Vardzia Travel Guide

Vardzia is situated in South-West part of Georgia. It's a great sight, one of the most spectacular in the whole of Georgia. A complete monastery, with hundreds of cells of monks as well as a chruch carved out of the rock of a mountain overlooking the Mtkvari river.

Vardzia was constructed in the 12-th century, during the reign of two Kings: George III and his daughter Qeen Tamara. In its heyday there were three thousand people living here. Today Vardzia is a complex of grand ruins. It consists of more than 600 rooms, connected with corridors.

Each dwelling place consists of three rooms. There exists also the room of Tamara but according to the legend, she had more than 366 rooms in order that the enemy couldn't know her real dwelling place.

Entrance to the complex isthree dollars / six lari. You buy a ticket at the booth near the river and walk up by yourself. There are a few monks still living in the monastery and they may accompany you during your visit; they don't speak Russian very well, let alone English or German. They do expect a small tip, though.

Since there is no shop here it is wise to bring your own food.