Chavchavadze House Museum

The estate sits at the foot of hills facing the Alazani Valley and the Caucasus range. The house, built in 1835 in Italian style, is a two-story mansion with verandas and terraces. Inside – restored 19th-century interiors: the poet's study with his desk, a drawing room with a grand piano (one of the first in Georgia), and a dining room where Pushkin, Lermontov, Griboyedov, and Alexandre Dumas were received. The museum holds 19,628 items: furniture from the 17th–19th centuries (Georgian, Russian, French), porcelain (Chinese, Japanese, German), 18th-century manuscripts, books in French, German, and English, and Ermakov photographs.

The landscaped park is Georgia's first European-style recreational garden. Chavchavadze invited landscape architects from Europe. The park covers 18 hectares: exotic trees, walkways, and a "love lane" – legend holds that couples who walk it with eyes closed will have a happy life together. It was in this park that Nino Chavchavadze and Alexander Griboyedov first met.

The wine cellar – underground galleries at constant temperature – stores over 16,000 bottles, including a Saperavi from 1841, one of the oldest surviving Georgian wines. Bottles are deliberately coated in dust as light protection. After the tour: tastings of Tsinandali, Kakhuri White, Mukuzani, Saperavi, Kindzmarauli, and Khvanchkara.

Winery – Georgia's first bottled wine (1841), cellar with 16,000+ bottles

Park – 18 hectares, Georgia's first European landscaped garden (1835)

Collection – 19,628 items: furniture, porcelain, manuscripts from the 17th–19th centuries

Famous guests – Pushkin, Lermontov, Griboyedov, and Dumas visited the estate

Festival – annual Tsinandali International Classical Music Festival

Alexander Chavchavadze (1786–1846) inherited the estate from his father, Prince Garsevan. Educated in Russia with deep European influences, he transformed Tsinandali into Georgia's cultural center. In 1835, he built the Italianate mansion, invited European landscape architects for the park, and brought in winemakers to establish Georgia's first European-method winery. In 1841, the first bottle of Kakhetian wine was corked here using classical techniques. The estate became a meeting place for Georgian and Russian intelligentsia.

In 1854, forces of Imam Shamil raided Tsinandali, capturing Chavchavadze's daughters and grandchildren. The house was looted and burned. Reconstruction followed, and in 1946 the memorial museum opened. Since 2008, the Silk Road Group has invested over $12 million in restoration – vineyards have been replanted and wine production resumed. The estate now also houses the Tsinandali Radisson Collection Hotel, a restaurant, and a concert hall.

From Telavi (10 km, 15 minutes):

– Taxi – 5–7 GEL (~$2–2.50)

– Walking / hitchhiking – along the road heading east

From Tbilisi (104 km, 2–2.5 hours):

– Marshrutka to Telavi from Ortachala – 15 GEL (~$5.50), then taxi to Tsinandali

– Car rental – via Gombori Pass or Gurjaani

– Day tour from Tbilisi – usually includes Tsinandali, Alaverdi, and Telavi

On site:

From the parking lot to the entrance – 2 minutes. The estate is compact and walkable.

Season: Year-round. Best periods: May–June (park in bloom) and September–October (grape harvest, golden autumn). Summer (July–August) is hot, but the park provides shade.

Time of day: Morning – fewer visitors. Afternoon – best for the park (tree shade). The Tsinandali Festival takes place in September.

Duration: 1.5–2 hours for the museum, cellar, and park. With extended tasting – 2.5 hours.

Avoid: Check whether Monday is a day off before visiting. Summer weekends – more tour groups.