Pasanauri: what to see, where to stay and how to get around
Pasanauri is a village of guesthouses and khinkali houses on the Georgian Military Road, where the White and the Black Aragvi meet. The valley around it is Mtiuleti, "the land of the mountaineers", with old shrines on the ridges and a big fortress at its southern end. This route takes in the village, a mountain shrine and the ski slopes to the north, then the fortress and the reservoir to the south. A full day if you walk to Lomisa; half a day by car alone.
A short history of Pasanauri
Pasanauri is a village in the Aragvi valley, where the White Aragvi and the Black Aragvi meet, on the Georgian Military Road that leads from Tbilisi to the mountain pass into Russia. For generations this route was used by caravans and invaders, and in the 19th century the Russians rebuilt it as a military road. In 1829 Pushkin passed through here on his way to Erzurum, and many Russian writers wrote about the scenery of the valley. In Georgia it is commonly said that khinkali, the dumplings filled with meat and broth, were born in Pasanauri, and the village is full of restaurants serving them to travellers heading into the mountains.
The ten best sights in Pasanauri
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1Church of Saints Peter and Paul
The village church, close to where the two Aragvi rivers meet
2AnanuriFortress and two churches over the reservoir; look at the carved vine on the big church
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3Lomisa Monastery
A mountain shrine of St George high above the valley; a long walk up
4Russia-Georgia Friendship MonumentA curved mosaic balcony over the gorge near Gudauri; stop for the view
5Gergeti Trinity ChurchThe church on the hill under Mount Kazbek; drive up or walk an hour and a half
6Zhinvali ReservoirTurquoise water 25 minutes south; pull-outs on the road for photos
7GudauriSki resort in winter, paragliding and walks in summer; 30 minutes north
8Jvari PassThe top of the road at about 2,380 m; can close in snow, check before driving
9Kobi travertinesOrange mineral terraces by the road just past the pass
10Truso ValleyA gentle valley walk with mineral springs and empty villages
Scan with your phone camera to open the map there
What is an audio walk?
Tours in Pasanauri →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 Pasanauri:
Free walking tours in Pasanauri
Mtiuleti
Pasanauri is a village of guesthouses and khinkali houses on the Georgian Military Road, where the White and the Black Aragvi meet. The valley around it is Mtiuleti, "the land of the mountaineers", with old shrines on the ridges and a big fortress at its southern end. This route takes in the village, a mountain shrine and the ski slopes to the north, then the fortress and the reservoir to the south. A full day if you walk to Lomisa; half a day by car alone.
- Pasanauri · The mountain khinkali of this valley, mtiuluri, are filled only with meat, onion, salt and pepper; the city version from Tbilisi adds herbs. You hold one by its knot, bite a hole, drink the broth, and leave the knot on the plate to count how many you ate.
- Church of Saints Peter and Paul · Just below the village the White Aragvi, coming down from Gudauri, meets the Black Aragvi from the Gudamakari valley to the east. On a sunny day you can see the two colours of water running side by side for a while before they mix.
- Lomisa Monastery · Lomisa is one of the great mountain shrines of St George in eastern Georgia. Once a year, in early summer, thousands of pilgrims climb to it for the Lomisoba feast, and many still bring a sheep to offer, a custom older than the church itself.
- Gudauri · Gudauri is Georgia's biggest ski resort, with lifts reaching above 3,000 metres and a season that usually runs from December to April. In summer the same slopes are used for paragliding over the gorge below.
- Ananuri · The fortress was the seat of the dukes of Aragvi, who held the valley road and took tolls from it. Its larger church, of the Assumption, was built in 1689, and its façade is carved with a cross rising out of a grapevine, the symbol of St Nino.
- Zhinvali Reservoir · The dam was finished in the 1980s, and the lake flooded several villages and part of the old road. It feeds a hydro plant and supplies most of Tbilisi's drinking water, which is why swimming is not allowed.
Over the Jvari Pass
North of Pasanauri the Military Road climbs out of the forest onto bare grass, crosses the main ridge of the Caucasus at the Jvari Pass and drops into the valley of the Tergi, which flows on into Russia. The road was a mountain track for thousands of years, until the Russian Empire built it into a carriage road in the 19th century. This drive follows it to Stepantsminda and the church under Mount Kazbek. A full day; the pass can close in winter storms, so check before you go.
- Russia-Georgia Friendship Monument · It was put up in 1983 for the 200th anniversary of the Treaty of Georgievsk, by which the king of eastern Georgia accepted Russian protection; less than twenty years later Russia annexed the kingdom outright. The mosaic shows scenes from the history of both countries.
- Jvari Pass · At about 2,380 metres this is the highest point of the road. Its name means "cross": tradition says King David the Builder first raised one here, and the stone cross that stands near the pass now was put up by the Russians in 1824.
- Kobi travertines · Mineral water seeps out of the hillside here and leaves iron and lime as it runs, building up orange and white terraces of travertine beside the road. The water is fizzy and safe to taste.
- Sno · A local sculptor has carved huge heads of Georgian poets and writers from boulders and set them in a field near the village, a strange and moving sight against the mountains. Sno is also the family village of Ilia II, the long-serving head of the Georgian Church.
- Stepantsminda · The town is named after Stepane, a monk who built a hermitage here on the road. For a long time it was called Kazbegi, after the writer Alexander Kazbegi, who was born here in 1848; the old name was given back in 2006.
- Gergeti Trinity Church · The church was built in the 14th century at about 2,170 metres, under the glacier of Mount Kazbek. In 1795, when a Persian army sacked Tbilisi, the cross of St Nino and other treasures from Mtskheta were carried up here for safety.
The side valleys of Kazbegi
The Military Road is only the spine; the best of the Kazbegi area lies in the side valleys that open off it, each a few kilometres of track ending under the snow. Some are almost empty now, their villages left behind in the 20th century. This route takes the valleys west and east of the road and ends at the gorge on the Russian border. Pick one or two for a day; a 4x4 helps on the Truso and Juta tracks.
- Truso Valley · Ossetians lived in the villages of Truso until the late 20th century, and their stone towers now stand mostly empty along the Tergi. The valley floor is dotted with bubbling mineral springs and a small lake that tastes of salt and iron.
- Zakagori · The fortress at the head of the valley once guarded the way west into Ossetia. Beyond it lies the line of the Russian-occupied territory, so the Georgian border police may ask for your passport on the way, and you should not walk further than they allow.
- Juta · Juta sits at about 2,200 metres, one of the highest villages in Georgia. Above it rise the jagged Chaukhi peaks, often called the Georgian Dolomites, and an easy path leads up the valley to a meadow camp beneath them.
- Gveleti Waterfall · Gveleti means "of the snakes". A path of about 40 minutes climbs from the road through birch woods to the falls, one of the easiest real walks in the area.
- Dariali Gorge · The name comes from the Persian "Dar-i Alan", the gate of the Alans, the people who lived north of the Caucasus. For two thousand years armies and traders squeezed through this narrow gorge; today it ends at the Russian border post of Upper Lars.
- Kazbegi National Park · Mount Kazbek, 5,047 metres, is an extinct volcano and one of the highest peaks of the Caucasus. In Georgian myth the hero Amirani, who stole fire for people like Prometheus, was chained to a rock in these mountains.
Getting to Pasanauri and getting around
- Pasanauri marshrutka stop · Tbilisi-Stepantsminda minibuses stop on the main road; wave one down
- Stepantsminda bus stop · Minibuses back to Tbilisi leave from the central square, about an hour from here
- Mtskheta railway station · The nearest railway, an hour south; the airport is in Tbilisi, about an hour and a half
Cheap eats in Pasanauri
Pasanauri is where Georgia stops for khinkali, the big twisted dumplings full of meat and hot broth. The restaurants line the Military Road at the northern end of the village, and all of them serve the same short menu: khinkali, mtsvadi grilled meat, khachapuri and salad. Georgia uses the lari, and a filling meal for two costs about what one main course does in Tel Aviv. North of here, food is scarce until Stepantsminda.
- Pasanauri restaurant · Mtiuluri khinkali on the main road, about 1-2 lari a piece
- Tradition · Khinkali and mtsvadi on the road north, about 1-2 lari per khinkali
- Dzveli Sakhli · "The old house", khinkali about 1-2 lari each
- Ori Aragvi · Khachapuri and khinkali at the south end of the village, about 10-20 lari a meal
- Guda · Roadside khinkali, about 1-2 lari a piece
Museums in Pasanauri
- Ananuri · Fortress, two churches and a tower to climb
- Gergeti Trinity Church · The icon of the region, under Kazbek; modest dress
- Russia-Georgia Friendship Monument · Soviet mosaic balcony over the gorge
- Church of Saints Peter and Paul · The village church by the rivers
Nature and day trips near Pasanauri
- Truso Valley · Flat valley walk with springs and travertine
- Juta · Walk to the meadows under the Chaukhi peaks
- Gveleti Waterfall · A 40-minute walk from the road
- Zhinvali Reservoir · Turquoise lake by the road; no swimming
- Kobi travertines · Orange mineral terraces by the road
Things to do in Pasanauri with kids
- Gudauri paragliding · Tandem flights over the gorge, summer and winter
- Kazbegi National Park · Mount Kazbek and the story of Amirani
- Sno stone heads · Giant heads to walk among in a field
- Kobi travertines · Taste fizzy water straight from the rock
- Gudauri · Ski school slopes in winter, lifts and walks in summer
Where to eat in Pasanauri
- Guda · Khinkali and mountain cheese by the road
- Kavtaradzeebi · Family-run khinkali house on the main road
- Chabarukhi · Georgian restaurant at the north end of the village
- Gamokvabuli · "The cave", khinkali and grills
- Tradition · Big menu and terrace on the road
Frequently asked questions about Pasanauri
What is there to see in Pasanauri?
The top sights in Pasanauri are Church of Saints Peter and Paul, Ananuri and Lomisa 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 Pasanauri?
Three to four days are enough to see the best of Pasanauri without rushing, including at least one walking tour.
Is there a free walking tour in Pasanauri?
Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Pasanauri, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: Mtiuleti.
How do you get to Pasanauri and get around?
The main ways are Pasanauri marshrutka stop, Stepantsminda bus stop and Mtskheta railway station. Full details are in the transport section on this page.
Where to stay in Pasanauri, and for how much?
sleepntrip shows only rooms in Pasanauri 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 Pasanauri for your dates?
Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.