Mestia

• Tourist Information Centre, Seti Square (the main square in Mestia). Part of the country-wide network of tourist information centres. Provides information on activities in Mestia including high-quality hiking maps. 
• Mountain Tourist Centre of Svaneti, Pereulok Stalina No. 7 (200 m from the main square in Mestia). 

• 🌍 Queen Tamar Airport. Mestia's airport opened in 2010. Flights from/to Tbilisi (Natakhtari airfield) are available 4 times a week. Price is 90 lari one way (63 lari for children 3-12). Price includes free transfer from Tbilisi, M.S. Rustaveli and back. Transfer point is nearby Metro Station Rustaveli, near the fountain. Sometimes there are available flights from/to Kutaisi twice a week. Price is 50 lari one way (35 lari for children 3-12). 

Complete schedule:

• Tbilisi to Mestia: M, W, F 09:30, Su 13:00
• Mestia to Tbilisi: M, F 15:30, W 11:30, Su 15:00
• Kutaisi to Mestia: Tu, F 13:30
• Mestia to Kutaisi: Tu, F 11:00

The registration time is 1 hr before the flight. Flight duration is one hour. Depending on weather conditions compliant to Visual Flight Rules VFR, flight can be postponed or cancelled (full refund). Limit of the hold luggage and for carry-on baggage in total is 15 kg/per person. It's impossible to pay for extra luggage but if there is free place on board, you can take your baggage along free of charge.

Reservations are available at:

• Vanilla Sky, ☏ +995 32 242 7427, +995 599 65 90 99 (Mob), info@vanillasky.ge, mari@vanillasky.geMULTIPLE-EMAIL. 

There is always a high demand for tickets, so reserve tickets long in advance. For example, by the end of July 2015 the only tickets from Mestia to Tbilisi left were for the end of August. If no tickets are available, ask to be on the waiting list. Flights are dependent on weather conditions in the mountains between Mestia and Tbilisi. As the weather changes quickly, it is difficult to plan a flight to or from Mestia with certainty and it might be a good idea to have an alternative in case the flights are cancelled.

There is also an option to fly to Mestia from Tbilisi by helicopter. The duration of the flight is 1½ hr. There are a few companies organizing these flights.

• From Tbilisi, take the train reaching Zugdidi, costs 16 lari (Tbilisi 21:50 — Zugdidi 06:05, Tbilisi 07:20 — Zugdidi 12:55), then follow the #By bus section below.
• From Kutaisi you would have to take a marshrutka or taxi to Rioni station and catch one of the aforementioned trains. The price is 12 lari from Rioni. Tickets can be purchased on the train or at the Rioni station.

Trains can be full (especially private cabins), so book several days in advance.

• 🌍 Ticket kiosk, ☏ +995 568 999 968. You may buy tickets here or from driver directly. 

From specific destinations:

• Tbilisi – Departures time: early morning, 05:00 and 07:00. From Didube bus station, and also from Station Square railway station. Price: 30 lari. Duration 8–10 hours, depending on the weather.
• Kutaisi – Departing in the morning from the main bus station (next to the train station, behind McDonald's). They have Mestia signs in the front window in Latin letters. The first one seems to leave whenever it is full (maybe around 09:00), while the next one seems to leave at 10:00 even if there are still seats open. Price: 40 lari.
• Zugdidi – Duration: 3½-4 hr including a coffee break. As of May 2019, it seems that previously competing drivers have reorganized into a cartel—they now charge twice: up to 20 lari in 2019 and then 25 lari in 2020. In 2023, people have been charged 40 lari. For alternatives, read the side box.

Drivers have to pay a big percent to the ticket office, even if the ticket was bought via driver. Almost no drivers agree to lower the price, because if someone in the cartel would find out, the driver would be severely punished. Some report that a "local's" price can be had by speaking Georgian to ask for 15 lari, but the guesthouses in Mestia say the price really only applies to Svan locals. Other marshrutka drivers seem happy to help locate a Mestia-bound marshrutka for visitors, below are several departure points:

1. Regular marshrutkas (1–3 per day) to Mestia wait on Gulua street or Nikoladze street in Zugdidi. Go from the train station to the main road (Rustaveli street), turn left and follow it towards the city, just before the bridge turns left and go in the Gulua street about 200 m. There should be a sign saying "MESTIA" on the right hand side. These marshrutkas run from 09:00, but will only go if there are enough passengers—expect some hours of waiting in the worst case.
2. Train-connecting marshrutkas wait in front of the train station, and the first one is scheduled to coincide with the 06:05 or 12:55 arrival of the Tbilisi train (check here). If not arriving by train, one should be at the marshrutka by 05:45 in case the train arrives early. If arriving by train at 06:00, one should rush to the marshrutka to get whatever is left of the limited luggage space and a better seat.
3. If the Zugdidi-based marshrutkas have already left or cancelled, one might try to catch marshrutkas originating in Kutaisi (~11:00) or Tbilisi (~12:00). Just wait by the side of an intersection nearby for the passing or ask other marshrutka drivers (please, provide the exact location).

A new highway from Zugdidi to Mestia has been opened and the trip has become relatively safe and comfortable by public or private transport. The view on the way is amazing. The usual driving time is about 2 hr, although it can be longer in winter following snow falls, or when the road is covered with ice. Whatever the season, it is not advised to drive yourself unless you are used to such mountain roads.

Driving between Mestia and Tbilisi takes about 6½ hr.

The city is small enough to be covered by foot.

Avoid the local taxi mafia and try to hitchhike instead if needed.

You can get high-quality hiking maps for free at Mestia Tourist Information center at the main square. Another good place is the souvenir shop at the Seti Square (behind the Koshki café), it sells hiking maps from several publishers (Geoland, Terraquest etc.).

• Ushguli – 4-day Mestia to Ushguli Trek
• Guli glacier and Ushba base path. Mountain Ushba is a main attraction, in a good weather conditions you can see it above. You can also get to its base (3½-4 hr one way).
  Download coordinates: GPX, KML. (updated Aug 2019)
• Mestia–Guli Pass–Mazeri. The walk to the Mountain Ushba glacier, takes around 6 hr, starting from a beautiful mountain village Mazeri.
  Download coordinates: GPX, KML. (updated Aug 2019)
• Cross and Koruldi lakes. The path is very easy to find and follow. From the main square go 500 m east and follow the road which forks uphill (just before the bank). Trip time is approx. 2 hr one-way, concentrate on the way back to avoid detours. You can also continue to the Koruldi lakes (2 hr more with some very steep hills to climb). No map needed for this route.
  Download coordinates: GPX, KML. (updated Aug 2019)
• Chalati Glacier (Chalaadi). There is a new bridge north of town that saves some kilometres from the previous route that passed the airport. Just follow the main road from town along the northern side of the river for approximately 2½ hr. You can try to hitch-hike to cut the time walking significantly. At the end of the road is a swinging bridge. The brave can cross that one, but there is also a normal bridge just next to it. There's no border post anymore, but a cafe offers refreshments. From the swinging bridge it takes approximately 1 hour to the glacier, but the path crosses a lot of glacial scree and other loose rock. Casual hikers should strongly consider taking some type of hiking sticks along as well as extremely sturdy shoes. No entrance fee, no map needed for this route. The signage at the beginning of the trail is poor but then there are numerous cairns and white-orange trail-marking paint. The critical juncture is near the very beginning where a flatter trail follows the smaller river (the one that the swinging bridge crosses), but that trail is not to the glacier and ends ½ km from the swinging bridge. As of May 2019, The glacier trail is the steep one to the left of the wooden "Welcome" sign.
  Download coordinates: GPX, KML. (updated Aug 2019)

There are two ski resorts close to Mestia.

• Tetnuldi. Tetnuldi resort features four working lifts, up to 3,160 m. There are various trails, both for beginners and for advanced skiers. Daily skipass is 40 lari. Ski rental on site is 30-40 lari. Shared taxis depart from Mestia Bus Station around 09:00-10:00 and return to Mestia when the lifts close, at 16:00. A shared taxi costs 30 lari return per person. In the past, there was a free government bus from Mestia central square at 11:00, returning when the lift closes, around 17:00. In 2022, the bus was apparently not running anymore. (updated Aug 2019)
• Hatsvali. This ski resort features a single lift and also a single slope (there is a short beginners lift as well). The slope is more difficult than Tetnuldi's. The ski pass is 5 lari for locals and between 20 and 25 lari for foreigners (or season pass for 300 lari for either), but you should still ask a local, e.g. your taxi driver, to purchase the pass for you. Ski rental is available at the lift, though the skis are quite old and better ones can be had in Mestia. To take a taxi to Hatsvali is 40 lari at most for a return journey. The driver will take you there, go home and arrive again at a prearranged time. The cheaper way is to walk in the right direction and hitchhike, especially if you are without skis. (updated Aug 2019)

• Shalva Kvitsiani's Ushba Homestay, ☏ +995 599 73 95 21. Guesthouse with private rooms, hot water and meals in picturesque village Becho. Convenient for a trek or climbing expedition to Ushba. 
• Irine's Guesthouse (Turn off the Zugdidi-Mestia highway at Becho, then follow the main road in Becho for 2.5 km; the guesthouse is on the left.), ☏ +995 591 810 242. Irine Japaridze operates a friendly, welcoming guest house in Becho, open year-round, which is located near a roaring river, in a beautiful yard with a garden and fruit trees. There are great views of Ushba, one of the tallest mountains in the Caucasus, and you can walk to a nearby spring which has naturally carbonated water. The food is outstanding, cooked in the flavourful Svan style, and much of it comes fresh from the garden. Becho is a peaceful and quiet village even during the peak of the tourist season. The rooms are comfortable and there is hot water. Bring warm clothes: the bathroom is in another building, and nights in Svaneti can be chilly. 40 lari per person, including breakfast and dinner, add 5 lari if you want lunch. Pitch your tent in the yard and use the bathroom/shower for 15 lari per person, add meals for 5 lari per meal. 
• Guesthouse Svaneti Peak-Mazeri (owners pick-up from the main road), info@hotel-svaneti-mestia.com. Great location under Mount Ushba, with gardens and meadows around, home-made natural traditional food. Horse-riding tours, trekking to waterfalls and Ushba glacier, and mountain river fishing are available.