“Sighnaghi, the city of lovers, is one of the most romantic places in Georgia, with a charming cobblestone street, pastel houses and picturesque landscape”.
Hey! Are you looking for a romantic place to spend time with your lover or your friends and family in Georgia? Sighnaghi might be the one of the places that you should consider. It is one of the most attractive and popular tourist destinations in Georgia, located in the heart of the country’s wine-growing region. It is famous for its winery tour and vast vineyard, hence, considered the birthplace of winery in the region.
About Signagi or Sighnaghi
Sighnaghi is a small town in Georgia, located in the easternmost region of Kakheti. The word Sighnaghi means “shelter” in the Turkic language. This town was built on a hill with an overlooking view of Alazani Valley, surrounded by a mighty wall from the 18th century, commonly called the “Great Wall of Signagi or Georgia”. It is home to several historical and cultural memorials that have been preserved since 1975. It is considered one of the most beautiful cities in Georgia with narrow cobbles stone street, wineries, hotels and restaurants. Today, it is one of the most popular places for wedding events and couples who want to marry in Georgia.
“Gate in Sighnaghi”
Why was it called the city of love?
“Great Wall of Sighnaghi”
Due to its popularity for wedding events, many couples visit here to get married; subsequently, this small town was known as city of lovers. There are several wedding houses here where you can marry at any time of the day. Aside from that, this small town had witnessed numerous love confession and marriage proposal making it a romantic gate away.
How to get to Sighnaghi from Tbilisi?
Travel time from Tbilisi going to Sighnaghi is about two hours. Below are the options on how to get there.
Option 1: DIY: For the cheapest way, use public transportation by taking the marshrutka minibus/van. Headfirst to the Samgori Metro Station, located along the first metro line in the southern part of the city. This is where marshrutka normally operates every odd hour from 07:00 to 17:00, going to Sighnaghi. On the other hand, from Sighnaghi, marshrutkas leave at 07:00, 09:00, 11:00, 13:00, 16:00, and 18:00 every day back to Tbilisi. Hence, book your ticket in advance to secure your seat. You can reserve your ticket from the small kiosk on the marshrutka station’s square a few hours before departure.
To reach Samgori station from Tbilisi, go to Liberty Square station, take the red metro south in the direction of Vartketili for 4 stations, and ride for about 10 minutes ride. The cost is around 1 Gel using a metromoney card. Otherwise, you can take a taxi to the station, which is the easiest and convenient way since they will drop you directly to the location of the marshrutka van. Download bolt app for booking a taxi.
Another option for DIY is the shared taxi offered at the Isani Metro Station, this is more comfortable than the marshrutka bus/van. To reach the stations from Tbilisi, take the red metro south in the direction of Vartketili for 3 stations, alternatively book a taxi in bolt app.
Option 2: Rent a Car in Tbilisi, Georgia. The vehicle rental starts at around 20 USD per day for economy class. This vary depending on the type of car you select. This option is great if you are planning to explore many places in Georgia and would like to travel at your own pace and time. This is also an excellent option for a group, just ensure that at least one or two of you have a driver’s license that is accredited in Georgia.
Option 3: Tour with Transfer: For convenience, join a day trip from Tbilisi available at any travel agency tours offering this experience to reduce your cost. It is by far the easiest way to travel to Sighnaghi. Highly recommended, especially for someone who is traveling alone and would like to join a group tour.
You can also check Viator.com or Trip Advisor for other tour options.
When is the best time to visit Sighnaghi?
Spectacular View inside Bodbe Monastery
Depending on your availability, Sighnaghi is impeccable either in spring, summer, autumn or winter. You can never go wrong in any season when visiting this town. In my case, I visited this place in autumn (end of September 2023), and it still had almost summer vibes as the trees and vineyards are still at their greenest. It was a sunny day, and the weather is perfect, with a temperature of around 20 to 25 Degree. If you want to visit for grape picking, the month of August is the perfect time, as most of the vineyard harvesting takes place during this time; otherwise, you can also check another vineyard; some offer it until mid-September. For colorful vineyard vibes, visit in the 3rd week of October or the 1st week of November. During Springtime, flowers are blooming in this area, so it is also a good time to wander in this amazing place. In winter, Sighnaghi and its valleys are covered with snow. Based on the photo I saw online, the town is wonderful, and the view of the Alazani Valley as well as the Caucasus Mountain is spectacular.
Below is the months season in Georgia for reference:
- Spring: March to May
- Summer: June to August
- Autumn: September to November
- Winter: December to February
Where to stay?
If you plan to visit different places in Georgia, booking and staying in Tbilisi is the best option since this is the center and capital of the country. From there, you can drive or join a day trip going to Sighnaghi.
However, if you have more time and want to experience picking grapes in the vineyard, I suggest staying in Sighnaghi. There are several hotels and hostels offered in this place. Another recommended accommodation is the Hotel & Wine Chateau Khasmi.
You can check booking.com or Agoda.com for hotel accommodation options.
Other Activity or Places to visit near Sighnaghi
Visit the Bodbe Monastery
Near to Sighnaghi is the Bodbe Monastery, which is 2 kilometers away from the town. It is a place of pilgrimage due to its association with St. Nino, the woman responsible for bringing Christianity to Georgia. The monastery also features a spectacular view of valleys and mountains. Probably one of my favorites on this tour is visiting this monastery. The ambience and atmosphere inside is relaxing, and the view inside is stunning.
Take lunch at Hotel & Wine Chateau Khasmi
Chateau Khasmi is a hotel & restaurant located in the village of Khashmi, 30-minute drive from Tbilisi. Their restaurant serves a delicious Georgian and European dishes. Meanwhile, at their family cellar, their guests will be able to taste a different wine variety that is made traditionally. So, don’t forget to taste this old wine. Our mistake is that since we don’t have a guide and only a driver, we thought it was just a restaurant, so we only eat at this place. Besides, when they informed us to taste their wine, we already felt dizzy, since we also tasted wines from Modern Wine Factory before coming here.
Wine Tasting in the Modern Wine Factory
Probably one of the highlights of this tour is this wine tasting. This modern winery offers a tour inside of their modern storage barrel and taste different type of wine in the region.
Side Trip to Small Store of Churchkhela
If you visit Georgia, tasting Churchkhela is one of the things you should experience when visiting this country. Churchkhela is a traditional Georgian candle-shaped candy with a variety of flavor.
Interesting Information about Sighnaghi!
- Do you know that in the year 1851, the vast majority of the population in Sighnaghi were mostly Armenian, with about 95% of its population and only 4% Georgian. In 1916, the population became balanced at 50% each.
- Today, the population of Sighnaghi is around 1500.
- Sighnaghi is the only town in Georgia where you can have a civil wedding at any time, even at night, with only two witnesses required for the ceremony.
- Sighnaghi wall is 4 kilometers long, with each tower given the name of the respective village inhabitants. Today, some people refer to this as the great wall of sighnaghi and some great wall of Georgia.
- There are several wine cellars in Sighnaghi where you can taste 3 or 4 local wines. Just do some research first and check it out online, otherwise, join a day trip from Tbilisi.
Travel Tips when planning to visit Signhaghi
Here are some tips you should consider when heading to the city of love.
- In the case you want to walk in the great wall of Sighnaghi, better to take the ride resemblance to a gulf car offered in the town once your driver drops you. Our mistake was we did not ride on this, and we just walk, we didn’t realize that the way going there was a bit far. So, my colleague in this join tour were already exhausted, consequently, we were not able to get there but rather see the view from a far.
- If you happen to visit Hotel and Chateau Khasmi for lunch, don’t forget to see their old winery storage. Again, our mistake was that we thought it was only a restaurant, so we missed seeing their storage. Perhaps because we already took a lot of wines in the modern factory before coming here, we felt dizzy already.
- If you happen to visit here in the summer, come in the morning to avoid the crowds.
- If you are traveling solo, bring your own selfie stick stand to capture solo video and photos.
- Be a responsible traveler and keep Sighnaghi town clean.
- Take only memories, leave only footprints.
Budget when travelling to Sighnaghi
In my case, I joined a day tour with a driver only from Tbilisi, where I am staying for this short vacation. The tour cost is 40 USD. With this option, I was able to visit major tourist attractions in the Khakheti region, like Bodbe Monastery, Sighnaghi the city of love, and the Modern Winery Factory, where we tasted 3 to 4 local wines. We also visited the Hotel & Wine Chateau Khasmi for lunch and a side trip to a small old wine storage in the road.
If you are curious, I book my tour in G7 Euro Travel & Tours or known in Filipino community as Kabayans and Pinoys in Tbilisi, Georgia, highly recommended. Their tour package is well organized, so I can confidently say that they are one of the best Travel & Tour agency providers in Georgia. One more advantage is that they pick you up and drop in your hotel, so no hustle.
If you plan to book here, you can use my code: “LAN Wandered with G7 Kabayans in Georgia & Armenia
And get 3% to 20 % discount depending on length of stay or number of people booking at same time. You can message their FB page: Kabayans and Pinoys in Tbilisi, Georgia or their whatsapp number +995579128007.
3 Steps to avail discount:
- Mention the code above when booking.
- Screenshot this blog where you read my article.
- Simply like their Facebook Page: Kabayans and Pinoys in Tbilisi, Georgia
Travel Itinerary going to Signaghi from Tbilisi
This is for your reference only.
9:00 am-Travel from Tbilisi to Sighnaghi
10:00 am- Stop over to Churchkhela Store along the road
11:00 am- Visit Bodbe Monastery, and take light snacks outside
12:00 pm- Travel to Signaghi and wander in the ” The City of Love”
2:00 pm- Visit Modern Wine Factory for wine tasting
3:00 pm- Visit Hotel & Wine Chateau Khasmi then take your late lunch
3:30 pm- Travel back to Tbilisi
Note: If you would like to take lunch around 12 pm, you can check out restaurant in the Town of Signaghi while you are there, otherwise take late lunch in Chateau Khasmi.
Essential things to bring.
- Money in Cash (Gerogian Lari)
- Comfortable shoes depends on the season you will visit
- Sunscreen for summer season
- Bottle of water
- Sun glass
- Light Snacks
- Cap for head & face sun protection
- Jacket applicable for summer or winter depends on season
- Power bank
So, have you been to Sighnaghi? Please share your thoughts, I would like to know your experience.
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