Caucasus Road Trip: Georgia and Armenia in 12 Days

Two small countries, a mountain range, some of the oldest wine and churches in the world, and the sort of driving that makes you grateful for a good handbrake. Twelve days is enough to cross the High Caucasus in Georgia, drink your way carefully through Kakheti and reach the cliff monasteries of Armenia, with a loop back to Tbilisi to return the car.

I have driven versions of this in three different seasons. It is one of the few trips where the car is genuinely the point. It is also one where the paperwork matters, so start with that before you get to the fun part. If Armenia is too much for your time or your nerves, there is a clearly labelled Georgia-only version further down.

Before you book: the car and the border

Hire the car in Tbilisi and return it there. Then ask one question before you pay anything: can I take this car into Armenia? Many local firms will allow it and many will not, and the large international desks often refuse outright. Get the answer in writing.

• Paperwork from the hire firm: a notarised letter of permission and the vehicle's registration document. Budget roughly £50 to £120 for the permission, and do not cross without it.
• At the Armenian side: buy the compulsory third-party insurance from the booths by the border, and pay any small vehicle or road fees. Allow around £40 to £60 in total at the time of writing, and carry cash in case the card machine is having a day off. Keep every receipt until you are back in Georgia.
• Licence: take your UK photocard and, ideally, an International Driving Permit from a UK post office. Check the current requirements on GOV.UK.
• The crossing itself: this route uses Sadakhlo on the Georgian side and Bagratashen on the Armenian side, the main road crossing. It is generally open round the clock. Passengers often walk through while the driver takes the car, so expect 45 to 90 minutes, longer on summer weekends.
• If the hire firm says no: return the car in Tbilisi, take a shared minibus or private transfer across (roughly 5 to 6 hours, £15 to £25 by minibus), and hire another car in Yerevan.

The 12-day route, day by day

Georgia: days 1 to 5

Do not collect the car on your first day. Tbilisi's traffic is impatient and its parking is a matter of opinion, and you can cover the old town on foot. Take it on the morning of day 2, then head north on the Georgian Military Highway. The road is well used by lorries bound for the Russian border, so leave early and overtake only where you can see a long way. The FCDO advises against travel to Russia, so turn around at Stepantsminda and leave that crossing to the lorries.

Above Stepantsminda, Gergeti Trinity Church takes about 90 minutes to two hours to reach on foot. It is steep but not technical, and a shared 4x4 will do it for around £15 to £25 if your knees have other ideas. Then swap altitude for vines in Kakheti. Sighnaghi is pretty and well aware of it, so stay for the evening when the day-trippers have gone. Tastings in family wineries run from about £5 to £15, usually including wine made in clay qvevri buried in the ground.

Armenia: days 6 to 11

The change at the border is immediate: rougher roads, tougher stone and more Soviet concrete. The Debed valley is where that stops mattering. Haghpat and Sanahin, two medieval monasteries on the plateau above an old mining town, are among the highlights of the trip. You will likely have much of them to yourself on a weekday.

Lake Sevan is big, cold and worth a stop rather than a stay, while Yerevan is the surprise, a pink-stone city of late-night cafés and wide pavements. Geghard, part cut into the rock, is the place to linger, and Garni's Greco-Roman temple is on the way. Noravank sits at the end of a red-walled gorge and is the best argument for this version of the route. Tatev is magnificent but about five hours from Yerevan each way, so skip it unless you add two days.

It is one of the few trips where the car is genuinely the point.

Road conditions: the honest version

• Georgia: main roads are generally good, driving style less so. Expect fast overtaking on blind bends, and livestock on the road anywhere. A long roadworks programme on the Military Highway can add time.
• Armenia: main routes vary from smooth to badly potholed, sometimes in the same 10 km. Stretches in the Debed valley are slow going, so cut your speed.
• Car type: a normal car handles the main route in dry weather, but you will be happier with a small SUV for ground clearance. Budget £35 to £70 a day depending on season and size.
• Rules: both countries drive on the right. Alcohol limits are lower than in the UK, so in wine country the only safe figure is zero. Avoid driving after dark, when unlit roads, animals and lorries combine badly.
• Fuel and navigation: fuel is cheaper than at home, roughly 90p to £1 a litre. Download offline maps, because signal drops in the gorges.

10 days in Georgia only: the shorter version

This skips the border and the paperwork, and gains the cave city at Vardzia and the Kutaisi monasteries. Budget about the same per day.

Want Svaneti and the towers of Mestia? Add at least three days. Mestia is around 4.5 hours from Kutaisi, and it deserves more than a dash.

When to go and what it costs

Autumn is a strong season. From mid-September to mid-October the grape harvest, rtveli, is under way in Kakheti, Armenia's heat has eased and the mountains are clear and turning gold. June is lovely too, while July and August are hot in Yerevan and Tbilisi. Snow can close the Jvari Pass from late autumn into spring, so do not attempt the northern leg in winter without checking daily.

Allow roughly £110 to £160 a day for two, covering the car, fuel, a guesthouse or small hotel (around £30 to £70 a night), meals and entry fees, plus flights of about £200 to £400 with a stop. Keep some lari and dram in cash for rural guesthouses and border booths. Rearrange it all on the route template. Our guide to documents to check before you fly and our notes on avoiding tourist traps will help with the rest.