Since Svetitstkhoveli Cathedral and Jvari Monastery are separated by the Georgian Military Highway and the Kura river, they are particularly difficult to visit independently. We found a very helpful trip report and made it an adventure: there is a bridge over the river, a tunnel under the highway, a trail up to the monastery, and a road down to a bus top. ;-)
Notes to fellow travellers: 1) Get off the minibus from Didube before it reaches the center of Mtskheta. 2) From Jvari Monastery, we walked on the road down to Zahesi. There are multiple bus/minibus lines to Didube, see google maps.
Arriving on the minibus in Mtskheta we could see the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral to our left and Jvari Monastery across the river.
The Cathedral is surrounded by a wall with an impressive gate and bell tower.
The Cathedral has a high ceiling (1st below) , some medieval frescoes (2nd below), and a copy of the Holy Sepulchur in a side chapel (3rd below).
The Cathedral is busy with tourists, and ceremonies for the faithful.
The exterior of the Cathedral can be clearly viewed from all sides. I found it quite pleasing.
One can see the Jvari Monastery from inside the Cathedral wall. Here we come!
The walk from the Cathedral to the Kura River Bridge is about 1km. We were slowed by ripe cherries and mulberries hanging overhead.
After a short walk on the shoulder of the Military Highway, we crossed underneath, and walked up an easy-to-follow trail to Jvari Monastery.
Jvari Monastery interior was under renovation; however, we ate our lunch with awesome views along the Kura River Valley, and down to the Cathedral in Mtskheta.
The 4km walk up, then down, to the bus stop at Zahesi was uneventful although we did have to briefly shelter from a rain shower (we forgot to bring our umbrellas), and carry a turtle off the road. And soon we were back to our apartment.
