Full Day Gori and Uplistsikhe Caves Tour

If you’re for short time in Georgia you should find a day to see one of the most interesting touristic attractions – Uplistsikhe (II c B.C), the oldest urban settlement. Nearby from Uplistsikhe is small town Gori, the motherland of Josef Stalin. The museum is rich with artefacts from the Soviet leader’s life. On the way to explore UNESCO listed Mtskheta, the ancient capital of Georgia.

Highlights:

• Uplistsikhe Cave Town
• Main Fortification
• Grand Cellar
• Church of Prince
• “Apothecary’s”
• Sacrificial Pits
• Stalin’s Museum
• Stalin’s personal railway carrieage
• Jvari Monastery in Mtskheta (VI c, UNESCO)
• Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in Mtskheta (XI c, UNESCO)

Uplistsikhe

Uplistsikhe (II c B.C. – X c A.D.) is an ancient rock-hewn town in Eastern Georgia, some 100 kilometres Western from Tbilisi. Uplistsikhe is identified by archaeologists as one of the oldest urban settlements in Georgia. The town’s age and importance led medieval Georgian written tradition to ascribe its foundation to the mythical Uplos, son of Mtskhetos, and grandson of Kartlos. The central part of Upliscikhe is the largest, contains a bulk of the Uplistsikhe rock-cut structures, and is connected to the southern part via a narrow rock-cut pass and a tunnel. Narrow alleys and sometimes staircases radiate from the central “street” to the different structures. The Uplistsikhe cave complex has been on the tentative list for inclusion into the UNESCO World Heritage program since 2007.

Joseph Stalin’s Museum in Gori

Joseph Stalin’s Museum in Gori established in 1951 as a local history museum but clearly intended to become a memorial to Stalin, who died in 1953. The main building of the complex is a large palace in Stalinist Gothic style. Enshrined within a Greco-Italianate pavilion is a small wooden hut, in which Stalin was born in 1878 and spent his first four years. The exhibition is divided into six halls in roughly chronological order, and contain many items actually or allegedly owned by Stalin, including some of his office furniture, his personal effects and gifts made to him over the years. There is also much illustration by way of documentation, photographs, paintings and newspaper articles. The display concludes with one of twelve copies of the death mask of Stalin taken shortly after his death.
To one side of the museum is Stalin’s personal railway carriage. The green Pullman carriage, which is armour plated and weighs 83 tons, was used by Stalin from 1941 onwards, including his attendances at the Yalta Conference and the Tehran Conference. It was sent to the museum on being recovered from the railway yards at Rostov on Donau in 1985.

On the way back to Tbilisi, the travellers will visit at first Jvari Monastery nearby from Mtskheta. The monument of VI century is included into the list of UNESCO. Then visit of Mtskheta city and masterpiece of Georgian architect – Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in Mtskheta (XI c, UNESCO)

At the end return back to Tbilisi and drop off in the hotel of traveller’s stay in Tbilisi.

Duration: 6-7 hours
Driving distance: 230 km
Season: All year around