First Time Visitors
If this is your first time to Armenia, take the opportunity to get an overview of the country’s history, culture and nature, sampling a bit of each of the country’s natural and cultural treasures. Nothing is far in this compact country, but the natural contrasts and amazing finds will surprise you.
Yerevan
Spend 2-3 days in Yerevan to explore a bit of its history, culture and food.
Walking Tour: Take a walking tour of Old Abovian Quarter in the heart of the city; Mashtots Avenue; Ring Park; or Hrazdan Canyon.
Museums: Visit the State History Museum, with the largest collection of Near East prehistoric artifacts in the world. Especially visit the Bronze and Iron Age galleries, dedicated to ritual burials and ancestral Armenian beliefs in the afterlife. Art lovers will want to spend some time at the National Gallery, especially the fresco gallery; its 8th century copies among the only surviving examples in the country. Visit the Matenadaran, the world’s largest repository of Armenian manuscripts, with an excellent display of medieval miniatures in its second floor gallery.
Among the house museums to visit are those dedicated to 20th century masters Martiros Saryan and Sergei Parajanov.
Memorials: Visit the Genocide Memorial at Tsitsernakaberd, where you can lay flowers at the eternal flame commemorating the deaths of over 1.5 million Armenians in 1915. Visit the Genocide Museum, which documents the atrocities of the 20th century’s first holocaust.
Sights and tastes: Visit Erebuni, the 782 BC citadel that was the birthplace of Yerevan; visit its excellent small museum of Urartian artifacts. Exploring a bit of more recent history, visit the Wine & Brandy Distillery, which gives daily tours that include tasting.
Shopping: Stroll through Artist Vernissage at Saryan Park, opposite Opera, where artists display their paintings and welcome the chance to discuss their work.
Shop at one of over 200 stalls at the main Vernissage next to Republic Square, where you can buy fine Armenian carpets, carved wooden khachkars, fine jewelry, souvenirs, T-shirts, memorabilia, antiques, embroidery and so much more at the largest flea market in Armenia. Shop at one of a dozen souvenir shops, antique shops or art galleries in the city.
Performance: Take in a play, opera, ballet or concert at one of Yerevan’s many theatres and concert halls; attend a folk music and dance performance; come during one of Armenia’s festivals.
Eating Out: Sample Armenian cuisine at one of Yerevan’s Restaurants and bistros; eat Armenia’s legendary Khorovats at one of the BBQ establishments on Proshian Street (a.k.a. “khorovats street”); enjoy a bit of Yerevan’s culinary past by eating a warm, cream-filled ponchik at Ponchikanots on upper Mashtots Ave, or one of Armenia’s delicious full cream frozen desserts.
Cafes: Take a breather at one of the city’s hundreds of summer cafes, where less than $1 still buys a cup of rich Armenian surj and entitles you to sit as long as you like, watch the greatest show on offer in Yerevan; the passing scene.
Nightlife: Stop by a music club or bar and sample some of Armenia’s latest trends in music (Pop, jazz, ethnic); dance the night away in one of the city’s growing number of discos.
Near Yerevan
Take two-three days to explore the region around Yerevan, with archeological, historical and spiritual sites located in some of the country’s most dramatic landscapes.
Take a day to tour Garni & Geghard. Garni has several 4th-9th century churches and the 1st century pagan temple; one of the finest examples of Greco-Roman temples in the Near East. The temple overlooks the dramatic Garni Gorge, a natural wonder and the Khosrov Nature Preserve, home to endangered species of Caucasian bearded Goats and the Persian Leopard. The monastery of Geghard is set in spectacular setting, with churches carved from solid rock. Once a powerful ascetic community, the monastery once held the Geghard (lance) believed to have pierced Christ’s flesh. A day’s hike from Geghard leads over the Geghama Mountain Range to Lake Sevan.
Another day trip takes the Mt. Aragats loop, visiting the 5000 BC temple complex at Agarak; the dramatic fortress of Amberd, a summer retreat for scores of Armenian kings; the observatory and ancient churches at Biurakan; and the enchanting mountain monasteries of Hovhanavank, Saghmosavank and Tegher. At Tegher, you can enjoy local cuisine at an authentic folk restaurant overlooking the entire Ararat Valley.
Spend half a day in Echmiadzin and Metsamor. Echmiadzin is the seat of the Catholicos of All Armenians and the Apostolic Church since it was established in 301. Visit the cathedral (built in 303), and church treasury housing priceless reliquaries that include a piece of the true cross, Noah’s Ark and the lance believed to have pierced Christ’s flesh. The complex includes a number of monuments, beautiful khachkars, a seminary and the Catholicos’ residence. Also in Echmiadzin there are the 7th century churches St. Guyaneh and St. Hripsimeh, both of which house relics of 4th century martyrs. Nearby, is the architectural wonder of Zvartnots Cathedral, the tallest church on earth when it was built in the mid 7th century.
On the same trip, visit Metsamor, a 5000 BC metallurgical center with the oldest kilns known to forge Bronze. There are thousands of Bronze era petroglyphs on the rock surfaces that also hold the oldest known map of the Ararat valley, and cyclopean walls built to defend the foundry, temple mount and a 2800 BC astronomical observatory that still points to phenomena in the night sky.
Watch the sun rise at Khor Virap, the ancient pit believed to have held St. Gregory the Illuminator for 13 years before he began the conversion of the country in 301. The pit was part of a dungeon keep in the 2nd century BC city of Artashat, the “Carthage of the East”, and envy of Rome. The hills around Khor Virap are still covered with remains of this fabled city’s past, and a recent excavation has uncovered a richly decorated temple to Mythra, god of fire and patron god of Rome and Armenia. Nearby are the ruins of Dvin, the capital of Armenia from 428-1236; once one of the most powerful cities in the Near East, enriched by trade on the Silk Road, and an arts and crafts center with unparalleled objects lusted after by the Caliphs of Arabia and the kings of Europe.
Relax
Take a day (or two) to explore the beaches of Lake Sevan, one of the largest high altitude lakes in the world, with sandy shores, excellent water sports, and a bohemian atmosphere. Spend time at the forest resort of Dilijan, Armenia’s “Little Switzerland”, or ski the slopes of the winter resort Tzaghkadzor.
The North
No visit to Armenia is complete without a visit to the mountain steppe land of Shirak and Armenia’s second city, Giumri; its historic district has over one thousand 19th century buildings, hallmarks of a time when Giumri was Armenia’s capital and a center for crafts and arts. Still alive with “Giumretsi” who value hospitality as much as they do their humour, the city welcomes any who want to explore a little of Armenia’s “Belle Époque” past. (use TourArmenia’s walking tour of Old Giumri (http://www.tacentral.com/shirak/GIUMRIx_compress.pdf)). Nearby are the recently discovered Bronze Age graves at Tsoghamark; the Bronze Age and Hellenistic city at Hoghmik; the sweeping alpine landscape of Arpi Lich; the dramatic monasteries at Marmashen and Harichavank; and the World Heritage Site nominee, Yereruik.
Lori marz, in the north, is the home of mountain forests and two of Armenia’s World heritage Sites, the monasteries of Sanahin and Haghbat. Along the way you can spend a day or two exploring mountain trails that lead to the amazing frescoes at Kobair, the elaborate Chalcedonian church of Akhtala, and a number of sites at D’segh, with its fairy tale ruins of Bardzrakash S. Grigor deep within its wooded gorge. Nearby, at Stepanavan, are the last lakes in the Caucasus that preserve the Armenian Water Lily.
The South
Explore the south beginning with sunrise at Khor Virap at the foot of Mt. Ararat, then continue to one of Armenia’s most striking regions, Vayots Dzor, its thrusting rock formations and deeply etched landscape punctuated by oasis of vineyards, trees and fields of grain and wildflowers. For adults, visit the wineries of Areni, producers of award winning vintages. Children of all ages enjoy scrambling up hillsides to caves or play along the river banks in narrow canyons leading to Noravank, Gladzor or Smbataberd. A visit to the Spas of Jermuk features hot mineral water baths, mud baths, hikes and picnics in a nearby forest, and nightly entertainment in one of the premiere spas.
Continue to the gates of Zangezur, and the high alpine meadows leading to Sissian, with its 5000 BC astral observatory Karahundj (Zorats Kar), believed to be the oldest on earth. Visit the old villages of Shinuhair, Halidzor and Khot, with castle ramparts, shrines and pagan temples; descend into the rugged Vorotan Canyon; soak in the steaming waters at the Satanic Bridge; stand beneath a 300 meter waterfall under Tatev Monastery, one of the glories of Armenian architecture in a dazzling landscape of forests, mountains and river canyons. Tatev is but one hour from Goris, but a world apart. Goris, an 18th century planned town, still oozes old world charm, its stone houses adorned with wooden balustrades and gates. The tall spires of sandstone that erupt from the canyon floor are filled with hundreds of caves, many of which were inhabited in the Bronze Age. At nearby Khndzoresk, 3000 families lived in valley caves, and most remain as testament of humans who settled here beginning in the Neolithic era. The valley and its caves are an excellent half-day outing from Goris, or as a stop on the way to Karabakh.
Below Goris, the road quickly plunges 300 meters to the Vorotan River floor, with one of the largest hydroelectric plants in the Near East. Just as quickly as you descend, you begin the long ascent into primeval forests filled with 6th century monasteries and castles (Bgheno Noravank, St. Minas Anapat, Yeritsavank); hallmarks of the Siunik Kingdom. Kapan is a beautiful town dramatically built on the steep hills overlooking the Voghji River. Visit Halidzor and Baghaberd fortresses and Vahanavank, at the base of Mt. Khustup en route to the Molybdenum Mines at Kadjaran and the ascent to the Tashtun Pass, Armenia’s highest pass at 2480 meters. The trip ends at Meghri, an oasis in a desert, located on the Iranian border. The landscape is harsh but abundant with desert fruits like fig and pomegranate. The old town is a network of winding alleys and old homes, its sun-dried fortress towers overlooking the town. Following the Iranian border highway to Shvanidzor, take the new highway to Kapan, which skirts the Shikhahogh Forest, one of the last virgin forests in the country. The forest is home to a number of rare and endangered species of plants and animals, among them the Caucasian leopard, wild cat and lynx. Camping can be arranged at several points on the way.
