Kazbegi.
Flight from TLV
2h 25m
Best season
מאי–אוק
Avg temp
10°
Currency
₾ GEL · 1=₪1.17
Time zone
+1 שעה מול ת״א (UTC+4)
Language
גאורגית · אנגלית ורוסית נפוצות בתיירות
Plug
C / F · 220V (כמו בישראל, בלי מתאם)
Visa
אין צורך בוויזה לישראלים, עד שנה שלמה עם דרכון בתוקף
Safety
בטוחה מאוד, גם בלילה. הזהירות היחידה: כבישי ההרים
Overview
🇬🇪Kazbegi
🇬🇪Georgia
Kazbegi (Stepantsminda) is the image everyone knows from Georgia: the tiny Gergeti Trinity Church on its hill, and behind it the 5,047-meter snow-capped Mount Kazbek. You reach it in three hours from Tbilisi along the Georgian Military Highway, stopping at Ananuri Fortress, Zhinvali Reservoir, Gudauri and the Friendship Monument, and every kilometer is a viewpoint. Israelis come for a day trip or a two-night stay: a jeep up to the church, hikes into the Juta and Truso valleys, and a glass of wine on the Rooms Hotel terrace facing the mountain. This is not a nightlife-and-shopping destination but one of mountain air, hot khinkali and a quiet you will not find in the city.
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Where to stay
Where to stay in Kazbegi
Each area and who it suits best.
Stepantsminda center
The town itself: the square, Cafe 5047, the mini-markets and the jeep stand for Gergeti all within walking distance, with hotels like Hotel Chateau Kazbegi and Kazbegi Inn. Most rooms have the church view, but the truck road to Russia runs through the center, and in summer there is noise and dust.
Gergeti village
The village across the river, on the slope below the church, with family guesthouses, Alpina Kazbegi and the trailhead up to Gergeti. Real quiet, cows on the path and a view from every balcony, but the town's restaurants are a 15-20 minute uphill walk away.
The Rooms and Porta hillside
The eastern slope above town, home to Rooms Hotel Kazbegi and Porta Kazbegi with their panoramic windows toward the mountain. This is the place for a room with a bathtub facing Kazbek and an indoor pool after a hike, at two to three times the price of the center and a 10-minute walk down to town.
Sno and Juta
Small villages in the Sno valley, 30-40 minutes from town on a dirt road, with guesthouses, the Fifth Season hotel and camping at the foot of the Chaukhi Mountains. Star-filled skies and trailheads from the door, but no restaurants, no ATM, and a 4x4 is mandatory.
Gudauri
The ski resort at 2,200 meters, 40 minutes south of Kazbegi, with big hotels like Gudauri Lodge and Quadrum and lifts that also run in summer. In winter it is the obvious choice; in summer it is a quiet base for day trips to Kazbegi, but without the village charm or the church outside your window.
Tbilisi as a day-trip base
Most Israelis do Kazbegi as a day trip with a driver or on an organized tour: leave at 8:00, reach Gergeti at noon and return to Tbilisi by 20:00. You save a night and the luggage shuffle, but miss the sunset, the sunrise and the quiet, and spend 6-7 hours in the car in a single day.
Year-round weather
Year-round weather in Kazbegi
Temperature averages
Real climate dataינו
-1°
-12°
Cool
פבר
-2°
-11°
Cool
מרץ
4°
-5°
Cool
אפר
8°
0°
Cool
מאי
10°
3°
Cool
יונ
17°
8°
Recommended
יול
19°
12°
Recommended
אוג
21°
12°
Recommended
ספט
15°
7°
Cool
אוק
10°
2°
Cool
נוב
7°
-2°
Cool
דצמ
0°
-9°
Cool
Peak season for Israelis (when everyone goes): מאי · יונ · יול · אוג · ספט · אוק. Israelis flock to Kazbegi mainly in July-August (school holidays) and over Sukkot, when the weather is stable and every trail is open; Rooms Hotel sells out months ahead. In winter, snow sometimes closes the Jvari Pass for a day or two, so check the road status before setting out.
Based on a 3-year average · measured in Stepantsminda · Open-Meteo
This week in Stepantsminda
Measured in Stepantsminda, Kazbegi
12°
Sunny
Next 7 days
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Things to do
Things to do in Kazbegi
On the map
Kazbegi on one map
Every spot travelers love — tap a pin for photos, opening hours, navigation and booking.
Suggested plan
A perfect Kazbegi itinerary
Day by day, so you can picture the whole trip.
- 1
Day 1
The Georgian Military Highway
Leave Tbilisi by 8:00 with a driver and stop first at Ananuri Fortress and the viewpoint over turquoise Zhinvali Reservoir. Continue through Pasanauri for a khinkali lunch, climb to Gudauri and the Friendship Monument, and cross the Jvari Pass at 2,395 meters. Arrive in Stepantsminda in the afternoon, settle in, and head up for sunset on the Rooms terrace facing Mount Kazbek.
- 2
Day 2
Gergeti Trinity Church and Mount Kazbek
Take a jeep up to Gergeti Trinity Church between 7:00 and 8:00, before the clouds and the groups, and go inside in modest dress. The fit continue on foot toward the Gergeti Glacier (6-8 hours round trip); everyone else walks down through Gergeti village in an hour or so. Lunch at Cafe 5047, an afternoon at the Alexander Kazbegi Museum, and khinkali at Restaurant Shorena in the evening.
- 3
Day 3
Juta and the Chaukhi Mountains
Take a 4x4 to Juta village (about 40 minutes via Sno and its stone heads) and start walking early toward the Chaukhi Mountains, Georgia's Dolomites. The lakes at the foot of the peaks are the picnic spot, and anyone continuing to the Chaukhi Pass needs a full day and good fitness. Back for coffee at Fifth Season in Juta and a quiet evening in town.
- 4
Day 4
Truso Valley and the Mineral Springs
With a 4x4 driver, enter the Truso Valley toward the abandoned village of Ketrisi, with its ochre-colored mineral springs, travertine terraces and ancient stone towers. Bring your passport: there is a border-guard checkpoint at the valley entrance. Back to Stepantsminda in the afternoon for a massage or the pool at Rooms, and dinner at Kudebi.
- 5
Day 5
Dariali Gorge and Gveleti Waterfall
Drive 10 minutes north into the Dariali Gorge, visit the new Dariali Monastery facing the Russian border, and walk 20-30 minutes up to the big Gveleti Waterfall. The afternoon is free for horseback riding in Gergeti, buying wool and honey at the stalls, or simply sitting with a book facing the mountain. Last evening on the Rooms terrace.
- 6
Day 6
Back to Tbilisi via Gudauri
Leave by 9:00 to catch the mountains in clear morning light, stop in Gudauri for the summer lift and viewpoint, and in Pasanauri for one last khinkali. Those with time finish in Mtskheta at Svetitskhoveli Cathedral before the airport, or return to Tbilisi for an evening at the sulfur baths.
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Budget
How much does Kazbegi cost?
Real ILS price ranges, so you know what to expect.
Round-trip flight to Tbilisi
₪900-1,700 (summer and Sukkot: more)
4-night package per person
₪2,400-4,300 (Tbilisi + Kazbegi)
Hotel or guesthouse nightly
₪150-600 (guesthouse to 4★)
Rooms Hotel nightly
₪900-1,600 (mountain-view room)
Restaurant meal
₪35-80 (per person)
Beer / coffee
₪10-18 / ₪8-14
Jeep to Gergeti church
₪60-100 (per jeep, round trip)
Driver with car per day
₪350-600 (per car, from Tbilisi)
Marshrutka from Tbilisi
₪25-35 (per person, from Didube)
Organized day tour
₪120-220 (per person, from Tbilisi)
Daily budget per person
₪250-450 (excluding flight)
Family of 4, 2 nights
₪3,500-6,000 (excluding flights)
Good to know
Good to know before Kazbegi
Getting around
From the airport
Kazbegi has no airport: you land in Tbilisi (TBS) and drive 3 hours north on the Georgian Military Highway, about 160 km. Most Israelis take a private driver with car, ₪350-600 per day per car (booked via GoTrip or through the hotel), stopping at Ananuri, Gudauri and the Friendship Monument on the way. The cheap option is a marshrutka from Tbilisi's Didube station, ₪25-35 per person, leaving when full and taking 3-3.5 hours with no stops. An organized day tour from Tbilisi costs ₪120-220 per person and includes all the stops.
Need a car?
You do not need a rental car, and most Israelis do not drive the Military Highway themselves: it is winding, packed with trucks bound for Russia, and snowy in winter. A local driver is better, and in town everything is on foot. Juta, Truso and Gergeti Trinity Church need a 4x4 anyway, hired with a driver at the Stepantsminda square.
Tips
Bolt does not work in Stepantsminda (Tbilisi only): the jeeps to the church wait at the square, a round trip costs ₾50-80 per car, and you agree the price before setting off. Book the Delica to Juta or Truso through your guesthouse the evening before, and download offline maps because the valleys have no signal. Marshrutkas back to Tbilisi leave the square roughly every hour until mid-afternoon, and in winter ask the drivers whether the pass is open before planning your day.
Kosher & Jewish
Chabad / community
Kazbegi has no Chabad house and no Jewish community; the nearest is Chabad of Tbilisi on Kote Afkhazi Street in the Old Town, next to the Great Synagogue, a 3-hour drive away. It offers a daily minyan, Shabbat meals with advance registration and a kosher restaurant. Anyone wanting to spend Shabbat in the mountains must bring everything from Tbilisi and plan the day independently.
Kosher food
Stepantsminda has no kosher restaurant and no supervised products, so kosher-keeping Israelis stock up in Tbilisi (Chabad, plus packaged goods from the Carrefour at Tbilisi Mall on the way north) and bring it to the guesthouse. Most guesthouses will happily cook to your instructions or let you use the kitchen, and in restaurants vegetarian is easy: lobio, khachapuri, walnut vegetable salad, pkhali and grilled trout. Just confirm the 'vegetarian' khinkali is really meat-free, since they are sometimes boiled in the same pot.
Travel insurance
Travel insurance for Kazbegi 🇬🇪
A hospital day in Kazbegi can cost thousands. Full coverage with Hebrew support.
- Medical + hospital 24/7
- Trip cancellation
- Baggage
- Gadgets & pre-existing conditions
Currency & rates
Live rateCurrency & rates
Quick conversion at today's rate
Convert
You get
116.7
1 GEL
₪1.17
100 GEL
₪116.7
1,000 GEL
₪1,167
Source: exchangerate-api · updated Sep 13 · refreshes daily
Visa & documents
Visa & documents for Kazbegi 🇬🇪
What you need before you fly
- אין צורך בוויזה לישראלים, עד שנה שלמה עם דרכון בתוקף
- Passport valid 6 months
- Travel insurance, leave details for a quote
Local tips
Good to know about Kazbegi
- ⏰Leave Tbilisi by 8:00: you reach Gergeti before the midday groups, fit in Ananuri and Gudauri on the way, and avoid the traffic jam at the city entrance on the way back.
- ❄️From November to April, check the Jvari Pass status in the morning (drivers know, and the traffic police page updates): heavy snow closes the road to trucks and sometimes to private cars too.
- 🧥Even in August, Stepantsminda is pleasant at noon and cold in the evening: layers, a thin rain shell and closed shoes, because up by the church there is wind and sudden rain.
- 💵Cash in lari for the Gergeti jeeps (₾50-80 per car), the honey stalls and guesthouses: there are one or two ATMs in town and on weekends they sometimes run empty.
- 🏨Want the Rooms terrace over Sukkot or in August? Book 3-4 months ahead, and if it is sold out, Porta and Alpina give almost the same view at half the price.
- ⛪Gergeti Trinity Church requires modest dress: wrap skirts and headscarves are provided at the entrance for women, men cannot enter in shorts, and no photos inside.
- 🤢The Military Highway winds up to 2,395 meters: if you get carsick, sit in front, take a motion-sickness pill while still in Tbilisi and skip the heavy meal before the climb.
- 🌄The best photo hour at Gergeti is 6:30-8:00, when Mount Kazbek is cloud-free and the parking lot is empty; after 11:00 the summit disappears into cloud almost every day.
- 🚙You cannot reach Juta or Truso without a 4x4: a driver with a Delica from town costs ₪180-280 per day, and it is worth splitting with another couple from your guesthouse.
- 🩺Standard travel insurance does not cover trekking above 3,000 meters or horseback riding: add the adventure-sports extension before planning the Gergeti Glacier hike.
מאיה רוזן
Senior agent · Greece for 12 years
"Kazbegi is the moment Georgia stops being another city with khachapuri and becomes a story: after three hours of switchbacks, you stand beside a small 14th-century church, and behind it a 5,047-meter mountain that changes color every fifteen minutes. Israelis fall for it because it feels remote and real yet reachable, and because of that moment on the Rooms terrace with a glass of Saperavi in hand. I always say: do not do it as a day trip. Sleep one night, because a morning at Gergeti with nobody around is worth the suitcase."
Loves
My secret is walking from Gergeti village up to the church at sunrise instead of taking the jeep: 75 minutes on a path between the houses and the cows, and the parking lot up top is still empty. And then, instead of heading straight down, another 40 minutes up to the glacier viewpoint that most people do not know exists.
Skip
I would not pay ₾100 for a jeep from the square at noon in July: the summit is already in cloud, the parking lot is full of groups, and there is a twenty-person queue for the photo in front of the church. Either go up before 8:00, or wait for 17:00.
Boutique pick
I start at 6:30 walking from Gergeti up to the church, come down for breakfast at Cafe 5047 and continue by Delica into the Truso Valley, to Ketrisi and the ochre springs. On the way back a stop at Gveleti Waterfall, a massage and the pool at Rooms, and in the evening a pre-booked terrace table with khinkali and Saperavi, right as the mountain turns pink.
Client stories
What returning travelers say about Kazbegi
"Two nights at Rooms Hotel Kazbegi were the highlight of our Georgia trip: we woke at sunrise, walked up from Gergeti village to the church and had it entirely to ourselves. In the evening we drank wine on the terrace facing Mount Kazbek and understood why everyone takes the same photo."
Noa and Itai, Tel Aviv
Couple · 2 nights · September
"We did Kazbegi with a driver from Tbilisi, stopped at Ananuri and the Friendship Monument, and the kids would not stop talking about the jeep ride up to the church. We stayed at Porta Kazbegi because Rooms was full, and the window facing the mountain was all we needed."
The Levy family, Modiin
Family with 3 kids · 2 nights · August
"We hired a Delica to Juta, climbed to the lakes below the Chaukhi Mountains, and the next day did the Gergeti Glacier trek in eight hours. At night we drank chacha at Restaurant Shorena with the owner, and in the morning we barely made the marshrutka."
Omer, Daniel and Roy, Haifa
Friends · 3 nights · July
"At 68 we did no climbing, but the jeep took us right up to the church, and the sunset from the Rooms terrace was among the most beautiful we have seen. The Military Highway was long and winding, so one night in Kazbegi instead of a day trip was the right call."
Ruti and Yaakov, Raanana
Older couple · 1 night · June
FAQ
Common questions about Kazbegi
Do Israelis need a visa for Kazbegi?
No. Israelis enter Georgia visa-free for up to a year with a valid passport, and Kazbegi is reached via Tbilisi airport with no further checks; only the Truso Valley entrance has a border-guard checkpoint, so carry your passport.
How do you get to Kazbegi from Israel, and how long does it take?
Fly 3 hours direct to Tbilisi (TBS), then drive 3 hours north on the Georgian Military Highway with a driver, a marshrutka or an organized tour; Kazbegi has no airport of its own.
When is the best time to visit Kazbegi, and for how many days?
May to October, when the trails are open and the summit is visible; July-August is the Israeli peak and pricier, while September-October brings autumn colors and fewer crowds. A day trip covers Gergeti, but 2 nights in Kazbegi add Juta or Truso and a sunrise with nobody around.
Do I need to rent a car for Kazbegi?
No, and most Israelis do not drive the Military Highway: they hire a private driver (₪350-600 per day per car), and in Kazbegi itself take a jeep with driver to the church and the valleys; Bolt does not operate in the mountains.
How much does a Kazbegi trip cost?
Two days in Kazbegi with a driver from Tbilisi and a mid-range hotel cost about ₪1,200-2,000 per couple excluding flights, and a night at Rooms adds ₪900-1,600; an organized day tour from Tbilisi is ₪120-220 per person.
Is Kazbegi safe, and how close is the Russian border?
Kazbegi is very safe and friendly to Israelis; the Russian border is 12 km north in the Dariali Gorge and entirely quiet. The real risk is the winding road and mountain weather, hence a local driver and proper clothing.
Is there kosher food or a Chabad house in Kazbegi?
No. The nearest Chabad is in Tbilisi on Kote Afkhazi Street, and kosher-keeping travelers bring packaged food from Tbilisi, ask the guesthouse to cook to their instructions, or eat vegetarian (lobio, khachapuri, salads, trout).
Are there casinos and nightlife in Kazbegi?
No: Kazbegi is quiet, with no casinos and no clubs, and a night here means house wine, chacha and the Rooms terrace bar facing the mountain. The casinos and big bars are in Tbilisi, 3 hours south.
Is Kazbegi better for families with kids or for couples?
Both: couples come for Rooms and the Gergeti sunrise, while families love the jeep up to the church, the short Gveleti Waterfall walk and the horses in Gergeti. With toddlers, consider just one night because of the long, winding drive.
What should I pack for Kazbegi in summer?
Layers, a thin rain shell, closed walking shoes, a hat and sunscreen (the sun at 1,750 meters is strong), a power bank, cash in lari and motion-sickness pills for the road; even in August nights drop to 8-10 degrees.
Is there mobile signal in Kazbegi, and how much do you tip?
Stepantsminda and Gergeti have Magti and Geocell 4G (eSIM works), but Juta and Truso have no signal, so download offline maps. A 10% tip is customary in restaurants, and drivers get ₾20-30 at the end of a good day.
What should I combine Kazbegi with?
The classic Israeli combination is Tbilisi + Kazbegi, with stops at Mtskheta and Ananuri on the way; with a week you add Kakheti for wine or Batumi for the sea, and in winter you pair it with skiing in Gudauri, 40 minutes away.