'''Kartli''' is a large region in central Georgia.

Regions

  • Kazbegi (region)
  • Kvemo Kartli
  • Khevsureti
  • Mtskheta-Mtianeti
  • Shida Kartli
  • South Ossetia
  • Cities

  • Tbilisi
  • Gori
  • Kazbegi
  • Khashuri
  • Mtskheta
  • Rustavi
  • Tskhinvali
  • Other destinations

  • Ananuri — a castle and monastery overlooking the beautiful Zhinvali Reservoir
  • David Gareja — a 6th century cave monastery on a mountain overlooking the Azerbaijani desert, with beautiful frescos
  • Dmanisi archaeological site — a bronze age settlement and the 1.8 million year-old fossilized remains of the first human in Europe have been discovered here
  • Uplistsikhe — a 3,600 year old Silk Road cave city that was a major regional center of Caucasian pagan religion
  • Mount Kazbeg — one of the highest mountains in [Europe is also home to one of the most spectacularly situated monasteries in the world
  • Understand

    Talk

    Outside of Tbilisi and Mtskheta, you should not expect to encounter anyone who speaks any European languages. Georgian is the principal language throughout most of Kartli, but there is a significant section of southern Kvemo Kartli (around Gardabani), where most residents are Azeri speakers and you may be able to communicate effectively with knowledge of Turkish. In South Ossetia, you should actually avoid speaking Georgian because of the intense ethnic conflict between the Georgians and the Ossetes, who speak Ossetian, in addition to Georgian and Russian. Russian is the regional lingua franca and is spoken by many older people, especially by ethnic minorities and, without fail, always by taxi drivers.

    Get in

    Get around

    See

    Itineraries

  • The Georgian Military Highway — one of the world's more spectacular roads, the highway cuts through the Greater Caucasus and was built by the Russian Empire in the 19th century to facilitate its conquest of the Caucasus
  • Do

    Eat

    Drink

    Stay safe

    Get out