Kutaisi International Airport (KUT) is Georgia's main low-cost hub and the natural starting point for driving across the country. The newly completed Rikoti Expressway (opened 30 December 2025, a 52 km four-lane road with 51 tunnels and 97 bridges) cut the 235 km drive to Tbilisi to roughly 3 to 3.5 hours on the E60. Batumi on the Black Sea is 120 km (about 1h45 to 2h30) via the E60 and S12 coastal highway. For the mountains, Mestia in Svaneti is 210 km (4 to 4.5 hours) on the paved E60 to Zugdidi and the Jvari-Mestia road, while Ushguli adds 47 km (258 km total) and genuinely needs a 4x4, opening only from about early June to mid-October. Stepantsminda (Kazbegi) is 310 km (about 5 hours) over the S3 Georgian Military Highway, which faces winter avalanche closures on the Gudauri-Kobi section. Borjomi is 144 km, Bakuriani 168 km, and the Vardzia cave monastery 196 km. The near-Kutaisi Imereti Loop offers easy paved day trips: Tskaltubo 23 km, Prometheus Cave 30 km, Martvili Canyon 50 km and Okatse Canyon 55 km. Fuel in June 2026 is about 3.77 lari per litre for 95-octane petrol, with a typical crossover burning around 7 litres per 100 km and roughly 50% more in the mountains. Winter tyres are legally mandatory from 1 December to 1 March on listed mountain roads, with a 100 lari fine for non-compliance.