Oni Voyage Tips and guide

Contents

Oni is a very pretty, rustic town on the Rioni River up in the mountains that was for millennia a center of Georgian Jewish culture. Today it is becoming a major tourist destination for domestic travelers as well as attracting adventurous foreign travelers attracted to its natural beauty, remote setting and a local culture that has not seen the effects of tourism yet. The town is about 3 km long, between the left bank of the Rioni River and hills to the East.

The town is easily handled on foot.

To travel further into the mountains hire a car at the station where you were dropped off by the marshrutka. Or make arrangements through your guesthouse.

• 42.58700343.4463191 Oni Synagogue, 53 Vakhtang VI St. Although the Jewish population has migrated away there is a beautiful synagogue in the center of town. (updated Mar 2020)
• 42.58252943.4430292 Oni Museum of Local Lore, 26 Rustaveli St. Local museum has many artifacts that would be much more famous if they were in a more well known museum. There are stone tools from the earliest settlers, bronze tools, early Iron artifacts and artwork from contemporary artists, as well as much more. Admission 2 lari. (updated Mar 2020)

The most popular activity for visitors is hiking or climbing in the mountains and there are many trails for this.

Most visitors will want to have their meals at the guesthouse they are staying at, since there is a very limited choice of restaurants in the summer, and none are open in the winter.

There are several nice guesthouse options in town and one new hotel.

• Berishvili Homestay, 7 Baratashvili Street, ☏ +995 599157638. Homestay with a garden and in a quiet location. Russian, and some English and German spoken. 30 to 40 lari per night (bed & breakfast, half-board). 
• Family Guesthouse and Gallery – A beautiful house with hand made balconies that has been furnished and decorated by the owners who run the local art and woodworking school. The owners speak Georgian and Russian and their teenage son speaks excellent English and is able to act as a guide for local hikes.