The most worthwhile day trip from Gori is the cave city of Uplistsikhe, 15 km east along the Mtkvari River — one of the oldest urban sites in the South Caucasus. Shared taxis run from the Gori bus station, or hire a private car for flexibility.
The ruined medieval town of Ateni Sioni is about 12 km south of Gori up the Tana River valley. The 7th-century Ateni Sioni church is one of Georgia's finest examples of early medieval architecture and sees far fewer visitors than the more famous churches near Tbilisi. The road into the valley is scenic.
Gori is also well-positioned for onward travel along the main highway toward Kutaisi and western Georgia, or back toward Tbilisi. The whole region of Shida Kartli, though scarred by the 2008 war with Russia, has considerable historical depth and is rarely crowded with tourists.