This highland town is situated in the Caucasus Mountains at an altitude of 1500m. It is the main town and cultural heart of the Svan people. Though their language is different to Georgian, the Svan epitomise all that is Georgian and represent the heart of Georgian culture. Until 1935 the town was completely isolated as there was no road connecting it with the outside world and today it still feels remote and inaccessible

Mestia is dominated by stone defensive towers and a collection of unique icons and manuscripts are kept in Mestia Historical-Ethnographic Museum. The town is also a centre of mountaineering tourism and alpinism.