Paata Liluashvili, Director of the Kutaisi Tourism Center, reveals his top choices for places to visit in the chilly season.

"The locations I chose were selected thematically, a tour which I conditionally call ‘Time Travel’, comprising tourist destinations from prehistoric times to the 21st century surrounding Kutaisi. My selection includes five must-see locations, each of them a clear illustration of every epoch of Georgian history.

SATAPLIA NATURE RESERVE

A unique park where guests are given an opportunity to discover the footprints of dinosaurs of different eras, travel through prehistoric karst caves, visit the Paleontological Museum and enjoy magnificent views of the Imereti region from the glass panoramic walkway of Sataplia.

VANI ARCHEOLOGICAL MUSEUM

This is an opportunity to grasp the Age of Antiquity not in Athens or Rome, but locally, from a local perspective.
The majority of the national treasure of Georgia was discovered right here, including exquisite golden jewelry of Medea Colchis, which dates back to the 8th century BC. Clay and copper exhibits, bronze sculptures and fragments of pottery found on the territory of the Vani City of Temples are assigned to the same time period. Currently, reconstruction works are being carried out on the territory of the Vani Archeological Museum, funded by the World Bank. After their completion, the museum will represent one of the most significant tourist destinations in the region, which will radically change the already existing geography of tourist routes in Georgia.

ARCHITECTURAL MASTERPIECES IN KUTAISI

Image by Jeremy Woodhouse Getty Images

A number of medieval architecture masterpieces are presented in Kutaisi and its surroundings, including Motsameta and Monasteries. However, an unconditional symbol of Kutaisi and the statehood of Georgia in general is Bagrati Cathedral, which has embellished the city for more than 11 centuries.

THE WHITE BRIDGE

19th century Kutaisi… European approaches that are seen in almost every ornament and baluster of the old balconies of the buildings of those times. I suggest they influenced the architectonic of the White Bridge. It is difficult to say exactly what creates the feeling of airiness in this place, the simple modest construction of the bannister, white stones or everything collectively. But the truth is that this composition and landscape represent the identity and are a symbol of our city. 

THE KUTAISI PARLIAMENT BUILDING

By Archeobacteria

The first precedent of 21st century creative architecture in Kutaisi, designed by Spanish architects Alberto Domingo and Carlos Nazaro. Unique shapes and an unusual structure create the impression of a spaceship. Writer David Turashvili once compared it to the elephant sketch from ‘The Little Prince’ of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. It is one of the must-see places for visitors to Kutaisi.