Kartli is a large region in central Georgia.
Cities
Other destinations
- Ananuri
- David Gareja — a 6th century cave monastery on a mountain lying just meters away from Azerbaijan, 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
- Shida Kartli — is a region (Mkhare) in Georgia.
- Trialeti Nature Park, Nichbisi-Didgori-Didi Toneti Botisi
Understand
Talk
Outside of Tbilisi and Mtskheta, you should not expect to encounter many people who speak any Western 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. Speaking Russian will help best in areas where ethnic minorities live, where it is the lingua franca. It is spoken to various degrees by most older people, including by many taxi drivers, but this is no longer to be completely relied upon. The younger generation is increasingly speaking English due to hostility towards Russia, and also because English is taught in schools since independence and has replaced Russian as a second language in schools nation-wide. When in need for help, look for younger people, as they are more likely to know some English.
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
- Ski in Gudauri