10 historic sites
Castles in Georgia
Perched where Europe meets the Caucasus, Georgia is home to some of the most dramatic medieval fortresses on earth — towering cliff-edge castles, ancient walled monasteries, and hilltop strongholds that guard the legendary Georgian Military Highway through the mountains.
georgia · Tbilisi, Old Town, Sololaki ridge above the Mtkvari River
Narikala Fortress
Tbilisi's 1,600-year-old hilltop citadel — Persia built it, Arab caliphs expanded it, and a Georgian king made it invincible, while a 20-metre aluminium woman stands watch
georgia · Mtskheta-Mtianeti
Ananuri Fortress
A medieval fortress complex reflected in a turquoise reservoir in the shadow of the Great Caucasus
georgia · Samtskhe-Javakheti, Akhaltsikhe
Rabati Castle
The mosque built to look like Hagia Sophia — using Georgian Orthodox church construction methods — that later became a Russian Orthodox church
georgia · Kakheti, Georgia
Sighnaghi Fortress
The City of Love — Sighnaghi's 18th-century wall circuit encloses a living hilltop town above the Alazani Valley, with 23 towers and one of the most photographed Caucasian panoramas in Georgia
georgia · Kakheti, Georgia
Gremi Citadel
The royal citadel-church of the Kingdom of Kakheti — built in 1565 by King Levan above the Alazani Valley as the capital of a Georgian wine kingdom that would be destroyed by the Persians a century later
georgia · Adjara Autonomous Republic — Adjara, Tsikhistsikhe, near Tsikhisdziri, Black Sea coast
Petra Fortress
A Justinianic Byzantine fortress on the Black Sea coast — one of the largest late-antique fortifications in the Caucasus, perched on a cliff above the contested Colchian shoreline
georgia · Kakheti, Georgia
Batonis Tsikhe
The last royal palace of the Kakhetian kings — Batonis Tsikhe in central Telavi replaced the destroyed Gremi Citadel as the royal seat in the 17th century, housing King Heraclius II until the Russian annexation of Georgia in 1801
georgia · Samtskhe-Javakheti, Georgia
Khertvisi Fortress
One of Georgia's oldest documented fortresses — Khertvisi has guarded the Mktvari-Paravani river confluence since 914 CE, surviving Mongols, Timur, and Ottomans on its unscalable rocky promontory
georgia · Tbilisi
Azeula Fortress
A Tbilisi hilltop fortress combined with Georgia's largest cathedral and a towering Soviet-era monument — the Azeula day tour covers the military, spiritual, and monumental layers of Georgian history in a single 6.5-hour excursion from the capital
georgia · Kakheti, Georgia
Ujarma Fortress
The ancient royal fortress where St. Nino is said to have preached and King Mirian III converted Georgia to Christianity — Ujarma's 4th-century roots make it one of the earliest royal residences in the Caucasus