19 Reasons to Visit Georgia in Spring: Wildflowers & Wine (original) (raw)

From wading through wildflower meadows and observing fascinating Orthodox Easter traditions to drinking new season wine and eating special dishes, spring is a blooming good time to visit Georgia.

In Georgia, the months of March, April and May are filled with special festivities, spring traditions and pre-summer rituals.

The whole country has an upbeat post-winter feel – it’s hard not to be happy when the cherry blossoms are blooming and the church bells are ringing.

A woman admires pink blossom flowers in Batumi, Georgia.

Enjoying the first signs of spring in Batumi.

Yes, the weather can be wet and unpredictable, and there are a few sacrifices you’ll have to make. Heavy spring rain and snow melt can lead to swollen rivers and landslides in the mountains, making some routes even more treacherous. Even if the roads open early, I highly recommend you save places such as Tusheti and Khevsureti for summer.

In my opinion, the pros of visiting Georgia in spring outweigh the cons. Areas that become crowded during summer are still nice and quiet in spring, there are wonderful Easter traditions on show, and the markets are overflowing with vibrant fruit, veg and new season wines.

Here are 19 good reasons to visit Georgia in spring plus a few travel tips.

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Which month is best for visiting Georgia in spring?

When it comes to the weather, spring is a bit of a mixed bag. Temperatures and conditions vary dramatically from the cities to the mountains and the coast.

March in Georgia

March is a transition month in Georgia and the weather is always a bit taciturn. Generally speaking, temperatures sit at around 7-12 degrees Celsius in Tbilisi, Batumi, Kutaisi and the lowlands, while the mountain regions are still frosty.

Snowfall remains steady at the ski resorts throughout March, making this one of the best months for skiing and snowboarding in Georgia. Some high mountain areas including Tusheti, Khevsureti and potentially Upper Adjara are inaccessible.

March snow in Tbilisi and Kutaisi is not unheard of! Or it might be sunny and warm – it really is difficult to predict.

April in Georgia

April is the definitive start of spring in Georgia. Days are noticeably warmer – the mercury rises above 10 degrees Celsius in Tbilisi and stays there – while nights are still brisk. Cherry and magnolia trees start to bloom in the cities and beyond.

Kutaisi, Batumi and the west of the country are a little warmer still (up to 20 degrees), but always a little rainy. Heavy showers and storms are common in Tbilisi, too.

May in Georgia

By May, temperatures reach the mid-20s in Kutaisi and Tbilisi. Hiking trails start to become available at lower elevations, and by late May or early June, the road to Tusheti opens.

May is traditionally the wettest month of the year in Georgia, so you should always be prepared for rain.

National Holidays & key dates in Georgia in spring (2024)

For a full breakdown of cultural events and religious holidays in Georgia, see my Georgia Calendar.

19 special things to do in spring in Georgia

Georgia throws off her winter coat, a whole host of special activities and events to welcome spring. Here are a few of my favourite things to see and do.

1. Bask in cherry, peach & magnolia blossoms

Pink spring flowers in front of a statue in Batumi, Georgia.

Spring blossoms in the centre of Batumi.

Georgia might not be the first country that comes to mind when you think of cherry blossoms, but there is a surprisingly large number of cherry trees (plus peach and almond blossoms, and beautiful magnolias) here.

Tbilisi’s parks are festooned with white and pink blossoms in spring. The big tree outside Cafe Leila in the Old Town is an icon and a personal favourite of mine.

Other places to see the blossoms in Tbilisi include:

The most famous blossom tree in Georgia is located in Kutaisi, at the end of the Red Bridge outside the aptly named Hotel Magnolia. It’s said that spring has not truly sprung in Georgia until this tree shows off its bountiful blossoms!

A magnolia tree frames the Rioni River and houses in Kutaisi.

Pink magnolia blossoms in Kutaisi.

You can also see tons of blossoms in Batumi, including in the small park outside the theatre (pictured above, with the statue of Ilia Chavchavadze).

Wisteria trees bloom all over Georgia, too – including inside the National Botanical Garden in Tbilisi (check out these gorgeous photos taken in spring 2024) and in Kutaisi city.

Close up of purple wisteria flowers in Kutaisi, Georgia.

Purple wisteria flowers dangling from an apartment building in Kutaisi, Georgia.

The two photos above were taken near my local hardware shop in Kutaisi! Wisteria blooms a little later than the peach, cherry and magnolia trees – towards the middle of spring.

2. Go searching for wildflowers

Fields of wild poppies in Marneuli, Georgia.

Wild poppies in Marneuli south of Tbilisi.

The Caucasus region is a biodiversity hotspot, with more than 1,600 endemic plants – including many that flower. Certain parts of Georgia are synonymous with wildflowers, and in spring you can see gorgeous colours in several areas.

Popular wildflower spots include:

Other areas at higher altitudes come into bloom a bit later. Svaneti’s flowery meadows and the incredible wildflowers in the Didgori Valley, for example, blossom from June onwards.

Wildflowers can be found on the high-altitude Javakheti Plateau all through the summer months. Find more places to see wildflowers in Georgia in my guide.

Though they are not wildflowers, the peach and almond blossoms in Kakheti are also very beautiful. There are a lot of fruit orchards around Gurjaani, particularly in the village of Chumlaki, and for almond blossoms you can visit the regenerative farm in Udabno.

Peach blossom trees in Gurjaani, Georgia.

Close up of a pink peach blossom in Kakheti, Georgia.

The best time to visit Kakheti for the blossoms is in the final days of March. I took the two photos above in the second week of April, as the last flowers of the season were falling.

3. Visit David Gareja & Vashlovani National Park

Craggy peaks and colours in Vashlovani National Park.

Vashlovani National Park is one of the best places to visit in Georgia in spring.

The arid semi-deserts south and south-east of Tbilisi are among Georgia’s most unique landscapes. Especially in contrast to the fertile Alazani River Valley and the high peaks of the Greater Caucasus, which are not all that far away!

April/May is the ideal window to visit this part of the country as the open, barren land is not yet too hot (temperatures soar in summer, making it very hard going).

One of the best day trips from Tbilisi in spring is to David Gareja cave monastery and the rainbow hills of Udabno. Some parts of the monastery are closed, so make sure you read up first on what to expect.

For a multi-day overlanding adventure, Vashlovani National Park – with its dramatic gorges and mud volcanoes – is a perfect choice for spring.

4. Catch the end of the ski season in Gudauri or Bakuriani

The Kobi Gudauri cable car runs through a mountain valley beneath Mount Kazbek in Gudauri, Georgia.

Mount Kazbek, viewed from the Kobi-Gudauri Cable Car.

Georgia’s winter sports season lasts until mid-April most years, with March being one of the best months overall for skiing and snowboarding.

Sometimes winter arrives late (as it did in 2022/23) and there wasn’t much snow until February. In early spring, there’s a higher chance of good snow coverage and more runs being open.

Popular ski resorts Bakuriani and Gudauri stay open through to April, while the slopes in Svaneti and Upper Adjara – which are even higher – might even keep welcoming guests into early May.

If you find yourself in Gudauri, be sure to ride the Kobi-Gudauri Cable Car for majestic views of Mount Kazbek (fingers crossed for clear blue spring skies!).

5. Hike in Borjomi, Lagodekhi or Kazbegi, a must-do in spring in Georgia

Gergeti Trinity Church viewed from behind a grassy hill in spring in Kazbegi.

Gergeti Trinity Church in spring.

While the high mountain regions of Tusheti and Khevsureti remain closed off in spring, there are plenty of hiking opportunities in the lowlands.

One of the best things about visiting Tbilisi in spring is that the landscapes around the city are verdantly green. By late June, everything is already parched and grey.

Hiking trails in Svaneti and Racha don’t open until June (or the last week of May at the very earliest), but trekking should be available in the Juta Valley and Truso Valley near Kazbegi from the middle of May onwards. For Tusheti, you will have to wait until the end of June or start of July.

I once did the Gergeti Trinity Church hike in April – it was a little brown, but the cooler weather made it very enjoyable.

Two more national parks – Borjomi-Kharagauli in Southern Georgia and Lagodekhi in Kakheti – are particularly well-suited to spring hiking. Borjomi is all pine forest, while Lagodekhi is a subtropical rainforest with cascading waterfalls and beautiful rivers. It’s best to visit the latter from April onwards when the water levels recede.

In spring you can enjoy most of these day hikes around Tbilisi, with Rkoni (near Gori) and Birtvisi Canyon in Kvemo Kartli being particularly perfect.

6. Lounge in an open-air hot spring

A woman sits in a sulfur pool in Vani, Georgia.

Vani sulfur pool.

Spring is the ideal time to visit Georgia’s natural hot springs and open-air mineral water pools. There are dozens of them across the country, ranging from icy cold to scalding hot. Nothing beats a steamy sulfur bath session on a cool spring evening.

Beyond the famous Tbilisi Sulfur Baths, you can find natural pools tucked away in the mountains and forests, and even unusual sulfur ponds in the middle of farmers’ fields.

My favourites include the sulfur spring near Vani and the cascading sulfur waterfall at Nokalakevi – both of which are easy to reach on a day trip from Kutaisi.

7. Visit the Batumi Botanical Garden

A man stands on a green tree bridge inside Batumi Botnical Garden.

Batumi Botanical Garden in May.

Speaking of easy hiking trails… Batumi’s Botanical Garden – one of the oldest and largest in the region – is a must-do in spring. You’ll find the walking paths and easy forested trails are much quieter compared to summer. Flowers are blooming, and beekeepers are tending their hives.

Batumi is normally quite rainy during the spring months, but the weather does stabilise a bit towards the end of the season as summer approaches. The city is much more pleasant outside of the high season when the population swells with summer tourists – and by May, it might even be warm enough to swim.

If you’re in the area, also consider a visit to the Dendrological Park in Shekvetili, which is similarly lovely in spring.

8. Bird watch in Javakheti or Kolkheti

A man looks through a telescope while birdwatching in Georgia's Javakheti region.

Birdwatching in Javakheti.

The months of April and May are prime birdwatching time in Georgia, when many ornithologists flock to the country to observe endemic and migratory birds.

The ‘big five’ for birders are the Caucasian snowcock, Caucasian black grouse, Caucasian chiffchaff, great rosefinch and Güldenstädt’s redstart – but there are dozens of species that nest in Georgia, from choughs to larks, bearded vultures to golden eagles, ad even peregrine falcons.

Believe it or not, Georgia even has flamingos!

A favourite spot for birdwatching is the sparkling Javakheti Protected Areas, where sparkling lakes are framed by the peaks of dormant volcanoes. Up to 140 species of birds can be observed here, starting from April. If you’re in the area, stop by the unique Doukhobor village of Gorelovka, where turquoise houses painted with floral motifs are spring incarnate.

Kolkheti National Park on the Black Sea Coast, with its winding waterways and incredible wetlands, is also a top choice. Even if you’re not interested in birds per se, cruising this Amazon-like landscape in a powerboat – Georgian style – is a truly unique experience.

9. Attend midnight Liturgy for Orthodox Easter & observe other Easter traditions

A woman lights a candle at Svetitskhoveli Cathedral.

Lighting candles in Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in Mtskheta.

Spring in Georgia revolves around Orthodox Easter, which is by far the most significant religious holiday of the year. Unlike Christmas and New Year which is always a riot of parties and fireworks, Easter is a family oriented event and is much more subdued.

Easter falls a week or so later than on the Roman Catholic calendar. Red Friday, Holy Saturday, Easter Sunday and Bright Monday are all public holidays in Georgia, and some smaller restaurants and shops – plus museums – are closed.

The best way for outsiders to get involved in the festivities is by joining the midnight mass, which starts from around 11pm on the Saturday evening and goes until the early hours of Easter Sunday morning. You can hear resplendent chanting and take part in the ritual of walking around the church three times. Sameba Cathedral in Tbilisi hosts the biggest event, but every church in the country holds mass so you can join from anywhere.

There are other Orthodox traditions that you can observe in Tbilisi and around Georgia. On Palm Sunday (Bzoba), look out for sprigs of boxwood being sold on the street. Traditionally people buy these fronds (sometimes sold in little woven baskets) and take them to be blessed by the priest before displaying them at home for Easter.

Sprigs of boxwood sold in little woven baskets for Easter on the streets of Tbilisi, Georgia.

Palm Sunday in Tbilisi.

In the weeks before Easter, look out for paska, a dense and dry fruit cake, being sold at bakeries. Another tradition is dying eggs red with madder root and displaying them at home with green wheatgrass.

Red eggs for sale at a local market in Kutaisi, Georgia at Easter time.

Plates of wheatgrass sold at the bazaar in Kutaisi ahead of Orthodox Easter celebrations.

You will see these items sold on the streets and in markets all over Tbilisi and beyond.

10. Watch the Berikaoba parade in Kakheti

A mosaic in Tbilisi depicts the springtime Berikaoba ritual.

This Soviet-era mosaic in Tbilisi is inspired by the Berikaoba parade.

Once celebrated across the country, Berikaoba is still observed in a couple of villages in Kakheti region, with the biggest and most colourful events in Didi Chailuri, 65 kilometres east of Tbilisi. The festival has pagan/pre/para-Christian roots and is marked at the beginning of spring to symbolise abundance, rebirth and fertility.

Berikaoba has some similarities to the Surva Festival in Bulgaria. For the one-day celebration, townsfolk don elaborate costumes and menacing masks and parade down the village’s main street. Chidaoba wrestling matches, feasting and folk music are also part of the fun.

In Tbilisi, there’s a statue dedicated to Berikaoba near the Clock Tower and Baratashvili Bridge, and a Soviet-era mosaic that depicts the festival.

The dates for Berikaoba change every year. In 2024, Berikaoba falls on March 17.

11. Join the scrum at Lelo Burti in Guria

A crowd of people gathered for the Lelo Burti festival in Georgia on Orthodox Sunday.

Lelo Burti.

Lelo Burti is an incredible spectacle – and it only takes place one day a year on Orthodox Easter Sunday in one village, Shukhuti in Guria, around an hour’s drive west of Kutaisi.

Lelo Burti is a full-contact, rugby-like sport that sees two villages, Zemo and Kvemo Shukhuti, go head to head. They use a 15 kg ball made from sand and dirt soaked in wine. The aim of the game is to carry said ball 500 metres over to the rival village’s stream. Whoever crosses first is declared the winner and that village holds the trophy for the next year.

Live music, food, and a market with local produce are also staged as part of the celebrations. I attended Lelo Burti in 2022 and made a video about it – you can watch the short film here.

While you’re in lovely Guria region, be sure to stay a few extra days and explore the tea fields, which are popping green in spring.

12. Celebrate Gviriloba in Kutaisi

A group of children playing traditional folk music and dancing on a stage at the Kutaisoba Festival.

A folk music performance at the Kutaisoba Festival.

Special ‘day of’ festivals are held across Georgia throughout the warmer months for different cities, towns and villages. The first major festival of the year, Gviriloba AKA Kutaisoba, takes place in Kutaisi every year on May 2.

Gviriloba celebrates all things Kutaisi, with live music and pop-up markets showcasing Imeretian wine, food and local handicrafts. It normally takes place in the city centre.

A pot of chamomile flowers on the street in Kutaisi, Georgia.

The Kutaisoba Festival, a street festival with flag decorations and market stalls in Kutaisi, Georgia.

This tradition goes back to the beginning of the 20th century when Kutaisi schoolgirls sold chamomile (gvirila) flowers on the streets to raise money for the tuberculosis hospital.

The flower is a symbol of the city (notice how it’s painted on the zebra crossings?). That’s why you’ll see many festival goers with white flowers pinned in their hair and girls dressed in retro school uniforms handing out little bunches of flowers.

13. Sip vino at the Zero Compromise natural wine festival in Tbilisi

Bottles of Georgian wine on a table at a vineyard in Kakheti.

Georgian wine.

When spring arrives, winemakers crack open last year’s clay qvevri for the first taste of the previous harvest.

It’s an auspicious time of year in Kakheti, where the majority of Georgia’s vineyards are located. A few Kakheti wineries, including TEMI, offer qvevri opening experiences and allow you to taste wine directly from the clay vessel.

In the vineyards, you can see the grape vines starting to bud.

Grape vineyard in Kakheti, Georgia in spring.

The first buds on a Georgian grape vine in Kakheti, Georgia.

Zero Compromise is one of several wine festivals that takes place in Tbilisi every spring. This year, dozens of winemakers – all members of the Natural Wine Association – will gather at Artarea on May 9 and 10 to show off their latest wares.

It’s a big wine weekend, with the New Wine Festival held on May 11, and the inaugural Sherekilebi Wine Salon on May 12.

Find more information about buying tickets here on the 2024 Zero Compromise event Facebook Page.

14. Do a ‘first flush’ Georgian tea tasting

A woman pours Georgian tea from a glass teapot into cups on her farm in Guria region.

Tea tasting at Komli in Guria.

Not only is spring one of the best times of the year to drink Georgian wine (see the next item on this list), it’s also the time to try Georgian tea. Not that you needed an excuse for either!

Tea grows abundantly in Western Georgia. The first of three annual harvests happens around the middle of April, when the first buds of the year are plucked. Spring flush tea is naturally sweet and nutrient-dense, with a smooth and delicate taste.

Two excellent places for a tea tasting are at Komli in Guria and the Renegade Estate near Kutaisi. Both have tea plantations so you can observe the full bush-to-pot process before sampling the goods. If you can’t make it out west, request to try spring teas at the Bitadze Tea Shop and Museum in Tbilisi’s Sololaki neighbourhood.

15. Eat chakapuli, a special springtime stew

A dish of Georgian Chakapuli, a stew of lamb, green plum and tarragon.

Georgian chakapuli at a restaurant in Kakheti.

Several Georgian dishes are synonymous with springtime, but none is more important or beloved than chakapuli. This ambrosial stew is traditionally prepared with lamb and has a very unique flavour profile thanks to the addition of tarragon (lots and lots of tarragon). White wine and unripe, tart green plums are also in the mix. Essentially it’s springtime in a bowl.

Chakapuli is eaten almost everywhere, but it is closely associated with Kakheti in Eastern Georgia. These days you can order it any time – but if you happen to be in Georgia around Orthodox Easter, these are the best weeks of the year to try it.

Eat it in the wine region or (if you’re lucky enough to score an invite) in a family home. Otherwise your best bet is a restaurant in Tbilisi that specialises in Kakhetian fare, such as Kakhelebi on Beliashvili. Some places including Living Vino in Sololaki do a special vegetarian-friendly version with mushrooms.

16. Buy malina martskvi by the bucketload

Raspberry strawberries, a spring delicacy in Georgia.

The first strawberries of the season at the Green Bazaar in Kutaisi.

Malina martskvi or ‘raspberry strawberries’ are a spring phenomenon that everyone gets excited about. When these babies appear at the bazari market, you know the spring-summer fruit season is about to begin.

In Russian, ‘malina’ means raspberry and in Georgian, ‘martskhvi’ means strawberry. As the name suggests, these miniature strawberries are something of a hybrid (though not actually) – smaller and sweeter than regular berries. They are little flavour bombs.

You can usually find them in markets in Tbilisi and beyond from late April onwards. The going rate is around 3-5 GEL per kilo. They do spoil quickly, so you have to eat them fast (or if you can, freeze them for later).

17. Join the street festival in Tbilisi on Independence Day

Red and white streamers suspended above Parliament on Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi, with a crowd gathered to celebrate Georgia's Independence Day.

Independence Day celebrations in Tbilisi.

May 26 is Independence Day in Georgia and an official public holiday. It commemorates the adoption of the Act of Independence in 1918, which ushered in the short-lived Democratic Republic of Georgia.

Events are held around the country in commemoration. In Tbilisi, part of Rustaveli Avenue is closed off for a big food, wine and craft market, including live music and a fireworks display in the evening.

18. Mark Victory Day in Vake Park

Vake Park, a large green space with a WWII memorial and a commemorative fountain in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Vake Park on a misty spring morning in Tbilisi.

May 9 is a national holiday in Georgia, and in other countries that were formerly part of the Soviet Union. Victory Day commemorates the USSR’s victory over Nazi Germany in 1945.

While other countries mark Victory in Europe Day on May 8, in this part of the world the holiday falls a day later – the reason being that the German Instrument of Surrender was signed late in the evening, on May 9 Moscow time.

It’s estimated that more than 700,000 Georgians served in the Great Patriotic War – and more than half of them perished on the battlefield. Thus Victory Day is a sombre affair in Georgia.

There are WWII memorials scattered all over the country and on this day, people from the city/town/village will usually gather there to pay tribute to those who never returned home by laying flower wreaths.

The main Victory Day event is held in Tbilisi’s Vake Park at the foot of the Great Patriotic War Memorial and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

19. Observe the incredible Tusheti Transhumance

A flock of sheep walks along a river surrounded by snow in Georgia's Kakheti region.

Sheep travelling through the lowlands of Kakheti.

The high mountain road to Tusheti is completely sealed off in winter and reopens every year at some point in late May, marking the official start of the season. Families who winter in the Alazani Valley return to their high-altitude villages, and shepherds lead their flocks back up to pasture.

As soon as the notorious Abano Pass is navigable, shepherds hit the trail, travelling by horseback with a caravan of dogs and horses and their huge flocks of sheep – which stretch out like a white ribbon along the steep mountain roads.

Known as the Tusheti Transhumance, this annual migration cycle is incredibly taxing and for those who are lucky enough to observe it, utterly beautiful. Some smaller tour companies and independent guides organise special transhumance experiences where tourists can observe the migration safely.

The road to Tusheti normally opens to traffic a few weeks later in June. Come October, families do it all again – only in reverse.

What to pack when you visit Georgia in spring

More spring travel tips

Spring can be unpredictable so you’ll definitely want to plan ahead and have a Plan B in case the weather doesn’t agree with your schedule.

Use yr.no to check the forecast, and if you’re driving around Georgia, stay updated about road closures or dangerous conditions using the Geo Road Facebook page (they also have a hotline).

If you suffer from allergies, be aware that there is often a lot of pollen and floral debris in the air towards the end of spring. This is true in Tbilisi and Kutaisi as both cities regularly experience gusting winds (Kutaisi especially).

Other seasonal guides for Georgia

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