Georgia · Imereti
Kutaisi
Georgia's old royal capital, with Gelati's golden mosaics above town and caves and canyons all around.
Kutaisi is Georgia's ancient western capital, a green, unhurried river city on the Rioni that many travellers first meet through its budget-flight airport. It was the seat of kings long before Tbilisi, and the golden age still stands on the hills: Bagrati Cathedral above the old town and the UNESCO-listed Gelati Monastery just outside it. Around the city lies Imereti's cave and canyon country, all within an easy day.
Suggested stay
2–4 days
Language
Georgian
Currency
GEL
Timezone
UTC+4
Why you'll love Kutaisi
Golden age Gelati Monastery's frescoes and apse mosaic are among the finest art of medieval Georgia
Easy base caves, canyons, dinosaur footprints and Soviet spa ruins all lie within an hour or so
River city the Rioni runs through a compact, walkable centre of leafy boulevards and old balconied houses
Imeretian table this is home ground for the round cheese khachapuri and a crisp local white wine
Best time to visit
Apr-May, Jul-Aug
20-30° days
42.272° N, 42.705° E
UTC+4 · Asia/Tbilisi
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Weather & when to go to Kutaisi
Month by month: typical highs and lows, rainfall and rain days.
✓ Best Apr-May, Jul-Aug
Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
When to avoid Kutaisi
No month is ruled out by the record. Winter is grey, damp and quiet, and western Georgia's humidity means rain can arrive in any season, so pack a layer whatever the month.
Top things to do in Kutaisi
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Gelati Monastery - King David's academy and mosaics
history culture arts ⭐ Highly recommendedFounded by David the Builder in the early 12th century on a wooded hill east of town, Gelati was a monastery and a centre of learning. Its main church holds a golden apse mosaic of the Virgin and walls of royal portraits, and David himself lies buried at the gate.
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Bagrati Cathedral - the millennium-old church on Ukimerioni hill
history 👍 PopularBuilt for King Bagrat III around the year 1000, the cathedral was ruined by an Ottoman explosion in the 1690s and rebuilt in a much-debated modern restoration. Come for the views over the Rioni and the red roofs below.
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Motsameta Monastery - the cliff-edge church above the Tskaltsitela
history scenicA small monastery perched on a promontory over a river bend, a short hop from Gelati and usually paired with it. It honours two 8th-century martyr princes, and the setting is the reason to come.
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Prometheus Cave - lit halls of stalactites
nature wildlife scenic 👍 PopularNear Tskaltubo, a long show cave of chambers hung with stalactites and stalagmites, walked on a guided route with coloured lighting and sometimes finished by boat on an underground river.
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Kutaisi Green Bazaar - the city's covered market
food culture arts 👍 PopularStalls of churchkhela, spices, cheeses, pickles and seasonal fruit fill the central market. It is the best quick lesson in Imeretian food, and a good place to buy the local cheese that goes into the khachapuri.
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Colchis Fountain and the White Bridge - the old centre on foot
culture arts historyThe central square's fountain is crowded with enlarged gold figures from Colchian finds, a nod to the Golden Fleece story. Walk from there down to the White Bridge over the Rioni and along the river's old houses.
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Kutaisi cable car - over the Rioni to the hilltop park
scenicA short Soviet-era cable car swings from the riverbank up to a hilltop park with a small funfair and wide views across the city.
Best areas to stay in Kutaisi
$ Budget $$ Mid-range $$$ Premium
City centre
First-time visitors $Leafy boulevards around the Colchis Fountain
Explore hotels in City centre →
Ukimerioni (Bagrati hill)
Views and quiet $Quiet hillside lanes below the cathedral
Explore hotels in Ukimerioni (Bagrati hill) →
Tskaltubo
Spa and caves $$Faded Soviet spa town, parks and baths
Explore hotels in Tskaltubo →
Live nightly prices from Booking.com, Agoda and others, centred on Kutaisi
Getting to & around Kutaisi
Getting there
Fly into Kutaisi International, about half an hour from town, or come by marshrutka or train from Tbilisi and Batumi
Flight
David the Builder Kutaisi International Airport (KUT)
The airport lies west of the city near Kopitnari and is a major budget-airline base. Shuttle buses timed to flights and taxis reach the centre in about half an hour, and many buses run on to Tbilisi and Batumi.
Coach
Kutaisi central bus station
Marshrutkas run all day from Tbilisi and Batumi, roughly 3-4 hours from Tbilisi and less from the coast
Train
Trains link Tbilisi with Kutaisi, slower than the minibuses but more comfortable
Getting around
Walk
The centre, bazaar and White Bridge are all walkable; Bagrati is a steep but short climb
Free
City bus and marshrutka
Minibuses cover the city and run out to Gelati, Tskaltubo and nearby towns
TBC
Taxi
Plentiful and booked easily by app; drivers also hire out for full-day canyon and cave loops
TBC
Day trips from Kutaisi
Gelati and Motsameta
Half dayMedieval monasteries
The classic Kutaisi pairing: Gelati's mosaics and royal tomb on the hill, then the cliff-top chapel at Motsameta a few minutes away.
Getting there
bus | car
20-30 min by marshrutka or taxi
Prometheus Cave and Sataplia
Half dayCaves and dinosaur tracks
Two sights close together: Prometheus's lit cave halls, and Sataplia's reserve with dinosaur footprints under cover, a smaller cave and a glass lookout over the forest.
Getting there
car | bus | tour
30-40 min by car, marshrutka or tour
Martvili and Okatse canyons
Full dayCanyons and waterfalls
Martvili's turquoise gorge, walked and seen from a small boat, and Okatse's walkway hung on the canyon wall, often combined with Kinchkha waterfall in one long loop.
Getting there
car | tour
About 1 hr each way by car or tour
Katskhi Pillar and Chiatura
Full dayRock pillar, mining town
A limestone column topped by a tiny hermit's church, then Chiatura, the manganese town strung with Soviet cable cars across its valley.
Getting there
car | tour
About 1.5 hr east by car or tour
Tskaltubo sanatoria
Half daySoviet spa town
Once a favourite Soviet health resort, now a park full of grand, crumbling sanatoria and a few working bathhouses fed by warm mineral springs.
Getting there
bus | car
About 30 min by marshrutka or taxi
A little history of Kutaisi
Kutaisi was a leading town of ancient Colchis, and Georgians identify it with Aia, the city of King Aeetes where Jason and the Argonauts came for the Golden Fleece. It was the capital of the western Kingdom of Abkhazia from the late 8th century, and when Bagrat III united the Georgian lands around 1008 it became capital of the whole country. His cathedral on the hill and David the Builder's Gelati Monastery date from this golden age.
David moved the capital to Tbilisi after taking it back in 1122, but Kutaisi remained the royal seat of the Kingdom of Imereti for centuries, through Ottoman raids and the 1690s explosion that unroofed Bagrati. Russia annexed Imereti in 1810, and in the 19th and 20th centuries Kutaisi grew into western Georgia's industrial and cultural centre.
Kutaisi is a leading town of Colchis, linked in Georgian tradition with Aia of the Golden Fleece legend
Becomes capital of the Kingdom of Abkhazia in western Georgia
Bagrati Cathedral is completed under King Bagrat III
Bagrat III unites the Georgian kingdoms with Kutaisi as capital
David IV the Builder founds Gelati Monastery and its academy
David takes Tbilisi and moves the capital there
Ottoman troops blow up Bagrati Cathedral, leaving it roofless for three centuries
The Russian Empire annexes the Kingdom of Imereti and its capital
Gelati and Bagrati are inscribed together on the UNESCO World Heritage List; Bagrati was later removed after its restoration
Know before you go
Payment
Cards & cash mixed
English
Limited
Wifi
Workable
Power
Type C / F
230 V, 50 Hz
Dialing
+995
FAQs about Kutaisi
▸ When is the best time to visit Kutaisi?
April-May and July-August are the best months for weather. Spring is green and fresh for the canyons and monasteries, and midsummer suits the caves and cool gorges. Winter is grey and damp but rarely harsh, and rain is possible at any time of year.
▸ Is Kutaisi worth more than an airport stopover?
Yes. Many visitors land here on a budget flight and head straight for Tbilisi or Batumi, but two or three days covers Gelati, Bagrati and a day each in the caves and canyons, which are hard to reach as easily from anywhere else.
▸ How do you get from Kutaisi Airport to the city?
Shuttle buses timed to arrivals run into the centre in about half an hour, and taxis wait outside. Direct buses also run from the airport to Tbilisi and Batumi if you are moving on straight away.
▸ Can you see the canyons without a tour?
Partly. Marshrutkas reach Martvili town and Tskaltubo, but linking Martvili, Okatse and Kinchkha in one day is far easier with a hired driver or a shared tour from Kutaisi.
▸ Is Kutaisi expensive?
No. It is one of the more affordable cities in Georgia, with family-run guesthouses, cheap bazaar food and inexpensive minibuses, cheaper on the whole than Tbilisi or Batumi.
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