Seeing Mount Kazbek Without Leaving Tbilisi

I’ve written about Kazbek several times before and posted photos of it, but it turns out you don’t even have to leave Tbilisi to see this mountain. That came as a surprise to me, considering the summit is about 110 kilometers away as the crow flies.

On a clear day, when the air is clean enough, Kazbek can be seen right from the center of Tbilisi, from Rustaveli Avenue. You need to look almost due north from First Republic Square.

The double summit in the middle of the frame is Kazbek. Of course, this view looks a bit different from the one you get in Stepantsminda. From Stepantsminda, the mountain is seen from the east, while from Tbilisi you’re looking at it from the south, so Kazbek appears almost in profile.

By the way, the exact same “profile view” opens up from the Kobi Pass near Gudauri — you can compare them.