13 Vardzia Cave City Tours to Build a Day Around

1.Day tour to Vardzia, Borjomi in Georgia

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 152 reviews · 12 hours (approx.) · from $43Our pick

Travel from Tbilisi to southern Georgia by air-conditioned minibus, with an English-speaking guide and stops at Vardzia cave city, Rabati Fortress, and Borjomi. The scenery and medieval sites are excellent, but the day can run 14 to 15 hours, and entrance fees, food, and occasional vehicle problems are extra.

“great experience !!!!!!!!! The tour is very goooood ! It shows best places of Georgia . You learn a lot !”

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2.BORJOMI, RABATI & VARDZIA – Group Tour from Kutaisi

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 76 reviews · 14 hours (approx.) · from $69

Travel from Kutaisi to Borjomi, Rabati Castle, and Vardzia with an English-speaking guide such as Saba, Lasha, or Giorgi. Taste mineral water at its source, explore a restored castle, and walk through a medieval cave monastery. The day lasts about 14 hours, with entrance fees paid separately.

“Great tour with amazing views, our tour guide George was Great!! Vardzia the highlight. Definitely rexommend it!!”

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3.Vardzia, Rabati, and Borjomi Ancient Georgia Group Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 74 reviews · 12 to 13 hours (approx.) · from $34Best value

Spend a full day exploring Vardzia’s cliffside caves, Rabati Castle’s mosque and church, and Borjomi’s mineral-water park. This small-group tour leaves Tbilisi at 7:00 am, includes an air-conditioned vehicle, WiFi, and a guide, and may be led by names such as Timur, David, or George. Entry fees and lunch cost extra.

“We joined the tour today, and unfortunately, it was a very disappointing experience. The tour was conducted in Russian, even though we specifically requested an English-speaking tour, so we could barely understand anything throughout the day. Additionally, the website stated that the tour lasts 12–13 hours (until around 11 PM), but it ended up taking much longer — which caused a serious issue for me since I have work in the evening. The food was cold and poorly organized, and overall the tour management was very unprofessional.”

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4.LEGENDARY PLACES OF GEORGIA: VARDZIA, BORJOMI, RABAT.( Group Tour)

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 58 reviews · 14 hours (approx.) · from $45

Spend a long day from Tbilisi visiting Borjomi’s mineral springs, Rabati Fortress, and the cliff-carved monastery of Vardzia. The group is capped at 15, with English offered, though bilingual Russian and English departures can affect the guiding. Guides may include Giorgi, Nino, Beso, or Roni.

“The trip is well planned with plenty of time to spend at each location. One point to highlight, they should clearly mention that there would be some hiking or steep stairs to climb at Vardzia. Rest everything was perfect.”

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5.Full Day Private Tour in Vardzia, Rabati and Borjomi with Guide

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 25 reviews · 9 to 10 hours (approx.) · from $175Top rated

Leave Tbilisi at 7:00 am for a private, guide-led day at Vardzia’s cave city, Rabati Castle, and Borjomi Central Park. You’ll have about two hours at Vardzia, one hour at each later stop, plus long road transfers. Chacha and churchkhela add a taste of Georgia, while entry fees and lunch cost extra.

“A long day out of Tbilisi to visit several interesting and varied cultural locations. Our guide, Edward, was outstanding; he provided us with a treasure trove of Information on everything Georgian.”

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6.BORJOMI, RABATI & VARDZIA – Group Tour From Tbilisi

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 16 reviews · 14 hours (approx.) · from $64

Travel in an air-conditioned vehicle from the Tbilisi area toward Borjomi, Rabati Castle, and Vardzia. An English-speaking driver-guide, including guides Saba and Giorgi on some departures, leads the day. Expect a long 14-hour outing, extra entrance fees, and possible shuttle arrangements connected with the Kutaisi meeting point.

“Nice place to visit but I’d avoid going with this travel agency for sure. Non competent driver/guid. We were about to have accidents 2 times. We were two couples in this tour, we were all stressed during the road because of bad driving. We are also not sure if the driver was actually a guid , he didn’t tell us facts/stories about each attraction we visited. It was a strange not to have a professional guide for this price. He allowed other tour sales persons to keep coming and try to upsell us some non sense trip within our trip (ex electric car tour and 4x4 tour ..etc) Of course…”

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7.Vardzia. Lake Paravani, Khertvisi & Lomisa castle, Rabati

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 12 reviews · 12 to 13 hours (approx.) · from $120

Travel from Tbilisi into southern Georgia with a private English-speaking guide such as Irakli or David. See high-altitude Lake Paravani, the cave monastery at Vardzia, Khertvisi Fortress, Atskuri’s qvevri beer maker, and Rabati Castle. Expect about 12 to 13 hours, four hours of driving each way, and admission fees paid separately.

“Had an amazing experience. David was a great guide who was knowledgeable and very friendly. The itinerary was well thought out and nothing was boring. Highly recommend”

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8.Vardzia – Rabati – Borjomi

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 9 reviews · 7 to 9 hours (approx.) · from $94

This private day trip from Tbilisi visits Borjomi Central Park, Rabati Castle, and Vardzia, Georgia’s famous cave city. Your English-speaking driver-guide handles the long mountain route, with hotel or airport pickup, WiFi in the air-conditioned vehicle, and complimentary Georgian wine. Guides named in past bookings include Paati, Romeo, Mamuka, Zurab, and Natalie.

“Our guide Natalie was very friendly and was on time. The drive to the different places was safe and we had a good time. Vardzia is amazingly beautiful and completely different tour destination. We enjoyed learning history in the Rabati castle. All in all we had a wonderful time.”

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9.Vardzia, Rabati Castle & Borjomi Tour with Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 8 reviews · 10 hours (approx.) · from $37

Leave Tbilisi at 7:00 a.m. for Borjomi’s mineral water park, Rabati Castle in Akhaltsikhe, and Vardzia’s cliff-carved monastery. Your English-speaking guide, sometimes including George, explains the sites, while transport, toilet stops, and free time are provided. Lunch, cable-car rides, and other activities cost extra.

“This excursion involves a lot of travel 15 hours plus!! However is was a good experience. Our guide George gave a detailed and informative tour throughout. It's a long journey but there where plenty of toilet stops. The restaurant stop was also good.”

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10.Vardzia caves – Rabati castle – Borjomi park from Tbilisi one-day tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 8 reviews · 14 hours (approx.) · from $146

Spend a long but rewarding day in southern Georgia, visiting Vardzia’s cliff-carved monastery, Rabati Castle, Khertvisi Fortress, and Borjomi Central Park. Your private group travels with a guide and driver, hotel pickup, bottled water, and attraction time built in. Guide Jonah has led some departures, but guide assignments may vary.

“Amazing Christian ruins. Caves man nade. Church was partuculary impressive. Frescos were still visible after hundreds of years. Our tour guide did an amazing job of reviewing history of the caves.”

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11.Vardzia • Private 2-Day Escape

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 7 reviews · 2 days (approx.) · from $170

Travel privately from Tbilisi to Georgia’s ancient capital, rock-cut Uplistsikhe, Borjomi, Rabati Castle, and Vardzia. Your English-speaking guide, possibly Georgi, Giga, or Alex, handles the route while you set the pace. Hotel booking is separate, and the trip suits active visitors who want history, mountain scenery, and local food in two full days.

“Unforgettable trip from Tibilisi to Borjomi. Our recent journey to Borjomi was truly magical, Giga took us to many beautiful spots along the way, allowing us to capture breathtaking pictures and create lasting memories. His knowledge about Borjomi and willingness to share insights about the area added a whole new dimension to the trip. We were fortunate to visit some of the most famous places in the region, all thanks to Giga. If you're planning a trip to Borjomi, I wholeheartedly recommend Giga for a wonderful, informative, and picture-perfect adventure. Thank you for making our trip so special.”

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12.Tbilisi to Magical Borjomi Rabati and Vardzia Cave Guided Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 4 reviews · 14 hours (approx.) · from $35

Leave Tbilisi at 7:00 am for a full day with an English or Russian-speaking guide. Explore Vardzia’s cliff caves, Rabati Castle’s mixed Georgian, Ottoman, and Armenian heritage, and Borjomi’s mineral springs. The group can reach 17 people. Guides named Timur, Alexander, and George have led highly praised outings.

“The tiur was perfect. Alexander was very kind and has very good knowledge about georgian culture. Very good english skill”

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13.Rabati -Vardzia Private Full Day Tour from Tbilisi

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews · from $131

Travel south from Tbilisi in a private, air-conditioned vehicle with WiFi and bottled water. Visit Borjomi Central Park, Rabati Castle in Akhaltsikhe, and the cave monastery of Vardzia. Your driver and guide share Georgian history and folk stories, while you enjoy a full day without a shared group.

“The tour is what you need, for those who are tired of monotony and boring life. You can relax, see interesting sights, and in general discover this wonderful country from the other side. After this tour, I want to be here more and more often. Thank you for the new emotions. Rest assured that we will come back again!”

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