Kutaisi
The capital of the Colchis
"As Sunland - AIA – so called ancient authors the east coast of the Black Sea."
Kutaisi is the second largest city in Georgia. It lies in the Colchis Deep Plane on the banks of Rioni river in the West Georgia. Up to this point, the city was navigable from antique times. And here a commercial town was founded quite early.
Its history dates back to the Paleolithic times. As a city it was for the first time in the 3.Jh. By Apollonius of Rhodes in his poem "Argounatika". The capital of Kutaisi, also known as Aia, possessed an acropolis which rose on the Gora (hill) on the right bank of Rioni river. It was protected by a bastion of Ukimerioni, of which there are still remains.
The Golden Age of Kutaisi began in the 10th century, when the king Bagrat III united the Georgian Principalities under one king. When King David the builder set Tiflis free from the Arab rule in 1122 and moved to the city at the mtkvari again,revitilized the old glory of the capital.Kutaisi remained as the capital of the West Georgia.
In 1921 the city was the seat of the Democratic Republic of Georgia (1918-1921) for 14 days; but on May 10. 1921 Kutaisi was also occupied by the Red Army.
Today, the city is the seat of parliament and metropolis in the west of the country. Since May 2012 the Georgian Parliament has been meeting in a parliamentary building.
In Kutaisi and its surroundings, there are many sights, valuable cultural monuments belonging to the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage. Kutaisi, with old Georgian, urban and modern architecture attracts numerous tourists from all over the world.

Bagrati Cathedral
Bagrati Cathedral is one of the world cultural heritage sites of UNESCO. This majestic church "Maria Assumption Cathedral” was built in 1003 by King Bagart III, on a hill west of Ukimerioni. For the Georgians, the Church is the symbol of a unified, Christian Georgia. In 1696 this impressive church was completely destroyed by Ottomans. The cathedral, which has already been reconstructed today, has sparked a great debate in the purists of monuments, as well as the ruins of the town fortress and the royal palace.

The Monastery Gelati
The monastery complex of Gelati is not far from the city of Kutaisi and is also part of the world cultural heritage. The monastery is directly linked to Bagrati Cathedral. The landscape is as magnificent as if Gelati had grown into nature. The most beautiful sacral building complex consists of three churches, a bell tower and the building of the academy. King David laid the foundation stone for the Academy of Gelati in 1106. According to his plan, a second Athens was to be built there. Here important scholars of Georgia worked. The churches impress the visitor with valuable frescos from the 12th to the 17th century.
On the northern wall of the Church of the Mother of God is the only surviving portrait of King David the builder. His grave is in the passage of the South Gate to his last will.

Monastery Motsameta
The monastery of Motsameta is located near Kutaisi.
The church (11th century) is dedicated to the brothers Constantine and Davit. The shrine with its relics is in the east apse. When visiting the church, the faithful crawl three times under the tomb of the martyrs to fulfill their desires. The age is in the north of the church.

The Natural Park Sataplia
The nature reserve Sataplia is located 10 km from Kutaisi. It stretches over 330 hectares on the slopes of Mount Sataplia, an extinct volcano.
The forest region unites rare representatives of both the alpine flora and the warming subtropical plants. There are many tree species threatened with extinction. In the interior of the mountains there is an extensive karst cave, with exotic stalactites and stalagmites. The visit includes the footprints of the dinosaurs and petrified remains of the colonial jungle.

The Royal Palace of Geguti
The ruins of the castle of Geguti are the secular architecture of medieval Georgia. The castle, which was destroyed by Turks in the 17th century, lies 7 km from Kutaisi in a former royal hunting lodge on the bank of the Rioni river. The Royal Palace of Geguti comprises several buildings from different centuries. In the beginning of the 8th century, a two-storey royal hunting lodge was built under King Archil. In the 10th century it became a part of the great palace building, which in the 12th and 13th century was transformed into a great castle and had a great political significance. Here the Council of State met, here explanted the King Giorgi III. in 1179 his daughter, Tamar to his co-regent.
Geguti Palace was a synthesis of eastern, partial Islamic, and Byzantine elements in Georgian art, showing a parallel to the "Golden Palace" in Constantinople.

Health resort Tskaltubo

Tskaltubo was the most famous resort in the Soviet Union. The sanatoriums are located in the green, where the visitors can be treated by the 33 to 35 degrees warm radon containing sources physical afflictions, above all vascular and joint sufferings, various female diseases as well as cardiac, circulatory and nervous diseases. According to a tradition, the warriors Tamar’s (12th-13th century) have already cultivated their wounds in the thermal springs.

Prometheus cave
Prometheus Cave, a dripstone cave in West Georgia is one of the largest in the world and has many underground rivers. It was discovered in 1984. It is at least 50,000 years old. The cave complex consists of 17 enormous underground halls, from which 5 are tourist destination. Temperature is always 14 C inside. The cave is rich with numerous formations and includes various types of stalactites, stalagmites, curtains, petrified waterfalls, cave pearls, underground rivers and lakes. There are even whole drip walls.
During the visit, visitors will walk 1.4 km on foot. At the end you can enjoy a 280-meter boat trip on the underground lake in the cave.
Prometheus cave is one of the most popular tourist caves, it meets all the needs of international tourism level.

The ancient city of Vani
Vani is an ancient city of Georgia. On a hill above Vani was a settlement that dates from the first millennium B.C. The archeological excavations of Vani have given rise to sensational finds. It became a complex of the Hellenistic temple town from the altars and temples, where the unique gold finds were discovered. The splendors of the finds are an excavated sculpture of a Bronze youthfulness, Tamada (the leader), and Nike, a great goddess.

 

Katskhi Column
 Katskhi column rises on a 40 meter high rock. The tiny monastery from the 10th century is considered a pillar of life. Via an iron ladder is possible to enter the church. The ensemble included a medieval church, three hermits and a wine cellar.
The monastery with its unusual architecture is a great tourist attraction for cultural and photography enthusiasts.

Mining town of Chiatura
Chiatura, located in narrow valley of the Kirila’s River, is a small industrial city of West Georgia. In the city, Manganese is mined. It is of great interest to the large number of cableways that were built in the Soviet Union and still serve as public transport. Touristic and even more adventurous is the ride with these cableways along the rock faces that connect the town center in the valley, the residential settlements on the rocks and numerous mining shafts. There are about 74 cableways, of which 26 are the main attractions of the city, which meet at the many cable car stations and offer the passengers beautiful views of the city.

Okatse canyon
Okatse Canyon is now a popular destination for tourists. It is located in the valley of the river Okatse. When you visit this narrow, deep gorge, never forget the wonder of the breathtaking landscape.
The river is 14 km long. The width of the ravine covers some places from 3-6 meters to 15-20 meters. The depth reaches up to 100 meters. Over the river Okatse there are some natural bridges. Canyon is rich in several waterfalls.
Large beech trees thrive on the bottom of the ravine. Even the valley is covered with scrub.