Where to Stay in Gudauri: Best Areas & Accommodations

Located just 2 hours by road north of Tbilisi, Gudauri is Georgia’s premier winter resort and a mecca for adventurous skiers.

Purpose-built in the 1980s and further developed from the early 2000s onward, the resort has several different ‘zones’ and a nice range of hotels, ski-in resorts and chalets. Majority of the new buildings are residential blocks, meaning there is an ample supply of self-contained studio and one-bedroom apartments available to rent from private owners.

The biggest mistake I made on my recent trip to Gudauri was picking the wrong area to stay in when I first arrived. The hotel was lovely, but the location was not ideal.

Public transport in Gudauri is non-existent, taxis are expensive, and walking to and from the ski lifts is a real pain.

I ended up relocating three times to different areas in search of the perfect base. In this guide, I will run you through the pros and cons of each of the locations I stayed in, and share my top picks for accommodations.

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The golden rule for Gudauri: Stay close to a ski lift

This might sound obvious to experienced skiers, but when visiting Gudauri it is imperative to stay as close as you possibly can to one of the ski lifts.

Gudauri has no public transport or shuttle facilities to get you to the lifts from other parts of the resort (a few hotels do offer a shuttle – details below). Taxi prices are inflated, and attempting to walk along the Georgian Military Highway through the sludge as lorry trucks stream past is no fun at all (believe me).

The resort is split over several levels, with Old Gudauri at the bottom (closest to Tbilisi), New Gudauri a little further up, and the Recreation Zone further up again in the mountains. The easiest way to move between these zones is by using the ski lifts and gondolas (a dozen and counting) that are all connected or in close proximity to one another.

Think of the lifts as a form of public transportation. Not only will you be using them to travel to different ski runs, but you will also be relying on them to access restaurants, bars, supermarkets and other facilities that are concentrated around the lift stations.

When we first arrived in Gudauri, we spent a night in a lovely hotel on the Georgian Military Highway. Getting to the nearest ski lift involved a 1.4-kilometre or 20-minute uphill walk, partially along the main road. It was doable, but it was not at all pleasant. I wouldn’t have wanted to repeat that walk every day.

If you have your own car and you are able to drive to the lift area each morning, this will give you more flexibility. Parking in New Gudauri can be a big challenge, though, as the area is not terribly well planned.

If not, then I recommend choosing a place to stay that is close to the Goodaura/New Goodaura bottom stations (New Gudauri), close to the Pirveli Chairlift bottom station (Old Gudauri), or close to the Shino Chairlift bottom station (Military Highway).

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How far in advance should you book your Gudauri accommodation?

Gudauri is a very popular winter destination. Despite being the most-visited of Georgia’s ski resorts, it is still relatively obscure on the world stage.

Supply exceeds demand, so you will always find something available at the last minute. To secure the best price possible, I recommend booking your hotel at least 2-3 months out.

If you are travelling to Gudauri during one of the peak seasons (Christmas/New Year in Georgia or spring break in the UAE), you will definitely want to get in early as the best properties fill up fast.

Towards the end of the ski season, especially in the first weeks of April, properties are heavily discounted at up to 50% off.

While the larger hotels and resorts stay open throughout the year, smaller chalets and guesthouses might close over summer. Often properties close off their bookings between April and July approximately, only opening reservations for the coming season in autumn.

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Map of where to stay in Gudauri

Here is a very basic map of the three areas I recommend. Each one is covered in depth below.

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New Gudauri

As the name suggests, New Gudauri is the newer part of the ski resort. Most of the buildings here were completed within the last decade, and there is a lot of ongoing construction work.

New Gudauri is located off the main highway, east towards the foothills of the mountains. Being away from the main road and its constant stream of traffic makes it feel somewhat quieter and more secluded compared to other areas.

The chalet-style architecture is pleasant enough, and as the centre of the resort, the vibe here is always upbeat.

Purpose-built for winter tourism, New Gudauri consists of a dozen large-scale apartment blocks plus a few hotels. Most accommodations in this area are therefore self-contained apartments.

New Gudauri has many things going for it. Most of Gudauri’s best restaurants and bars are located here, and there are supermarkets for self-catering. Virtually everything you need will be located within walking distance of your accommodation.

For skiers, there is a beginner’s area called Zuma and several intermediate runs nearby, accessed via the New Goodaura ski lift. The Goodaura gondola – the first of four on the Gudauri-Kobi Cable Car line – has its bottom station here as well, meaning you can easily access the upper Recreation Area and six more chairlifts.

At present, New Gudauri is contained within an area of approximately one kilometre. The downside is that it does feel a bit overcrowded and poorly planned in terms of traffic flow. It can also be tricky to find a car park.

If you are using marshrutka vans to travel around Georgia, vans from Tbilisi usually terminate in New Gudauri, and vans going back down to Tbilisi originate from here (provided the road is clear of snow).

Pros: Quieter; easy access to the ski lifts; lots of food & drink options; supermarkets.

Cons: Difficult to find a car park; ongoing construction work; fewer accommodation options aside from apartments.

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Old Gudauri

Old Gudauri, the original part of the ski resort, is located further south, back towards Tbilisi. It is more ad-hoc in its configuration with hotels, apartment blocks, restaurants and other services scattered along the Georgian Military Road.

Relative to New Gudauri, I felt like this area was a bit more family friendly and laid back. There are fewer bars and less of a nightlife scene. There are not as many dining options, but the restaurants that are here tend to be more budget-friendly in my experience (vis-a-vis New Gudauri).

I highly recommend staying somewhere close to the Pirveli Chairlift bottom station. You can use this lift to access the upper Recreation Zone (via the Pirveli and Soliko lifts) and New Gudauri as well (by going up then back down via the Goodaura gondola). There is a ticket booth where you can buy lift passes next to the Pirveli station. Plus there are gentler hills that are suitable for tubing or tobogganing nearby – another plus for kids.

Marco Polo Hotel is the most well-known ski-in property in this area. When I return to Gudauri next year, this is where I will be staying.

In its immediate vicinity there are several other stand-alone hotels plus new apartment buildings. When I last visited Gudauri, I ended up staying in the Roshka Building, which is also walking distance from the lift station. It was very convenient.

Parking is easier here simply because there is more space. Marshrutka vans to/from Tbilisi stop at the Gudauri bus station, located 500 metres from the Pirveli Chairlift. There is a supermarket here, too.

Pros: Easy access to the ski lifts; good range of accommodations including hotels and apartments.

Cons: Fewer food/drink options; further from New Gudauri and the Recreation Zone (1-2 extra ski lift rides required to get up to the slopes).

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Along the Military Highway

For the purposes of this guide, I am classifying all other accommodations outside of New Gudauri and Old Gudauri as ‘along the Georgian Military Highway’. There are some lovely chalets and mountain huts north of New Gudauri and south of Old Gudauri – but mostly they are only suitable for people who bring a car up with them.

If you are more than 15 minutes’ walk from the nearest ski lift, you will struggle. In the cold and snow, one kilometre is about the maximum distance you can comfortably walk. Getting around Gudauri by taxi is expensive, and walking is not fun at all (having attempted to walk a section of the Military Highway before being scooped up by a passing driver who was very concerned for our safety, I can personally attest to this!).

The best spot to stay on the Military Highway is the area around the Shino Chairlift bottom station, which is around 2 kilometres further north from the turn-off for New Gudauri. You can use the Shino Lift to travel up to the Recreation Area then down to New Gudauri (via the Goodaura gondola).

If you are not here exclusively to ski and you’re happy to use a taxi to visit New Gudauri but otherwise relax/enjoy a nice hotel with a view, then this area could be a good option for you.

Pros: Beautiful chalet-style accommodations; easier to find a car park.

Cons: Need a car (or a hotel with a shuttle service) if you are more than 15 minutes’ walk from the nearest ski lift; fewer restaurants; less of a ‘ski resort’ vibe compared to the other areas; traffic noise might be an issue depending on the location.

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Stepantsminda (Kazbegi)

A final option you might consider is staying north of Gudauri in the town of Kazbegi (Stepantsminda). In this case, you could use the Kobi-Gudauri Cable Car to travel to and from the ski resort. This is really only feasible if you have your own car and can drive to the gondola station in Kobi (located 20 minutes by car from Kazbegi town). Taxis are available, but the costs will add up fast.

Kazbegi has a lot more in the way of budget-friendly accommodations – mostly family-run guesthouses. Eating and drinking in Kazbegi is significantly more affordable compared to Gudauri, so you could potentially save a lot of money by staying here (note that not all venues in Kazbegi are open throughout the winter, though).

If you’re not big on skiing/snowboarding, you will find that Kazbegi has a lot more variety in terms of other activities. Kazbegi is a town (as opposed to a ski resort) with residents who live there year-round. It therefore has a very different feel.

If you are content with just one day of skiing, you can feasibly take a day trip to Gudauri from Kazbegi.

If you are visiting Georgia in summer, Kazbegi is the natural choice for an overnight stay in this area. There is no real reason to stay in Gudauri outside of winter.

Pros: More guesthouses; other points of interest such as Gergeti Trinity Church; budget-friendly options for food and drink.

Cons: Far from the ski fields – requires a car to get to the cable car station plus an additional 30-60 minutes to reach Gudauri.