You can talk about the beauties of magnificent Georgia forever - this ancient, proud country fascinates and attracts guests from all over the globe. But in order to be imbued with the local atmosphere, to study all the sights and customs, one tourist trip will not be enough. A weekly visit to the country by curious tourists always ends with a detailed plan for the next trip.
In order not to depend on the airline’s flight programs, save time, provide yourself with freedom of movement in fascinating places and see much more than what is included in a tourist package, we suggest you learn more about traveling to Georgia by car from Moscow.
Travel Documents
To avoid possible difficulties when crossing the border, it is necessary to conduct thorough preparation and first of all to find out what documents are needed. A trip from Moscow to Georgia by car will require a minimum of papers:
- Passport with a validity period of at least six months.
- Vehicle registration certificate.
- Those who are not driving their own car need a power of attorney certified by a notary from the owner to drive a car with the agreed right to cross the border. Must be present translation into English.
- Driver's license issued in the territory of the Russian Federation.
No travel insurance policies are required, but it is very important to check your passport for signs of crossing the border of Abkhazia. The Georgian government considers crossing the Russian-Abkhaz border illegal and fines tourists with similar stamps. Thus, if you have already visited Abkhazia, the road to Georgia by car from Moscow is closed to you until you receive a new passport.
Visa to Georgia
Visa-free travel applies to Russian citizens who wish to travel in Georgia for no longer than 90 days. If a trip to Georgia by car from Moscow is planned for a longer period, it will be necessary to apply for a visa at a checkpoint. To do this, you will need:
- Present your passport.
- Fill out the visa application form in English and sign it.
- Pay the state fee in the prescribed amount. Since September 2014, the visa fee is $ 50.
- For traveling children of any age, you also need to apply for a visa and pay the full fee, regardless of whether they travel with their passport or are inscribed in the parent's passport.
In the absence of problems with documents and the correct filling of the questionnaire, the visa is put in the passport, and the journey by car from Moscow to Georgia can continue.
Travel itinerary
Currently, only one border crossing point is functioning smoothly to enter Georgian territory - Upper Lars. Therefore, there can be no deviations from the only true route along the Moscow-Georgia route. The distance by car to Tbilisi is 1961 km, it can be reached in about 31 hours without taking into account border searches and time for rest. To overcome such a distance without stops is unrealistic, especially if there is only one driver among travelers. Fortunately, on the way you can find a large number of hotels and roadside cafes where you can relax, gain strength and eat Georgian cuisine.
Conventionally, the road to Tbilisi can be divided into 3 segments:
- Drive along the M-4 Don highway from Rostov-on-Don to the Pavlovskaya village in the Krasnodar Territory. This section will be about 1200 km.
- Further along the federal highway M-29 "Caucasus" the road goes through Vladikavkaz to the Russian border and is 600 km.
- The last breakthrough is from the Upper Lars border checkpoint to the Georgian capital along the Georgian Military Highway. The views are amazing, and the road will take the remaining 200 km.
Beyond the Russian border, there are several kilometers of absolutely neutral territory that does not belong to anyone. Beautiful landscapes and complete silence will allow you to feel full freedom and enjoy the anticipation of something new and unknown.
Travel tips
Holidays in Georgia by car from Moscow are a fairly common occurrence, and the indispensable experience of travelers who have already taken place reveals very useful recommendations:
- The M-4 highway is regularly repaired, due to which multi-kilometer traffic jams can form. You need to prepare for this in advance - to study the situation for the period of the trip and provide for possible detour routes.
- In order to get to the border of departure from Russia in time, tourists recommend arranging an overnight stay somewhere outside Rostov. There are good and cheap hotels in Armavir, Kropotkin and Tikhoretsk.
- It is better to pass the M-29 highway in the dark - there will be less unhurried KAMAZ trucks and local residents, which will significantly reduce the time spent on the road.
- On the border with Georgia, the checkpoints Upper Lars and Daryali often change working hours due to the risk of mudflow, therefore, the mode of operation must be specified in advance so as not to fall into the closed border.
- In Georgia, gasoline costs almost twice as much as in Russia, therefore it is advised to refuel the tank before going abroad. There are good gas stations in Rostov, Armavir, Pyatigorsk. The last gas station will meet in Vladikavkaz. It is forbidden to carry gas in canisters across the border.
- In Pyatigorsk, a big bazaar takes place on weekends, and therefore a big traffic jam can form on the highway. The way out of it can be found through Prokhladny or Georgievsk.
- At the entrance to Georgia, the first settlement will be the village of Kazbegi at the foot of Mount Kazbek - about 20 km from the border. There are many inexpensive hotels, you can relax on the road, have a bite to eat, take a stroll through fascinating places and go on the next morning.
Border crossing procedure
The border crossing algorithm when leaving from Russia is as follows:
- After driving under a barrier located on the border, travelers will find border control. It includes inspection of the vehicle using mirrors.
- Then all those traveling on the route Moscow - Georgia by car are required to go through passport control and put a stamp on the border.
- The final step is the inspection of baggage by the customs service, during which it is necessary to unload all things from the machine for inspection. If customs officials have any suspicions regarding baggage, checking the car with X-ray equipment is not ruled out.
Conducting all checks usually takes about 2 hours, but practice shows that customs officers treat people traveling along the Moscow - Georgia route by car quite loyally. A thorough search with unloading baggage, using mirrors and X-ray devices is extremely rare. Usually at the border they are dispatched with inquiries about the contents of the trunk and visual inspection of the cabin.
Crossing the border with Georgia is much easier and lasts about 20 minutes. Customs officers stop the car, and passengers are offered to go through passport control in the customs building. At this time, the driver passes control without leaving the car - he passes all the documents necessary when crossing the border to the checkpoint window. After checking the documents, the driver is photographed, and a passport is stamped on the border. Then there is a visual inspection of the cabin and transported things.
Attempts by foreign citizens to enter Georgia without passing a check are illegal and punishable by fines, as well as a trip to Georgia by car from Moscow via Abkhazia. For the first violation, the fee is 500 GEL in national currency. At the next illegal invasion, the amount of the fine is doubled.
A fair government of this country punishes such offenses under aggravating circumstances with imprisonment of up to 5 years in accordance with Article 344 of the Criminal Code of Georgia.
Border crossing points in Georgia
In addition to the checkpoint "Daryali", which passes the road from Moscow to Georgia (including a car), there are other checkpoints on the Georgian border. The following checkpoints are officially open for travelers:
- From Georgia to Turkey. The European highway E-70 (Sarpi checkpoint), connecting Batumi and the Turkish city of Hopa, as well as the E-691 highway (Valais checkpoint), leading from the city in the south-west of Georgia, Valais to the Posof village on the Turkish border, runs here.
- Georgian-Azerbaijani border. You can get here by the highway “Tbilisi - Rustavi - Ganja - Baku”, checkpoint “Red Bridge”. Also here is the Vakhtangisi and Tsodna checkpoints located on the autobahn from Baku to Telavi.
- Georgian-Armenian border. There are 4 checkpoints on the Georgian border from Armenia: the Ninotsminda checkpoint on the Akhalkalaki-Gyumri highway, the Guguti checkpoint through which the E-117 road passes from Tbilisi to Yerevan, the Sadakhlo checkpoint on the Tbilisi-Vanadzor-Yerevan highway and Checkpoint "Ahkerpi".
Since 2010, traffic has been resumed at the Georgia-Russia border section through the Verkhniy Las checkpoint on the Russian border and the Daryali customs station on the Georgian border. Due to the fact that in this section the consequences of mudflows are being liquidated, to ensure safe movement on the way to Georgia by car from Moscow this summer, border control will work from 04:00 to 17:30.
Condition of roads on the route
All the same experienced tourists who have experienced all the hardships and pleasures of a car trip to Georgia, can make an assumption about the state of the tracks for this year. Mostly positive reviews about the road by car from Georgia to Moscow, the condition of the road surface contributes to a quick ride, but there are several nuances:
- The road Moscow - Voronezh along the M-4 highway can be called ideal, but there are paid sections. At this time there are 6 of them, in order to drive through them during the day, you will need to spend about 350 rubles. At night, the fare will be cheaper. In the season of resorts, traffic jams often occur in front of these sites.
- On the way from Voronezh to Rostov along the same highway, travelers often encounter sections with road repairs, and the autobahn is replaced by two-lane traffic.
- On the section from Rostov to the village of Pavlovskaya, the highway is completely two-lane, repairs are often carried out on the road, in the summer you have to stand in kilometer traffic jams.
- The M-29 highway from the village of Pavlovskaya to Kropotkin is a two-lane without a marking, in addition, the road is in poor condition. At this site, the driver needs to be careful.
- The Kropotkin-Vladikavkaz road along the same M-29 highway looks already better - repairs have been made here, two-lane traffic is replaced by four-lane traffic, there is a marking.
Safety and customs of local residents
Georgia can surely be called a country safe for tourists. This is facilitated not only by strict police reforms, but also by the benevolence of the locals themselves. Cars are often left open here, without even bothering to raise the windows - Tbilisi believes that this is not necessary.
However, in places where tourists are crowded, you need to be careful - as in any tourist country, pickpockets often operate near the main attractions. Most often it’s not even Georgians, but gypsies or visiting lovers to profit from other people's money. If a local resident witnesses the theft, he will try to help as he can - tourists here are loved and strongly supported.
In cases when a girl leaves for Georgia by car from Moscow - alone or with friends - she has nothing to fear. The reviews of the fair sex in Georgia indicate that Georgians, as connoisseurs of the fair, can say a lot of compliments without crossing the line, as is the case with local residents in Egypt or Turkey. An exception is traveling through mountainous regions (Tusheti, Khevsureti or Svaneti) - the people here are peculiar, with their own customs and principles, and without the accompaniment of familiar men can be dangerous.
If you prefer a tent overnight in a hotel, you need to choose a place carefully, after asking local residents for advice. The fact is that in some wild regions of Georgia there are wolves and bears, close acquaintance with which you will not be happy.
Estimated Auto Travel Cost
An independent car trip will cost you approximately the cost of two tickets, but traveling with your own car will be much more convenient and interesting. In addition, renting a car or calling a taxi in Georgia is very expensive, and public transport is poor. Own car will allow you to bring home beautiful Georgian wine and as many gifts for loved ones as you like.
Judging by the reviews, the average amount spent on gasoline in one direction will be approximately 11,000 rubles. You can rent a room in a modest guesthouse for 800 rubles. for two per day, in terms of the national currency of Georgia, the cost will be 30 GEL. A room in a three-star hotel, booked during a trip to Georgia by car from Moscow, will cost GEL 50 for two in winter. Food in Georgian cafes is not the cheapest, but very tasty. You can have dinner for 30 GEL. The food here is satisfying - one serving of khinkali is enough for two adults to eat.
Excellent Georgian wine can be purchased for only 25 GEL per bottle, but no more than 3 liters of alcoholic drink per person are allowed to be imported into the Russian Federation.
Conclusions and reviews of travelers
For those who have already managed to master the Moscow-Georgia road by car, the route causes only positive emotions. The condition of the highway is basically good, but after crossing the border with Georgia, bad sections of the road appear in places, followed by a mountain serpentine, on which it is necessary to slow down and drive with great care. On the way there are pleasant hotels that offer inexpensive rooms, as well as many roadside cafes with national dishes of Georgia.
According to tourists who have mastered the Moscow-Georgia route, the distance by car is easily overcome. However, the driver will need to be patient - many motorists, crossing the highway in the region of the Stavropol Territory and North Ossetia, were faced with brazen extortion of money by local traffic police. To avoid trouble, do not give a reason to stop yourself - it is not recommended to neglect the rules of the road. Non-observance of the speed limit and not fastened seat belts here are treated with great attention and punished in all severity.
On the territory of Georgia, the driving style of local residents is simply terrible - they, apparently, are not well informed about the rules. Here, they often forget to turn on the turn signals, rearrange themselves from the far left row to turn right, cut off neighboring cars, and pass through a red light.
Gasoline in Georgia is expensive - the average price is almost twice as high as in Russia. With full cans of gasoline in the trunk, they don’t let out across the border, therefore it is advised to refuel a full tank just before crossing the Russian border - in the Vladikavkaz region.
Moscow-Tbilisi air tickets for two cost the same as from Moscow to Georgia by car, including not only the cost of gasoline, but also hotel accommodation at different levels. In general, the country is evaluated positively - security is at a high level, Georgia can be visited even with children. Police officers closely monitor the order, Georgians are very friendly people, many of them speak Russian well.