Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia

Upon arrival in Baku, transfer to our hotel and rest from the long journey.

Embark on a tour of Baku, starting in the Old City with its ancient walls, medieval gates, and winding streets lined with shops. Visit the 13th-century Shirvanshah’s Palace complex, a showpiece of local architecture. Next, view the iconic Heydar Aliyev Center, designed by Zaha Hadid. End the day with a welcome reception at the Nobel Brothers Museum, then relish authentic Azeri dishes at a welcome dinner.

Head south from Baku along a section of the Silk Road. Examine the ancient petroglyphs at the UNESCO World Heritage site of Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape, then admire Shamakhi’s Juma Mosque, one of the first mosques in the Caucasus, before arriving in Sheki this evening.

Among the oldest towns in Azerbaijan, Sheki was moved to its present location after a mudslide destroyed it in 1772. Explore the historic center of Sheki, including the Khan’s Palace. Then visit the village of Kish, the original site of Sheki, where archaeologists discovered a 3,000-year-old cultic site and Bronze Age skeletons beneath the centuries-old Albanian church of Saint Elishe. Before dinner admire the massive stone caravanserai that served as a Silk Road hotel.

This morning cross into Georgia and the Kakheti region, which has been producing wine for 8,000 years. Savor local wine and a traditional Georgian lunch in a local village, then visit the village of Tsinandali and the restored family estate and museum of Alexander Chavchavadze, a 19th-century aristocrat and poet who founded the country’s first winery, still in operation today. Arrive in Tbilisi in the evening.

Embark on a tour of Tbilisi: the red-roofed Old Town set beneath the 4th-century Narikala fortress; the sulfur baths, built in the 7th century; and the oldest church in the city, the Anchiskhati Basilica. Walk down Agmashenebeli Avenue to gaze at the baroque, Mauritanian, pseudo-Gothic and rococo buildings that line both sides, then browse the Dry Bridge Market. Attend a private concert of Old-World Georgian polyphonic music over dinner.

This morning, take in the spectacular collection of ancient gold decorative art at the Georgian National Museum. Later, learn about the impact of Soviet rule, first at the Museum of Soviet Occupation, created to commemorate those killed or deported during this time, then at the Georgian National Gallery, featuring work from the modernist art movement. Conclude with a visit the House of Blue Laces, where we’ll meet the artist-occupants at a private reception with violin music.

Today, we venture into the countryside. Stop at the Jvari Monastery for expansive views of the Kura and Aragvi rivers, then drive to Mtskheta, capital of Iberia in the 3rd century BCE and the epicenter of Georgia’s conversion to Christianity. See the refugee village of Tserovani, where thousands of people displaced by the 2008 conflict with Russia live in small cottages. Continue to Gori, the birthplace of Georgia’s most infamous native son, Joseph Stalin, and drop by the Joseph Stalin Museum. Return to Tbilisi for dinner at one of the city’s up-and-coming eateries.

Today, cross the border into Armenia, the first country in Europe to embrace Christianity as a state religion. The Armenian landscape is dotted with stone churches and khachkars, elaborately carved basalt crosses. Explore Haghbat Monastery and then stop briefly at the outdoor Alphabet Monument while en route to Yerevan. 

Travel to the town and cathedral of Etchmiadzin, today a pilgrimage site for Christian Armenians. Tour the Greco-Roman Temple of Garni and attend a private concert of sacred a cappella music at the Geghard monastery, where monks’ cells and churches are carved into the side of a mountain.

Begin today at the Cascade complex and Cafesjian Center for the Arts, which features a collection of glass art pieces by Seattleite Dale Chihuly and the Czech duo Stanislav Libenský and Jaroslava Brychtová. Browse the 5th-century Matenadaran, a book repository that contains more than 17,000 manuscripts and 300,000 archival documents. At the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, remember more than one million Armenians who lost their lives in the early 20th century.

Today explore the monastery of Khor Virap and take in its fantastic views of Mount Ararat. Return to Yerevan and enjoy an afternoon at leisure to explore before gathering for a festive farewell reception and dinner.

Transfer this morning to the Yerevan airport for flights home.