Private Tour
Chiatura and Katskhi Pillar One Day Urbex Tour
Overview
Available languages
12 hours
Mobile ticket
Discover Georgia’s hidden industrial heritage on this offbeat day trip to Chiatura and Katskhi Pillar. Travel through dramatic mountain landscapes to one of the country’s most extraordinary landmarks — a 40-meter natural limestone monolith crowned with a small hermitage, symbolizing human perseverance and isolation. Continue to Chiatura, a surreal Soviet-era mining town once known as the “city of cable cars.” Ride the original Stalin-era gondolas, explore abandoned factories and murals, and feel the nostalgic atmosphere of Georgia’s industrial past. This private full-day tour combines history, architecture, and photography in one unforgettable journey beyond the usual tourist trails.
Additional Info
Public transportation options are available nearby
Specialized infant seats are available
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Subject to favorable weather conditions.
The maximum capacity of the cable car is 4 people.
Some cable lines are closed or under repair. Visiting them may not be possible.
This experience is not suitable for travelers with mobility issues or a fear of heights. The tour includes riding old cable cars and visiting elevated viewpoints, which may be challenging for guests uncomfortable with heights or enclosed spaces.
The tour involves a long drive (around 2.5 hours each way) — not recommended for travelers prone to motion sickness or back problems.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What To Expect
Friendly.ge
Hotel pick-up available for the private tours
Monastery Mgvimevi
Mgvimevi Monastery built in the 8th century. Its facades are decorated with crosses and ornamental borders. Inside the church on the walls, there are mural paintings from the 8th century and the southern wall is covered with painting from the 16th century. An old fresco, which was discovered under a new layer, portraits a nobleman Rati from Racha Region together with his wife and his brother Niania Kakhaberisdze. A long tunnel under the church was strengthened by arches. Two important objects from the Mgvimevi Monastery, an engraved icon and a very rare curved wooden door made in the 11th century, are now kept in the Georgian National Museum. In the monastic complex, there is also a small church partly carved into the side of a cliff and two-storey bell tower built in the 12th–14th century.
What‘s Included
Hotel pick-up (only for private tours)
Local guide
Bottled water
Lunch
Gratuities
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Options
Private tour with a guide
Pickup included
Small Group tour
Small Group tour: You'll get the chance to make new friends and enjoy a personalized experience without breaking the bank.
Pickup included
Reviews
14 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Great time! Worth the money :)
Szymon R,,Dec 17, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00This your was amazing. Aleksy picked us up and made the day all about us. He showed us what we wanted to see and was very polite. He provided us with a lot of cultural and historical information. It was just him and us three so we moved at our place and we're not delayed waiting for others. Thank you again.
Unique experience
dinatalefrancesco,,Jun 19, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Unique experience for those who are passionate about urban and industrial archaeology and Soviet architecture not to be missed. The expert and precise Alex guide. Really perfect experience
A great day out with an excellent guide.
R4443UAsallym,,May 15, 2023
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We had an excellent day out. George, our guide, was fun, knowledgeable and kind and we would definitely recommend.
Off the beaten path tour of Georgia, interesting to see some really local parts of the country
Raphael C,,Aug 9, 2022
- Review from Viator
4.00We enjoyed the tour of Chiatura and its region. This is a much more local part of Georgia and quite different from the other more popular tours. We got the chance to see a monastery where the locals really go and no tourists. The old Soviet cable cars were really interesting to see. I would recommend this tour to people who want to see more off the beaten paths places.
Great area to explore!
Uwood4,,Jul 18, 2022
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00The whole day was wonderful! We really enjoyed George showing us around the sights. The whole town of Chiatura should be a museum to the bygone days of mining.
Photography in soviet atmosphere
Rafste,,Nov 15, 2021
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Just came back from the tour, both me and my girlfriend enjoyed it a lot. Our guide Aleksi was a great, explaining all the time, always answering our questions competent and very friendly. He was very flexible with photostops and adapted the itinerary for us - he spontaneously changed the route and we also stopped in Gori at the Stalin museum, where he even checked us a guided tour, which made it way more interesting as there a not a lot of written explanations in English. As we are into photography we enjoyed Chiatura a lot, offering different kind of interesting motives. The atmosphere of the city was very special, even more as it was a rather dark and cloudy day. Definitely worth a visit! Thank you Aleksi!
Great trip!
616mirandar,,Jul 1, 2021
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We had a great day out with our tour guide Alexi. He showed us all the soviet areas we wanted to see and then a surprise trip to some extra places. He was a great host! Very knowlegable. Thank you for a great day!
Great tour, even better tour guide
kelseygwalton,,Jul 1, 2021
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00I took a private tour with Aleksi to the town of Chiatura, probably something not on many tourists’ itineraries. I am interested in former Soviet architecture and some of these well preserved towns. Aleksi was full of passion and kept the entire day fun, as we talked both to and from Chiatura (about 3 hours each way from Tbilisi). He was so informative about each stop and I learned an incredible amount about the town and several monasteries we stopped at nearby. We also had some extra time and he drove out of his way to take me to the Stalin Museum in Gori, as well as drop me off into the middle of Old Tbilisi rather than my original pickup point. I would highly recommend this tour and cannot stress enough how great or a guide and person Aleksi is!
3 Day Tour
ChowdhuryIslam,,May 20, 2021
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00I have 3 days Randomly Selected package that Includes Airport Pick up and Drop off. It was great to know your driver via picture and car info through WhatsApp for pick up from the airport in Advance. Alaksis and katuna were both awesome entertainer through out whole trip. They truly made every trip memorable with lots of history and information. They really went extra mile with services. I will recommend this company to everyone I know. Thank You Alex, Alksis and katuna for making this trip memorable. Hope to see you Again.
History revisited
Nutan L,,Nov 6, 2019
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00I love history and my guide Alexi made sure i got the maximum out of this one day tour to Georgian Chernobyl. The cable cars and the trains were lovely to see and Alexi made sure we get maximum out by taking me to places which are not known yet worth visiting. If you are lover of history then take this trip and get the best out of it. Also, ask Alexi to take you to his fav restaurant and try the eggplant with walnut.
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