Gelati Monastery

THE BUS TO GET HERE IS BUS 33 AND IT ONLY COSTS 2 LARI ONE WAY. TOURISTS BEWARE!! TWO LARI ONE WAY! They will try to charge tourists 3 lari. Ask locals for the right price when you get on bus. The monastery is closed. Can not get in. Waste of time. Bus only stays there 15mins before they return and then there is a huge wait until the next bus. Go to Bagrati, at least you can enter.

DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME GOING I do not know why some reviewers are encouraging others to go on the weekend. Stop misleading people please. Seriously. Look at one of the photos I’m attaching. Even if you go inside, it is NOT worth it. The church should just mark itself closed and block public access completely to avoid confusion

XII century monastery and first academy in georgia which was built by Davit IV the builder. Nowadays it is closed but on holidays it might be open

I visited the monastery on Sunday and it was open, so I can go inside.

We visited the place at sunset, it was getting dark and we couldn't stay for long. The place is so sacred with a beautiful view over the town. The big church and the small one are under renovation, there were scaffolding all around the interior walls but the visible murals were breathtaking, so were the icons. The history in the place can be observed through these astonishing art pieces. This place should be on top of the list when you visit Kutaisi.

You can absolutely see why this is a UNESCO world heritage site, one can feel the history emanating from the very stones! Shane it was under renovation when I was there but this must be done to preserve for another 800 years. Do remember this is still a working monastery. I also highly recommend doing the monks paths loop though the beach forest.

Impressive monastery which is also one of the main tourist highlights in Georgia. A 20 minute drive from Kutaisi, located high up on top of a hill overlooking a valley the atmosphere there is impressive and kind of serene, at least when there are not too tourists. In October 2023 the main building was scaffolded inside and outside but still accessible.

Very beautiful and sacred place with a lot of history and gorgeous views. You can place candles to wish for health for the people alive in your life or place candles for the deceased. You don't need to buy tickets to enter, it's completely free. A must see for anyone traveling to kutaisi.