Written by the drivers who make these journeys
Georgia travel guides
Practical answers to the questions we are asked at arrivals: what to do when you land in the middle of the night, how to reach Tbilisi or Batumi, when the mountain roads close, and how much of Georgia fits into a week.
Kutaisi International Airport
KUT
Arrivals · 03:00
Start here · Airport & arrivals
Landing at Kutaisi Airport at 3am: what to actually do
At 3am your options are the flight-timed shuttle bus, a Bolt ordered on airport WiFi, or a pre-booked driver. The train does not run overnight; the first Tbilisi-bound departure from Kopitnari is 08:51. The terminal stays open, but the chairs are upright and the SIM kiosks are often unstaffed.
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Read the guideAirport & arrivals
3Kutaisi International Airport
KUT
Complete arrivals guide
Kutaisi International Airport (KUT): a complete arrivals guide
Kutaisi International Airport sits about 14 kilometres west of Kutaisi at Kopitnari. It has a single terminal open 24 hours, with ATMs, a currency desk, SIM kiosks, car hire and a bus ticket counter in arrivals. Onward options are the flight-timed shuttle bus, the train from Kopitnari station, Bolt, or a private transfer.
Kutaisi Airport to Tbilisi: every option compared
Three options cover the roughly 230 kilometres from Kutaisi Airport to Tbilisi. The shuttle bus takes three and a half to four hours and is timed to your flight. The train takes just over three hours but runs four times daily, from 08:51 to 19:26. A private transfer takes about three and a quarter hours, door to door.
Kutaisi Airport to Batumi: every option compared
Batumi is about 150 kilometres from Kutaisi Airport. The shuttle bus takes just over two hours and leaves roughly an hour after your flight lands, stopping on Gogebashvili Street near the port. The train takes about an hour fifty but arrives at Makhinjauri, six kilometres north. A private transfer takes about two and a quarter hours, door to door.
Mountain journeys
2
Driving to Svaneti in winter: what the road is really like
The Zugdidi–Mestia road is open every month of the year and closes only for short spells after heavy snow or when avalanche risk rises. Allow about four hours from Zugdidi in winter. The Lentekhi road over the Zagari Pass is shut from roughly October until late May, and Ushguli is often unreachable.
Kazbegi or Svaneti: which to choose when you only have time for one
Choose Kazbegi if you have two or three days, want the shorter drive and are travelling in winter. Choose Svaneti if you have four days or more, are landing at Kutaisi, and want tower villages and serious mountain walking. Kazbegi is easier; Svaneti rewards the extra time.
Planning a trip
2Kutaisi → Georgia
7 days
Suggested itinerary
A 7-day Georgia itinerary starting from Kutaisi
Seven days from Kutaisi is enough for Svaneti, Kazbegi and Tbilisi, but only just. The workable shape is Imereti, Mestia for two nights, one long transfer east, Kazbegi from Tbilisi, then back west. Expect around 25 hours of driving across the week, with one seven-hour day.
The best day trips from Kutaisi
Almost every worthwhile day trip from Kutaisi sits within about an hour and a quarter of the city. Prometheus Cave and Sataplia are under half an hour away, Gelati twenty minutes, Martvili and Okatse canyons about an hour, and Chiatura with Katskhi Pillar around seventy-five minutes.
Georgia travel guides
3Renting a car in Georgia or hiring a driver: which actually works
Rent if you want spontaneity, are comfortable with assertive traffic and are staying on main roads. Hire a driver for mountain routes, winter travel, wine regions and cities where parking is the real problem. Many trips are best as a mix of the two.
Kutaisi or Tbilisi airport: which should you fly into?
Fly into Kutaisi for cheap European fares and a western Georgia trip; fly into Tbilisi for more airlines, civilised arrival times and the east. If your itinerary crosses the country, flying into one and out of the other is usually better than either alone.
Batumi, Kobuleti or Ureki: which Black Sea resort suits you
Batumi is a city with a beach; Kobuleti is a long, low-rise resort strip; Ureki is a small family resort with dark magnetic sand and the shortest transfer from the airport. All three sit on the same road, so choosing one does not rule out visiting the others.
Kutaisi Airport transfers & tours
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