Gori Fortress (Goris-Tsikhe) occupies a rocky hill rising dramatically above the city, visible from everywhere in town. The walls date mainly from the medieval period, rebuilt and reinforced across several centuries as Gori's strategic position in the Shida Kartli valley made it perpetually worth fighting over. The climb to the top is steep but short, and the views from the ramparts are excellent — the Liakhvi River valley, the surrounding mountains, and, on clear days, the peaks of the Greater Caucasus range to the north.
The fortress is largely in ruins, with substantial sections of wall and several towers surviving but no interior buildings intact. It is free to enter and usually uncrowded. The site has been fortified since at least the early medieval period; the rocky outcrop would have been an obvious defensive position from the first time anyone looked at the valley below.
The combination of the Stalin Museum and the fortress can be done comfortably in a half day from Tbilisi. The fortress is a short walk from the Stalin Museum — head west and uphill.