گوری

Understand

Gori is most famous for being the birthplace of Joseph Stalin. Today, surprisingly, it does not look much different from when Stalin ruled the USSR. Gori is a short drive from Uplistsikhe, an ancient Silk Road cave city and former regional center of pagan worship.

The name Gori may look and sound like the plural form of the Russian word for mountain (горы, GO-ry), but the name of Gori, incidentally meaning hill (singular) in Georgian, is much older than the first Russian contact with the Georgian kingdoms in the 1500s.

Do

Football: FC Dila Gori play soccer in Erovnuli League, the top tier, with a spring / autumn split playing season. Their Tengiz Burjanadze Stadium (capacity 5000) is on Chavchavadze Ave on the west riverbank.

Buy

There are many shops in Gori where tourists can find Georgian crafts and gifts more cheaply than in Tbilisi. The Stalin Museum offers a few kitschy souvenirs in its main lobby. Small shops are also popping up in the city center. One good bet is the underground pedestrian tunnel below Stalin Square. Shop No. 14 in the underground offers a variety of handmade Georgian crafts made by local street children at a Gori-based NGO.

Icons and other religious paraphernalia can be purchased at the shop beside the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin. These can make for interesting gifts. Shops along Chavchavadze Street (running perpendicular to Stalin Avenue) also sell Georgian jewelry and icons.

Along Stalin Ave. several late night stores sell essentials and foodstuffs.

Drink

There is not much nightlife in Gori and the bars and restaurants are basically one and the same. Almost all the restaurants listed above offer Russian and Georgian beers as well as Georgian wines of varying quality. One standout is Orbi's Restaurant, which offers a local brew for 70 tetri a pint. In the summer, beer tents pop up around town and offer the usual selection. But to really enjoy a summer evening in Gori, it's best to buy a bottle of beer or wine at a store and join the crowds of young people at the birzhas by the Stalin Museum and Stalin Park. Some of the nicer stores in town are beginning to offer imported beers, but be sure to check the expiration date on the bottle.

Sleep

Gori is only about an hour away from Tbilisi by marshrutka, so it is possible to visit Gori and Uplistsikhe as a day trip. There are not many commercial opportunities for overnight stays, though the options are improving. Staying in Gori does present a cheaper alternative to Tbilisi, and can be a pleasant change of pace from the capital.

Respect

The people of Gori respect and honour Stalin, and one should avoid offending them in how they talk about him, regardless of their personal feelings. Gori is a small, poor city and its residents really do not want to listen to foreigners attacking their heritage. The removal of the Stalin statue in the town's main square under Georgia's de-communization laws is a sensitive issue that was opposed by most of the town's residents.

Visitors to local churches should respect Orthodox customs. Women should wear longer skirts and cover their head (either with a hat or with a head scarf). Some churches will provide this for you. Foreigners are generally welcomed, but be mindful of those worshipping.

Stay safe

Outside the museum, taxi drivers hustle for tours to Uplistsikhe—avoid them!

Go next

Taxis are most easily requested by phone (# is written on taxis, 0.6 lari/km). They're also hailed by approaching bored looking men sitting in cars around the city; if you have any trouble, just ask anyone, "Sahd ah-rees tahk-see?" and they will get you a ride (picking taxi on a street costs extra 1 lari). Marshrutkas back to Tbilisi take off approximately every half-hour from Gori's bus station located beside the central bazaar (3.50 lari for bus, 4 lari for marshrutka; 1½ hr). If you've missed the Tbilisi-bound marshrutkas ask for taxi vans near theatre (Tsabadze st.) or near VTB bank. Expect to wait for 3-5 passengers to fill van, price - 5 lari (1 hr drive). To reach highway you have to use taxi. Taxi rides from the center to the highway generally cost 2 lari; alternately, you can stop city marshrutkas Nos. 6 or 24 along Chavchavadze Street and ride to the highway for 40 tetri.

If you're traveling west, there are daily direct buses and marshrutkas to Kutaisi, Borjomi, and Batumi. Timetables are posted in the bus station. All westbound vehicles pass through the transport hub in Khashuri, so you can take a marshrutka to Khashuri departing every half hour (2 lari, 1 hr) and transfer to another one from there. The Tbilisi-Batumi night train (15-25 lari to Batumi, 7 hr) passes through Gori at 23:30. Tickets can be purchased only one hour in advance, so be sure to show up to the train station early.

There are also other trains going throughout the day, although not much. Loca…