After breakfast, set off for the Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape, a UNESCO-listed site where ancient petroglyphs are carved into the rock, depicting boats, dancing figures and animals left behind by cultures that passed through the region over the millennia. From here, it’s a short drive to see Azerbaijan’s mud volcanoes up close, one of the highest concentration of such geological features found anywhere on Earth.
Back in the city, spend the afternoon wandering Baku’s walled Old City, taking in the Palace of the Shirvanshahs and the Maiden Tower from the outside, along with the Gosha Gala Gates, Governor’s Garden and the grand early-20th-century facades of the Baku City Executive Power Building, Ismailiyya Palace and the Palace of Happiness. From there, continue on foot through Fountains Square and down Nizami Street, Baku’s main pedestrian strip.
As the afternoon winds down, climb up to Highland Park for sweeping views back over the Old City and Caspian coastline, including a glimpse of the city’s famed Flame Towers – a fitting close to your first full day in Azerbaijan. Later, the evening is yours to enjoy at leisure.
Leave Baku behind this morning for the drive to Sheki, breaking up the journey with a stop in Shamakhi to visit the historic Juma Mosque, one of the oldest mosques in the Caucasus.
Continuing on, arrive in Sheki, a town tucked into the foothills of the Greater Caucasus and once a key stop along the Silk Road. Spend the afternoon exploring the Sheki Khans’ Palace, its interiors covered in intricate stained glass and murals, before wandering through the Sheki Caravanserai, a centuries-old trading post that once sheltered merchants and their goods.
As evening settles in, check into your hotel and take some time to unwind after a day on the road.
Travel time: Driving – approx. four hours
This morning’s drive takes you out of Azerbaijan and across the border into Georgia at Lagodekhi, where you’ll change vehicles and guides for the next leg of the journey.
Once in Georgia, you’re welcomed into a local family’s home for a traditional Georgian lunch, made using produce grown in their own garden. Stay on afterwards for a hands-on class in Georgian baking, learning to make traditional bread alongside churchkhela, a chewy, candle-shaped sweet made from grape juice and walnuts. From here, stop at a local winery for a cheese and wine tasting before continuing on to Sighnaghi.
Perched above the Alazani Valley with views stretching to the Greater Caucasus, this 18th-century town is where you’ll spend the night, with time to explore its cobbled streets and ancient walls at your own leisure.
Travel time: Driving – approx. four hours
Spend today exploring Kakheti, the region widely considered the birthplace of wine. Start in Telavi, the regional capital, with a sightseeing tour before wandering through the local farmers’ market, where stalls overflow with Georgian spices, seasonal produce and cheese.
Lunch is served in the nearby village of Kisiskhevi, followed by a visit to Tsinandali Estate, once home to the noble Chavchavadze family. Explore the manicured gardens and house museum, learning about the family’s role in shaping Georgia’s literary and winemaking traditions.
The day culminates in a visit to a traditional Georgian wine cellar, where wines are still made using the ancient qvevri method – a UNESCO-recognised technique involving clay vessels buried underground. Settle in for a tasting before returning to your hotel for a well-earned dinner.
Say goodbye to the vineyards of Kakheti this morning as you set off for Jvari Monastery, a 6th-century church perched high above the meeting point of the Aragvi and Mtkvari rivers, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in its own right.
From here, join the Georgian Military Highway, an historic route once used to connect Georgia with Russia across the Caucasus. Break the journey at Ananuri, a 17th-century fortress complex overlooking the turquoise waters of the Zhinvali Reservoir, before continuing to the Gudauri Viewpoint for sweeping views over the surrounding peaks.
The final stretch winds deeper into the Greater Caucasus until you arrive in Stepantsminda, a small mountain town that will be your base for the next two nights.
Travel time: Driving – approx. five hours
This morning, drive up through the valleys to Gergeti Trinity Church, perched at 2,170 metres with Mount Kazbegi rising behind it, one of the highest peaks in the Caucasus (weather permitting). This sanctuary’s remote location made it vital as a secure vault for Georgia’s most precious relics, including Saint Nino’s cross, during times of war.
Back down in the valley, spend the afternoon exploring the Dariali Gorge before settling in with a local family for lunch. Roll up your sleeves for a hands-on khinkali-making lesson, learning to fold Georgia’s answer to the dumpling before tucking into a plate of your own creations. Round out the visit with a look at traditional Georgian felt-making and a tasting of homemade jams.
Return to your hotel this evening, ready to rest up before tomorrow’s onward journey.
Travel time: Driving – approx. four hours
Leave the mountains behind this morning for the drive to Tbilisi, stopping along the way at Mtskheta, Georgia’s ancient capital with a history stretching back 3,000 years. Visit the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, an 11th-century UNESCO World Heritage Site said to house the Robe of Christ, one of the most significant pilgrimage sites in the Georgian Orthodox faith.
Later, arrive in Tbilisi and check into your hotel, then join a short orientation walk through the old town to get your bearings before you explore further tomorrow.
Round off the evening with dinner and a chance to sit back after a day spent tracing Georgia’s ancient roots.
Travel time: Driving – approx. 4.5 hours
Spend today exploring old Tbilisi on foot, starting at Metekhi Church for early views over the terraced rooftops and winding streets below. From here, wander through the old districts, where carved wooden balconies line narrow lanes climbing up toward Narikala Fortress.
Once at the top, take in panoramic views over the whole city before descending into the historic sulphur bath district, where Tbilisi’s origins as a settlement are said to trace back to the discovery of its hot springs. Round out the afternoon with a visit to the Tbilisi History Museum, filling in the gaps of Georgia’s story before dinner.
This evening, sit down to dinner at a local restaurant and unwing after tracing the layers of Georgia’s capital.
This morning is dedicated to Georgian brandy at the Sarajishvili Brandy Factory, home to a tradition dating back to the 19th century. Wander through the aging cellars, rows of oak barrels stretching into the dark, and learn how the brandy takes shape over years of careful maturation. The visit ends with a guided tasting, a chance to compare the depth and character built up over time.
Lunch follows at a local restaurant, before the rest of the day is left open. With Tbilisi’s old town, riverside walks and cafe culture all within easy reach, tonight is yours to spend however you like.
Cross the border into Armenia this morning at Sadakhlo, where you’ll change vehicles for the next stretch of the journey. In the Lori region, visit Haghpat Monastery, a medieval complex built between the 10th–13th centuries and recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its remarkable stonework.
Stop at the Nurik Center, a community initiative supporting women and people with disabilities in the region, then roll up your sleeves for a class making gata, a traditional Armenian sweet pastry passed down through generations. From here, continue north into the forested hills of Dilijan, a resort town nicknamed ‘Armenian Switzerland’ for its alpine scenery and long-standing pull for local artists, composers and filmmakers.
Settle in with lunch at a local restaurant, then spend the afternoon wandering streets lined with 19th-century buildings, browsing small museums, cafes and a ceramics workshop and woodcarver’s studio, before winding down for the evening in this quiet corner of Armenia.
Travel time: Driving – approx. 3.5 hours
After breakfast, head for Lake Sevan, one of the world’s largest high-altitude freshwater lakes. Ringed by mountains and stretching out toward the horizon, it’s worth taking some time by the shore before continuing on. Stop for lunch at a local restaurant, a chance to refuel before the second half of the day’s drive.
Continuing south, stop at Shaki Waterfall, formed over time as basalt lava solidified into the rocky ledge it now tumbles over near the town of Sisian.
From here, the drive carries on to Goris, a small town tucked into a valley in Armenia’s south, known for its distinctive rock formations and quiet, small-town pace. Settle in for the evening once you arrive, with the town’s cave dwellings and monastery waiting to be explored tomorrow.
Travel time: Driving – approx. four hours
Start the day with a walking tour through Goris, taking in the town’s layout before heading out to Old Khndzoresk, a cave settlement carved into the cliffs, where signs of past habitation are scattered throughout the valley.
From here, continue to Tatev Monastery, a 10th-century complex so remotely perched it’s often described as “built on the edge of nothing.” Getting there is half the experience: the journey is made aboard the world’s longest non-stop double-track cable car, gliding high above the Vorotan Gorge before delivering you to the monastery grounds.
Round out the day with lunch at a local restaurant, then take the afternoon at a slower pace before settling back in at your hotel for the evening.
Head out this morning to Noravank Monastery, a 13th-century monastery complex tucked into a narrow gorge, its churches built up over centuries and known for the intricate carvings and interior paintings that still line its walls.
From here, continue to Areni Wine Factory, one of the region’s oldest wineries, for a walk through the cellar where wine ages in massive oak casks. Stay on for a tasting of the winery’s traditional and fruit wines, then break for lunch at a local restaurant before the final stretch of the day.
The drive continues to Khor Virap Monastery, set against the backdrop of Mount Ararat and linked to Saint Gregory the Illuminator, whose imprisonment here preceded Armenia becoming the first nation to adopt Christianity as its state religion. Take some time to explore the grounds before continuing on to Yerevan, where you’ll spend the next two nights.
Travel time: Driving – approx. five hours
Begin your day at Republic Square, the architectural centrepiece of Yerevan, designed by Alexander Tamanian, before continuing to the Cascade Complex, an open-air museum of modern art that climbs the hillside in a series of giant stairways linking downtown to the residential heights above. At the top, the Mother Armenia monument keeps watch over Victory Park and the whole city spread out below. On a clear day, imposing Mount Ararat can be seen from the steps.
From here, visit the Opera House, a hub of the city’s cultural life, and Freedom Square just behind it, before heading out to the village of Garni to see its Hellenistic-era temple, built in the 1st century AD and one of the few surviving examples of its kind in the region. Continue to Geghard Monastery, part of which is carved directly into the mountainside. This UNESCO World Heritage-listed site offers a fascinating history of relics once said to be housed within its walls.
Head back to Yerevan this evening for a farewell dinner at a local restaurant, a fitting close to your journey through the Caucasus.
After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your departure flight, bringing your journey through Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia to a close.