By rail
Zugdidi station, Trains from Tbilisi, then ~3 h by road
Europe · Georgia
Mestia, Georgia
Medieval stone towers in the high Caucasus
Getting there
By air
David the Builder Kutaisi International Airport (KUT), ~5 h by road
Best time to visit
June to September — summer hiking season
Don't miss
The Svaneti Museum of History and Ethnography
Chalaadi Glacier
Koruldi Lakes
Ushguli
Things to do
Trekking to glaciers and lakes
Climbing a Svan tower
A day trip to Ushguli
Winter skiing at Hatsvali
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: Arian Zwegers · CC BY 2.0
What to pack
Hiking boots, warm layers, rain jacket, sunscreen
A quieter corner
The house museum of mountaineer Mikheil Khergiani in Mestia
Questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Mestia?
June to September — summer hiking season. What to pack: Hiking boots, warm layers, rain jacket, sunscreen.
How do I get to Mestia?
Fly into David the Builder Kutaisi International Airport (KUT), ~5 h by road.
What is there to do in Mestia?
Trekking to glaciers and lakes, climbing a Svan tower, a day trip to Ushguli, winter skiing at Hatsvali. A quieter find: The house museum of mountaineer Mikheil Khergiani in Mestia.
What should I eat in Mestia?
Kubdari bread stuffed with spiced meat, Svanetian salt, tashmijabi cheesy mashed potato.
About Mestia
- Mountains
Where it is
Mestia is the main town of Upper Svaneti, a high valley in the Greater Caucasus in north-west Georgia.
History
Svaneti's remote valleys were rarely conquered, and from about the 9th to the 12th centuries families built tall stone defensive towers that still stand. Churches here kept precious icons and manuscripts safe during invasions of lowland Georgia. Upper Svaneti was listed by UNESCO in 1996.
People
The people of Svaneti, the Svans, speak Svan, a language related to Georgian, alongside Georgian itself, and keep strong family traditions, polyphonic songs and village feasts.
Known for
- Svan defensive towers
- Hiking in the Caucasus
- Ushguli village
- Medieval icons and frescoes
Did you know?
Ushguli, a cluster of villages near Mestia, is often described as one of the highest continuously inhabited settlements in Europe.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.