Day 1.
Arrival in Yerevan. Transfer to the hotel.
2nd half of the day
Free time.
Day 2. (from 10:00 ~ to 12:00)
1st half of the day
Sightseeing tour of Yerevan
The tour starts at Armenia's capital, which has recently celebrated its 2800th anniversary. The journey will begin in Republic Square, the city's geographic core. After that, we'll go to the station plaza, where one of Yerevan's emblems is located: a monument to David Sasunsky, the hero of the medieval Armenian epic. After that, we'll go up to Victory Park, which gives a stunning panoramic view of the city and biblical Ararat, passing via the Ring Boulevard. The tour will then continue along with the Yerevan Cascade, an open-air museum, and then along the avenue named after Mesrop Mashtots, the creator of the Armenian Alphabet. There we will see the Yerevan Municipality, the Sports and Concert Complex on Tsitsernakaberd Hill, and the Theater Square, which is near the National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater after Spendiaryan. Here is also Swan Lake and monuments to famous Armenian cultural representatives - composers Aram Khachaturian, Alexander Spendiaryan, Arno Babajanyan, poet and writer Hovhannes Tumanyan.
2nd half of the day | Lunch
Free time
Day 3. (from 10:00 ~ to 17:00)
1st half of the day
Matenadaran Museum (the company reserves the right to postpone the tour)
The word "matenadaran" means "repository of manuscripts" in Armenian. The beginning of the creation of this collection dates back to the 5th century and is associated with the name of the creator of the father of Armenian writing Mesrop Mashtots. An avenue is named in his honor, at the end of which is the Matenadaran Museum, which is one of the largest repositories of manuscripts in the world and the largest repository of ancient Armenian manuscripts. The funds of this unique museum number more than 17 thousand ancient manuscripts and more than 100 thousand. ancient archival documents in Armenian, Russian, Hebrew, Latin, Arabic, Syriac, Greek, Georgian, Indian, Japanese, Persian, and other languages.
2nd half of the day | Lunch
Yerevan - Garni Fortress - Geghard Monastery
We recommend going across time and space, from paganism to Christianity, from the pagan temple of the Sun God in the first century to the "cave monastery" Geghardavank, whose name originates from Longinus' spear. The Roman centurion pierced the corpse of Jesus Christ on the Cross with this spear, and the Apostle Thaddeus transported its point to Armenia, along with many other relics. This shrine was once kept in the Geghard monastery complex (which means "spear" in Armenian), but currently, it is kept at the Etchmiadzin museum.
Day 4. (from 10:00 ~ to 16:00)
1st half of the day
Yerevan - Etchmiadzin
In the very heart of Vagharshapat – one of the most significant cultural and religious centers of Armenia, like the Vatican in the center of Rome – the Holy Mother See of Etchmiadzin is located. It is not only the spiritual capital of the Armenians but also the first Christian church in the world! As you know, in 301 Armenia was the first in the world to proclaim Christianity as the state religion, and in the same year, the foundation stone of the future temple was laid during the reign of King Trdat III.
2nd half of the day | Lunch
Sardarapat - Yerevan
Not far from Armavir, one of the 12 ancient capitals of Armenia, and now the regional center, near the town of Sardarapat, where a fateful battle took place in 1918, there is an architectural and sculptural memorial complex of the same name, perpetuating the heroic victory in an unequal battle that prevented the complete destruction of Armenians by the Turks. From the hill of the memorial, built on the burial site of the participants of the Sardarapat battle, there is a panoramic view of a huge part of the country – from the Araks River, the Ararat Mountains and the valley to the peaks of Aragats and the Gegham ridge. The winged bulls made of red tuff, whose image has a deep meaning going back to ancient Armenian mythology, have become one of the symbols of Armenia, meeting at the entrance to the territory of the complex.
Day 5. (from 10:00 ~ to 18:00)
1st half of the day
Yerevan - Lake Sevan
The pearl of Armenia - Lake Sevan! Coming to Armenia and not visiting Sevan, not admiring its enchanting beauty, not visiting the churches on the top of the Sevan peninsula, not swimming (or, if it's not the season, at least washing with lake water), not tasting Sevan fish cooked over coals and crayfish kebab made from crayfish necks is at least criminal. It is worth noting that this is the largest lake in the Caucasus, as well as one of the largest high-altitude fresh lakes on Earth, second only to Lake Titicaca in terms of freshwater resources.
2nd half of the day | Lunch
Dilijan - Goshavank Monastery - Yerevan
This city is truly legendary. Tens of millions of people who have watched the film "Mimino", beloved by several generations, have heard about it, and of course, everyone is also aware of the water, which, according to the hero of the picture performed by the great Frunzik Mkrtchyan, ranks second in the world. Dilijan has long been a favorite resort, a place of rest, residence and inspiration for artists, musicians and other creators. And this is not surprising – the most picturesque city, surrounded by wooded mountains, is located on the territory of the reserve and has the status of a national park. People go to Dilijan at any time of the year to enjoy the beauty of the "local Switzerland", explore the masterpieces of medieval Armenian architecture located nearby and, of course, improve their health with the purest air and healing mineral water. The hundred-kilometer road from Yerevan through Sevan generously rewards travelers with a variety of views, observation of the change of climatic zones, and, of course, the famous Dilijan serpentine. At the end of the XII century, in the gorge of the Aghstev River, surrounded by oak forests, an outstanding thinker, the author of the first law book Mkhitar Gosh founded the monastery of Nor Getik. After the death of Gosha, during the XIII century, the monastery complex was completed and named in his honor – Goshavank. The compact monastery complex, consisting of three churches, chapels, a book depository and the ruined crypt of Mkhitar Gosh, is now very popular and loved by visitors and pilgrims. It should be noted separately that there is also a unique khachkar (cross-stone) of the famous master Pavgos – the finest "lace" work (1291), rightfully considered the most beautiful khachkar in Armenia.
Day 6. (from 10:00 ~ to 19:00)
1st half of the day
Yerevan - Khor Virap Monastery
It is no coincidence that the monastery of Khor Virap ("Deep Dungeon") is considered the most sacred place in Armenia – after all, it was in the prison here that Gregory the Illuminator, who later baptized our country, languished for 14 years. It was here that by the power of faith, by the power of his prayer, he was able to resist death, and then gave Armenia a "new life" - this is how the adoption of Christianity as the state religion was called after 301. Separately, it's worth noting that a beautiful view opens from Khor Virap: this is the closest point from the symbol of Armenia, the biblical Mount Ararat - only 7 km!.
2nd half of the day
Noravank Monastery - Goris (overnight stay in Goris)
Red rocks, the picturesque Amagu gorge, and the unique Noravank monastery complex on the top of the mountain, stunning, right? The bas-relief of one of the churches depicts God the Father himself! With His right hand, He blesses the Crucifixion, and with His left He holds Adam's head with a dove hovering over it, symbolizing the Holy Spirit. Panoramic photos taken from a bird's-eye view will remind you of this exciting journey for a long time.
Day 7. (from 10:00 ~ to 19:00)
1st half of the day
Goris-Tatev
When talented craftsmen live on such a beautiful land, it turns out such a miracle as the Tatev Monastery - an example of the harmony of nature and architecture, the manifestation of spirit and thought. Tatevivank, a monastery complex of the IX-XIII centuries, located on the steep cliffs of the Vorotan River gorge, was once the largest center of philosophical and scientific thought in medieval Armenia. Not so long ago, the National Geographic magazine included the Tatev Monastery in the list of the 10 most picturesque tourist places in the world. A special pleasure is a flight to the monastery on the Wings of Tatev, the world's longest reversible cable car stretched over the gorge and hills at an altitude of 320 m: 12 minutes of contemplation of the dizzying landscapes of this part of Syunik.
2nd half of the day | Lunch
Karahunj - Yerevan
The Karahunj megalithic complex is perhaps the most mysterious place in Armenia. It also has a second name – Zorats Karer ("stones of the host"). There are several hundred huge basalt stones standing like guards on 4 hectares of a high-altitude plateau in a certain order, some of which have round through holes in the upper part. Is it a settlement with a necropolis, the history of which begins with the XIX century BC? Or the world's oldest, 7000-year-old observatory? After all, some researchers insist that Karaunj is the elder brother of Stonehenge, and holes in the stones were made to observe the heavenly bodies. Perhaps you will be able to find the answer to this question by visiting a truly unique historical and cultural reserve? Who knows…
Day 8. (from 10:00 ~ to 19:00)
1st half of the day
Yerevan - Aruch - Harich
Half an hour drive from Yerevan, and you find yourself in a village known since the V century, with a concentration of various antiquities in a small area. In the town of Aruch, one of the largest churches in Armenia, Haruchavank, built-in 666, the palace of the princely dynasty of Mamikonians, erected at the same time, and the guest house of the XIII century – a caravanserai, where medieval businessmen rested on the Silk Road, are located nearby. Of course, time and the forces of nature have pretty much "battered" these buildings. And here you are standing in a huge temple opposite the fresco of the Ascension, you raise your head, but there is no dome. Or rather, there is: the only eternal dome is the blue sky.
2nd half of the day | Lunch
Gyumri - Yerevan
Gyumri - northern Palmyra, the cultural capital of Armenia - was, is and will be. This is a special place, without visiting which it is impossible to comprehend Armenia. Gyumri is the birthplace of famous jokers, witty heroes of jokes, and the residents themselves are known for their sharp sense of humor, so Gyumri in a sense can be called the capital of Armenian humor. This is a city of talented, artisans, cheerful, strong people - affected by a terrible earthquake, but like a phoenix bird reborn and inviting. A city with a history, taste, with its own handwriting, unique face, and character. Fortress city, theater city, artel city, museum city. A city with a rich, distinctive and unique architectural style. Its historical core – the Kumayri quarter - is a living museum, "time machine", "Armenian Hollywood".
Day 9. (from 10:00 ~ to 13:00)
1st half of the day
Yerevan - Amberd Fortress (from October to May Tsakhkadzor)
On the southern slope of the highest mountain in modern Armenia, Mount Aragats, facing the Ararat Valley, there is a fortress-castle Amberd, which was in the Middle Ages the ancestral possession of the Armenian princes of Pahlavuni. In 1026, at the behest of the famous military commander Vahram Pahlavuni, one of the best churches in its noble elegance was built in the fortress, on a harsh cliff.
2nd half of the day | Lunch
Free time.
Day 10.
1st half of the day
Yerevan Brandy Factory (the company reserves the right to postpone the tour)
Plunge into the holiest of holies of the Armenian brandy industry, try several types of truly noble drink, be initiated into the craft's secrets, meet with angels in the heart of Yerevan, and learn a lot of interesting things – about the secret connection between Stalin and Churchill, how kosher cognac is made, the rebirth of the Erivan fortress, nominal barrels, toasts, and much more – you will never be able to if you miss an excursion. Do you enjoy French cuisine with chocolate? In Russian, with a squeeze of lemon? Or, as the Armenians would say, with cold delicious peaches? But keep in mind what Maxim Gorky said: "It's probably a lot simpler to climb Mount Ararat than it is to ascend from the Ararat plant's cellars."
2nd half of the day
Free time
We recommend visiting Vernissage and Central Market.
Transfer to the airport.