Great Travel Experience from Doha to Georgia with Myholidays

-By Sunil Kandukuri

My family and I love to explore different cities and countries. This time, we chose Georgia to spend our holidays. We are settled in Doha, and I always look forward to spending some quality time with my family while away from the rush of this city. It was not certain earlier whether we were going to Georgia, but we decided to visit this beautiful city ahead of the Ramadan and Eid holidays. Travelling with kids and a wife is not an easy task; it requires meeting certain requirements. Whenever you plan a trip with family, it is important to make robust plans.

Booking tickets and hotels and finalising the itinerary are complex tasks. So, I decided to book a travel package online to avoid any such hassle and enjoy seamless journey. After doing all the research, I finalised Myholidays as my travel partner. I locked the deal on 7 days 6 nights holiday package to Georgia. My wife and I wanted to make it a grand holiday opportunity for our children. Along with Myholidays, all our requirements were met without hurdles.

Our package with Myholidays included a 6 night's stay in the hotel with breakfast, round-trip, airport transfer, and a English-speaking driver-cum-guide during the tours. Along with this, they provided water bottles during the excursions, customer support in case of any emergency, and travel insurance in the territory of Georgia. A few things that are not included in this package were flight tickets, lunch and dinner, and other expenses. I highly recommend Myholidays to book Georgia tour packages.

Now, you must be eager to know about our overall travel experience. Well, here I am, sharing my travel story with the itinerary.

Day 1. Arrival in Tbilisi, A City of Vibrant Culture & Warm Hospitality

Our exciting Georgia holiday started the moment we landed at Tbilisi Airport. We were taken to our hotel after a warm welcome at the airport. After freshening up, we had our lunch and explored the hotel area. We were tired after a three-hour flight, so we decided to rest and spend our day in a hotel room. After a while, my kids woke up, and we ordered some scrumptious food from the hotel’s cafe. We were having a great family time after so long. Spending quality time with family has always been my priority, but I miss it sometimes because of work. So, day 1 was all about resting and relaxing in the hotel room. We slept early, as we had to start the next day on an early note.

Day 2. Exciting City Tour of Old Tbilisi

We started the day early in the morning with an appetising breakfast. Got ready and headed for the Old Tbilisi city tour. At first, we visited Metekhi, a historic church in Tbilisi. It was built in the 13th century and is a great place to witness the history and architecture of ancient Tbilisi. After this, we took a walk on the Bridge of Peace. It symbolises the peace and unity that connects the old town with Rike Park. We spent some time here and then moved to our next location, The Clock Tower. It is one of a kind in the entire world; here, you can see that an angel comes out every hour to ring the bell with a hammer.

Visiting this place was a great experience, especially for my kids. They really got excited to see this wonder watch; honestly speaking, we got excited too. Moving on, we were all hungry, so we decided to walk towards Shardeni Street for a lovely lunch. After having lunch, we walked to explore the Shardeni Street market. Now it was time to lose my pocket, as the kids stopped by every shop to buy whatever they liked. My wife also bought some traditional home decor items. She also bought some handmade items for friends back in Doha. Later, we moved to our next destination, Narikala Fortress, Which is a prominent historical place and a must-visit tourist destination.

Whenever you plan to visit Georgia, you cannot miss visiting this place. While visiting, we stopped by and enjoyed the panoramic view of old Tbilisi city. We took a cable car to visit this fort and continued walking towards the statue of Mother of Georgia. It is known as a powerful symbol of Georgian national character. Holding a bowl of wine in one hand and a sword in the other, staring at this statue, I felt a sense of resilience and strength.

After visiting all these places, it was time to relax and rejuvenate. So, we decided to visit Abanotubani (The Bath District) to take Sulfur bath. Since it's a distinct part of Georgian traditional and historic wellness practices, I personally didn't want to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Bathing in sulfur water is known as balneotherapy, it is believed to have therapeutic benefits. I must tell you all that it was indeed a stress-relieving session for my wife and me. This place has public and private baths. We chose the private bath, and it was an excellent experience. After this relaxation session, we moved on towards our next destination, Tbilisi Botanical Garden.

This natural heritage site of Georgia is a biodiversity haven and a must-visit place along with your kids. It was a learning experience for me and my family, as we witnessed a diverse range of flora and other unique plants from other countries. At this botanical garden, there is a stunning waterfall that significantly elevates the overall beauty of this place. Believe me, my kids were not ready to leave this place; I literally had to convince them that the next place was a banger. Well, after having a mindful discussion, we drove to Mtatsminda Park. Thankfully, this park met my kids' expectations; it has an amusement park, funicular rides and ice-cream parlors. Since my kids are thrill lovers, they started with the roller coaster rider.

On the other hand, my wife and I were a little scared of this ride, but we had no option other than to accompany them. It was scary, but surprisingly, we all enjoyed the ride. After that, we relaxed, enjoyed ice cream, and walked around the park. The sun was going down, and it was time to end our day 2 after looking only at the Tbilisi TV tower in the park. We returned to our hotel, had our dinner and went straight to sleep. All in all, I can say that it was an exciting day for us.

Day 3. Gudauri, A Winter Paradise of Georgia

Our day 3 started with a scrumptious breakfast and an excitement to explore the nest destination. By the first half of the morning, we drove towards the winter paradise of Georgia, Gudauri. It's a renowned tourist spot to delve into snow activities and enjoy the pleasant weather with breathtaking views. Away from the hot climate of Doha, it was indeed a spectacular experience for us. We started our day by visiting the Ananuri Complex first, it's a former residence of the Aragvi Dukes that demonstrates the architectural history of the Aragvi region. The fortress beautifully overlooks the Zhinvali Dam, one of the main reservoirs of Georgia. Now, it was time to visit our prime destination, Gudauri Panorama, built in the 19th century; it's a circular balcony hanging off a 600-meter cliff that offers a gorgeous view of the Caucasus Mountain range. Since this place is near Gudauri Ski Resort, we head to enjoy some popular snow activities.

Watching my kids rolling on the snow was such a pleasurable moment for me and my wife. It was my long-awaited desire to go skiing and ice skating. While the children were busy playing with snow, I decided to fulfil my desire. Well, I am not a professional, so I took the help of a guide, and it went well. I must tell you, if you are staying in a hot weather climate, you will not agree to leave this place. This time, I also acted as a child and forced my wife to stay a bit longer. Unfortunately, we were running out of time, so we had to rush. After these adventures, we moved towards Kazbegi town and drove up to Gergeti Trinity Church. This beautiful church is located at an altitude of 2170m above sea level. After visiting this place, we decided to try some traditional Georgian food. We stopped by a local cafe and enjoyed a delicious meal. By evening, we returned to our hotel in Gudauri. We ended our day on a sweet note with some delicious Pelamushi (a grape pudding).

Day 4. Enjoyed a Free Day in Gudauri

In addition to our Gudauri trip, we had day 2 to explore other places Gudauri. However, we didn't opt for a vehicle service, we took the local taxi and decided to spend our day at Gudauri Ski Resort, as the first day was not enough for me and my kids. My wife and I decided to go paragliding, and the kids, on the other hand, went ice skating. After completing our individual activities, we decided to try snowmobiling. It was a magnificent experience to witness the mesmerising snowy landscapes. Undoubtedly, it was the million-dollar experience we ever had in our lives. We spent almost 5-6 hours in nature's lap and gathered as many memories as we could. We came back to our hotel, had our dinner and then fell asleep.

Day 5: Time to Visit the First Capital City of Georgia

As per our plan, on day five of our Georgia holiday, we hit the road after having our breakfast and moved towards the old capital city of Georgia. Mtskheta is the first capital city of Georgia before Tbilisi. We decided to start our day by visiting the 6th-century Jvari Monastery. This iconic monastery is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Trust me, visiting this monastery was the best decision; the architectural shape of this monastery didn’t change a bit, even though it is one of the oldest constructions. As it is situated on the mountain, you will have the opportunity to witness the beauty of the entire city.

As per my understanding, it is crucial to know the city's history. Whenever I travel with kids, I try my best to introduce them to the ancient history of a particular place. Jvari Monastery is the best place to learn about ancient Georgian history. After this, we moved to our next location, Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, which is officially recognised as the burial site of Christ’s robe. It was originally built in the 11th century and listed in the UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is one of the most respected pilgrimage sites in Georgia.

This place is also a coronation site for ancient Georgian kings. Well, after visiting all these historic and pilgrimage sites we had our lunch at Ornament Express. This beautiful cafe features outdoor seating and known for its delectable pizzas and pastas. We ordered apple strudel, cheesecake, French fries, Aglio e olio, and Khachapuri (Georgian Pizza). After satisfying our hunger, it was time to return to Tbilisi. As we were already full, we decided to skip dinner. However, we spent some quality time in the hotel’s garden area, shared our experiences and headed back to our room. We went for our beauty sleep, excited to visit the next destination.

Day 6: The Chronicles of Georgia

We started our day with a scrumptious breakfast in the hotel room and drove towards Kakheti. It is the primary wine production region of Georgia. This city is also popular for its breathtaking landscapes, ancient history and unique cultural experiences.

This city has various authentic vineyards and wineries, allowing tourists to experience the wine-making process. So, after entering this place, firstly, we headed to Bodbe Monastery, which is one of the significant religious and historical places in Georgia. This monastery is dedicated to Saint Nino; it is his last resting place. At this monastery, we got to see Saint Nino's Spring, which is believed to have healing properties. Due to this enchanting feature, no tourist should leave Georgia without visiting this place.

Surrounded by greenery, this city is decorated with colourful flower beds, and to the east, there is an observation deck with a beautiful view of the Alazani Valley. After a proper historical session, we decided to stop by to enjoy the stunning panoramic view. Now, we started moving towards our next location, which was the iconic Georgian city of love, Sighnaghi. This city was the romantic gateway for me and my wife. Pleasant weather and picturesque landscapes took us back to our honeymoon period. However, soon, we woke up to the reality that kids were fighting over chocolates. We settled them and lost again in the beauty of Sighnaghi. This city also has a unique history; it was the home to Georgia's famous painter Pirosmani, full of 18th and 19th-century architecture and has a Tuscan feel.

Visiting this place along with my family was such an experience that I cannot portray it in words. Here, we got a chance to climb the oldest Sighnaghi wall; it is five kilometers long and has 23 towers. After visiting all the prominent places, we decided to spend some time at the marketplace. I bought some local wine for my colleagues and friends. My wife bought some souvenirs and of course some authentic chocolates for kids. Since it was our last day, we rushed to our final destination, the Chronicles of Georgia, also popular as the "History Memorial of Georgia". This epic memorial is situated at Mount Keeni, near the Tbilisi Sea.

The monument consists of huge pillars that showcase the history of Georgian rules and the life of Jesus. You can witness the spectacular view of the countryside, which makes it a must-visit place. We clicked some photos and enjoyed the overall atmosphere. We returned to our hotel and started packing our stuff, as we had our flight the next morning. Apart from having dinner and going back to sleep, there was nothing else to do.

Day 7: Bid Goodbye to Georgia

Okay, so here we have reached the end day of this astonishing Georgia trip. It was a bittersweet feeling, and I was happy that the time was here to return home. On the other hand, there was a little sadness in everyone's eyes as we were about to leave such a beautiful and amazing city. We had our morning flight, so after waking up, we all got ready and headed to the breakfast corner. After a delightful breakfast, I thanked all the hotel staff who took good care of my family. Without their services, it wouldn’t have been possible to have had such a pleasant stay. It was quite an emotional moment for all of us.

After meeting and greeting each other, we drove back to the airport. I would like to thank the entire team of Myholidays, who planned this holiday so well. This trip was indeed a memorable trip for me. Before we end this travel story, here are some tips that you must know before travelling to Georgia.

Tips to Follow Before Planning a Trip to Georgia

Always book a holiday package from a renowned travel agency
Apply for your visa in advance to avoid sudden disturbances
Always choose Tbilisi as your primary location and book a hotel in the capital only
If you are travelling with family, it is better to plan your locations before and book your taxi in advance
Try to include the transportation in your travel package only
Before packing your bags, check the weather forecast and finish the packing accordingly
Keep extra clothes and essentials while travelling with kids
For everyday expenditures, it is recommended to convert your present currency to the Georgian currency