The city of Telavi is a truly remarkable monument to its own past, exhibiting a patchwork of unique cultural and natural relics that tell the story of its development from the earliest years. Once the most important civic centre in all of Georgia, Telavi plays host to a number of the architectural protrusions that still stand as testimony to its former glory. Within the metropolitan centre, the Dzveli Galavani date from around the 9^th century and outline the earliest fortifications that were built here by the Kakheti Kings, while the magnificent towering structure of the Alaverdi Cathedral – the second highest of its kind in the country – lies neatly in the Tsiv-Gombori foothills, a short drive out of town.
Telavi is also indelibly surrounded by nature and occupies an elevated place on the Alazani River Plain. This allows for majestic panoramas of the nearby Caucasus peaks and the possibility of a myriad of outdoorsy activities in the hills.