Kutaisi: what to see, where to stay and how to get around
The Greeks called this place Aia, the capital of Colchis, where Jason came for the Golden Fleece and left with the king's daughter Medea. The gold was not only a myth: the Colchians were famous goldsmiths, and their work is on show a few steps from the fountain. This walk follows the old town down to the river and up its far bank. About two hours on flat streets, best in the morning before the market closes; carry water in summer, when Kutaisi is hot and humid.
A short history of Kutaisi
Kutaisi is one of the oldest cities in Georgia. In antiquity it was the centre of the kingdom of Colchis, and some identify it with Aia, the city to which the Argonauts sailed in search of the Golden Fleece. In the early 11th century it was the capital of united Georgia, and in 1003 Bagrati Cathedral was completed here. In 1106 David the Builder founded the nearby Gelati Monastery. For centuries a large community of Georgian Jews lived in the city, and most of them emigrated to Israel in the 1970s. Between 2012 and 2019 the Parliament of Georgia sat in the city.
The ten best sights in Kutaisi
1Bagrati CathedralGo at sunset, when the whole town below turns orange
2Gelati MonasteryLook up in the apse: the gold mosaic is the reason to come
3Motsameta MonasteryTen minutes from Gelati on a cliff over the river — do both together
4Kutaisi SynagogueStill in use on Gaponov Street; ask at the door and someone will open it
5State Historical MuseumWorth an hour for the icons and manuscripts from Gelati
-
6Meskhishvili Theatre
Plays are in Georgian, but the square in front is the evening meeting point
-
7Okros Chardakhi
Stones of the Imeretian kings' palace, on the way up to Bagrati
-
8Kutaisi Opera House
Opera and ballet in a small house; check the week's poster
-
9Colchis Fountain
Zero point of the town; park once and walk everything from here
-
10White Bridge
Glass panels in the deck let you look straight down into the Rioni
Scan with your phone camera to open the map there
What is an audio walk?
Tours in Kutaisi →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 Kutaisi:
Free walking tours in Kutaisi
Medea's city
The Greeks called this place Aia, the capital of Colchis, where Jason came for the Golden Fleece and left with the king's daughter Medea. The gold was not only a myth: the Colchians were famous goldsmiths, and their work is on show a few steps from the fountain. This walk follows the old town down to the river and up its far bank. About two hours on flat streets, best in the morning before the market closes; carry water in summer, when Kutaisi is hot and humid.
- Colchis Fountain · The figures around the basin are enlarged copies of Colchian gold jewellery and animals found at Vani, an ancient city about 40 km west. The fountain was unveiled in 2011, and it turned the square into the centre of town overnight.
- State Historical Museum · Founded in 1912, it holds one of the largest collections of Georgian manuscripts and church treasures outside Tbilisi, much of it from Gelati. Look for the processional crosses and icon covers in chased silver — the same craft the Colchians practised in gold.
- Green Bazaar · Imeretian cheese, a soft white brine cheese, is what goes inside the round khachapuri that most of Georgia eats every day; this is the region it is named after. Taste before you buy — sellers expect it.
- White Bridge · The river under it is the Rioni, which the Greeks called the Phasis — the river the Argonauts sailed up to reach Aia. The pheasant is named after it too: Phasianus, the bird of the Phasis.
- Kutaisi Synagogue · Built in 1886 for a Georgian Jewish community that had lived in Imereti for centuries, and still the main synagogue in town. Most of the community left for Israel in the 1970s, and Kutaisi families are a well-known strand of Georgian Jews in Israel today.
- Botanical Garden · Inside the garden stands an old oak with a small chapel built into its hollow trunk, big enough for a few people and an icon. It is the town's oddest place of worship, and the quietest.
Capital of kings
For more than a century Kutaisi, not Tbilisi, was the capital of a united Georgia, and later the seat of the kings of Imereti until Russia annexed the kingdom in 1810. This route strings together what the rulers left: a palace, a cathedral, a royal grave and, most recently, a parliament. Half a day by car, with short walks at each stop. Churches want covered shoulders and knees, and women a headscarf at the monasteries — scarves are usually lent at the door.
- Okros Chardakhi · The name means the Golden Pavilion: the palace of the kings of Imereti, who ruled western Georgia from Kutaisi. The last of them, Solomon II, was deposed by Russia in 1810 and died in exile in Trabzon.
- Bagrati Cathedral · An inscription on the north wall dates it to 1003, under Bagrat III, the first king of a united Georgia. Ottoman troops blew up the dome in 1692 and it stood roofless for three centuries; the 2012 rebuild was so heavy-handed that UNESCO removed it from the World Heritage List in 2017.
- Motsameta Monastery · Motsameta means the place of the martyrs: the brothers David and Constantine, local princes killed in the 8th century by the Arab general Marwan the Deaf, whose bodies were thrown into the river below. Their relics lie in a reliquary on lions' feet, and the custom is to crawl under it three times and make a wish.
- Gelati Monastery · Founded in 1106 by David the Builder, who asked to be buried under the threshold of the south gate so that everyone entering would step on him. The gold mosaic of the Virgin in the apse dates from the 1120s and is one of the finest medieval mosaics surviving in Georgia.
- Parliament Building · A glass dome built for the Georgian parliament, which moved here from Tbilisi in 2012 to bring life to the west of the country, and moved back in 2019. Its site was cleared in 2009 by blowing up a Soviet war memorial, and falling debris killed a mother and her daughter.
- Geguti Palace · One of the largest secular buildings of medieval Georgia, a royal residence and hunting palace built in phases between the 10th and 12th centuries. What stands now is brick and stone walls up to two storeys high in an open field.
Under the ground, on the way to Mestia
Imereti is limestone country, and water has spent millions of years hollowing it into caves and canyons. All of them lie north and west of Kutaisi, which is the direction you drive anyway toward Mestia, so this is the morning of the next leg rather than an extra day. Pick two or three: all six together make a long day. Wear shoes with grip — cave floors are wet — and take a fleece, since the caves stay cool even in a hot summer.
- Sataplia · Dinosaur footprints were found here in 1933 and are now under a protective roof, along with a lit cave. The name means the place of honey — wild bees nested in the cliffs and locals collected it.
- Prometheus Cave · Discovered in 1984 and opened to visitors in 2011, named for the Greek myth that put Prometheus in chains in the Caucasus. The walk is about 1.4 km through lit halls, and in season you can finish by boat on the underground river.
- Tskaltubo · A Soviet spa town built around radon springs; Stalin had his own bath house here, Bath No. 6. After the 1992–93 war in Abkhazia, refugees were housed in the empty sanatoriums, and some families still live in them.
- Okatse Canyon · This was the hunting ground of the Dadiani, the princes of Samegrelo. The walkway is a steel path bolted to the canyon wall, ending in a platform that hangs out over the drop.
- Martvili Canyon · The Dadiani princes of Samegrelo used these pools as their private bathing place. Today a short boat ride takes you up the narrow green gorge they kept for themselves.
- Martvili Monastery · The church stands on a hilltop where, before Christianity, a huge oak was worshipped; the tree was cut down and a church built in its place. The present building dates from the 10th century and was the seat of the bishops of Chkondidi, one of the most powerful sees in medieval Georgia.
Getting to Kutaisi and getting around
- Kutaisi Airport · Low-cost flights land here, 25 minutes from town — handy if a passenger joins mid-route
- Kutaisi-1 Station · Check the ticket: some Tbilisi trains stop at Rioni station outside town, not here
- Central Bus Station · Marshrutkas to Mestia and the caves leave from here, mostly in the morning
Cheap eats in Kutaisi
Imereti is where the everyday khachapuri comes from: a round, closed bread with soft Imeretian cheese inside, no egg and no boat shape — that is the Adjarian one you will meet in Batumi. Kutaisi also has its own kebab, served not on a skewer but swimming in a spicy tomato sauce. Bread comes from tone ovens in the markets, and lunch can cost less than a coffee in Tel Aviv.
- Bikentia's Kebabery · One dish, kebab in spicy tomato sauce with bread, about 7-8 lari
- Green Bazaar bread and cheese · A tonis puri loaf about 1 lari, a slab of Imeretian cheese 3-5 lari
- Food Gallery · Point-and-pay Georgian dishes and salads, about 10-15 lari a plate
- Dino Express · Georgian fast food by the fountain; khachapuri about 6 lari
- Shaurma Nakverchkhalze · Shawarma grilled over coals, as the name says; about 8 lari
- Extrameat · Burgers, sandwiches and hot dogs to go, about 8-15 lari
Museums in Kutaisi
- State Historical Museum · Manuscripts, icons and Gelati treasures; give it an hour
- Vani Archaeological Museum · About 40 minutes south-west; the Colchian gold behind the fountain
- Museum of Military Glory · Small and old-fashioned, next to the theatre square
- Kutaisi Museum of Sport · Medals and shirts of the town's footballers and wrestlers
- Photo-cinema Chronicle Museum · Old photographs of Kutaisi; a quick stop between sights
Nature and day trips near Kutaisi
- Okatse Canyon · Steel walkway on the cliff; about 45 minutes from town
- Martvili Canyon · Boat ride in a green gorge; arrive before the tour buses
- Prometheus Cave · Lit halls and an underground boat ride; 14 degrees inside
- Katskhi Pillar · An hour east of town, off the road from Tbilisi
- Botanical Garden · Shade on a hot afternoon, and a chapel inside an oak
Things to do in Kutaisi with kids
- Sataplia · Dinosaur footprints and life-size models; kids love it
- Prometheus Cave · The underground boat ride is the highlight for children
- Puppet Theatre · No language needed; check the weekend shows
- Park of Culture and Rest · Old-school rides and space to run near the centre
- Colchis Fountain · Spot the gold animals around the water — a game for little ones
Holy places in Kutaisi
- Kutaisi Synagogue · Gaponov Street; modest dress, and ask at the door
- Gelati Monastery · Covered shoulders and knees; scarves lent at the gate
- Bagrati Cathedral · Free; the view over town from the terrace is the bonus
- Motsameta Monastery · Crawl under the reliquary three times for a wish
- Ubisa Monastery · Frescoes and a tall tower, off the main road east of town
- Chapel in the Oak · Inside the Botanical Garden; room for three people
Where to eat in Kutaisi
- Sisters · Imeretian dishes in an old house; book on weekends
- Lilestan · Classic Georgian table near the fountain
- Magnolia · Cheap, local and loud; khachapuri and khinkali
- Papavero · The more refined option, for the last night before the mountains
- Palaty · A bohemian bar-café by the White Bridge, open late
- Toma's Wine Cellar · Home-made Imeretian wine with a family dinner; a short taxi out
Frequently asked questions about Kutaisi
What is there to see in Kutaisi?
The top sights in Kutaisi are Bagrati Cathedral, Gelati Monastery and Motsameta Monastery. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.
How many days do you need in Kutaisi?
Three to four days are enough to see the best of Kutaisi without rushing, including at least one walking tour.
Is there a free walking tour in Kutaisi?
Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Kutaisi, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: Medea's city.
How do you get to Kutaisi and get around?
The main ways are Kutaisi Airport, Kutaisi-1 Station and Central Bus Station. Full details are in the transport section on this page.
Where to stay in Kutaisi, and for how much?
sleepntrip shows only rooms in Kutaisi 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 Kutaisi for your dates?
Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.