Pirqulu
Pirqulu Pirguli is the kind of place where you'd expect to see the Bronte sisters taking an afternoon constitutional. It commands a windswept hilltop reminiscent of Yorkshire, and makes a decent base for winter sledding or short summer hikes. Pirqulu's one 'sight' is the extensive Pirqulu Observatory Complex 050 4855363 Miijviq donation appreciated S 9pm on clear nights Jun-Aug . The biggest of the observatory's domes is an impressively large structure resembling a gigantic nose-less Dalek...
Index
Abanotubani 53,10 Abashidze, Asian 89 Abkhazia 32, 39, 40, 85,86-9 Abjeron National Park259 Abjeron Peninsula 258-60, 258,9 accommodation 19, 309-11 Armenia 220 Azerbaijan 294 Georgia 122-3 Achara 88-94 activities 311-12, iff also bird-watching, caving, hiking, horse riding, mountaineering, skiing Armenia 220-1 Georgia 123-4 Adjara 88-94 Agarak 219 Agdam 301 Aghltu 213 the Builder Agri, MUff Ararat, Mt Agstafa 284 airtravel airlines 320 environmental issues 322 to from the Caucasus 319-22...
Naxivan City Centre
To ' orur 62km 'jodorok 7f'km Turkish border 7f.km To ' orur 62km 'jodorok 7f'km Turkish border 7f.km Sadlinskiy ku - 1f 21 H 11118 BektasikQ I Sadlinskiy ku - 1f 21 H 11118 BektasikQ I 12 k Q19 7i ' bazaar and k'azim Karabokir v Faia Moodue 7 if.m.V Hotel Xaval C f'km 7i ' bazaar and k'azim Karabokir v Faia Moodue 7 if.m.V Hotel Xaval C f'km Heydsr Qliyev Museum Hazrat Zohra mosque Musical comedy theatre Hotel Grand Nakhchivan Restaurant Tabriz Yemekxana Altay Istanbul To Otel Ukrayna i. iX'm...
Sleeping Cfy
Hotel Gugark 4 15 19 Hayk Hraparak r per person AMD3000-8000 This pre-war Soviet building on Hayk Hraparak has a few scruffy rooms and some renovated ones. It's not the nicest place around, but it's cheap and central, making this a good base for budget travellers. Natasha amp Lentrush's Guesthouse 4 63 43, 094914100 24 Michuryan Poghots per person AMD7000 A B amp B with four rooms in an elegant two-storey villa with a garden. The couple's daughter, Kristine, speaks English. To get there, head...
YEREVAN bPblTb
While it's the undeniable cultural, economic and political heart of the nation, Yerevan can at times feel like a city on permanent holiday. All summer long Yerevanites saunter up and down the main boulevards, preening in high fashion and fast cars while occasionally popping into a parkside caf to schmooze over a drink or two. It's the most laid-back capital in the Caucasus and it's easy to slide into a torpor for a day or two. The city has some lovely 19th-century Russian edifices in its...
Glossary
You may encounter some of the following words during your time in Georgia Geo , Armenia Arm and Azerbaijan Az . Some Russian Rus and Turkish Tur words have been widely adopted in the Caucasus. abour Arm - soup ajika Geo - chilli paste alaverdi Geo - person appointed by thetoastmasterat a supra to elaborate on the toast Amenaprkich Arm - All Saviours aptek apteka aptiaqi Az Rus amp Arm Geo -pharmacy Arakelots Arm - the Apostles ARF - Armenian Revolutionary Federation the Dashnaks asig ashug Az -...
KUTAISI oobo
331 international , j 231 domestic pop 180,000 Georgia's second city is one of the most ancient in the world. Capital at various times of several different kingdoms and groups of kingdoms within Georgia, Kutaisi has a rich and fascinating history, and much of this is Market 4 Mtsvane Kvavila Monastery 5 Palace-citadel6 Synagogue7 Synagogue8 Cafe Almano Cafe Exotica Delikatessen Europar-
Outside the Centre 1
Galust amp Anna Tormasyan Map p146 45 23 10 97 Burnazyan Poghots per person AMD5000 M A couple of blocks from Yerevan train station and Sasuntsi Davit metro , this two-storey village-style house has four bedrooms. Breakfast costs AMD 1000 extra. Rooms with bathrooms are more expensive. Anna Tormasyan speaks basic English and runs a friendly homestay. Guests can use the kitchen and washing machine. The place is about 80m down Burnazyan Poghots from the corner with Sasuntsi Davit Poghots walk...
Opera Square the Cascade Moscovyan Poghots
This section includes sights in the northern half of downtown. This leafy area is known for its fashion boutiques, upscale restaurants and outdoor caf s, which seem to cover every patch of available parkland. It also has its share of small museums clustered between the Opera House and the Cascade. A vast flight of stone steps and flower beds, the Cascade Kaskad Map pp 148-9 leads up to a monument commemorating the 50th anniversary of Soviet Armenia. It completes one end of Tumanyan's...
Tusheti
Tucked into Georgia's far northeast corner, with Chechnya to its north and Dagestan to its east, Tusheti is an increasingly popular summer hiking area but remains one of the country's remotest and most fascinating and pristine high-mountain regions. The road over the nerve-jangling 2900m Abano Tseri Pass was not built until 1978 Tusheti still has no public electricity supply, and evidence of its old animist religion is plentiful in the form of stone shrines known as khatis, decked with the...
Car Motorcycle 1
Driving in the Caucasus requires steely nerves and fast reactions, and for this reason most visitors avoid getting behind the wheel. It's easier and cheaper to hire a car and a driver accustomed to the rich and varied local traffic conditions. It's a common practice, and surprisingly economical, to take a taxi for intercity trips. The trip from Tbilisi to Yerevan, for example, costs around US 60, which can be shared between three or four people. Even main roads can have potholes, and a...
Lermontovis Qucha
Despite evidence of setdement in the area stretching back to the 4th century BC, Georgians prefer the legend that King Vakhtang Gorgasali of Kartli founded Tbilisi in the 5th century. The story runs that when the king was hunting, a pheasant fell into a hot sulphur spring and was conveniendy cooked for dinner. Another version has it that a wounded deer fell into the hot sulphur spring and was miraculously healed. Either way, Tbilisi takes its name from the Georgian tbili warm , and there seems...
Eating Cre
For great picnics buy hot bread isti rdk and chicken hvangi stuffed with nut paste from the unmarked window on the corner of H 91iyev kii and Mahammadhiiseyn kii . There are several simple eateries and convivial teahouses near the train station and around pedestrianised Qala Xiyabani kii , where LTM Grocery doner 70q S 9am-7pm has a fast-food window. Xan Lankaran 51699 Lavangi Bus Station kebabs AZN2 S8am-11pm El With wooden interior and thatched ceiling, this place is unexpectedly appealing...
Budget
Station Hostel Map pp240-1 main train station dm s tw AZN3.60 6 12 By far the cheapest beds in town are in dorms within the ugly, roach-infested concrete tower above the central train station. Sometimes foreigners are refused a place and you're likely to be lodging with an odd collection of petty traders and down-and-outs. There are also a few single and double rooms though these fill very fast. It's all very hit and miss. Enquire in Russian or Azeri at the window marked 'Istirahat Otaqlarinin...
Sleeping Eating Bts
Hotel Gladzdor 2 51 65 main sguare per person AMD3000 Just off the main square is this ageing and under-funded Soviet-era hotel with no sign. It has cold bucket baths when water is available and cramped rooms with lumpy beds. It's a bland experience, but there is nothing cheaper if you're on a tight budget. GohaKs Guest House 2 33 24 44 Spandaryan Poghots s d Ind breakfast AMD8000 15,000 A comfortable homestay with Gohar Gevorgyan, whose house is just past the football field. It's a good idea...
AROUND iSMAYILLI Qiz Qalasi
The idyllically situated Restaurant amp Pensionat Qiz Qalasi 050 6136490 small medium large cottages AZN50 80 100 offers a delightful accommodation alternative to staying in Ismayilli. Its bungalows are dotted tastefully through a wonderfully natural woodland, and most are very comfortable, though the cheapest versions are a big step down in quality, with very small bathrooms and are nearer to the throbbing generator. If you can ford the river impossible after rain , it's fun to scramble...
Ureki
The only genuine sandy beach on the Georgian coast is at Ureki, 15km south of Poti. Ureki's sand is black because it's rich in magnetic iron in Soviet times its medicinal properties saw three sanatoria built here. Today it's being developed as a small Western-standard resort, largely thanks to the investment of Georgian tycoon Badri Patarkatsishvili, so it's a good place to kick back for a day or two if this appeals to you. The coast and the resort are 1.5km off the Poti-Batumi highway and the...
Vani
The site of this ancient city is 40km southwest of Kutaisi. Though there's not much to see at the ruins, the modern museum here, all labelled in English as well as Georgian, has spectacular exhibits. The first excavations here took place in the 1890s, after locals had reported gold ornaments being washed down the hill after heavy rains. Vani 21602 admission 1.50 GEL Sl0am-4pm was one of the main centres of ancient Colchis, flourishing from the 8th century BC until it was razed to the ground in...
MEGHRI UfcirF
Strategic Meghri, Armenia's toehold on Iran, is worth exploring for its fine stone houses. The town sits deep in the rocky, lushly irrigated gorge of the Meghri River surrounded by sawtooth peaks. The postindependence borders left Meghri deeply isolated, and the local economy struggles by on remittances, farming and a bit of business from the highway to Iran. The border crossing is at the Araks bridge near Agarak population 3500 , 8km from Meghri, open all day. The Meghri fortress above the...
Qusar
Pleasant if unremarkable Qusar is Azerbaijan's Lezgin capital. There's a museum and impressive new Turkish-style mosque but the ruins of Qarabulaq offer its only really intriguing sight. Don't expect medieval history. Qarabulaq was a 21 st-century holiday retreat, designed with lots of brilliandy idiosyncratic Tolkein-esque twiddles, including concrete knights brandishing flame-throwing weapons. Then in 2005 authorities discovered that the location had been used as the lair for a brutal gang of...
St Ripsime Church Armenia Verisheen
Locals say the cave shelters and stables of Old Goris carved into the hillside on the east side of town were built and inhabited in the 5th century. Several trails lead up over a saddle where there are more volcanic pinnacle clusters to explore. Many of the rooms are linked together, and arched 'shelves' grace some walls. The caves are sometimes used to house catde - watch your step. The Museum of Axel Bakounts 2 29 66 41 Mesrop Mashtots Poghots admission AMD200 S 10am-5pm Tue-Sun is a typical...
Sleeping Qhd
There are no real hotels in Tusheti but plenty of guesthouses and homestays. The typical price is 50 GEL to 60 GEL per person, including three meals. It is best to head for places where you know there is a functioning guesthouse or homestay, and if possible make arrangements in advance. In Omalo, the Koroichi Guesthouse 898156728 is a substantial wood and concrete place near the electricity station at the top of Kvemo Lower Omalo. A new guesthouse was under construction in Zemo Upper Omalo, the...
Travel Agencies Fza
Good local agents can take the organisational hassle out of any kind of activity, from a city tour to a hiking expedition, and good guides can open your eyes to things you'd otherwise never know. A half-day Tbilisi city tour for up to five people with a good agency and a guide speaking English, German, French, Italian or Spanish costs around US 40 to US 70 per person. Day trips out of the city can cost from US 50 to US 120, while a four-day guided Caucasus trip with at least some hiking is...
Telavi 1
Guesthouse Nelly Hotel Alazani Valley Hotel Rcheuli Marani Nineli Zaridze Paata amp Tyna Shaverdashvili Tushishvili Guesthouse Telephone Office Tourism Information Centre building on the main square, with English-speaking staff and information on all Kakheti, including accommodation and winery listings.
SOUTH SSETIA bbco mbgcoo
Tensions and occasional outbreaks of violence in and around the borders of the separatist region of South Ossetia rose after the Saakashvili government came to power in Tbilisi in 2003. By 2007, if you did get through the various Georgian, Russian and Ossetian checkpoints around the border of South Ossetia, there was a good chance you would be hauled in for questioning and then expelled. No country recognises South Ossetia as an independent entity and the British and US governments were, at...
Sleeping Nzv
Hostel Goris 2 18 86, 093-287 902 jirmar28 freenet.am 55 Khorenatsi Poghots per person AMD7000 This hostel is run by the affable Jirayr Martirosyan, an accomplished artist. There are two rooms, one with three beds and one with a double bed that is suitable for couples. Rooms have TV and are pleasantly decorated. There is running hot water, good coffee and a filling breakfast. The hostel is well signed and right next to the utterly squalid Hotel Goris, which now acts primarily as a shelter for...
Mestia gb
336 international , 236 domestic pop 2500 The administrative capital of Svaneti, at an altitude of 1400m, is a conglomeration of at least 10 neighbourhoods, with old buildings and typical Svan towers mixed in among drabber Soviet-era structures. Mestia has no ATM, but many shops will change cash euros or US dollars. You can access the internet at the Training amp Consultation Centre Sgimieri internetfree S2-4pmMon-Fri . Most homestays can arrange guides and jeep transport. An experienced and...
Take A Walk
With its beautiful valleys and high, spectacular yet accessible mountains, the Caucasus is a walker's paradise. The main mountain range provides much of the best country. The peaks, valleys, passes and glaciers of Georgia's Svaneti p94 are the natural counterpart to the architectural drama of its ancient defensive towers. The Kazbegi area pi02 offers walks to glaciers and beautifully sited churches. Tusheti pl04 is a remote region of steep valleys, sharp black crags and dramatically perched...
NRAVANK bHrUHXTLrP
This church complex, by the 13th-century architect Momik, is a masterpiece both for its architecture and its dramatic setting. Noravank New Monastery was founded by Bishop Hovhannes in 1105, and was last restored in the 1990s. Climb the narrow stone The area around Areni and Arpi is riddled with hundreds of caves, some of which contain a kilometre or more of chambers. There are some accessible caves in the canyon that leads up to Noravank, including the Trchunneri Karayr Bird Cave , close to...
north of ijevan
North of Ijevan one road turns northwest at Azatamut through the captured Azeri enclaves of Upper and Lower Askipara now Verin Voskepar and Nerin Voskepar to Noyemberyan and the Georgian border. Another road turns right just before the border to Berd in Shamshadin district. There are still landmines along this frontier it's unwise to explore the shattered villages around here. Just past the turn-off to Noyemberyan there's a road 4km to Achajur village and onwards another 6.5km to the...
Tsinandali oo
This village, source of a famous white wine and site of the Chavchavadze family estate 250-71751 Telavi-Gurjaani Rd admission to gardens free, museum Wine tourism is something Georgia is striving to promote, especially after Russia, the main export market for Georgian wine, banned imports of it in 2006 Georgia lost US 40 million worth of wine exports that year . Organised winery visits and tastings in Kakheti are still in their infancy, but they will undoubtedly become part of the scene....
Vere Vake
El Depo Map pp48-9 Ghambashidze 10 khinkali 0.40-0.50 GEL S 24 hr One of the most central branches of the popular khinkali chain - a good place to enjoy this Georgian staple, with rustic wooden tables and other traditional decor. Does good lobio too. II Garage Map p56 877780090 Mtskheta 1 mains 10-17 GEL S noon-10pm Mon-Sat, closed Aug Sardinian chefs whip up yummy concoctions of fresh pasta at this minimalist haunt facing the so-called MrgvaniBaghi Circle Garden . Eat inside or surrounded by...
Sleeping Fok
Borjomi accommodation used to consist mainly of sanatoria of varying degrees of comfort, but there are now some comfortable hotels as well as copious homestays. Marina Zulmatashvili's Homestay 22323, 898184550 Shroma 2 per person ind breakfast 20 GEL One of the best homestays, with a welcoming family in a cosy house. Guests can use cooking facilities here. Son Giga and daughter Maia, usually here in the summer, speak perfect English. From the south side of the suspension bridge, go up the hill...
Sanatoriums
A great many Soviet sanatoriums were built in the days when an entire Ukrainian metallurgical plant would be bussed in for a week of regimented spa treatments, local feasts and compulsory toasts of druzhba narodov friendship of peoples, a central Soviet slogan of unity . Some were run by Soviet ministries as retreats for the upper echelons or for favoured artists and members of the writers, cinematographers and musicians unions. Almost any kind of mildly health-giving environmental factor could...
VISAS Fha
Citizens of EU countries, the USA, Canada, Japan, Israel, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Andorra, San Marino, Turkey, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, South Korea and CIS nations except Russia need no visa to visit Georgia for up to 90 days. If you're not from one of the above countries, you can get a visa from a Georgian embassy or consulate. Visas are also issued at the official road and air but not rail or sea entry points into Georgia. The standard fee...
Maps 1
The best commercially available map of Azerbaijan is a 1 500,000 topographic sheet Umumcografi Malumat Xaritasi sold in better Baku bookshops. It is fairly comprehensive, although not quite all roads are recendy updated. More detailed 1 100,000 maps exist but are considered 'secret'. Soviet-era versions available on the web tend to be hopelessly outdated and carrying them could get you into trouble. Any map showing Nagorno-Karabakh as an independent country might also be confiscated by police...
Odzun oano
Perched on a broad shelf which terminates at a sheer plunge down to the Debed, Odzun is a substantial settlement of about 6000 with a magnificent 7th-century church in the centre of the village. The unusual monument next to it is a memorial but locals say it has the power to inspire fertility - approach with caution. The sturdy church features magnificent arches outside the main entrance. The custodian turns up sooner or later to unlock the church. There's another church on the edge of the...
Skiing Snow Sports
There are three ski resorts in the region, with a fourth on the way. The skiing is nothing too challenging but facilities are improving, and skiing here certainly won't bankrupt you. The best-equipped resort is Gudauri in the Georgian high Caucasus, just a couple of hours' drive from Tbilisi. An added attraction here is heliskiing. Bakuriani pi 19 in the Lesser Caucasus is Georgia's 'family skiing' resort and especially popular. Tsaghkadzor pi89 , north of Yerevan, was once a training facility...
Lali Jalaghania S Guesthouse
The selection of hotels is poor, but a slew of homestays fills the gap. Gvetadze Homestay S 43007 Tbilisi 3rd Lane No 6 per person 10 GEL Suliko and Mediko Gvetadze provide a friendly welcome at their house, 700m east of Davit Aghmasheneblis moedani, in the third lane off Tbilisi. Meals are available at a modest extra charge, and the wine flows freely But the bathroom needs an overhaul and water is sometimes in short supply. The house is in the side street opposite Tbilisi 100. Giorgi's...
Public Transport
Yerevan has tonnes of public transport. There are no special passes and you pay as you go - but it's cheap, and it takes you right into the bustle of urban life. The cheapest are the city minibuses marshrutkas , renowned here and across the developing world as the worst drivers on the streets. There are hundreds of routes, shown by a number in the front window. They do stop at bus stops, but you can flag one down anywhere on the street. You pay AMD 100 when you leave. Ask to stop by saying...
Midrange
Ab eron Hotel Map pp240-1 4932056 www.hotel -absheron.com Pu kin kii 6th, 11th amp 13th fl tw ste AZN65 120, 9th, 12th amp 14th fl AZN80 120, 5th, 7th, 8th, BUSINESS IN BAKU INTERVIEW WITH AN ANONYMOUS EXPAT BUSINESSMAN So what's it like doing business in Baku You have to have connections here. Even then there's a constant procession of inspectors to check building standards, fire precautions, tax certificate and goodness knows what. Even if you've followed all the rules there's always a...
Kvesheti dSOOcoo
This village 40km beyond Ananuri is a good base for walks or horse rides. A 10km jeep track heads north up the Khada valley from Kvesheti, through a dramatic gorge and out into a more open valley with several small villages and many old stone towers. This was on the original main route across the Caucasus before the Georgian Military Highway was built. In a roadside apple orchard as you enter Kvesheti from the south, the welcoming Hotel Qvesheti 899114377 www.kvesheti.ge per person half board...
WALKING TOUR Tvl
This walk takes you through the heart of Tbilisi's New Town and the narrow streets of the Old Town, then across to the dramatically located left bank of the Mtkvari. Start outside Rustaveli metro station, one of the city's main hubs and home to the grotesquely large main branch of McDonald's. More interesting are the monument 1 to the national bard Shota Rustaveli and the pleas-andy Stalinist Academy of Sciences 2 Rustaveli 52 , with its landmark tower and spire. Walk along Rustaveli to soak up...
Marjanishvili Around
Ankara Map pp48-9 957281 Davit Aghmashenebell 128 mains 4-8 GEL S 8am-10pm A short stretch of this busy street looks like it has been transplanted from Turkey, with Turkish restaurants, Turkish businesses and even a Turkish hotel. The Ankara is a modern, clean, air-conditioned restaurant done out in pink and white, where you can get plenty of good salad and sweets as well as kebabs and other meaty dishes. MIUM Shemoikhede Genatsvale Map pp48-9 910005 Marjanishvili 5 2-course meal Ind drinks...
Kazbegi yibgao
This is most people's destination on the Georgian Military Highway a spectacularly located town just a few kilometres south of the Russian border, with the snowy peak of Mt Kazbek towering to the west, behind the famous hill-top silhouette of Tsminda Sameba Church pl02 . Kazbegi is the main town of Khevi, the region north of the Jvari Pass. Now officially named Stepantsminda, but still known as Kazbegi, this is a sleepy mountain town at about 1750m altitude, with mainly Soviet-era buildings....
JERMUK struma
This small resort town, 2080m above sea level on the upper Arpa River, was popular in the USSR as a vacation spot for mineral-water treatments and hot springs, some of them very hot. The landscape around Jermuk is very pretty, excellent for walks and hikes. The spa business gets most of its customers in the July and August holidays, and largely hibernates outside this season. Some of its sanatoriums have immersion pools and treatment areas. The spa attendants take their job seriously - in the...
Kutaisi
Market 4 Mtsvane Kvavila Monastery 5 Palace-citadel6 Synagogue7 Synagogue8 Cafe Almano Cafe Exotica Delikatessen Europar- apparent to visitors. The town is attractive and not without things to see and do, although most people come to Kutaisi to see the surrounding attractions. Modern Kutaisi is still struggling economically, however, and is noticeably less lively than Batumi or Tbilisi.
Music Dance
Live music is always close at hand in Georgia. Many homes have a piano and someone ready to play on request, and dinners are often extended by polyphonic singing round the table. Georgian three-voiced polyphonic folk music was mentioned by the Greek historian Xenophon as long ago as 400 BC. It used to accompany every aspect of daily life, and the songs have survived in various genres supruli songs for the table, the most famous being 'Mravalzhamier', which means 'Many Years' , mushuri working...
Sleeping Eating Gkc
There are a handful of B amp Bs in Agarak and Meghri, which can be booked through Aries Tours pl51 . At the time of research the Hotel Meghri was being refurbished - it's just 50m downhill from the square. Haer B amp B 4 30 54,093545 414 info bedandbreakfast .am 14 Karakert Poghots per person AMD5000 Marieta Azatyan runs this B amp B with two rooms with double beds in classic provincial style - satin duvet covers, carpets and wood-veneer furniture. The B amp B is located 900m from the town...
Marshrutka
Yerevan is the hub of the national network, and marshrutkas minivans leave from spots around the city, from a kerb to a minibus station to one of the main bus stations. For transport all over Armenia they're fast, reasonably efficient and not much more expensive than the buses. The following list is obviously subject to change but it should assist. Ask 'Vor tegh marshrut gnoom eh ' What is your destination . Drivers and helpers will often guide foreigners to the right van or put you in the...