Telavi is two hours from Isani, and worth more than one day

Shared taxis from Isani metro in Tbilisi cost around ₾20 a person and take about two hours over the Gombori Pass, 95 kilometres in all; marshrutkas leave from Isani and Ortachala, and there is no train. The writer suggests two to three days, or one full day if you only want the highlights, and names late spring and autumn as the best windows. The centre is walkable; the monasteries and cellars need a car, a taxi or a driver, and Bolt works in town but with few cars.

Batonis Tsikhe, the royal fortress, keeps its walls, palace and bathhouse remains and now holds a museum and gallery; the Telavi History Museum, which includes the birthplace of Erekle II, charges ₾7 and closes on Mondays. Outside it stands the plane tree said to be about 900 years old, with the Batonis Tskaro spring a short walk away. Nadikvari Park is where people go for sunset over the Alazani Valley, and the bazaar is the place for churchkhela, Kakhetian oil and guda cheese. Erekle II and Cholokashvili streets carry the wooden-balconied heritage houses and the Soviet-era blocks side by side.

Three kilometres out, Marleta's Farm does goat cheese tastings by advance booking; Togonidze's wine cellar runs family tastings with lunch, also by booking; Ruispiri pours biodynamic wines and recommends booking too. Tsinandali Estate is nine kilometres away at ₾10. Of the monasteries, Ikalto and Nekresi are free — Nekresi charges ₾1 for the minibus from the car park — Alaverdi is free with a strict dress code, and Gremi costs ₾10 and closes on Mondays. The pattern is plain: the churches take walk-ins, the wine does not.

The writer's eating list runs Doli, which opens at 1:30pm, Kapiloni, Zodiaqo for khinkali, Biblus Piatto for coffee and cheesecake, and VinoOdor as the wine bar. For beds, the range goes from Dzveli Galavani and Hestia at the budget end through the Communal Hotel Telavi as the boutique option to the Radisson Collection Tsinandali and Esquisse at the top, with Hotel & Wine Cellar ARGE for anyone who would rather sleep at a winery. Opening times in a small Kakhetian town are elastic out of season — ring ahead rather than arrive hungry at noon.