Georgia Essentials THE BASICS GETTING STARTED IN GEORGIAN Currency Lari (GEL), divided into 100 tetri Hello gamarjobat Rate of exchange (July 2015) Goodbye — nakhvamdis US$1 = GEL2.24, £1 = GEL3.50, €1 = GEL2.49 Thank you §madlobt Time GMT +4 Please inebet, tu sheidzleba Electricity 220v AC 50Hz, with European- Yes diakh, ki, ho standard two-pin plugs No ara International telephone code +995 Useful telephone numbers (though you may ABBREVIATIONS & CODES need to speak Russian or Georgian): AC air conditioning Emergency services \,112 (English-speaking B&B bed and breakfast operator) FB full board Long-distance operator \07 HB half board Directory enquiries for Tbilisi 09, pp per person elsewhere 05 ,m, telephone, mobile, email ACCOMMODATION PRICE CODES RESTAURANT PRICE CODES Prices are based on a double room per night. Prices are based on the cost of am ain course per $$$$$ — GEL250+ =: US$115+ person. $$$$ GEL150-250 _US$70-115 GEL30+ US$13+ $$$ GEL60-150 _U S$28-70 GEL15-30 US$6.70-13 $$ GEL40-60 —_:US$18-28 GEL8-15 US$3.50-6.70 $ under GEL40 under US$18 underGEL8 under US$3.50 International boundary Important/historic building District/province boundary Castle/fortification Roads main/other (town plans) Statue/monument => One-way street (town plans) Bank/ATM Pedestrianised road (town plans) Post office Steps (town plans) Hospital === Railway Clinic/pharmacy —=———__ Main road (regional maps) Church/cathedral === _ Other road (regional maps) Mosque ======= 4x 4/track (regional maps) Synagogue asucosenesn Footpath (regional maps & town plans) Internet AA Airport (international/domestic) +iEaOo Gwo Nitghrtcl+ubH/ca#sin o MQ Metro station/terminus < Gardens Railway station Beach aa Ferry Zoo oe Cable car/funicular B> r Summit (height in metres) Q Car park Other place of interest A Bus station fNes vei ts Viewpoint ié| Tourist information Stadium @ Embassy/consulate J National park/nature reserve & Museum/art gallery Urban park g Theatre/cinema Market area Georgia the Bradt Travel Guide Tim Burford edition 2 www.bradtguides.com Bradt Travel Guides Ltd, UK The Globe Pequot Press Inc, USA i” @ ote “ : P Kutaisi: Georgia's second city is the Fi@mm_ Svaneti: with stunning mountains, this jumping-off point for beautiful “en is aregion where a traditional lifestyle mountains, monasteries and Waa and hospitality survive stronger than prehistoric sites Sage, anywhere else in the country pages 19. s 227-43 ees 302 miles National Batumi: Georgia's liveliest town, a port and seaside resort that has seen some -the-top development recently 247-57 Pe. | | Vardzia: Georgia's finest id dieval cave city es 190-2 fe TURKEY Capital city fa Main town e Other town fe} Airport a Main road Other road Railway = International boundary —=-—=- |~ ~ z Kazbegi: set within stunning mountain scenery, this friendly little town is overlooked by Mount Kazbek and the Gergeti Church Uplistsikhe: an evocative cave city pages 162-8 / close to Stalin’s home town, Gori fefete[ = Tusheti: the country’s remotest and : least spoilt national park, only accessible for four months a year 7 pages 272-6 nt x i: Tusheti J: National p Park g Sle Je /‘Oimalo 27) \\ e2 7 —— 4 = SR Ke Khai shuti Gori we © sfialeti Ridge fe, (ee Jakuriani Mt tae “Sx Balakan / Park = y : ~~ 2. VE = Niae,z ar Khalkalafer Y Vashlovani “” “ ZZ if National Park ak = — = 7, Nas = fa A oe Sy Sn, Sena Tashir, gen i aa Oo? Os iS ed © Yerevan C “is ats Z| ie. ie ) Gyumri “f Sere, ee ~~. y matnicedtaiir my Reservoir Borjomi: a charming spa Thilisi: Georgia's capital is an Davit-Gareja: cave monasteries and base for the country’s intoxicating blend of cultures, dating from the 6th century, finest national park and the both ancient and modern scattered in semi-desert on Bakuriani ski resort pages 85-136 the Azerbaijani border pages 285-8 pages 173-6 / ‘ } Georgia Don't miss... Ancient churches The monastery of Gelati, near Kutaisi, is decorated with fantastic frescoes of saints and Georgian kings (WC/S) pages 206-8 Svaneti villages Hidden in the remotest reaches of the High Caucasus and dotted with ancient towers and frescoed churches, the land of the Svans is seen by many as the spiritual heartland of Georgia (KV/DT) pages 227-43 Georgian Military Highway The Russo-Georgian Friendship Monument, by the Georgian Military Highway, is a unique viewpoint in the heart of the High Caucasus (MP/S) pages 155-70 Tbilisi Old Town Inhabited at various times by Persians, Tatars, Jews and Armenians, the heart of the Georgian capital is an intriguing array of architectural styles (YG/S) pages | |7 -2 Cave cities Once a working monastery with 3,000 chambers, Vardzia is the site of Georgia’s most famous cave complex (r/S) pages 190-2 above left —B atumi’s Piazza is based on the campanile of San Marco in Venice (VA/S) page 255 above right Visible from all over Tbilisi, the Sameba (Trinity) Cathedral is in traditional Georgian style but far bigger than a Georgian church has any right to be (TB) page | 28 The town of Mtskheta was founded at the confluence of the Mtkvari and Aragvi rivers over 3,000 years ago (Y/S) pages 137-43 With its cypress trees, fine 18th- and 19th- century buildings and setting high on a ridge overlooking the Alazani Valley, Sighnaghi is reminiscent of a Tuscan hill town (LM) pages 280-4 This fountain in Kutaisi’s central square echoes the forms of ancient Colchian jewellery found at Vani (B/S) page 204 Shenako is typical of the remote and tiny villages of Tusheti, where you'll virtually always find one or two welcoming guesth (MaP/S) pages 275-6 | i || !1 | || | 7 | | | t | | | | | | | || latec | || ‘janelle | | ALO Z2595 AITO 5048 “Prices are per adult, include flights and are correct at time of going to print.