Georgia

Georgia is one of Europe's best-kept secrets for Indian travellers: a hospitable country at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, with cobbled old towns, mountaintop churches, snow peaks of the Greater Caucasus and one of the oldest wine traditions on earth. It is friendlier on the budget than Western Europe, it has an easy online visa process for Indians, and it feels genuinely different from anywhere else you may have been.

Our Georgia trip spends three nights in Tbilisi, the capital, where you explore the old town's balconied houses, ride the cable car up to the Narikala fortress, relax in the domed sulphur baths of Abanotubani and walk across the Bridge of Peace. A day trip goes to Mtskheta, the ancient capital, for the UNESCO-listed Jvari Monastery and Svetitskhoveli Cathedral. Then you drive the Georgian Military Road past the Ananuri fortress on the turquoise Zhinvali reservoir and the Gudauri viewpoint to stay overnight in Kazbegi, beneath the hilltop Gergeti Trinity Church and Mount Kazbek. The trip finishes in the vineyards of Kakheti, with a night in the hilltop town of Signagi and tastings of wine made in traditional clay qvevri vessels.

Georgia suits couples, honeymooners, friend groups and families who enjoy scenery and culture. Summer and early autumn bring green mountains and the grape harvest, while December to March turns Gudauri into a ski resort and Kazbegi into a snow landscape. Food is hearty and delicious, with plenty of vegetarian options, and Indian restaurants are easy to find in Tbilisi. Pack layers, because the mountains are much cooler than the capital.