GORI HOW CAN GET IN?

The current iteration of the fortress was built in 1774, during the reign of Erekle II, but was significantly damaged by an earthquake in 1920. The Stalin Museum includes the memorial house where Joseph Stalin (1879-1953) was born, a museum building with a tower, and Stalin’s personal train car he used to visit Tehran, Yalta, and Potsdam.

There are many unique exhibits displayed here, including personal belongings and collections of paintings, photos, films and other important historical artifacts.

Gori (Georgian: გორი ) is a city in the Shida Kartli region of Georgia most famous (or infamous) for being the birthplace of Joseph Vissarionovich Jughashvili, better known as Stalin. Today, surprisingly, it does not look much different from when Stalin ruled the USSR.

Gori is also located a short drive from Uplistsikhe, an ancient Silk Road cave city and former regional centre of pagan worship.

The name Gori may look and sound like the plural form of the Russian word for mountain (горы, GO-ry), but the name of Gori, incidentally meaning hill (singular) in Georgian, is much older than the first Russian contact with the Georgian kingdoms in 1500s.

Get in By train

Many trains run through Gori on their way to or from Tbilisi. Tickets can be purchased at local train stations. Last train to Borjomi leaves at 18:00.

By bus

Many marshrutkas run daily between Tbilisi’s Didube market and the central square of Gori. If you’re arriving with the metro, go directly through the market (one-story houses) until you reach a square with only marshrutkas on it - just ask one of the drivers. Buses leave hourly from about 7am to 8pm, and the ride costs 3 GEL a person.

By Taxi

Another option is to take a taxi, which also leave from Didube bus station. Listen for the cab drivers calling out “Gori, Gori,” and get in their car. These cars leave as soon as they are full, so your wait could be anywhere from 5 minutes to an hour. The fare for one person in a shared cab should be 5 GEL.

If you do not wish to share a taxi with others, then the cost should be about 20 GEL. Be sure to negotiate this with the driver before you get in the car.