real armoured train car
- Uplistsikhe · Caves, tunnels and rock steps to explore
- Stalin Park · Shade and benches by the museum
- Rkoni bridge · An 800-year-old bridge over a forest stream
Where to eat in Gori
- Old Dukani · Georgian tavern on Samepo Street
- Samepo · Restaurant on the street of the same name
- Chinebuli · "Excellent", a restaurant near the museum
- Mzareulebi · "The cooks", grills and khinkali
- Shin da Gori · Georgian restaurant in the old quarter
Frequently asked questions about Gori
What is there to see in Gori?
The top sights in Gori are Stalin Museum, Stalin's birth house and Stalin's railway carriage. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.
How many days do you need in Gori?
Three to four days are enough to see the best of Gori without rushing, including at least one walking tour.
Is there a free walking tour in Gori?
Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Gori, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: Stalin's town.
How do you get to Gori and get around?
The main ways are Gori railway station and Gori central bus station. Full details are in the transport section on this page.
Where to stay in Gori, and for how much?
sleepntrip shows only rooms in Gori that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.
Looking for a hotel in Gori for your dates?
Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.