Self-Launched Caucasus: Azerbaijan, Georgia & Armenia in 13 Days
13 days · Caucasus (Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia)
Silk Road Travel charges £2,880
No-markup version: ~£1,100 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A do-it-yourself version of Silk Road Travel's 13-day Baku-to-Yerevan Caucasus loop: Azerbaijan's mud volcanoes and Old City, Georgia's wine country, cave cities and Kazbegi mountains, then Armenia's monasteries, Lake Sevan and Yerevan. You travel by marshrutka, public bus, shared taxi and the overnight-ish cross-border routes, stay in guesthouses and budget hotels, and join small day tours where public transport won't reach. Costs are approximate per person for a solo/duo backpacker pace — roughly a third of the guided group price.
Day-by-day
Arrive Baku
Baku, Azerbaijan
Land at Heydar Aliyev International Airport (GYD). Take the Aero Express bus (every 30 min, ~£1.50) or a Bolt/Yango taxi (~£15) into the centre. Check into a hostel or budget hotel in the Old City / Fountain Square area. Evening wander along the Caspian-facing Baku Boulevard and the illuminated Flame Towers. Buy a BakiKart for the metro and buses at any metro station.
🚌Aero Express bus from airport ~£1.50
🛏Old City hostel or budget hotel, Baku
- →Airport transfer by Aero Express bus
- →Evening walk on Baku Boulevard
- →Set up BakiKart transit card
Gobustan petroglyphs and Baku Old City
Baku, Azerbaijan
Join a small-group GetYourGuide day tour to Gobustan (~£35-45) covering the Neolithic rock carvings and the bubbling mud volcanoes — the mud volcanoes are off the public bus route, so a tour or private taxi is the practical option. Return to Baku for a self-guided walk of Icherisheher (Old City): Maiden Tower, Palace of the Shirvanshahs, the Carpet Museum, and Upland Park for the city panorama.
🚌Day tour minibus; metro ~£0.30 per ride
🛏Old City hostel or budget hotel, Baku
- →Gobustan National Park rock carvings
- →Mud volcanoes
- →Icherisheher Old City self-guided walk
- →Maiden Tower and Shirvanshahs' Palace
- →Carpet Museum
- →Upland Park viewpoint
Baku to Sheki via Shamakhi
Sheki, Azerbaijan
Take the Baku International Bus Terminal (Avtovagzal) bus to Sheki (~6 hrs, £7-10). En route stops like Diri Baba Mausoleum and the Kish Albanian church are easiest as an add-on day tour (~£25) if you want them — otherwise push straight to Sheki. In Sheki, visit the Summer Palace of the Khan and Sheki Historical Museum, then overnight in a Sheki caravanserai-style guesthouse.
🚌Public intercity bus Baku-Sheki ~£8
🛏Sheki guesthouse
- →Bus to Sheki via Shamakhi
- →Optional Diri Baba Mausoleum stop
- →Sheki Khan's Summer Palace
- →Sheki Historical Museum
Sheki to Sighnaghi and Tbilisi
Sighnaghi / Tbilisi, Georgia
Cross into Georgia at the Balakan/Lagodekhi border by shared taxi or minibus (~£6-8 to Sighnaghi). Explore Sighnaghi's walled old town and the Bodbe Monastery complex (about 2 km, walkable or short taxi ~£1). Continue by marshrutka to Tbilisi (~2 hrs, £4). Check into a hostel in Sololaki or the Old Town.
🚌Shared taxi/minibus Sheki-Sighnaghi ~£7; marshrutka Sighnaghi-Tbilisi ~£4
🛏Tbilisi Old Town hostel
- →Sighnaghi old town walls
- →Bodbe Monastery
- →Cross-border travel into Georgia
Tbilisi: baths, churches and old town
Tbilisi, Georgia
Self-guided Tbilisi day: start at the sulfur baths (Abanotubani), then work through Metekhi Church, the cable car up to Narikala Fortress and St Nicholas Church, walked down past Sioni and Anchiskhati churches. Afternoon: Sameba Cathedral, the Great Synagogue on Kote Abkhazi, the Turkish mosque and the Armenian St. Gevorg Cathedral. Free walking tours run daily from Freedom Square if you want a guide for tips only (~£8 tip). Evening in the hipster Fabrika courtyard.
🚌Metro and cable car ~£1.50 total
🛏Tbilisi Old Town hostel
- →Abanotubani sulfur baths
- →Narikala Fortress cable car
- →Metekhi, Sioni, Anchiskhati and Sameba churches
- →Old Town multi-faith walk
- →Freedom Square free walking tour
Mtskheta, Gori and Uplistsikhe
Mtskheta / Gori / Tbilisi
Marshrutka from Didube station to Mtskheta (30 min, £1) for Jvari Church and Svetitskhoveli Cathedral. Continue to Gori (marshrutka £2) for Gori Fortress and the Stalin Museum, then take a shared taxi or local bus to Uplistsikhe Cave City (~£3). Return to Tbilisi by evening. A combined GetYourGuide small-group tour (~£30) is the painless alternative if you'd rather not chain marshrutkas.
🚌Marshrutkas and shared taxi ~£10 total
🛏Tbilisi Old Town hostel
- →Jvari Church
- →Svetitskhoveli Cathedral
- →Gori Fortress
- →Stalin Museum
- →Uplistsikhe Cave City
Kazbegi and Gergeti Trinity Church
Stepantsminda, Georgia
Marshrutka from Didube station to Stepantsminda/Kazbegi (~3 hrs, £8), stopping photo-worthy at the Ananuri Fortress on the way (ask the driver or hop off and re-board). From Stepantsminda, hike up to Gergeti Trinity Church (~1 hr each way) for the classic Mount Kazbek view — or take a 4x4 lift (~£10). Return to Tbilisi same day, or stay a night in a guesthouse if you want the sunrise.
🚌Marshrutka Tbilisi-Kazbegi ~£8 return
🛏Tbilisi Old Town hostel (or Stepantsminda guesthouse)
- →Ananuri Fortress
- →Marshrutka over the Georgian Military Highway
- →Hike to Gergeti Trinity Church
- →Mount Kazbek viewpoint
Tbilisi to Yerevan via Haghpat and Sanahin
Haghpat / Sanahin / Yerevan
Take the shared night-ish option: minibus from Tbilisi to Yerevan (daytime marshrutka ~6 hrs, £15) with a stop near Alaverdi for Haghpat and Sanahin monasteries (UNESCO-listed and close together; local taxi between them ~£5). Alternative: the daily Tbilisi-Yerevan train (departs evening, arrives Yerevan ~6 am, from £15) — comfortable and scenic without the monastery stop. Check into a Yerevan hostel near Republic Square.
🚌Marshrutka or train Tbilisi-Yerevan ~£15
🛏Yerevan hostel or budget hotel
- →Haghpat Monastery
- →Sanahin Monastery
- →Cross-border road or rail into Armenia
Yerevan city day
Yerevan, Armenia
Self-guided Yerevan: Republic Square, Mashtots Avenue, the Opera and Ballet Theatre, the Cascade stairway (free, with the Cafesjian sculpture garden), and the Matenadaran manuscript museum (~£3). Free walking tours leave from Republic Square daily — tips only. Late afternoon browse the Vernissage souvenir market, then dinner and wine at one of the Saryan Street wine bars.
🚌Metro and walking ~£0.50
🛏Yerevan hostel or budget hotel
- →Republic Square
- →Cascade Stairway and Cafesjian Center
- →Matenadaran manuscript museum
- →Vernissage souvenir market
- →Saryan Street wine bars
Khor Virap, Areni and Noravank
Yerevan, Armenia
Shared day tour or private taxi (GetYourGuide small-group tours run ~£30-40; a private taxi split two ways is comparable) covering Khor Virap with its Mount Ararat backdrop, the Areni-1 cave (where the world's oldest known wine-making evidence was found) and Noravank Monastery. Afternoon stop at an Areni winery for a tasting (~£5). Back to Yerevan by evening.
🚌Shared tour van or split private taxi ~£35
🛏Yerevan hostel or budget hotel
- →Khor Virap Monastery and Mount Ararat view
- →Areni-1 Cave
- →Noravank Monastery
- →Areni wine tasting
Zvartnots, Echmiadzin and brandy
Yerevan, Armenia
Marshrutka to Vagharshapat (Echmiadzin) (~£1) for Zvartnots Cathedral ruins, Saint Hripsime Church and Echmiadzin Cathedral. Back in Yerevan, join the Ararat Brandy Factory tour with tasting (~£10, book ahead). Finish at the Gum fruit market for produce and dried fruit.
🚌Marshrutka and metro ~£2
🛏Yerevan hostel or budget hotel
- →Zvartnots Cathedral ruins
- →Saint Hripsime Church
- →Echmiadzin Cathedral
- →Ararat Brandy Factory tasting
- →Gum fruit market
Garni, Geghard and Lake Sevan
Yerevan, Armenia
Small-group tour (~£30-40) or shared taxi covering Garni Temple with its Roman baths and the basalt-organ gorge, the cliff-carved Geghard Monastery, an Armenian lavash baking masterclass, then east to Lake Sevan and Sevanavank Monastery before returning to Yerevan. Doing this independently by marshrutka is possible but slow; the tour is the practical equivalent of the guided package.
🚌Shared tour van ~£35
🛏Yerevan hostel or budget hotel
- →Garni Temple and Roman baths
- →Garni Gorge basalt organ
- →Lavash baking masterclass
- →Geghard Monastery
- →Lake Sevan and Sevanavank
Depart Yerevan
Yerevan, Armenia
Last morning for a Yerevan coffee and pastry before heading to Zvartnots International Airport. Take the Yerevan Airport Express bus (~£1) or a Yango/Bolt taxi (~£6-8).
🚌Airport Express bus ~£1 or taxi ~£7
🛏N/A — departure day
- →Airport transfer
- →Final Yerevan breakfast
Self-launched vs. Silk Road Travel
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Silk Road Travel | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£1,100 | £2,880 |
| Duration | 13 days | 13 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £1,780 per person (62%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Silk Road Travel-style trips? Check them out here.~£1,100
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Self-Launched Caucasus: Azerbaijan, Georgia & Armenia in 13 Days cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £1,100 per person for 13 days in Caucasus (Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia). This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with Silk Road Travel?+
Yes — Silk Road Travel charges around £2,880 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £1,100 — a saving of roughly £1,780 (62%) per person.
How long is the Caucasus (Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia) trip?+
This itinerary runs 13 days, covering 13 day-by-day stops through Caucasus (Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia).
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a culture, adventure, hiking trip through Caucasus (Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia), self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
Drop your comment below — if you've done a similar route, tell us what worked, what you'd add, or what you'd skip.
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