The 13 Best Vardzia Cave City Tours

1.Day tour to Vardzia, Borjomi in Georgia

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

Leave Tbilisi at 8:30 a.m. for Vardzia’s hillside caves, Rabati Fortress, and Borjomi Central Park. An English-speaking guide, air-conditioned vehicle, and live commentary are included. Expect a long day, extra entrance fees, mixed guide quality, and possible late arrival back in Tbilisi.

“The vehicle was in bad condition and broke down almost as soon as we started and we had to hang around on the highway for almost one and a half hours. The guides English was extremely poor and we could hardly understand a word he said.”

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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, Giorgi, or Lasha. Taste mineral water at its source, explore a restored medieval fortress, and walk through a remarkable cave monastery. Expect a long day, about 480 kilometers, 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 visiting Vardzia’s cliff caves, Rabati Castle, and Borjomi Central Park from Tbilisi. Guides such as Timur, David, and Mamuka explain the sites in English, often alongside Russian commentary. The air-conditioned van holds up to 15 people, but expect a long road day.

“Not worth it at all. 1- very long trip 17 hours 2- Vardzia is not really easy to walk in with all the stairs that are not safe 3- we reached Rabadi fortress at 7:15 pm (it closes at 8 pm) 4- Itinerary is not as mentioned 5- tour was supposed to start at 7am we left at 7:20 am 6- language was supposed to be English, most of the bus was russian so all the talk was in Russian and than the tour guide was summarizing in English.”

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

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

Leave Tbilisi at 7:00 am for Borjomi’s mineral spring, Rabati Fortress, and the cliff-carved monastery of Vardzia. You’ll travel with up to 15 people and a guide such as Giorgi, Nino, or Beso. Expect a full 14-hour day, steep walking at Vardzia, and extra fees for all three sites.

“All stops were incredibly beautiful and different. Especially Vardzia with such an amazing history and views, made us travel through the centuries. Our guide George was very cheerful and informative. Whole trip was well organized and gave us lot of pleasure”

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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

Spend a long day with a private English-speaking guide visiting Vardzia’s cave city, Rabati Castle, and Borjomi Central Park. Guide Edward has earned special praise for his Georgian history commentary. Transport, WiFi, and pickup flexibility are included, 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

You’ll visit Borjomi’s mineral springs, Rabati Castle, and the cliff-carved caves of Vardzia in a small group of up to 20. English-speaking guides such as Saba and Giorgi have earned strong praise, but confirm the Kutaisi meeting arrangement if you book from Tbilisi.

“The trip was amazing, the sights were beautiful and our guide Giorgi was fantastic. One thing to notice, this tour is from Kutaisi so if you are from Tbilisi you will get shuttled to the meeting point. Sadly, the driver was an hour late to pick me up and because of that only saw the first stop for a couple of minutes. But that didn't make the trip very worth while. But if you are going to visit Kutaisi anyway you might be better to take the tour from there.”

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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 guides such as Irakli or David. See high-altitude Paravani Lake, Vardzia cave monastery, Khertvisi Fortress, Atskuri’s qvevri beer maker, and Rabati Castle on a private 12 to 13-hour tour.

“Vardzia is so unique and beautiful that every visitor to Georgia should see it. The ride is not short so it definitely helped to have a very knowledgeable guide. This was one of the best day trips I’ve ever took and I travel a lot. There is plenty to see on the way and the day just flies by. We also visited some local Armenian and Georgian cemeteries on the way which was absolutely fascinating experience. This would deserve its own separate tour. Wonderful trip that I highly recommend! I would give it some extra stars if I could.”

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8.Rabati – Borjomi

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

Travel privately from Tbilisi to Borjomi, Rabati Castle, and Vardzia in an air-conditioned vehicle with WiFi. Expect a long but scenic day, Georgian history from your guide, mineral water, castle architecture, cave chambers, and possibly complimentary wine. Pickup is available at your hotel or Tbilisi airport.

“Where to even start. We had a limited amount of time due to our flight later in the evening, and Mamuka made sure we had plenty of time to see things and made sure our trip was very enjoyable. He’s truly a fantastic person, and I would highly recommend him and this tour!”

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9.Vardzia, Rabati Castle & Borjomi Tour with Guide

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

Travel from Tbilisi to Borjomi, Rabati Castle, and Vardzia with an English-speaking guide. You’ll taste Borjomi’s mineral water, explore a restored castle, and climb through a 12th-century cave monastery. Guide George has been praised for clear explanations, but the long road day can feel tiring.

“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

You’ll leave Tbilisi early with a private vehicle and English-speaking guide, then visit Vardzia’s cave monastery, Rabati Castle, Khertvisi Fortress, and Borjomi Central Park. Guide Jonah has been praised for bringing Vardzia’s frescoes and Christian history to life. Expect about 14 hours on the road.

“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 through Mtskheta, Gori, Uplistsikhe, Borjomi, Rabati, Vardzia, and Paravani Lake. Your English-speaking guide, such as Giga, Alex, or Georgi, handles the driving and explains Georgia’s churches, fortresses, caves, and mountain country.

“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

Travel from Tbilisi to Vardzia’s cliff-carved cave city, Rabati Castle, and Borjomi’s mineral springs on a 14-hour guided outing. Expect an air-conditioned vehicle, an English or Russian-speaking guide, long road time, and two paid site entrances not included.

“We had such a great tour with Timur ! We visited all destinations and it was such a great experience ! He explained all the facts about the places clearly and also a lot of side facts on the way to them 😊 it was very interesting and informative for us both and our family. We also had a great lunch in a very comfortable and traditional restaurant. The prices there were even lower as in Tibilisi and the food was very delicious 😋 We booked our trip for the second time in VitisTravel and we would definitely do it again. Every trip from this great company was a gold…”

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13.Rabati -Vardzia Private Full Day Tour from Tbilisi

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews · from $131

Travel privately from Tbilisi to Borjomi, Rabati Castle, and Vardzia in an air-conditioned vehicle with WiFi and bottled water. You’ll sample Borjomi’s famous mineral-water setting, explore Akhaltsikhe’s fortress, and walk through Queen Tamar’s cave monastery with a guide and driver.

“Well-chosen points of the tour, and nice guide. Thank you for the day full of emotions and exciting feelings. I learned a lot about Georgia in such a short time. And I was pleasantly surprised by the hotel, comfortable and clean.”

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