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This article was actually written in 2026, but the trip and what I did date back to 2019 I spent around two weeks in this amazing region following a coworker’s advice. One of the best advice I received, I met my ex girlfriend and my best friend in this very trip!

Itinerary done quick

🇦🇿🇬🇪🇦🇲 Azerbaijan - Georgia - Armenia

That’s it! Do click on the links (destination name) to learn more!

And, just because, a second preface:

I came in the region while the Artsakh republic still existed. Sadly I didn’t have the time to visit, one of my rare regret, but my best friend Tim did, and it was amazing. A bit unrelated, but I also wanted to say I really adore the Armenians and the Armenian community in France

Day 1 Arriving in Baku, Azerbaijan

I actually came the night before, but it was night, so it doesn’t count. Went straight to the city center, after a flight through Kiev’s airport (A different time… Before the world started turning to dust), from France it wasn’t the quickest.

Anyway, I’ll assume this is the start of a fresh day for anyone, as it makes things simpler. I know that you, my reader, are smart enough to adapt to your likings and planning! (Since you read what I do, you’re the GOAT too)

Spend the day inside Baku’s walled old city, İçərişəhər/Isherisheher.

Start around the Maiden Tower, then wander through the narrow stone streets to the Palace of the Shirvanshahs, the old mosques and the caravanserais. The centre is compact, so there is no need to rush: part of the fun is getting lost in the alleys. PS: Don’t miss the old baths!

You can also continue onward to see the Carpet Musem and the mini venice, they are better seen in the afternoon and at right next to the old town. I’d also recomment walk along the waterfront, at least once during the day and once during the night, to enjoy the breeze and see the lightshow with the Flame Towers, they are impossible to miss!

Around the old city there are also a few places worth visiting (They kinda insert themselves naturally here)

The fountain square and Nizami Street (Main thoroughfares near the old city) -> The paved floor is beautiful, you have a lot of architectures and old balconies to spot.

Bad hostel experience number 1. In the middle of the night, I woke up to an old pakistani man watching me sleep. He was genuinely scaring the shit out of me.

Day 2 Baku

Day 2 is for the newer side of Baku. You will cross more distances and abuse the subway system a bit more (I kept the first day compact, for this one you’ll go farther and further). Visit the enormous Heydar Mosque, you really shouldn’t miss it. Then continue your way south to the famous Heydar Aliyev Center*, whose curves are probably the city’s most recognisable piece of modern architecture. Not far from the Aliyev Center, going South West, you have the main bazaar, definitely worth a stop. Then, go even more south west, getting close to be back to the old city. You’ll find, first, the Heydar Aliyev (again) palace, then one of my favourite building: The ballet theater, with a more russian style of architecture.

If you still have energy after all of that, I guess you can visit the museum of modern art, it’s nearby. Personally, at that point, I was totally beat…

Day 3 Day trip Qobustan

I took a guided day tour to the Qobustan mud volcanoes, the Ateshgah Fire Temple and Yanar Dag.

The exact itinerary can vary, but this Qobustan, mud volcanoes, Fire Temple and Fire Mountain tour (affiliate link) is similar to the one I took (Which doesn’t exist anymore, I checked). The full trip takes roughly a day. But doing Gobustan only is half a day, so if you want to go to Sheki right after, it’s a sensible option. In that case, and if you don’t plan to go to Xinaliq, I recommend doing so. Bus to Sheki frequently leave in the afternoon to arrive in the evening.

This was a fun day, the guide was a knowledgeable woman that led us through the petroglyphs, let us play with the mud, then let us extend the trip (The Fire temple and Yanar dag were optionals) with half the group. Gobustan wasn’t as interesting as I thought, but I liked the Wonder in Civ VI (Released only months before my trip!). For me, the highlights were the petroglyphs and the temple of Fire.

Day 4 Xinaliq

If you like day trips, why not take a tour through Quba and into the mountains to Xınalıq, one of Azerbaijan’s highest villages?

This is what I did. It’s hard to visit independently, just like Gobustan, so a tour is recommended. The exact tour I used no longer exists, but this Quba and Khinaliq village tour (affiliate link) is close to it.

Be prepared for a very long day.

I loved the side quest nature of the trip and the things we had on the way. 1/ We crossed the mountain roads with russian tanks going the opposite way. No photos were allowed. 2/ To get into Xinaliq’s small museum, we had to find the keykeeper. For this, we had to ask the children, that led us us to a man on a roof, which himself told us to ask a little girl, that found the keys in a couple of minutes.

Day 5 Shaki

From Baku International Bus Terminal (I don’t know why it was here in the first place), take a direct bus to Sheki’s central bus station. The road journey is roughly 6 to 7 hours; Buy the ticket at the station or through the terminal’s booking service and check the departure time in advance.

Then, once in Sheki spend the rest of the day exploring its historic centre and the Palace of the Sheki Khans as well as the caravanserai.

In Sheki, I had one of the worst hostel experience. It was a rundown place with one room with 7 to 9 beds aligned each next to the other. The shower was outside and filled with spiders. But those were the nice things. The worse was that I kept being followed by the owner, that even slept next to me…

Day 6 Kish

Take a local marshrutka from central Sheki to Kish, around 15 to 25 minutes away. Visit the old Albanian church, then continue on foot towards Galarsan-Gorarsan fortress. Allow several hours for the return hike and take water; return to Sheki by marshrutka (They were plentyful on this side)

With my friend, Tim, we got a bit lost and ended up crossing a river on foot, jumping and throwing our bags from place to place to cross it. Good times.

Day 7 Sighnaghi

Back in 2019, I took a bus from Sheki to the border. From the border, I found a bus going to Sighnaghi (that also continued onward to Tbilissi), which mean I stopped where I wanted.

Start with the old town’s cobbled streets and carved wooden balconies, then walk the accessible section of the Sighnaghi Fortress wall. From the towers, you can see across the Alazani Valley to the Caucasus.

If your arrival leaves enough time, add Bodbe Monastery, just outside Sighnaghi. (I did it, using a shared taxi from the city center of Sighnaghi, then went straight away to Tbilissi).

Otherwise, stay in town a bit more, in retrospect, I wish I did this instead of rushing my way to the capital.

Also, I heard that the Sighnaghi Museum is quite nice. I Didn’t go tho. It definitely warrant some time.

To go to Tbilissi from Sighnaghi, the journey takes about 2 hours 30 minutes by bus/marshrutka and they should be quite common. I used a shared taxi for this leg, as we were four and it was getting late.

Day 8 Tbilissi old city

Start at Freedom Square and walk into the old city through its steep lanes and wooden-balcony houses.

Don’t miss the Gabriadze Theater Clock Tower! It’s one of the city prettiest spot, close to the river!

I then recommend to walk alongside(ish) the river, to see the nice brigdes, a view of Rike Park from one side, then the Sioni Church, the museums and the Meidan Bazar.

At this point, it could be around noon, and the spot is filled with restaurants! Those are a bit more expensive than the rest, but could be nice. Personally I ate quite a bit later in a Cafe in Rike Park.

Continue to the Abanotubani sulphur-bath district, where the brick domes sit beside the small gorge and waterfall.

From there, climb to Narikala Fortress and the Mother of Georgia statue for the view over the roofs and the river. It’s not a hard walk and it’s quite easy to access, it’s definitely a must.

You can either go back down through the Botanical Garden side or use the cable car, onwards to Metekhi Church and Rike Park.

In Rike part, you can spot: The presidential palace, the Darejani palace and the ugly tube building.

This ugly tube building is gonna disappear soon !

From there you can cross the Bridge of Peace (even after dark (It lights up!)) to go back toward the old town.

I had to take a break in my visit due to very heavy rains, I was on my way to do more. But actually… Don’t burn yourself out!

Day 9 More Tbilissi

Use the second day for the parts of Tbilissi beyond the old city. Walk along Rustaveli Avenue, stopping at the Parliament building and perhaps a museum stop (Like the national museum, if that’s your thing). Definitely mark the Opera on your map, it’s nice to look at.

There is the Park Mtatsminda nearby, I went > for a date. But it’s not the best spot in town, I mean, > unless you live there.

Around the evening, I crossed to the other bank for Fabrika and the surrounding streets, then went on to the huge Holy Trinity Cathedral.

So I recommend to do this right away, instead of going to Mtatsminda.

If I had more time I’d done this:

Take Metro Line 1 to Ghrmaghele, leave by the exit onto David Guramishvili Avenue and catch bus 360 from the stop on the same side of the road. Get off at the Cadet Corps stop, then walk uphill for around 10 to 15 minutes to the Chronicle of Georgia. (It was in my todo list!)

Day 10 Day trip to Gori

Visit Gori for its fortress and Stalin Museum (Which is Stalin’s house) with an important side trip to the cave city of Uplistsikhe.

Marshrutkas leave from Didube Bus station (in Tbilissi) and take around 2 hours to reach Gori’s bus station. Uplistsikhe requires an additional local bus from Gori, and the way back to Tbilissi becomes much harder.

I hitchhiked the way back, It really was a full day trip!

If you prefer a tour, this day trip combines Gori, the Stalin Museum, Uplistsikhe, Mtskheta and Jvari (affiliate link). It combines my Days 10 and 12, so use the freed day elsewhere rather than visiting Mtskheta twice. Important: I did not take this tour, it’s just something I just found, it propably didn’t even exist back then.

Uplistsikhe was the highlight of this day trip, it’s fun to wander around and there were next to no tourists back then I finished my day rather early due to me having another date.

Day 11 Stephantsminda and Mount Kazbegi

This was a guided day tour from Tbilissi along the Georgian Military Highway, stopping at Ananuri, Gudauri, Stephantsminda and Gergeti Trinity Church beneath Mount Kazbegi.

I took exactly this Kazbegi, Gudauri, Gergeti and Ananuri tour (affiliate link). It starts and ends in Tbilissi and takes a full day. The trip is really the exact same one I took, with Gamajorba tours (I can take a screenshot to prove it!)

Highlights: The Anauri church with the lake backdrop was absolutely stunning. The road was one of the best part too! In the end, Stephantsminda wasn’t that impressive, but still a must do.

Day 12 Day trip to Mtskheta

Visit Georgia’s ancient capital and Svetitskhoveli Cathedral as well as the jointure of the two rivers (Personnal highlght!)

Take a Mtskheta-bound marshrutka from Didube bus station (Always the same!). It takes around 45 minutes and drops you near the centre; return marshrutkas leave from the same general area.

A soon as you arrive, Taxis will ask you to take you to the viewpoint. It’s either that or a long walk. You do you. As long as you don’t cross the highway on foot like my ex did…

This isn’t a full daytrip, leaving more time for sightseeing or enjoying more of Tbilissi, but taking into account lunch, it would take a full morning and an early afternoon.

To go to Armenia next (if that’s your plan) you will need to start the day early (Around 7 in the morning!) Or if you’re lucky, perhaps you can get the transportation to Alaverdi, reaching it before the evening, good if you’re lucky enough to find accommodation. In 2019 it was difficult.

For a shorter guided option that keeps Gori as a separate day, this half-day Mtskheta tour also visits Jvari and the Chronicle of Georgia (affiliate link). Again, I went independently and did not use that operator.

Personnaly, I returned to Tbilissi early enough to go on with yet another date.

Day 13 Alaverdi: Haghpat and Sanahin

Cross into Armenia and base yourself in Alaverdi to visit the UNESCO-listed monasteries of Haghpat and Sanahin.

To get to Alaverdi, you can take any Yerevan bound bus from the international bus station and stop on the way. You’ll probably be one of the only crazy person doing that, but unesco sites are worth it!

They are a bit hard to reach, you might need to rely on taxis, which I don’t personnaly don’t like. A cable car can help you reach some sites, but I didn’t see it in action?

Honestly, that stop was overly complicated and was globally very exhausting for me. However, I’m pretty sure it’s much easier now, it’s 2026, 7 years later, there are 400k more tourists a year (Went from 1.9 to 2.3). At this scale, it’s impressive, 20% more is a lot.

Found online: From Alaverdi’s central bus station, take bus 3 up to Sanahin; the ride takes around 10 minutes, followed by a 15-minute walk to the monastery. For Haghpat, take marshrutka 063 from the same station. This second service runs less frequently, so check the timetable displayed at the station before leaving for Sanahin.

I’d recommend spending the night in Alaverdi, the crossing from Georgia is slow

Day 14 Yerevan

Take a marshrutka from Alaverdi to Yerevan. Confirm the departure place and time in Alaverdi the day before, because this connection does not have a dependable online timetable. Allow most of the morning for the journey. (And even early afternoon, seriously!)

Once in Yerevan, walk through the centre. Start at Republic Square, follow the streets north towards the Opera, then climb the Cascade for the view over the city (And see the art, the sculptures, the Cafesjian center…). Near the cascade, there is a nice square/park full of painters. It feels like an older, better version of Paris!

The centre is easy to explore on foot, the Opera and the liberty square are truly worth it, especially at night for the light show.

I also warmly recommend walking a bit more south to see the Saint Gregory Cathedral!

Day 15 More Yerevan

Spend another day discovering Yerevan, I recommend the Etchmiadzin monastery (I, for once, shared a taxi with a chinese friend, I don’t usually recommend taxis… On the way back, we found the bus (helped by locals)) We also crashed a marriage. Fun times. After that, I went to the Matenadaran manuscript museum and took care of my friend that got sick. If you have more time, you could visit the Ararat Distillery!

Day 16 Garni, Symphony of stones, Ararat and Khor Virap

Take a day trip south of Yerevan to Khor Virap monastery for the classic view towards Mount Ararat.

For public transport, take a marshrutka towards Ararat or Yeraskh from Yerevan’s Southern Bus Station and ask to get off at the Khor Virap junction, roughly 45 minutes to 1 hour away. From the junction it is about 4 km to the monastery, so walk and reverse the route to return to Yerevan.

A guided tour is simpler if you also want to visit other sites in the region.

This Khor Virap, Garni and Geghard day tour from Yerevan is the guided alternative (affiliate link). It adds several sites to the day; I did not use that operator.

It was a complicated day, I went using public transport. Basically, I took a marshrutka to Garni, walked to the sites (All of them), then back to Garni. From there I went back to Yerevan after a lunch in a nice roadside restaurant, joined a friend and with her and her friends we took a taxi to Khor Virap. THis took the rest of the afternoon.

Day X And after?

Personnaly, I took a flight back, through Istanbul. You do you. Going to Turkiye next is an option, or, like my friend Tim, Kurdistan. Possibilities are many!

More days? Planned vs Done

I originally planned one more week for this Caucasus trip, but I got fewer paid-leave days than expected and had to reduce it. These are the two main stops I cut.

Svaneti, Georgia

My original plan was to take a night bus from Tbilissi to Mestia, spend at least three full days in Svaneti, then take another night bus back. Three days gives you time for Mestia, nearby villages and a couple of hikes, while the night buses keep the long journeys from consuming sightseeing days.

Batumi is another common Georgian extension. My Chinese friends spent three days there and liked it. I did not add it as itinerary days because I didn’t go myself, but you could use two or three extra days for Batumi Boulevard and the seafront, the old town and Europe Square, the Botanical Garden, the Ali and Nino sculpture, Gonio Fortress or an excursion into Adjara.

Gyumri, Armenia

My planned route continued from Alaverdi by bus to Gyumri. I would have arrived for a first afternoon, stayed for one complete day—roughly a day and a half in the city altogether—then travelled from Gyumri to Yerevan the following morning by train, bus or marshrutka. That makes Gyumri a natural detour between the monasteries of northern Armenia and the capital.