Driving from London to Georgia (Batumi and Tbilisi)

I doubt anyone has done that trip , especially not from this forum. It's the sort of trip that people make TV (or at least Youtube) shows about! I did see some people do this without a car on a TV show, this was used https://www.ukrferry.com/en/schedule

Google AI says a foreign registered car needs Georgian insurance

But whilst we are waiting for others I think we need to know where you are now, where the car is registered and where it is insured. And just for my curiosity, what type of car is it?

I did the Sofia to Istanbul portion of it by car once. It was an adventure. Google Maps says you can do it in 50 hours from London to Tiblisi. But there is so much good stuff along the way i would plan on 75 hours of driving for all tge detours to stuff to see, over at least 8 weeks.

Thanks both. I should clarify that the campervan is already in Greece and i will fly from London and start driving from there, rather then driving the whole way from the UK.
8 weeks sound amazing.. although i was thinkin more like 2-3 weeks, with stops through Greece and Turkey.. What made the Sofia Istanbul section such adventure? Border crossing, traffick or finding places to stay? I am also still trying to confirm whether the Green card is enough for Georgia or whether foreign vehicles must buy separate Georgian insurance.

I have more questions than answers.

Is the van one you own or is it a rental?

If you own it, there must be an interesting story on why/how it is in Greece and you are in London.

If it is a rental, I am amazed that there is a company that would permit such a one way rental. ( or are you doing a round trip?)

It is mine :) not a rental. I spend more time of year in Greece, my parents live there... I am currently back in London, so the plan is to fly to Greece, pick it up, and continue through Turkey to Georgia. I am myself a little confused of how to plan the trip :)

For your insurance questions, I would look at each policy and find the "Where you are Covered" clause. See if it includes where you are going ( or call your agent)

Here seems to be a source of medical and auto insurance-- https://geocover.ge/en/ads/car
Looks like an insurance agency, but at least you can get a baseline on costs

Happy planning and Good luck!

Thanks. Georgian APPA was also suggested in another discussion, and the price for Georgian car and health insurance was lower then here. THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

As you are approaching from the other direction, I'm no help. I spent about a week crossing Bulgaria, sight seeing and fishing. Stunning country, wonderful culture.

which other thread was it mentioned in - I don't find it

It was mentioned in a thread that was quickly removed because of advertising. Interesting how the OP, a new member, seems to know about a thread that only existed for a couple of hours….

Without knowing more about your van and where it is registered, consider whether you will need MOT or similar and to renew it's registration. Prolonged absence from country of registration can cause problems.

Strange how the opening post clearly says driving from London to Georgia, which is then amended to Greece to Georgia- a much shorter journey, and the shortest route from London does not even touch Greece. No Black Sea ferry crossing is needed, as you avoid Istanbul on a bridge then drive through northern Turkey.

The UK Foreign Office travel advice tells you about Green Cards and the other formalities required.

I think there is some misunderstanding. I am currently in London, but the campervan is in Greece, so I will fly to Greece and start driving from there. That is why I originally described the overall journey as London to Georgia, although may be i will not hasitate and will drive from London?
I also saw the other thread before it was removed, so I am not sure why that seems to you not usual. I came here to ask for practical advice about the route, borders, insurance and places to stop. I am a little confused by the comments, to be honest.

It’s unusual because that thread was posted weeks ago and it only existed for a couple of hours. A new member posting a link to a business is usually an indication of advertising.

I think it's odd that he his banging on about whether his Green Card is valid (still won't say where it was issued) when the website he is promoting clearly says it isn't and answers his question. Or why that website even has a section on driving exactly the route asked for in the OP, I doubt more than half a dozen ordinary people a year will even make the journey so the chance of finding a customer is next to zero.

I say ordinary people, Georgia has a serious reputation for handling stolen cars.

Leaving aside that your opening words are

I am planning to drive from London to Georgia.

We don't know enough about you to be able to tell you about good places to stop on the route from Greece. On route planning software from a nominal start point of Athens the route skirts Thessaloniki (to me a crying shame, but you may know the city well).

Then neither obvious route takes you anywhere near Gallipoli. In the theoretical circumstance that I was making this journey my interests could not let me miss Gallipoli for its WW1 history, but that could not matter to you.
Then on the direct route you skirt to the north of Istanbul/Constantinople. I couldn't possibly miss a few days in Istanbul, but have to dip well south to do so. To me on such a journey I would be visiting Constantinople whatever the map calls the City.

My knowledge of Turkey is very basic, but the direct north coast route does not look hugely interesting to me.

I would be more interested in dipping south to route via Ankara, adding on about 350 miles worth of driving.

But if I'd been to Gallipoli I would then want to do the south coast on the way to Ankara via the likes of Izmir and Antalya. That route I believe is more like one of the former Old Silk Road routes, but then to Georgia you are diverting to another of the more northern Silk Road routes.

Also I personally couldn't miss Lake Van and then Mount Ararat. However Lake Van is taking you towards Iran. From Lake Van the 'problem' is you would then it seems have to enter Georgia through Armenia. I say problem advisedly as that should be a very interesting diversion in it's own right.

But you get my drift- you can either do this as an A to B route as fast as possible in around 35 hours of driving (4 to 5 days) or do it as a road trip in which case there are all sorts of deviations, depending on one's interests.

The Silk Roads have long been a fascination of mine, so if I was doing it I would rather take 70 or 100 hours or whatever it takes, to build that in, as well as Turkey's great archaeological sites.

Thanks, this is really helpful and exactly the kind of advice I was looking for. I can see now that my original post was confusing because I said London to Georgia, but it must be Greece.... I should have explained that better from the start.
I haven’t decided yet whether to do the route as quickly as possible or make a proper road trip out of it, but your suggestions about Thessaloniki, Istanbul, Gallipoli, Ankara, Lake Van and Armenia have definitely given me a lot to think about.
Thanks again for taking the time to write such a detailed reply.