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Lodged neatly between Europe and Asia, the Republic of Georgia is without doubt the best country you’ve never visited. Oh, you have? Then you’ll agree with us about its staggering diversity. Bordering Armenia and Azerbaijan, in places it rises up, craggy, mountainous and forbidding, crowned with rock-top monasteries; elsewhere it’s hip, urban and happening (for which, look no further than the elegant, buzzing capital, Tbilisi). If you want sea and sun, head west for the coast, which has all the drama, beauty and nature of the Mediterranean; not for nothing is the beach resort of Batumi, with its made-to-stroll neoclassical old town, known as the “Pearl of the Black Sea”. And for a slice of almost overwhelming recent history, visit Gori, the hometown of Stalin, where the Stalin Museum preserves possessions of the Soviet leader, from clothing to a full-on presidential rail carriage — even his childhood home, a simple wooden affair reconstructed.

Reckon on a warm welcome wherever you go, from the mountains to the spectacular national parks

More than anything Georgia is a sensory experience — you might be moved to tears hearing a choir singing heart-rending polyphonic songs, millennia old, inside some isolated monastery, which smells of centuries of wax and incense. There is the culture of the supra feast, laid on by locals — visitors invariably welcome. It may be a spontaneous celebration or a more formal occasion. Either way, reckon on course after course of delicious national food (interspersed with toasts), from khachapuri (like a pizza, but oval, and topped with cheese and egg) to khinkali (broth-filled dumplings that burst when you bite them). If Georgian cuisine is delicious the drink is just as good; they love their tipples, and the wine culture is one of the very oldest in the world — 8,000 years, they estimate.

Reckon on a warm welcome wherever you go, from the Kazbegi mountains of the north to the spectacular national parks east and west — among these, Kolkheti is a stunner, watered by humidity drifting in off the Black Sea, and rich in migrating birds. In a nutshell, Georgia’s gorgeous. But don’t take our word for it — go see for yourself.

Main photo: Tbilisi old town (Getty Images)

In Georgia, the list of activities is as varied as the geography and the seasons, from wilderness hikes to wine-tasting, city escapades to snow fun — the ski resort of Gudauri is growing a particularly dedicated fanbase.

The capital Tbilisi* is the obvious place to start, exuding all the fin-de-siecle glamour of an art-nouveau city further west — say, Vienna or Budapest. It has romantic leafy boulevards to wander, a photogenic, snaking river edged with homes high on gorges. Expect old-town bars where the lights are low and nights are late, and hefty portions of dumplings and molten-cheese pies in cafes and restaurants adorned with folkloric art.

No trip to Georgia is complete without sampling its celebrated wine production

At the other extreme are the Caucasus Mountains*, where pastures swoop down mountainsides and cowbells clink, straight out of Switzerland. Rent a car; way north, towards Russia, Stepantsminda is the town to head for, an atmospheric place with a faraway frontier feel. One of the most stylish hotels in the land, Rooms Kazbegi is here, with a broad terrace overlooking dramatic peaks — just perfect for digital nomads to hole up in.

No trip to Georgia is complete without sampling its celebrated wine production — so make a date with the Kakheti region*, responsible for most of the nation’s output. Here the pleasures are the wine-tastings at every turn, and learning all about Qvevri, a wine-making tradition that’s on the Unesco intangible cultural heritage list. Vessels interred in the soil cool the grapes, ensuring a slow ferment and a singular aromatic taste. 

If time permits, don’t miss Vardzia, a breathtaking cave monastery in the south of the country. Or, for real back-to-nature pleasures, spend a few days in Georgia’s far east, where Vashlovani National Park, near the Azerbaijani border, qualifies as semi-desert. It lays on a geological feast: burping mud craters, deep karst caves and slopes where age-old churches and convents cling on for dear life. Put your best foot forward for the climb to the eerie fifth-century Khornabuji fortress, laid waste by invading Mongols in the 13th century.

Whatever your trip, Georgia has the place for it — luxury city piles where the food and cocktails are as delicious as the design, local chalets snow-covered in winter and perfect for ski parties, rural boutique bases serving home-made cooking, and budget digs nationwide.

Tbilisi has plenty of cool hotels, often designed to fit the shells of elegant old townhouses and apartment blocks. For a perfect example, explore Rooms Tbilisi*, a place with a look you might call industrial chic and a bar doing negronis as good as any you’d find in New York. 

Perhaps a well-priced chain property is more your bag? No problem — the big names are present and correct from the Hilton*, Sheraton* and Radisson Blu* properties in the holiday resort of Batumi, the palm-lined Black Sea town, to the Crowne Plaza in the spa town of Borjomi. 

Hikers and off-gridders will be in their element staying in remote mountain lodges that are simple, yet cosy and comfy after a day’s exertion, and the welcome is warm. The same applies to the unfussiest huts, where you’ll likely bed down in a hammock. Georgia also has a fine line of eco-camping sites nationwide. If friendly personal service is paramount, check in at one of the many mid-range family-run guesthouses.

As you might expect of a land dominated by farming, agri-tourism is healthy — in fact government plans are underway to make the nation one of the top destinations for it in the next decade. It’s already fairly established in the ethnically diverse southern region of Samtskhe-Javakheti. It’s popular with visitors as a centre for wine production and cheese-making (try the stringy, slightly creamy Tenili variety). And as well as Vardzia, the cave monastery mentioned above, camera-magnets hereabouts include the medieval Georgian fortress of Khertvisi, high up on a rocky outcrop, as well as Sapara Monastery, hidden in deep woods. Home to the 11th-century Sapa Church, it is a place of astonishing frescoes and carvings.

You could easily visit Georgia and spend a whole holiday exploring Tbilisi alone. Start with a leisurely gondola ride up to the vertiginous fortress from which the city spreads out, map-like, far below, with the Soviet-era suburbs beyond. There’s the landmark cathedral to nose around, crowned with its beacon-like gold dome, and the faces of painted saints in the arches of the Transfiguration Church. There’s also modernity everywhere you look — see the extraordinary millennial-skeletal Peace Bridge spanning the river, and the new opera house with its eye-catching facade of tubes. 

Want more urban pleasures? On a smaller scale, consider a visit to the southern town of Borjomi: a hydrothermal valley resort where the national soft drink of the same name bubbles up to the surface having percolated deep in the volcanic bowels of the Caucasus Mountains. Borjomi — naturally fizzy water — is bottled and sold nationwide, even internationally, and is considered an effective analgesic, whether you’re suffering from dehydration or liver trouble. Can’t make it to Borjomi? There are many springs, all with therapeutic properties, scattered across Georgia.

We’ve mentioned many sights, but Georgia is a place of captivating cultural traditions, too. Among them is the martial art of khridoli, which has its roots in the age-old need for Georgians to maintain their borders (history having shown repeatedly the invasive threats that lie beyond). There are training centres across the capital, and the sport, which evokes judo — with boxing, sword-fighting and wrestling thrown in for good measure — is extremely popular among young people. 

The dance of kartuli is similarly unmissable. It’s one of Georgia’s flamboyant national folk dances and is an essential element of the wedding ritual, performed by the bride and groom. Ask your hotel about stage versions, which depict beautifully the age-old courtship flutter between the couple, she drifting with the movements of a swan, he following with tiny pitter-patter steps.

Spring (April to June) is the best time to visit Georgia for the carpets of wildflowers that spring up around the remotest monasteries, and for the alfresco café culture in the cities. Autumn, too, if you want to hike the peaks, when the temperatures have lost their high-summer intensity. And winter — not only for skiing but also to enjoy Christmas, twice. That’s right. Georgians celebrate on December 25, but again on January 7, as that is when it falls on the Orthodox calendar.

Is Tbilisi safe for tourists?
While you might want to heed the FCDO’s advice and avoid travel in the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia — and also avoid all but essential travel to “areas immediately adjacent to the administrative boundary lines with Abkhazia and South Ossetia” — elsewhere Georgia is welcoming and safe. The capital is particularly laid-back and lovely. Just take the usual precautions you would in your home town or city and you’ll be fine.

How many days do I need in Georgia?
You could easily spend three months here and not tick off all its attractions and regions. To enjoy Tbilisi and, say, a nearby wine region (Kakheti) you’ll be fine with five days to a week. Add on a day or two and you can include the North Caucasus. Ideally allow a fortnight — that way you’ll be able to factor in monasteries tucked away down winding roads, which can take half a morning to reach off the main roads. 

How can I travel in Georgia?
In towns and cities you’ll be spoilt for choice — public transport includes taxis, buses and minibuses. Beyond that, car hire is the obvious choice — just remember that off the major highways and the beaten path, routes are winding and you may get stuck behind slow traffic. Note, too, that mountain roads can get blocked by snow in winter. Georgia has a perfectly decent rail network, too — but the best way to experience every beautiful second of your visit is to join an organised tour, so someone else does the driving while you watch the world go by.