Unlike other popular Georgian mountain towns like Mestia or Ushguli, the town of Kazbegi is pretty dilapidated and rather devoid of charm. There’s not much in town of note to see, aside from the Stepantsminda History Museum, which seemed to be closed during my visit. The town, then, is best thought of as a base from which to hike.
Numerous restaurants and cafes have been built recently to take advantage of the ongoing tourism boom in Georgia. Wherever you base yourself, you won’t have any trouble finding restaurants, coffee shops or supermarkets.
Kazbegi is a small town, so just make sure you’re relatively close to the bridge which takes you to the other side of the river. Or, you can also stay somewhat uphill in Gergeti Village on the opposite side. Gergeti is home to a few guesthouses and restaurants, and staying there would give you a brief head start on your hikes.
I stayed in a small yet modern private room that I booked on Airbnb. While not a completely horrible experience, the walls were paper thin, and I’m not going to recommend it. I could make out every single word the people in the room next door were saying, even when they were talking at a normal volume. It seems that a lot of the newer guesthouses in the area are being built as quickly and as cheaply as possible.
When researching accommodation, I came across several great-looking rooms, all run by different hosts, that all had a common complaint in the reviews: the door wouldn’t lock. Though the room I booked didn’t have any such comments, it turned out that my door wouldn’t lock either!
This is a strange problem that I’ve noticed all over Georgia. It seems like a trend for builders to give up at 99%, without bothering to carry out this final yet crucial step. Mentioning it to the owners doesn’t do much good, as they’ll often just shrug their shoulders. With that in mind, always bring a little lock for your luggage when traveling in Georgia.
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