Other places to visit in Georgia
Tbilisi is a relatively safe and modern city, though one might still find squat toilets at a restaurant or two. Rustaveli avenue, the city's main thoroughfare, is named after 12th century poet and national icon Shota Rustaveli. Rustaveli avenue begins at Freedom Square - once Lenin Square - where the famous demonstrations of the Rose Revolution were held. The city itself is a myriad of architectural styles, due to a mix of foreign influences. Of particular interest are the Tbilisi Opera and Ballet Theater building and the Simon Janashia Museum of Georgia. A posh new Kempinski hotel is going up where the city's Institute of Marxism-Leninism once stood. It will open in 2010.
Just 20 km down the road from Tbilisi is Mtskheta, the ancient capital of Georgia.
The city boasts a UNESCO World Heritage Site - the "Historical Monuments of
Mtskheta," including the eerie Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, which dates back to
the 4th century, and the fascinating Jvari Monastery, built in the 6th century
and boasts a picturesque view of the confluence of the Aragvi and Mtkvari
rivers.
For the nature lover - Borjomi-KharagauliNational Park
The 78,000-ha Borjomi-Kharagauli is Georgia's largest national park. Though it was founded in 1995 and officially inaugurated in 2001, it is effectively also the country's oldest national park, with preservation orders dating back to Tsarist times.
This beautiful preserve, located near the city of Borjomi, offers something for every nature lover - from light hiking to mountain-climbing, and trails that take between a few hours and a few days to complete. It contains a unique combination of geographical and ecological zones and a diverse variety of flora and fauna. In autumn the colors of the turning leaves are reflected in the landscape, and is an especially beautiful time to visit.
August is the peak time for visiting the park, so this year's conflict with Russia completely wiped out the tourist season there. Park officials say they lost GEL40,000 (zł.79,000), which may not seem like all that much, but when one considers that the park averages a maximum of about 2,000 paying visitors per year, the monetary loss becomes much more significant.
