Stepantsminda / Kazbegi town

Svaneti & Kazbegi, Georgia

Home to Rooms Hotel Kazbegi and Intourist Kazbegi, with views of Gergeti Trinity Church and Mount Kazbek.

Places in Stepantsminda / Kazbegi town

Rooms Hotel Kazbegi restaurant Dining with public terraces offering one of the best framed views of Gergeti Trinity Church and Mount Kazbek.
Rooms Hotel Kazbegi bar A bar with public terraces offering one of the best framed views of the church and Mount Kazbek.

Best time to visit: June to September, when mountain passes are clear and hiking conditions in both Svaneti and Kazbegi are at their best.
Getting around: Kazbegi (Stepantsminda) is reached via a scenic 3-4 hour drive from Tbilisi; Mestia in Svaneti is more remote, with the Hatsvali Cable Car providing access to mountain views in summer and skiing at Hatsvali and Tetnuldi in winter.
Currency: Georgian Lari (₾)
Language: Georgian; Russian and English are widely understood.
Timezone: GET (UTC+4)
Current trends: The Svaneti-versus-Kazbegi debate remains a defining feature of Georgia's Caucasus tourism, with Kazbegi's more accessible 3-4 hour drive from Tbilisi and the iconic Gergeti Trinity Church view from Rooms Hotel Kazbegi's terraces drawing day-trippers, while Svaneti's remoteness, medieval towers, and growing food scene of a dozen restaurants and specialty coffee shops in Mestia reward travelers willing to go further into the High Caucasus.

Mestia (Svaneti) — The main town of Svaneti, with medieval towers, two ski resorts (Hatsvali and Tetnuldi), and a food scene of a dozen restaurants.
Gergeti Trinity Church district — A stunningly located church providing superb hiking, framed against Mount Kazbek.