Mestia

Mestia is the regional capital of Svaneti. It is also the main centre of tourism for the region. It is a relatively small town of around 2,600 inhabitants, but it is the main tourist centre for the Svaneti region and as such has many of the characteristics of larger cities. It is tourist-friendly, in part due to several major construction activities including a new road (a twisty but well-maintained mountain road), a renovated town centre with a number of new buildings, and a new airport. There has also been a lot of investment in other infrastructure, such as a new district court, giving Mestia the feeling of a city rather than the rural towns it is. This has made travelling to Mestia much easier, but the main street has lost part of its former character. Exploring the streets just behind the main street immediately brings you to very rural areas with cows, pigs and chickens everywhere.

The town is very easy to navigate. It consists of three villages following the Mulkhra River, with a single main street lying through the entire town. Most guest houses, hotels and restaurants are along this street.

Prices are generally higher than other middle-sized towns around Georgia and haggling is not as normal as elsewhere.

Information:

Tourist Information Centre, Seti Square (the main square in Mestia). Part of the country-wide network of tourist information centres. Provides information on activities in Mestia including high-quality hiking maps.

Mountain Tourist Centre of Svaneti, Pereulok Stalina No. 7 (200 m from the main square in Mestia).

By plane:

1 Queen Tamar Airport. Mestia's airport opened in 2010. Flights from/to Tbilisi (Natakhtari airfield) are available 4 times a week. Price is 90 lari one way (63 lari for children 3-12). Price includes free transfer from Tbilisi, M.S. Rustaveli and back. Transfer point is nearby Metro Station Rustaveli, near the fountain. Sometimes there are available flights from/to Kutaisi twice a week. Price is 50 lari one way (35 lari for children 3-12).

Complete schedule:

Tbilisi to Mestia: M, W, F 09:30, Su 13:00

Mestia to Tbilisi: M, F 15:30, W 11:30, Su 15:00

Kutaisi to Mestia: Tu, F 13:30

Mestia to Kutaisi: Tu, F 11:00

The registration time is 1 hr before the flight. Flight duration is one hour. Depending on weather conditions compliant to Visual Flight Rules VFR, flight can be postponed or cancelled (full refund). Limit of the hold luggage and for carry-on baggage in total is 15 kg/per person. It's impossible to pay for extra luggage but if there is free place on board, you can take your baggage along free of charge.

Reservations are available at:

Vanilla Sky, ☏ +995 32 242 7427, +995 599 65 90 99 (Mob), info@vanillasky.ge.

There is always a high demand for tickets, so reserve tickets long in advance. For example, by the end of July 2015 the only tickets from Mestia to Tbilisi left were for the end of August. If no tickets are available, ask to be on the waiting list. Flights are dependent on weather conditions in the mountains between Mestia and Tbilisi. As the weather changes quickly, it is difficult to plan a flight to or from Mestia with certainty and it might be a good idea to have an alternative in case the flights are cancelled.

By helicopter:

There is also an option to fly to Mestia from Tbilisi by helicopter. The duration of the flight is 1½ hr. There are a few companies organizing these flights.

By train: