Mtskheta is very close to Tbilisi (about 20km away) we took the local bus (Marshrutka) which cost next to nothing but was difficult to locate, as everything was in Georgian but we found it. I remember receiving as a gift from Yugo_Boy this lonely planet book and it had Georgia in it with this beautiful church on top of a mountain top and the view was sensational and I always wanted to see it, the it, was Mtskheta.. It dates back to the 5th century BC and is known as the birthplace and epicentres of the Georgian Orthodox Church, it was declared as the "Holy City" of Georgia. Mtskheta was the capital of the early Georgian Kingdom of Iberia (Kartli) from the 3rd century BC to the 5th century AD. Later the capital was moved to Tbilisi. It is truly worth a visit. Please see below for more vibrance in our YouTube video:




We were dropped off at the Samtavro Transfiguration Orthodox Church and Nunnery of St. Nino in Mtskheta. These were built in the 4th century by King Mirian III of Iberia.






I cannot get enough of these vines!


Tonis puri, typical Georgian bread








Fortress walls around Svetitskhoveli Cathedral


Jvari Monastery is a sixth century Georgian Orthodox monastery, it is on top of a mountain overlooking Mtskheta.


The view is sensational! We reached the monastery by taxi, a local drove us who called himself Grandfather Koba, and INSISTED we call him grandfather. He was super nice and friendly, and we communicated by Russian, it’s a struggle without Russian, as Georgian is completely different to any Slavic language and because we plan all our own trips and we do not travel with tour guides it was easier for us to compare the prices each taxi driver would charge us to drive us up this mountain, as it is quite far from the Old Town of Mtskheta. It was less than $15 Aud.














Svetitskhoveli Cathedral is recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.


Inside Svetitskhoveli, it is quite old too.


Present cathedral was completed in 1029 by Georgian architect Arsukisdze, however the site dates back to the 4th century.




















Café Tatin for lunch


Chocolate pancakes!








Cute cats!


Antioch Church, in the background you can see Jvari.. quite high up!






Sakhachapure N1, Tbilisi for the best Khachapuri - a traditional Georgian dish of cheese-filled bread!!


The best Khachapuri we had absolutely delicious!!!


We love Georgia and there are more sites to come soon 😊:-::-::-: