Why Travel to the Caucasus? The Hidden Gem Of Eurasia Vacation
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Why Travel to the Caucasus? It is an excellent annual leave idea that you can do for a week or so, adding three new Countries to your world list. You can also experience the three very distinctive cultures at a low cost.
I recently finished my vacation in the Caucasus. I spent a week during the Christmas Season covering all the Countries (three to be exact) in the area. The journey through the three Countries (Georgia Armenia Azerbaijan) has been magnificent.
I took pictures of the great landscapes, visited the UNESCO heritage sites, and tasted various national food (especially protein food) and museums. With all the great experiences, it only cost me less than 1,000 USD. The area is totally safe for tourists, and planning is easy even for the average tourist.
I bet you seldom heard of Caucasus travel like I did. In fact, the area was a total stranger to me before. It is not a hot travel destination like Thailand and Vietnam. The Caucasus region is especially important if you are not from Europe.
I did some online research and found that only around 2 million tourists are traveling to Azerbaijan and Armenia, respectively. Around 5m tourists travelled to Georgia in 2023. This is a small number compared to a Country like Thailand, with over 30 million annual travelers.
This is why I want to share my good experience with you and better enable you to take a vacation there next time. First thing first let’s check out the reasons traveling Caucasus.
Adding Three New Countries To Your World Travel List In One Week
Caucasus travel refers to the three countries, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia, located between Europe & Central Asia. Despite being the ex-Soviet territories in the same area, these 3 Countries have very different cultures. For example, Azerbaijan is a liberal Muslim country, whereas Georgia and Armenia’s main religions are Catholic. Azerbaijan relies on oil for its main economy, while the other two have a more diverse source of income. Compared to Azerbaijan and Armenia, Georgia is a relatively more popular tourist destination.
However, to maximize your experience while minimizing your expenses, I recommend you travel to these 3 Countries in one go. After all, I feel prouder to tell my friends that I traveled to two Countries than one.
Given the proximity of the three Countries, it is possible to cover all in just a week. For example, I arrived in Baku (Azerbaijan), flew from there to Tbilisi (Georgia), then took the bus from Tbilisi to Yerevan (Armenia).
A Hidden Gem With Various Great Attractions
Everyone will tell you that the Caucasus is famous for its mountains. And that is true. Caucasus has one of the most beautiful mountain views in the world. Together with different city designs, the three capital cities namely Baku, Tbilisi, and Yerevan. You can expect to take lots of great landscape pictures during your vacation.
Except for the Tbilisi City Center, most of the tourist icons in Caucasus are fantastic throughout the year. For example, we took a day trip from Tbilisi to Gori (another city in Georgia). There, the landscape of Gori Fortress and the snow-white backdrop was one of the most beautiful scenes we have ever seen.
Ancient Sites & Nature Wonder
Less known to most people, the region also offers multiple historical sites and nature wonders that would make you proud. For example, within walking distance in Baku, you can experience the Old Baku City, a UNESCO site.
From Baku, you can take a day trip to cover another UNESCO site, Gobustan, and the nature wonder Mud Volcano in the morning. Subsequently, you can go to another UNESCO site, the fire temple (Atashgah), and another nature wonder, the eternal fire-burning mountain (Yanardag), in the afternoon. I heard recent news that Turkmenistan is going to turn off the eternal fire of the gates of hell soon. That makes the Yanardag more unique in the world.
From Tbilisi, you can take an hour public bus for less than 2 USD to reach the hometown of Joseph Stalin and go to a nature wonder of historical cave town at Uplistsikhe on the same day. From Yerevan, you could explore lots of beautiful structures like the Cascade Complex and multiple museums in just 1 day or so.
Three Types of National Cuisines
Not only will you experience three very different cultures. The national cuisines of the area are very different as well. For Azerbaijani cuisine, it is a vibrant tapestry of flavors influenced by Persian, Turkish, and Russian culinary traditions. The most famous national dish is called Polv, a fragrant rice dish often accompanied by saffron, dried fruits, and various meats such as lamb or chicken.
Other than that, dolma (grape leaves with meats), kebabs, and local bread are also very famous there. In particular, I love the different lamb cuisines available in the Baku city center.
Georgian cuisines, on the other hand, are more Westernized. One of the common national dishes is Khachapuri (in short, pizza with cheese and egg). Other than that, the Country is also famous for Khinkali, flavorful dumplings filled with spiced meat and broth. There are also other meat-based local dishes. You can find it all via Bolt Food during your visit to Tbilisi.
Armenian cuisines are similar to that of Azerbaijani but not exactly the same. You will find a lot of local restaurants selling Dolmas and lavash (traditional flatbread) in Yerevan. However, Armenia is also famous for Khorovats (Armenian barbecue). If you are protein-conscious like me, you will like having food in both Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Very Reasonable Price
So the Caucasus Countries have Europe-like cities and great mountains. However, the price is far cheaper than in Europe (especially Western Europe). The GDP per capita is around 8,000 – 9,000 USD annually to – in the area. Georgia is relatively more expensive (or at least not as cheap as everyone promoted). Meanwhile, Azerbaijan and Baku are exceptionally cheap based on the value they deliver to tourists.
Accommodation
During my last visit, I lived in both a spacious and a budget hotel. The average accommodation cost is around 20 USD for two persons in a spacious hostel room near the city center. For Georgia, it is around 30 USD for a budget hotel near the city center.
✅ Click here to have a sense of the price level !
Food Price
Street food is exceptionally cheap, especially in Baku and Yerevan. A traditional meat lavash (local bread) with Ayran (a local salty yogurt drink) was only ~ 2 USD in Baku. The most expensive national dish – Shah Plov there, was around 17 USD for two persons.
Meanwhile, in Yerevan, there are a lot of Russian-style classic café. There, you could have a great dessert for around 3 USD. For having hearty national food like Dolma (grape leaves with stuffed meat) and Khorovats (local barbecue), it is less than 20 USD per person with live music.
While Tbilisi’s food price is 50% more expensive than the other two capital cities, with the assistance of Bolt Food, you can still have nice Georgian food like Khinkali (local dumplings) & Shkmeruli (roasted chicken in garlic cream) at a reasonable price.
Not to mention, all these three Countries are famous for cheap local wine and VSOPs.
Other Expenses
Unlike its neighbor Country, Turkey, the expense of attractions like Museums is very cheap as well. For example, the entrance to Mud Volcano Complex, Gobustan, or Carpet Museum in Baku was only around 10 USD each. For Georgia, you could get into the Stalin Museum and the nature cave of Uplistsikhe for less than 10 USD. In Yerevan, the capital city of Armenia, you could visit the famous Cascade complex and the Armenian genocide museum for free.
Caucasus Travel Planning Is Easy Even For Average Traveler
Other than the fascinating travel features and economical price, Self-travel in the Caucasus is also easy for the average traveler. That means you don’t need to pay for a caucasus travel guide to organize the tour.
Safety in the region
Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia are all very safe Countries for tourists. In Baku, the capital city of Azerbaijan, the city has heavy surveillance of police and CCTVs. Although I would feel “monitored” as local, it helped to deter crime against tourists. In Tbilisi, despite its fame for cheap alcohol, you can still safely walk through the city at night. For Yerevan, I walked on the street at around 5 am for the airport bus and stayed late after midnight. It is safe as well. Of course, general caution is always advisable.
Visa Application Is Easy
For Georgia and Armenia, most of the Countries can enter their visa-free. For Azerbaijan, despite the visa requirement, application is not hard at all. The country provides an e-visa online application channel. All you need to do is just to fill in the information. After paying the visa fee (~ 20 USD), approval would usually come in 3 working days.
Money Exchange
You will need to exchange the local currency, namely, Azerbaijani Manat(AZN), Georgian Lari (GEL), and Armenian Dram(AMD) for your visit. For 1 USD, it is equivalent to around 1.7 AZN, 2.7 GEL and 380 AMD. Amongst the three currencies, the AZN is easiest to manage, given the government is fixing that to USD on a 1.7 to 1 ratio. You could even find the best USD: AZN rate at the airport.
For Georgia, the Tbilisi airport has popular the most exchange rate shops I have ever seen. What surprised me is some of them even have better rates compared to the city center. Even if you missed that, exchange shops are also readily available in Tbilisi.
For Armenia, they have a very interesting norm that an exchange shop is usually set up within a supermarket. You usually would find a booth for local exchange near the cashier or in the middle of that. Other than that, you could also exchange AMD during your bus travel from Tbilisi to Yerevan.
In short, you can exchange the local currency at the inception of visiting these 3 Countries without being ripped off.
Other than that, credit cards are also widely usable in restaurants, museums, and shops in the Caucasus. However, it is not to the extent of “contactless,” as other Caucasus travel blogs suggest for Tbilisi.
So bring your USD or EUR for money exchange on your journey.
Transportation
Transportation is also tourist-friendly in the region. Once you arrive at the Baku International Airport (which has frequent flights from Dubai), it only costs you around 1 USD for the bus transport from Baku Airport to the city center. The bus runs 24 hours at 20-minute intervals. You can use the same for your transit back to Baku airport for flying to Tbilisi. Additionally, the bus has the cheapest public transport, and most main attractions are within walking distance.
Then, in Tbilisi, Bolt ride is very cheap, and you can use that for airport transport and in-city transport easily. For going from Tbilisi to Yerevan, there are over 10 buses daily available for booking online via 12GO.
In Yerevan, you can use a GG taxi to navigate the city, and the cost is low as well.
Variety Of Day Tours
During my vacation, I didn’t only limit myself to the visit of the three capital cities. I also take advantage of the day tour package for icons like Mud Volcano, Fire Temple, Ushguli and Gudauri. Numerous day trips are departing from the respective capital city. You will not get bored even if you stay for more than a week on your vacation!
The Best Caucasus Itinerary For A Week
Below is what I did within a week of visiting Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia. Remember, due to the border conflict between Azerbaijan & Armenia, you should start your travel in Azerbaijan, then Georgia, then Armenia.
First Part – Azerbaijan Itinerary
Day 1 – Baku City Center Sightseeing
Day 2 – Day trip via Viator to cover Mud Volcano & Gobustan in the morning; then Fire Temple (Atashgah) and Burning Mountain (Yanardag)
Second Part – Georgia Itinerary
Day 3 – Depart from Baku to Georgia & Tbilisi City Center Visit
Day 4 – Day Trip From Tbilisi To Gori
Day 5 – Day Trip From Tbilisi To Gudauri
Final Part – Armenia Itinerary
Day 6 – Bus from Tbilisi to Yerevan & Yerevan City Center Sightseeing
Day 7 – Yerevan City Center Visit
A Memorable “European” Vacation With Reasonable Price
I hope by now I have impressed you with the Caucasus. If you are looking to add these three new Countries to your world map, book your ticket now!
You will have more stories to share after your vacation. Caucasus travel is best valued with minimal costs. By using my Caucasus travel series, you can easily plan a great trip like I did.
Frequently Ask Questions About Caucasus Travel
What are the Caucasus states?
Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia.
What are the best countries to visit in the Caucasus?
I love Armenia the most, but I find Georgia, especially Tbilisi, very overrated by Caucasus bloggers. However, the best is to visit all so that we can visit other Countries in the vacation after.
How do you travel around Caucasus, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia?
The recommended sequence is Azerbaijan -> Georgia -> Armenia. You can do it the other way around, but you should always put Georgia in the middle. Plus, you can only arrive and depart from Azerbaijan by air.
What is the best time to visit the Caucasus?
Most other bloggers recommend Spring or Summer for the greenery in the mountains. However, I went during the winter and found it perfectly fine. I especially enjoyed going to the Xmas market in each Country. The snow mountains will impress you. All attractions are good only except for some in Tbilisi.
So I suppose the best time is year-round, but you need to adjust your expectations.
How many days are enough for Caucasus travel?
For all the 3 Countries, 1 week is the minimum. As you can see, my itinerary in one week could be a bit rushed but manageable. The maximum should be 2 weeks, where you can stay longer in the capital cities or take more day trips. Anything more than that would likely get you bored. And, our annual leave is limited, so why not go to one more Country if we have more than 2 weeks?
Is the Caucasus safe?
It is very safe compared to most developed countries, especially Western Europe. I faced no problem of being robbed or pick-pocketed. I felt safe walking at night. Of course, general caution is always advised. However, all three countries are suitable for solo, female solo, couple, and family travel. Plus, there are many day trip options available from platforms like Viator, GetYourGuide, and Trip Advisor (just type in travel caucasus).
