Founded as a Greek colony and then capital of Georgia until 1122, Kutaisi is a relaxed city 115 mi/180 km east of Tbilisi. It is worth a stop to view the spectacular ruins of Bagrat cathedral and, in the hills 7 mi/12 km north, the monastery of Gelati. Its pride and joy is a mosaic of the Virgin and child created in the 1130s that contains 2.5 million stones.
Kutaisi has a fountain in the town center highlighting oversize replicas of Colchis treasures, and its opera house and other buildings have been restored.
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