Top 6 Castles in Kakheti

Dartlo is considered the most beautiful mountain village in Tusheti. And rightly so. There are also a few hotels and cafes with WiFi. It is fun to climb through the small village in search of beautiful photo motifs. You can also camp below the village.

The architectural complex is the only surviving royal palace in Georgia. The complex, with its architectural-historical features, is a remarkable monument of cultural heritage. The museum complex includes: the palace of the King of Kakheti XVII-XVIII centuries, the churches of the King’s Gate X-XVIII centuries, the remains of the philosophical-theological school founded by Erekle, the King’s bath – XVII century, the tunnel in the palace – XVIII century. , Unique gates on the east and west sides. New modern standards building opened in 2018 . The museum also preserves: Numismatic material, pre-feudal sarcophagus, late medieval armor, 17th-19th century copper household items, ammunition, Khevsurian garment collections, rich collections of rugs, manuscripts, books printed in King Erekle’s printing house, fine art. Among them: Dutch, French, German, Russian (works of I. Aivazovsky, A. Kramskoi and other artists of the “Peredvizhniks” period) samples of paintings and small sculptures of the XIX century, as well as Georgian artists (El. Works of Khutsishvili et al.). Source and more information: https://georgianmuseums.ge/en/museum/telavi-historical-museum/

House-museum of King Erekle II (Erekle's palace) - Founded in 1927 as a museum of local lore. It is Located in the Kakheti region, in the city of Telavi. The architectural complex of "Batonis Tsikhe” is a castle which still remains as the only Royal Palace in Georgia. The complex is a remarkable monument of cultural heritage with its architectural-historical features. Museum complex embraces: XVII-XVIII c.c Royal Palace of the king of Kakheti, X-XVIII c.c churches of the court of the king, the remains of the philosophical and theological schools founded by Erekle, XVII centuries' King's Bath, tunnel paved on the territory of the palace - XVIII century, unique gates of the East and West Side. In the museum there are also preserved: numismatic material, early medieval sarcophagus, late medieval armor, collections of XVII-XIX c.c. copper household objects, weapons, Khevsureti clothes, rich collections of rugs, manuscripts, books printed in King Erekles’ press, interesting patterns of art, including: XIX c, Dutch, German, Russian (I. Aivazovsky, A. Kramskoi and the works of other artists of the "peredvizhniki" period),paintings and small plastic samples, as well as Georgian painters (E. Akhvlediani, L. Gudiashvili, J. Khutsishvili and others ) works. The palace known as "Batonis Tsikhe" was the residence of the kings of Kakheti. The church of the palace, the east door and the bath are built in the period of Archil. In the second half of the XVIII century, Erekle II built a huge curtain wall around the palace, the height of which reached five meters. According to the chronicler Papuna Orbeliani, the King Erekle completed the construction of Telavi curtain wall in 1753. Except the main door, the fortress had other standby entrances as well, one in the south and another one in the north. King Erekles’ church is built in 1758. Beside the church, it also performed a defensive function.It had an embrasure under the roof. There is a big pier with a distance of about 10 meters from the church. It reaches 14 meters and there is no similar pier in Georgia. It was built by the Queen Darejan and until the 40s of the XIX century there was a 8-meter long cannon that was always ready to repel the enemy. Source: https://georgiantravelguide.com/en/house-museum-of-king-erekle-ii-erekle-s-palace

The Gremier Cathedral (Georgian გრემის ტაძარი) is a Georgian Orthodox cathedral in the village of Gremi, in the Qwarlis Munizipaliteti in the Kakheti region. It lies on a hill west of the village. The Gremier Cathedral was built in 1565 by the Kakhetian King Levan. The fresco painting dates from 1577. The cathedral is built of brick and has three entrance doors on the western, southern and northern walls. With its wall, Gremi was also a castle. The wall was later repaired by Erekle II. Before the cathedral was built, there was a tower on the hill, which still serves as a free-standing bell tower next to the church. Source: https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gremier_Kathedrale There is also a museum near the cathedral.

Batonis Tsikhe (Georgian: ბატონის ციხე), literally, "the castle of batoni", that is, "the lord", is a 17th–18th century architectural monument in Telavi, the principal city of Georgia's eastern region of Kakheti. The Batonis Tsikhe complex includes some surviving sections of the Persian-style palace of the kings of Kakheti and a museum with archaeological and ethnographic exhibits, manuscripts, rare publications, and military equipment as well as a fine arts gallery. In 2007, several structures of the complex—the palace, rampart, and a royal chapel—were inscribed on the list of Georgia's Immovable Cultural Monuments of National Significance. The entire complex underwent extensive renovation in 2018. Source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batonis_Castle

I have a quastion Can i pass from omalo to Shatli by bike touring ( with 30kg luggage

A tiny mountain village with ancient castle towers spanning a river gorge, numerous petroglyphs, and a wonderful cafe serving delicious and traditional Tusheti food (and excellent Turkish-style coffee)

Khornabuji Castle, also known as the Castle of Queen Tamara, is an ancient castle located in the eastern part of Georgia in the region of Kakheti. It was originally built at the end of the 1st millennium BC. In the 13th century AD the castle was rebuilt on the instructions of Queen Tamar (Queen of Georgia from 1184 to 1213 AD).