15 days in Armenia and Georgia

Hi everyone! My girlfriend and I are travelling to Armenia and Georgia from May 2 to May 17. We arrive in Yerevan at 12:00 on May 2 and fly out of Tbilisi at 14:00 on May 17.

Our rough plan is:

- spend around 2–3 days in each capital

- spend no more than 5 days total in Armenia (not because we’re less interested, just because this time we’d like to spend more time in Georgia)

- use the rest of the trip to explore Georgia

- take the night train between Yerevan and Tbilisi

- ideally do a 2–3 day hike/trek in Georgia

What we’re most interested in is:

culture, food, city life, Soviet/Brutalist architecture, and as much nature and mountains as possible

Our main questions are:

1. Armenia: is it worth renting a car for just 2–3 days outside Yerevan?

Would it make sense to drive all the way to Goris, or is that too much for such a short time?

Would we be better off staying based in Yerevan and doing day trips instead?

1. Georgia: same question about renting a car from Tbilisi.

I was considering spending most of our Georgia time doing a road trip through the northern mountain regions, crossing from one side to the other and stopping for a 2–3 day trek along the way.

Does that sound like a great plan, or would we miss too much by focusing mostly on that part of the country?

1. Early May conditions in Georgia: what are the mountains and trails usually like at that time of year?

Is there still a lot of snow in the higher regions?

Are multi-day hikes realistically doable, or should we focus on lower-altitude areas?

We’d really appreciate any suggestions, especially from people who’ve travelled there in early May. Also very happy to hear recommendations for:

- the best region for a 2–3 day trek

- scenic road trip routes

- places with great nature + architecture + food

- whether we should keep plans flexible because of snow/road conditions

Thanks a lot!