News.Travel&Tourism

New Year's Eve 2015-16 In TBILISI, Georgia » 31st December 2015

New Year's Eve in Tbilisi is party night. The restaurants, bars and clubs are full, and the atmosphere builds gently. As midnight approaches, revellers gather at the Old Tbilisi, in Central Square to watch fireworks.

Tbilisi is a popular destination for New Year's Eve. The celebrations are enjoyed by one and all: the young and old, the quiet and romantic, the wild and carefree - there are entertainment options to suit all tastes.

Some people opt for restaurants offering an all-inclusive night of fine food, drinks and dancing. Others prefer a romantic candlelit dinner 'à deux'. Some revellers bar crawl and chance on finding a club after the fireworks. Others buy tickets for a party in a club or music bar. 

We welcome you to celebrate it in Georgia and will willingly arrange accommodation, transportation, dinner at the restaurant and what not!!!

In a country known for wine production such as Georgia, the harvest season is an important time of year. The harvest is celebrated with festivals, tours and wine tasting. Consider joining in the revelry and tradition by taking a wine tour of one or more ofGeorgia’s wine-producing regions.

Grapes are ready to be harvested in Georgia in the late August to mid fall, most often during October. The temperatures are mild during the day and pleasantly cool at night.

Where to Go

Almost every region of the country grows grapes; and cities, towns and villages across the country hold grape festivals to celebrate the harvest. The most well-known regions for grape growing include Kakheti, Racha, Kartli. Grab a map of Georgia and decide whether you want to focus on a single region's grape harvest or travel between two or more relatively close regions. Our reliable staff will arrange the trip in the best possible way from one region to another to get a taste of the variety Georgia offers.

Festivals

A tour of Georgia during the wine harvest isn't complete without a visit to at least one wine festival. You can find festivals in the big cities likeTbilisi, Telavi, in the towns like Sighnaghi or Kvareli. Grape and wine festivals usually take place in town centers or main squares. They include wine tasting, regional food delicacies, crafts vendors, music and perhaps a parade or fireworks display.

Our tours in September-October 2015

The variety of tours all around Georgia. Each tour is from two to 8 days, includes wine tastings, vineyard tours, cooking classes, day trips and cultural activities. The one-day trips include visits to at least two wineries, tastings, transportation and lunch. To see several regions over the course of one harvest, you can book more than one tour.

We wish you the most interesting day during your stay in Georgia!

Georgia is a curious place crowned at the top by the Higher Caucasus Mountains to the north of the country. While cities like Tbilisi and Batumi are beginning to rake in the tourists as the country gradually gains popularity, to really get a true feel for Georgia, it’s best to visit its small towns and villages hidden up in remote (and some not so remote) regions in the mountains.

We go through a few of these mountain villages in Georgia, others not, but that only gives you more incentive to spend some extra time here once the rally is over.

Here are our top picks of Georgia’s best mountain villages!

Ushguli, Svaneti

Tucked up in Upper Svaneti, a region that has gained UNESCO recognition, this settlement can lay claim to the name of being Europe’s highest continually inhabited village. Ushguli is actually a village split up into four hamlets, and is famed for its crumbling defensive towers that are typically characteristic of Svan architecture. Travelling off the beaten track here feels like taking a step back into the past.

Shatili, Khevsureti

The region of Khevsureti is one of Georgia’s most remote areas. It’s hard to get mobile phone reception here, not to mention there is no electricity here (except for the odd generator here and there). Shatili is the region’s largest settlement, and home to a handful of families who abandon the area in the winter, save for one family who hold the fort when the area gets snowed in and have to make do with supplies that’s airlifted into them. The village is made up of a cluster of medieval towers and is pretty spectacular as it is.

Omalo, Tusheti

Tusheti is also one of Georgia’s more remote regions, and has an even worse road up to it than Khevsureti. However, unlike Khevsureti, you’ll find a sizable population (in comparison) and numerous villages scattered about. Omalo is the largest, and is best known for its old fortress crowning the top. It might be quite a hike up from the main part of the village, but the view from the top is worth it.

Stepantsminda, Kazbegi

If you’ve seen any picture postcard of Georgia’s Caucasus Mountains, chances are it’s the church that hovers above the village of Kazbegi (also called Stepantsminda) and under Mount Kazbek – Georgia’s highest mountain. This is one of the more popular mountain destinations in the country, mostly due to its proximity to the capital Tbilisi, which means it can be visited in on a daytrip. The hike up to the church is pretty spectacular, and the journey on the old Military Highway won’t cause you to have a heart attack every 5 metres.

Ambrolauri, Racha

Racha might not have the remote beauty of Svaneti, Tusheti and Khevsureti, or the proximity to Tbilisi like Kazbegi, but Racha is one of the most interesting wine regions in the country. The climate here is perfect for growing grapes, which makes this mountain town of Ambrolauri the perfect stop for wine and mountain lovers… probably why we like coming here. Not to mention that the road from Ushguli to Ambrolauri is deliciously bad!

Mestia, Svaneti

Mestia was once like Ushguli, a Svan settlement with ancient towers and mountain landscape, but ever since the new road from Zugdidi opened, it’s started to turn into a mini Swiss resort. If you want to get a sense of the Caucasus Mountains with more home comforts than Mestia is a better bet.

Mutso, Khevsureti

So close to Chechnya, you can see the guards patrolling up and down the ridge that marks the border. This is the last settlement in Khevsureti accessible by car, and home to one family. However, the interesting thing about Mutso is its huge ruined city that hangs above it on a rocky outcrop. It’s quite a challenging climb, but worth it for the views across the valley. It is most definitely one of the most spectacular sites in the Caucasus Mountains.

Dartlo, Tusheti

The village of Dartlo is tucked even further into the mountains around the region of Tusheti. It looks like something out of a fairytale, nestled into the mountains with the Alazani river flowing by and a waterfall nearby. The historic village might be small, but it does offer a lot of homestays and even a café.

Shenako, Tusheti

This highland village is set just outside Omalo. It’s best known landmark is the old church of the Holy Trinity, which sits alone on a hillside overlooking the valley below. It’s a small community, but if you want to stay somewhere in a remote part of the mountains, , this is a good place to do it.

The 2015 UEFA Super Cup will be the 40th edition of the UEFA Super Cup, an annual football match organised by UEFA and contested by the reigning champions of the two main European club competitions, the UEFA Champins League and the UEFA Europa League. The match will feature two Spanish teams  Barcelona and Sevilla, the winners of the 2014-15 UEFA Champins LEague  and the 2014-15 UEFA Europa League respectively. It will be played at the Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena in Tbilisi, Georgia on 11 August 2015. This is the first time in tournament history that a Super Cup match is a rematch of a previous edition. The two teams in question met before in the 2006 UEFA Super Cup at the Stade Louis II in Monaco, when Sevilla won 3–0.

Venue

The  Mikheil Meskhi Stadium was originally announced as the venue of the Super Cup at the UEFA Executive Committee meeting on 5 March 2014, but the venue has been changed to the Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena. This will be the first UEFA Super Cup hosted in Georgia. The Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena was built in 1976 and renovated in 2011. It is the home stadium of the Georgian national Football team and FC Dinamo Tbilisi.

The Golden Graves of Ancient Vani presents an array of precious objects from the ancient kingdom of Colchis, in what is today the Republic of Georgia. The excavation of a series of rich burials and other discoveries at the city of Vani have revealed a highly developed culture that had its own religious and artistic practices, yet also embraced and adapted influences from neighboring peoples. 

Highlights of the exhibition include spectacular assemblages of jewelry that display the talent and skill of local goldworkers, groups of imports from the Greek world and the Persian Empire, a series of enigmatic ritual figurines, and a life-size bronze torso. In addition, four bronze lamps that were discovered in 2007 are being displayed together in the exhibition for the first time. Two have been conserved by the Getty in collaboration with the Georgian National Museum.

http://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/vani/

Chvishtari is a traditional dish from beautiful mountainous Svaneti region of Georgia. It is based on mchadi (Georgian cornbread) recipe with addition of the main ingredient – cheese in it. Some use Sulguni to bake chvishtari but usually the sort of cheese depends on your taste.

Preparation:

Gradually add warm water or milk to coarsely ground corn flour until you get dough similar to mchadi dough in consistency. Add grated/finely sliced salty cheese and mix again.
Make small oval flapjacks and fry them from both sides on a well-oiled frying pan. Serve while it’s hot.
You might come across many different versions of this recipe: some recommend to add a bit of farina, some might tell you to add a pinch of baking soda or put a whole slice of cheese inside flapjacks instead of grating it, others add 1-2 eggs or some matsoni to the mix.

Ingredients:

300g of corn flour
200g of cheese
Warm water or milk

http://www.georgianjournal.ge/georgian-cuisine/28229-chvishtari-bake-perfect

Georgia is earning its reputation as the powder playground of the Caucasus

Already in the first seven months of 2012, the country of Georgia, sandwiched between the Caucasus Mountains and the Black Sea, saw a 54 percent increase in visitors, including savvy Europeans taking advantage of budget-friendly flights and a straightforward visa system (360 days, issued on arrival) to bask on Black Sea beaches and tour ancient castles. Now tourists are coming in winter to explore what Georgia is touting as the Switzerland of the Caucasus: the ski resorts and backcountry of the country’s 16,000-foot peaks.

 Lucky for you, because there is endless, pristine mountain terrain to explore. Fly into Tbilisi and head 75 miles north to Gudauri, where recent upgrades include a high-speed lift, a gondola, and hotels, modern lodge steps from Gudauri’s lifts (doubles from $195). Enjoy a day of scenic groomers (lift ticket, $18) or try Heliskir for laps on untracked 13,000-foot peaks ($847 per person per day). The more intrepid should consider heading north up the partially paved Georgian Military Highway to the adventure hub of Stepantsminda, where experts can ski-mountaineer 16,558-foot Mount Kazbegi with Mountain House outfitters and anyone can snowshoe up to the 14th-century Gergeti Trinity Church, above town. Warm up again at the Rooms Hotel (doubles, $130), a slick new Aspen-style lodge. By: Haley Sweetland Edwards

Georgians feel pride for their magnificent cultural heritage which they inherited from their predecessors. Their dress code is much inspired from the Northern Caucasian regions. The traditional dress of Georgia is Chokha that was used by the Georgians from the 9th century until the 1920s.

Still the Georgians have the customs to wear their traditional Chokha dress in the wedding functions, festive occasions, ritual events and in the national parades. After the elimination of the Russian domination, once again the fantastic Chokha is revived among the people of Georgia.

Chokha, the traditional dress of Georgia remained the emblem of the country’s pride for a thousand year and now again since the country’s independence it is commonly worn by the Georgians as symbol of their proud past and resistance to occupation.The chokha outfit includes a sword, the akhalukhi (a shirt worn underneath the chokha), the masrebi (the bullets), and the kabalakhi (a hood, separate from the robe) or nabdis kudi (a tall fur hat).

Georgia has been named among Top 10 Safest Countries To Live In The World by the see.place website. Japan is topping the list followed by Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea, United Arab Emirates, Malta, Luxembourg, Georgia, Bahrain and Singapore. 
“As natural disasters, terrorism, robberies and massacres made our planet a hell, everyone are in the urge to settle down in one of the safest places. But here is the list of 10 safest countries in the world. 
Georgia is situated at the junction of Asia and Europe. This country shows a combination of diversity and uniqueness. It welcomes its visitors with Black Sea coastline, curative climate, national parks, Caucasus mountain range, mineral waters, delicious cuisine, rich culture, UNESCO Heritage Sites and popular Georgian hospitality. The crime rate in Georgia is reported to be very low and is exactly why it has made it to eighth place in the safest countries in the world list.”

"Despite a turbulent past, Georgian cuisine has maintained an exceptional variety of foods. Ishai has 24 hours to taste all the foods Tbilisi's unique streets have to offer", National Geographic website reports. National Geographic TV Programme Street Food Around The World visited Georgia. Focusing on the most widely used ingredients, Ishai Golan had 25 hours to taste all the foods Tbilisi's streets had to offer. "According to an ancient Georgian legend, representatives of all the peoples came before God as He was about to distribute land to each. Only the Georgians, who were busy eating and drinking, did not attend. When they did finally appear before God, He said to them, “Now you come? I have already distributed everything”. To which the Georgians replied, “We were celebrating in Your honor with food and drink…” and they invited God to join them. God enjoyed himself so much that he gave them the plot of land that he had kept for himself. Thus it is called “God’s Acre”.

Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, is 10 times larger than any other city in the country. It is located at the crossroads between Europe and Asia and lies along one of the historic Silk Road routes. This physically and economically strategic location has attracted many invaders: the Byzantines, the Mongols, the Turks and a long list of others. The city was actually conquered, destroyed and rebuilt 29 times. The only area that remained relatively unaffected is the Old city of Tbilisi, with its crooked houses, colorful carved wood balconies and cobblestone streets", Street Food Around The World official Facebook page informs.