Is Georgia worth visiting in winter?
Yes, for Tbilisi and one or two day trips out of it. Winter in Georgia is a season for hot sulphur baths, long dinners, wine cellars and the first runs at Gudauri, and a poor one for the high mountains.
- Go for the baths, a cooking class or tasting on a cold afternoon, a Kakheti cellar day, a ski day, and the Christmas lights from December into January.
- Skip it for the high treks of Kazbegi, Svaneti and Tusheti, which are under snow, and for the Black Sea beach.
- Best dates are mid January to February for lower prices and surer snow; 20 December to 7 January has the lights and the holidays, at higher prices, with almost everything shut on 1 January.
Tbilisi runs about 7 to 8°C by day and around freezing at night from December to February, and the best time to visit Georgia has every month.
What to book in Georgia in winter
| Plan | Why it works in winter | What it costs | Our picks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sulphur baths in Tbilisi | Open all year, with private rooms until 23:00 | About $25 (65 GEL) a person for two sharing a room for an hour, room only | Sulphur baths |
| A Georgian cooking class | A warm afternoon indoors | About $36 (95 GEL) a person for the two-hour class | Cooking classes |
| A Tbilisi food tour | Sololaki, the markets and the kitchens, with tastings | From $50 a person on Saturdays, $59 for the khinkali kitchens tour | Food tours |
| A Kakheti wine day | Winter in Kakheti is quiet, and Eat This! runs its Sighnaghi winter wine tour from December to March | The private Sighnaghi day is from about $119 (310 GEL) a person for a full car; the winter tour is priced on the shortlist | Kakheti wine tours |
| A Kazbegi day | Gergeti by car, weather permitting, on a private day sold through the winter | $69 to $110 a person for two sharing a car, $138 to $219 for one; on the value day the 4x4 up to Gergeti in snow is about $23 (60 GEL) a car extra | Kazbegi day trips |
The prices are the ones on each shortlist, checked between 5 and 28 October 2026, so read the date on the shortlist you book from. A private driver can cover several of these in one day, and private tours lists the options.
Christmas, New Year and the Alilo
Georgia keeps Christmas on 7 January, so 25 December is an ordinary working day. 1, 2 and 7 January are public holidays, and Epiphany falls on 19 January.
- The New Year Village at First Republic Square opened on 12 December in 2025, with its ice rink and the main Christmas tree open until 14 January. City Hall sets the dates each year, so check them for the week you travel.
- New Year’s Eve brings fireworks from balconies across Tbilisi, and prices at the ski resorts jump over the New Year fortnight.
- The Alilo, the Christmas procession on 7 January, was announced in 2026 to start at First Republic Square at 14:00 and pass Freedom Square from about 15:00 on its way to the Holy Trinity Cathedral, with central traffic restricted until about 16:00. Walk it.
Book the baths or a class for the evenings around those dates.
Skiing and snow
Gudauri, Bakuriani, Mestia and Goderdzi are the four ski resorts, and they keep different seasons. Gudauri’s lifts ran from 27 December 2025 to 19 April 2026, and all four are due to open on 20 December 2026, subject to snow. The best time to visit has each resort’s dates.
Gudauri is the easiest resort to reach from Tbilisi in a day, because the Kazbegi road runs past it. Our Kazbegi day trips stop there, and when snow closes the pass the day can turn into a Gudauri day. Skiing in Georgia has the Gudauri day trips and what a ski day costs. Bakuriani, smaller and cheaper, suits beginners and children; Bakuriani snow days compares the days from Tbilisi and Kutaisi.
Winter roads and what is shut
Between mid November and early May the Jvari pass between Gudauri and Kobi closes after heavy snow or when the avalanche risk is high, for a few hours or for several days, and winter tyres are compulsory on the Mleta to Kobi section from 1 December to 1 March. How often the pass closes and how to check the road are on the Kazbegi guide.
Roads change by the day. On 21 January 2026, for example, the Roads Department closed the Paravani pass, the Korsha to Shatili section and the Ushguli to Lasdili section to all traffic for avalanche danger, and held trailers on Gudauri to Kobi while letting light vehicles through. Check the Roads Department notices the morning you travel.
- Shut: the Juta and Truso walks, under snow from about November until late May; the road to Tusheti, which closes for snow in October and opens to 4x4s between late May and late June; the 4x4 Truso day.
- Open: Tbilisi, Kakheti on the winter wine tour, Kazbegi town and Gergeti by car, and the ski resorts once the lifts open.
Plan the week around the open list.
Planning the days in winter
Daylight is short, about 9 hours in December, and the sun sets in Tbilisi at about 5:30 pm in December. Put the walking in Old Town before lunch, the baths, a class or a tasting in the afternoon, and dinner late. Keep one day in the week free for the weather, because a Kazbegi or Gudauri day depends on the pass being open.
For a week, three days in Tbilisi, a Kakheti day and a mountain day leave two for the baths, a class and a slow dinner.
Questions people ask about Georgia in winter
Is it cheaper to visit Georgia in winter?
Yes. Hotels were at their emptiest in January 2025, hotel price sites name February the cheapest month, and the New Year fortnight is the exception, when ski resort prices jump.
Is the road to Kazbegi open in winter?
Yes, usually. The Jvari pass can shut for a few hours or several days, so book the private Gergeti day, which is sold through the winter, and keep a day spare.
Which dates are best for a winter trip?
Mid January to February for lower prices and surer snow, and 20 December to 7 January for the lights and the holidays, at higher prices.