Kakheti Day Trip From Tbilisi With Kids

Kakheti day trip from Tbilisi works really well with kids. Pick one direction for the day: Telavi, with its royal fortress, the Tsinandali estate and family wineries, or Sighnaghi, the walled hilltop town above the Alazani Valley. Children get snacks and juice at most wineries while you taste, so nobody is left out.

We live in Tbilisi and have been to Kakheti three times with our son: twice to Telavi and once to Sighnaghi. We’ve done it with a private driver, on a private food and wine tour, and as a longer stay with a driver for the wineries. This guide covers what worked for us as a family, what it cost, and how to plan your own Kakheti day trip with kids.

If you’re planning a longer trip, our 10-day Georgia family itinerary shows how Kakheti fits in with the rest of the country, and our Kazbegi day trip guide covers the other classic day out from the capital.

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Kakheti day trip at a glance

Distance from Tbilisi	About 95 km to Telavi via the Gombori Pass, and about 110 km to Sighnaghi via Sagarejo
Driving time	About 1.5 to 2 hours each way to either Telavi or Sighnaghi
Best route for a day	One direction only: Telavi or Sighnaghi, not both
Private driver	About $90 (around 240 GEL) for 8 hours with multiple stops
Group tours	Budget group tours on GetYourGuide start at roughly $15 to $40 per person
Best months	Late spring to autumn; we’ve been in June and August
Good with kids?	Yes. Short drive, easy food, and most wineries offer children juice and snacks

How to get to Kakheti from Tbilisi

Private driver (what we did twice)

For both of our Telavi trips we hired a private driver through GoTrip.ge. On the second trip we stayed a few nights near Telavi, booked a driver for one full day of wineries, and then took another GoTrip driver home at the end. The drivers have always been reliable and polite, and they don’t drive like crazy, which matters on Georgian roads.

A driver for about 8 hours with several stops costs us around $90. With a child, it’s the option we’d recommend most. You choose the wineries, you leave when your kid has had enough, and you can stop wherever you like.

Small-group food and wine tour (our Sighnaghi trip)

For Sighnaghi, we joined a day tour with Eat This! Tours. They organised everything, including all of our food. We had lunch at Giuaani Winery and finished the day with a full supra (a traditional Georgian feast) at a small home winery. Our son loved learning about the qvevri, and the supra was one of his favourite parts of the day.

If you'd rather book a group tour on GetYourGuide, most Kakheti day tours head to Sighnaghi and Bodbe Monastery. The best-reviewed one we found is the Kakheti Wine Region Tour with 9 Wine Tastings, which also stops at a village bakery in Badiauri. Check the child price before you book, since policies vary between companies.

Hiring a car

We haven't driven to Kakheti ourselves. The main roads were fine on all our trips, but Georgian drivers overtake a lot, and you'd miss out on the tastings if you're the one driving. If you do want your own car, Discover Cars lets you compare rental companies in one place. Add a child seat when you book if your kids still need one.

Our suggested Kakheti day trip itinerary with kids

Telavi and Sighnaghi sit in different directions from Tbilisi, and the drive between them takes about an hour. Trying to do both in one day means most of it is spent in the car. Pick one direction, or split them over two days.

We prefer the Telavi side, though both are lovely. It gives you a good mix of history and wineries, and if you stay at Lake Lopota there's plenty of fun for kids too. Here's the day we'd plan for a visiting family.

8:30: Leave Tbilisi over the Gombori Pass

The Gombori road climbs over a forested ridge at about 1,620 m and drops down into the Alazani Valley at Telavi. It's the shortest route. The other way, via Sagarejo and Gurjaani, adds roughly 40 minutes. The Gombori road has closed for repairs in the past, so ask your driver which way you're going.

10:30: Batonis Tsikhe and the giant plane tree in Telavi

Start in the centre of Telavi, at the old royal fortress and the huge plane tree nearby. Both are easy, short stops that let everyone stretch their legs after the drive.

11:30: Tsinandali estate

A short drive east of Telavi, the Chavchavadze estate has a big landscaped park where kids can run around while you look at the house and the old wine cellar.

13:00: Lunch and tasting at Shumi

Shumi is right next to Tsinandali, so it's an easy next stop. It has outdoor terraces and gardens, and a restaurant on site.

15:30: Odlisi cheese factory in Telavi

Head back into Telavi for a cheese tasting at Odlisi, one of our favourite stops in the whole region. If you'd like a proper meal here instead, skip the Shumi lunch and have the Odlisi dinner package.

17:30: Drive back to Tbilisi, or carry on to Lake Lopota

Either head home over the pass, or drive a short way north to Lopota Lake Resort and turn the day trip into an overnight stay. With kids, we'd choose the second option every time.

Things to do in Kakheti with kids

Telavi: Batonis Tsikhe and the giant plane tree

Telavi is the main town of Kakheti. In the centre stands Batonis Tsikhe, the fortified residence of the Kakhetian kings, with the palace of King Erekle II and the Telavi History Museum inside its walls. Nearby is a giant plane tree that's estimated to be 900 to 1,000 years old, with a trunk about 12 m around.

Hours and price: the museum is open from 10:00 to 18:00 and closed on Mondays. You can walk around the fortress grounds for free, and the museum ticket costs just a few lari.

Tsinandali estate

This 19th-century estate belonged to Prince Alexander Chavchavadze, a poet and nobleman. Georgia's first bottled wine is linked to its cellars. Today the house is a museum, and the grounds are a huge 18-hectare park with old trees and shady paths. The park is the part that works best for children, since they can roam while adults take in the house and cellar.

Price: recent listings put an adult ticket with a guided tour at about 10 GEL ($4), with under-6s free and tastings extra. Check at the ticket office, as prices change.

Sighnaghi walls

Sighnaghi is a small hilltop town of cobbled streets and balconied houses, wrapped in 18th-century defensive walls with more than 20 towers. We walked a stretch of the walls, which gives you views across the Alazani Valley to the Caucasus. Walking the walls is free. Keep younger children close, since some sections have low edges.

Bodbe Monastery

We haven't visited Bodbe ourselves, but it's 2 km from Sighnaghi and is included on most Sighnaghi tours. St Nino, who brought Christianity to Georgia, is buried here. Entry is free. It's an active convent, so cover shoulders and knees. Women should wear a headscarf and men need long trousers.

Lake Lopota

Lopota Lake Resort & Spa sits by a lake a short drive north of Telavi. It has several pools and a water park that our son absolutely loved. You can also go horse riding or take a boat or catamaran out on the lake. The outdoor pools are seasonal, so check what's open if you're visiting outside summer.

Family-friendly wineries in Kakheti

Our biggest worry before our first trip was whether our son would be bored while we tasted. He wasn't. Almost every winery we visited brought out a little food, like churchkhela, cheese and bread, so he could snack. Many also gave him juice or another soft drink, so he felt part of the experience rather than just waiting for us.

Across our three trips, we've visited these wineries:

• Shumi, Tsinandali: a large estate next to the Tsinandali park, with terraces, gardens and a restaurant. Tours and tastings are priced as separate packages, so check what's included when you book.
• Tsinandali, Telavi area: tasting at the historic estate cellars after the museum.
• Giuaani, Manavi: where we had lunch on our Sighnaghi tour. It's a family winery with a restaurant, a hotel and a garden, about 45 minutes from Tbilisi.
• Okro's Wines, Sighnaghi: a small, family-run natural winery with a terrace overlooking the Alazani Valley.
• Dimitri Wine House and Art Winery SamKhari: two more wineries we visited in the region.

Odlisi cheese factory, Telavi

Odlisi isn't a winery, but it's one of our favourite stops in Kakheti. It's a small family-run cheese factory with its own cheese bar in the same building. You tour the factory first, then sit down for the tasting. They offer three packages, all per person:

• Cheese tasting, 60 GEL ($23): factory visit, five cheeses, white and red qvevri wine, chacha and snacks
• Tasting with a hot dish, 80 GEL ($30): as above, plus the Odlisi special of melted cheese with fried meat
• Odlisi dinner, 120 GEL ($45): factory visit, seven cheeses, melted cheese with fried chicken, mushrooms in a special sauce and salad, plus red and white wine and chacha

Churchkhela, bread and Georgian food for kids

Kakheti is a great place to show children how Georgian food and wine are made. Three things to look out for:

• Qvevri: large egg-shaped clay vessels buried in the ground, where the wine ferments and ages. UNESCO added qvevri winemaking to its intangible cultural heritage list in 2013. Look for the round lids set into winery floors. Learning how the qvevri work was one of our son's highlights in Kakheti.
• Churchkhela: strings of walnuts dipped in thickened grape juice and dried. They look like candles and are a big hit with children. You'll see them hanging at roadside stalls all over Kakheti. They contain nuts, so take care with allergies.
• Tonis puri: bread baked on the walls of a round clay oven called a tone. The bakeries in Badiauri, on the road to Sighnaghi, are a popular stop, and some group tours include a quick look inside.

At lunch, khachapuri (cheese bread) and khinkali (dumplings) are the safe bets for most kids. On our Sighnaghi tour, all the food was included, from lunch at Giuaani to the evening supra at a home winery.

Sighnaghi or Telavi: should you stay overnight?

A day trip works, but staying a night or two lets you see both sides of Kakheti without long drives. On both of our Telavi trips we stayed overnight nearby.

• Lopota Lake Resort & Spa: our top pick for families, thanks to the pools, the water park and the lake activities.
• Agarani Estate: a newer hotel in the village of Ruispiri, just outside Telavi, with views over the Alazani Valley. We stayed here on our second Telavi trip.
• BelleVue Hotel, Sighnaghi: we haven't stayed here, but it has a pool, valley views and a central location, which makes it an easy pick with kids.

With two days, do Telavi one day and Sighnaghi the next. That way neither day turns into a long drive.

Best time to visit Kakheti

We've been in June and August, and both worked well for us. Summer is warm in the valley, so plan the outdoor sights for the morning and keep the afternoon for shady winery gardens and the pool.

We haven't been during rtveli yet, but it's the season many people come for. Rtveli is the grape harvest, usually in September and October, when families pick grapes together and the new wine goes into the qvevri. Some wineries and tours let visitors join in, which could be a fun hands-on experience for children. Expect it to be busier then, so book ahead.

Tips for Kakheti with kids

• Don't try to see everything. One direction per day keeps the time in the car short.
• Car sickness. None of us got carsick on any of our trips, and the roads were fine. The Gombori Pass does have plenty of bends, though, so if your child is prone to motion sickness, the route via Sagarejo is gentler.
• Toilets. The drive isn't long, so we never needed to stop on the way. We used the toilets at the wineries.
• Car seats. Our son no longer needs one. If your child does, ask your driver or tour company before you book, or bring your own.
• Monastery dress code. At Bodbe and other active churches, cover shoulders and knees. Women need a headscarf and men need long trousers. Pack a scarf just in case.
• Heat. Bring hats, sun cream and water in summer, and use the morning for walking.
• Snacks. Most wineries serve a little food, but we still bring our own for the drive.
• Mobile data. Set up an eSIM before you go so maps work between wineries. Our guide to the best eSIMs for international travel compares the options.

Kakheti day trip FAQ

Can you do Kakheti as a day trip from Tbilisi?

Yes. Telavi and Sighnaghi are each about 1.5 to 2 hours from Tbilisi, so a day trip is easy. Just pick one of them rather than trying to fit in both.

Is Sighnaghi or Telavi better for a day trip?

Both are lovely. We prefer Telavi for the mix of history, wineries and Lake Lopota. Sighnaghi is the prettier town to walk around, and most group tours go there.

Is Kakheti good for kids?

Yes. The drive is short, the food is child-friendly, and most wineries bring out snacks and juice for children. Lake Lopota adds pools and a water park if you stay the night.

How much does a Kakheti day trip cost?

A private driver costs us about $90 for 8 hours. Group tours on GetYourGuide start at roughly $15 to $40 per person, with lunch and some tastings often extra. A cheese tasting at Odlisi starts at 60 GEL ($23) per person.

When is the best time to visit Kakheti?

Late spring to autumn. September and October bring rtveli, the grape harvest, while June to August is warm and green.

Do you need to book wineries in advance?

For small family wineries, yes. Some only take visitors by appointment, so ask your driver or guide to call ahead.

Is a Kakheti day trip worth it with kids?

For us, it's the easiest day out from Tbilisi. It's a shorter drive than Kazbegi, with good food and friendly wineries, and kids are welcomed at every stop. Choose one direction, book a good driver, and if you can, stay a night by the lake.

Planning more of Georgia? See our 10-day Georgia family itinerary and our Kazbegi day trip with kids. If you're thinking about staying longer, read about living in Tbilisi with kids and our real cost of living in Tbilisi.