Why go
Kutaisi is Georgia's third-largest city and one of its oldest continuously inhabited settlements, serving as the capital of ancient Colchis and later the unified Kingdom of Georgia under David the Builder. This is where the Golden Fleece was sought, where the Bagrationi dynasty forged a nation, and where the Gelati Monastery complex—now a UNESCO World Heritage site—became the intellectual heart of medieval Georgia. The city sits at the confluence of the Rioni and Tskaltsitela rivers, surrounded by karst canyons, caves, and forests that have shaped its identity for millennia. Unlike Tbilisi's polished grandeur, Kutaisi offers unvarnished authenticity: sulfur-scented streets, a dramatically cantilevered Soviet-era parliament building, and the relentless hospitality of Imereti—arguably Georgia's most distinct culinary region.