Distance Tbilisi-Uplistsikhe 103 km, approximate travel time 1 hour 30 minutes
By train
In Uplistsikhe, or more precisely in the nearest village Kvakhvreli, two trains to Borjomi stop.
It is better to take the morning train, because if you take the evening train you will arrive very late and will not have time to see the cave city and return to Tbilisi. Therefore, this option is suitable only for those who plan to stay overnight.
- Departure point: Tbilisi central railway station (Station Square metro station)
- Schedule: 06:35 and 18:50. Schedule may change slightly, check official website railway.ge
- Travel time: about 2 hours
- Price: 1 GEL
- Buy tickets: at theticket office or directly in the train carriage
By minibus
There are no direct minibuses from Tbilisi to Uplistsikhe, so initially you need to go to the city of Gori. Then from Gori bus station take a minibus to the village of Kvakhvreli, which is located two kilometers from the cave town, this distance can be covered only on foot. The fare from Gori to Kvahvreli is 2 GEL, departure every half an hour, travel time 20 minutes.
By transfer
The only option to get to Uplistsikhe without walking two kilometers from Kvahvreli village is to order a transfer. Besides the fact that it is comfortable, you can combine your trip into a tour with a visit to the city of Gori, Stalin’s house-museum and the ancient fortress of Goristsikhe.
- Departure point: your location
- Schedule: any time convenient for you
- Travel time: transfer – 1 hour 30 minutes, tour – 3 hours 10 minutes plus time for sightseeing
- Price: for transfer and tour is almost identical and starts from 130 GEL (≈ 47$) depending on the car
- To book a transfer: gotrip.ge/transfer
- Book a tour: gotrip.ge/tours
Information
Uplistsikhe is the oldest cave city in Georgia, the uniqueness of which is that it was created before our era and has preserved about 150 caves and cave constructions out of 700 that once existed.
Sometimes Uplistsikhe is compared to the monastery complex of Vardzia, but they are not similar at all, so it is worth visiting both if possible.
Recommended
- We recommend renting a car for independent travel here localrent.com
- When traveling to Uplistsikhe with an overnight stay do not forget to book accommodation. You can do this easily and simply on the website www.booking.com
