Culture of Georgia
On this nine-day tour of Georgia – (the country, not the US state) – we will be visiting the vibrant Jewish communities that have grown from the first settlers way back in the sixth century, BC. Find out about the Jewish population's persecution, as well as triumphs, as we travel through three cities and visit various synagogues & sites of Jewish Culture.
ITINERARY
DAY 1: WEDNESDAY 26 MAY
Evening arrival at Tbilisi International Airport and transfer to hotel.
DAY 2: THURSDAY 27 MAY
Breakfast at the hotel. Visit Tbilisi's Great Synagogue and the David Baazov Museum of History of the Jews of Georgia. Also meet members of the Jewish Georgian community.
DAY 3: FRIDAY 28 MAY
Following breakfast, we'll drive to the 17th-century Ananuri Fortress, which provides stunning views of Zhinvali Reservoir and the Caucasus Mountains. Afterwards we'll head to Mtskheta city, the former capital of Georgia, and visit Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, the history of which has a mystical connection to a 1st-century AD Georgian Jew. We'll also visit the remains of the ancient city of Armazi, where Jewish graves were found. Back in Tbilisi there will be optional Mincha, plus kosher dinner.
DAY 4: SATURDAY 29 MAY
Morning coffee, prayer and then breakfast near the synagogue. Then we'll take a walking tour of Tbilisi, visiting the historic sulfur baths, the old districts and Rustaveli Avenue, which is named after medieval Georgian poet Shota Rustaveli and stretches almost a mile through the centre of Tbilisi. Plus late lunch.
DAY 5: SUNDAY 30 MAY
Journey to Kutaisi via Gori, the birthplace of Stalin, and Uplistsikhe, a cave town along the renowned Silk Road. Once in Kutaisi, we'll visit Kutaisi Synagogue and meet with members of the local Jewish community. Spend the night in the spa town of Tskaltubo.
DAY 6: MONDAY 31 MAY
Enjoy views of the Caucasus Mountains and Shaori Reservoir on our drive to Oni, where we'll see the oldest synagogue in Georgia. Dinner will be back at the hotel in Kutaisi.
DAY 7: TUESDAY 1 JUNE
On to the seaside city of Batumi, where we'll visit Batumi Botanical Garden and then spend the night. En route to Batumi, we'll stop at Kulashi Synagogue.
DAY 8: WEDNESDAY 2 JUNE
After breakfast at the hotel we'll explore Batumi city, including trips to Batumi Synagogue, the Medea monument, an Italianate piazza and Batumi Boulevard park.
DAY 9: THURSDAY 3 JUNE
Departure transfer to airport.
Cost
The cost of this trip, excluding the flight, is £1,495 per person sharing a double or twin room. The single supplement is £495. This cost* includes all accommodation, all tours and transfers (plus a bottle of water each day pp), professional English-speaking guides, entrance fees to attractions, plus half-board meals and sandwiches on the road (food will be kosher when available or vegetarian with permissible fish options). Sum of £275 per person deposit is required to book places on this trip.
To those interested, as an add on we are looking to extend this trip by 2 nights from Monday 24th May 2021 to include a 2 night stay in the wine region of the country which is North East of Tbilisi. Costings to come. Please advise if interested.
The cost does not include: Flights to and from Georgia, visa, insurance, meals not mentioned in full itinerary, drinks at meals, personal expenses and gratuities.
If you are interested in joining this trip please fill in the booking form below or phone Marcel on 07712 290520. As this is a Jewish Renaissance trip it is limited to subscribers of the magazine. If you are not a subscriber and wish to join the trip, annual subscriptions start from just £23.99 https://www.jewishrenaissance.org.uk/.
*Please note that as this trip is planned so far in advance, there may be minor variations in the itinerary, but the dates will remain the same.
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