Georgia Still on Your Mind? 10 More FAQs with Honest Answers

Photo by mostafa meraji on Unsplash

March 2021 update

According to the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), Georgia has implemented new entry rules and Covid-19 testing requirements. These rules may vary by nationality. Please refer to the Georgian MFA's Covid-19 travel page for more information.

“A riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.”

Winston Churchill said this about Russia in 1939.

I think the same be said about Georgia today.

As an emerging destination, it’s not uncommon to encounter misinformation about Georgia. And if you’re thinking of visiting Georgia in the future, the knowledge you carry can easily make or break your trip.

Every great journey has to start somewhere; let your journey to Georgia start with Moon Emissary. With an academic background in former Soviet studies and over a year’s experience living in Georgia, I’ve got the detailed, honest answers you seek for some additional frequently asked questions about the land of wine and Stalin:

1. Why is Georgia called Georgia?

If the US state of the same name was named after King George II of England, then what’s the other Georgia’s deal?

No one knows for sure, but scholars have two main theories for why Georgia is called Georgia. The first is that Georgia’s name is taken from its Russian pronunciation, “Gruziya” (Грузия) (and Gruzija was borrowed from the region’s Persian name, “gurğān”). The second theory comes from medieval times, when Georgia was part of the Persian Empire; as Crusaders traveled through the Caucasus, they observed that Georgia’s inhabitants were devotees of Saint George. Hence, the name.

Personally, I think Georgia is called Georgia because the country’s real name is a doozy to pronounce. To Georgians, Georgia is called Sarkartvelo (pronounced Sar-kart-velo), which translates to “land of the Kartvelian people”. 

2. When’s the best time to visit Georgia?

June through August is the best and most popular time to visit Georgia, as the mountain passes will be open, the days are long and sun-soaked, and the succulent fruits of Georgia’s summer harvest are yours for the binging. The trade-off, however, is that airfares and accommodation prices are higher, temperatures get hot, and tourist sites get more crowded.

If heat, high prices, and other tourists aren’t your jam, consider visiting Georgia during the autumn shoulder season. Autumn is my personal favorite season in Georgia, as the days are mild and clear and the nights are crisp and cozy. October is particularly gorgeous, where the Caucasus are draped in their finest fall colors.

3. How long should i visit Georgia?

Historic Georgian architecture in old town Tbilisi. Photo by Zhanna Fort from Pexels

Georgia is small, so small that you can travel from end-to-end in less than a day. However, just because you can see the whole country in a day, doesn’t mean you should. 

A rushed trip is a stressed trip; when planning your itinerary for Georgia, aim to travel intentionally and slowly. It’s okay if you don’t see everything in one visit!

First-time visitors, I strongly recommend that you devote a minimum of two weeks to Georgia. While a two-week trip won’t make you an expert, it will allow you to get a good overview of the country, where you’ll be able to spend multiple nights in several places. 

4. What should I pack for a summer visit to georgia?

If you pack for Georgia like you pack for Paris, you’ll arrive woefully unprepared. 

While tourist hotspots, such as Tbilisi, Batumi, and select highland villages (Mestia and Stepantsminda) have renovated infrastructure, Georgia is still by and large a developing country, and your packing list should accommodate for this.

Looking for further details on packing for Georgia?

5. What’s Georgian food like?

Georgian food deserves an article all to itself, so I created one.

Specialty and Religious Diets

Vegans, celiacs, and vegetarians beware! Meat, cheese, and gluten are everywhere in Georgia. While Tbilisi has vegan and vegetarian options, specialty diets haven’t caught on in the countryside. If planning to travel outside the capital, restaurants might not be able to accommodate special requests.

Regarding religious diets, while Halal and Kosher foods are availible in Tbilisi and Batumi, always verify with your host or server beforehand before ordering an item. Like with speciality diets, please note that not all resturants are able to accomodate religious diets in Georgia, especially when traveling in rural areas.

6. What do Georgians think of Russia?

Nothing is simple when it comes to geopolitics in the New East, especially if it involves Russia (and Russia is always involved).

When discussing Russia’s relationship with her former satellites, it helps to think of a dysfunctional relationship between a controlling parent and their child. While the family dynamic is not a happy one, Georgia will always be stuck with Russia.

Georgian opinions on Russia are multifaceted and sometimes contradictory; the answer you’ll receive depends on who you ask and how you word the question - some might despise their northern neighbor, as the Kremlin has overtly and covertly sabotaged Georgia’s development, while others might have a rosy outlook, because Russia is an inseparable part of Georgia’s history. 

7. How do Georgians feel about Stalin?

A sign for Stalin Street in Gori, Georgia (Georgian: Stalinis Kucha). By Dudva - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0.

I’ve discussed my interest in Joseph Stalin before on this blog, but don’t get it twisted. Stalin is trash. Trash that helped defeat fascism, but trash none-the-less.

Stalin is also the world’s most famous Georgian, which makes you wonder - what do Georgians think about Stalin? 

Stalin is a sensitive matter for Georgia, a matter that, like Georgia’s relationship with Russia, feels multifaceted and contradictory. On one hand, the Stalin Museum still operates in Uncle Joe’s hometown, complete with a functioning gift shop. On the other hand, you’ll be hard-pressed to find statues or monuments devoted to the Soviet strongman (they exist, but you have to look very hard).

Georgia’s relationship with Stalin deserves an article (and probably a PhD thesis) all to itself; to simplify, think of the parent-child analogy again. Is a mother’s love eternal, even after her son grows up to murder 20 million people? Alternatively, should the mother do some soul searching and examine how her child came to be? Maybe...maybe not. Once again, the answer is mercurial - it depends on who you ask and how you word the question.

8. Are Georgians Russian?

No. Russians are primarily Slavic and Georgians are Caucasian. And while ethnic Russians live in Georgia (and vice versa), Georgians are their own separate ethnic group. 

Formally, Georgians are called Kartvelians, and are one of 50 ethnic groups native to the Caucasus region. To confuse you further, Georgia itself is home to several other ethnic subgroups, such as the Mingrelians, the Svans, and the Adjarians. 

When referring to Georgia’s people, it’s correct and inoffensive to refer to them as Georgians. 

9. Georgians are Caucasian...but so are white people...why?

Ain’t no audacity to this caucasity – Georgia is not the birthplace of white people, nor is it the origin of white people shit like racism.

Race is a social construct, a construct created by white Europeans. Caucasian only refers to people from the Caucasus Mountains; it’s problematic to call white people “Caucasian”, as this word was stolen by white Europeans and harkens back to Eurocentric racial ideology.

Back in the 1700s, German anthropologist Johann Friedrich formed the (incorrect) idea that the human race originated from the Caucasus Mountains and used human skull measurements to illustrate his thesis. He claimed there were five separate races of man, with the “white” race, or “Caucasian”, being the first. White Europeans went gaga over this theory, and proceeded to use it to justify colonialism, slavery, and white supremacy. 

10. Will Georgia traumatize me?

I, unfortunately, experienced some traumatic things in Georgia; my memoir and podcast, Do You Speak Georgian? (DYSG), details my misadventure. As you follow my memoir and this blog, you might have some doubts about traveling to Georgia.

Your concerns are justified. However, understand that travel, no matter where you go, is never without risk. While you are extremely unlikely to experience trauma as a short-term visitor to Georgia, don’t think mishaps can’t happen to you. Know that choosing to travel means choosing to be vulnerable, and vulnerability puts you at increased risk for experiencing trauma. Trauma is also not exclusive to Georgia; it can happen anywhere, to anyone. There are, however, ways you can protect yourself and respond to dangerous people and situations before they harm you, ways I’ve detailed in my safety for solo female travelers guide.

Do you have any additional questions about Georgia? Let me know in the comments; I’d love to continue expanding the Georgia FAQ series!