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The main reason I went to Gori was to visit the Joseph Stalin Museum. Outside of that, there isn’t much to see, but I took my time to discover what the town had to offer.

 

Gori Fortress

First, I paid a visit to the Gori Fortress, which has been in use since before the 7th century. I FROZE! It was winter, the ground was covered in snow, and yes, it was cold. But the wind up at the top made it brutally cold. The fortress looks interesting from street level but once I got to the top I realized there was nothing there.

Gori Fortress in Gori, Georgia
Gori Fortress
Gori Fortress in Gori, Georgia
Gori Fortress
Gori Fortress in Gori, Georgia
A gate to the fortress
Gori Fortress in Gori, Georgia
On top of the fortress

After a while, it was so cold I thought I was going to lose a finger, but the views from the top were totally worth it!

View from Gori Fortress in Gori, Georgia
View from the fortress
View from Gori Fortress with Gori Cathedral (left) in Gori, Georgia
View of Gori Cathedral from the fortress
View from Gori Fortress in Gori, Georgia
Looking at the snowcapped mountains from the fortress

 

Rustaveli Monument

After the fortress, I went around the other side of the hill it’s on and visited a monument. It’s dedicated to a 12th century Georgian poet, Rustaveli.

Rustaveli monument in Gori, Georgia
Rustaveli monument
Rustaveli monument in Gori, Georgia
Rustaveli monument

 

Gori Cathedral

The Gori Cathedral was nearby. I stuck around for part of the service and warmed up a bit before heading back out to the bitter cold.

Gori Cathedral in Gori, Georgia
Gori Cathedral
Gori Cathedral in Gori, Georgia
Gori Cathedral

 

Stalin Park

Next was Stalin Park, which is the location of the Joseph Stalin Museum. Other than the museum, there’s a WWII memorial. Behind the WWII memorial is a new memorial to seven Georgian soldiers killed in Afghanistan.

Stalin Park in Gori, Georgia
Stalin Park
WWII memorial in Gori, Georgia
WWII memorial
WWII memorial in Gori, Georgia
WWII memorial
Afghanistan memorial in Gori, Georgia
Afghanistan memorial

Next to the memorials is the Great Patriotic War Museum (which I didn’t visit). From there, I decided I should head back to Tbilisi. On my walk back to the bus station, I passed Gori’s city hall and theatre.

Great Patriotic War Museum in Gori, Georgia
Great Patriotic War Museum
City hall in Gori, Georgia
City hall
Theatre in Gori, Georgia
Theatre

 

Conclusion

All in all, I spent about three hours in Gori. That’s all I really needed, although there are a few interesting things nearby that I would like to see (next time?). The marshrutka ride was just over an hour each way and it proved to be a very easy and worthwhile day trip. I was very happy I went.

 

Bus Station

A final note: the bus station is much less chaotic than the one in Tbilisi. The marshrutkas to Tbilisi are located on the curb furthest away from the bus station building. You buy a ticket from a man outside the marshrutka, get on, and give your ticket to the driver once you reach Tbilisi. Very simple. Marshrutkas leave frequently. I think I waited no longer than 20 minutes.

Bus station in Gori, Georgia
Bus station

Author

Owner of Paisadventure. World traveler. Chicago sports lover. Living in Colombia.

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