Yerevan City Break from the UK — Weekend Guide & Itinerary

Overview

Why Yerevan for a city break?

Yerevan is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world — founded in 782 BC as the Urartian fortress of Erebuni, making it older than Rome — and the capital of one of the most culturally distinctive countries in the Caucasus. The city is built from pink tufa stone that gives it a warm, distinctive colour at every hour of the day; Mount Ararat, the most sacred symbol of Armenian identity (visible from the city on clear days, but lying just across the border in Turkey — a source of perpetual national grief since the 1915 genocide and the subsequent border closure), dominates the southern horizon. The brandy (the Ararat distillery has been producing since 1887), the food (dolma, khorovats, lavash flatbread), the churches and the extraordinary depth of Armenian culture make Yerevan one of the most rewarding capital cities in the region.

From London it's 5–6 hours — Wizz Air flies from Luton; Armenian Airlines from Heathrow; connections via Vienna, Warsaw or Istanbul are also available. Zvartnots International Airport is 12km from the centre (bus 201, 30 minutes, AMD 300 / €0.70 or taxi AMD 3,000 / €7). Go from May to October: the Cascade is at its finest in summer (outdoor art, the sculpture garden, the concert season), Mount Ararat is clearest in spring and autumn, and the wine and brandy harvest is in September. January to March is cold but the ski resort at Tsaghkadzor (1.5 hours) is excellent.

Where to stay & explore

Yerevan's best neighbourhoods

Republic Square & the Centre

The Soviet-era monumental heart — the pink tufa stone buildings of Republic Square, the National History Museum and the most concentrated architecture of Soviet Armenia.

The Cascade & Northern Avenue

The giant staircase of the Cascade complex and the Cafesjian Centre for the Arts — the finest sculpture garden in the Caucasus and the most vibrant outdoor cultural space in Yerevan.

Kentron & the old quarters

The historic centre between the squares — the Vernissage market, the Opera House, the best restaurants and the most local daily life.

Things to do

What to see in Yerevan

The Cascade and the Cafesjian Centre

The most extraordinary public space in the Caucasus — the Cascade is a giant stepped structure of limestone terraces rising 572 steps up the hillside north of Republic Square, lined with monumental sculpture (Fernando Botero's rotund bronze figures, Lynn Chadwick's angular forms, Giacometti copies and dozens of contemporary international works). The Cafesjian Centre for the Arts inside the Cascade has excellent rotating exhibitions of contemporary art and permanent displays of Armenian glass and design. The view from the top terrace — Mount Ararat in the distance on clear days, the pink city below — is the finest in Yerevan. Free to walk at all hours.

Geghard Monastery and Garni Temple

The two most important ancient monuments near Yerevan, invariably combined on a day trip. Garni (28km east, bus from Yerevan) is the only surviving Hellenistic-era pagan temple in the former Soviet Union — a 1st-century AD peristyle temple dedicated to the sun god Mihr, rebuilt after a 1679 earthquake, in a dramatic gorge setting with the River Azat below. Geghard Monastery (40km east) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site carved partially into the cliff face — the 13th-century main church and the adjacent cave churches, with extraordinary khachkar (cross-stone) carvings, are among the finest examples of Armenian medieval architecture.

Armenian Genocide Memorial and Museum (Tsitsernakaberd)

The most important memorial in Armenia — on a hilltop above the Hrazdan gorge, the memorial complex (1967) consists of a 44-metre stele representing the Armenian nation, 12 slabs inclined inward representing the 12 lost provinces of western Armenia, and an eternal flame burning in a sunken memorial circle. The adjacent Genocide Museum chronicles the 1915 Armenian Genocide with extraordinary documentary evidence. Both are essential and deeply moving. Free entry to the memorial; museum admission AMD 1,000. Open daily.

Vernissage Market and Ararat Brandy Factory

The Vernissage — the open-air market south of Republic Square (open weekends) — is the finest art and craft market in the Caucasus: khachkar cross-stones, Armenian miniature painting, traditional textiles, silver jewellery and the finest selection of Soviet-era memorabilia in the region. The Ararat Brandy Factory (established 1887, on the bank of the Hrazdan river) offers tours and tastings of the brandies that Churchill and Stalin famously debated at Yalta — the Nairi (20-year) and the Dvin are the definitive expressions. Book tours online at araratbrandy.com.

Food & drink

Where to eat in Yerevan

The Club

Modern Armenian / Republic Square

The finest modern Armenian restaurant in Yerevan — a creative menu of updated Armenian dishes using local produce: stuffed trout from Lake Sevan, dolma of outstanding lightness (the Armenian version uses grape leaves and a lamb-rice-herb filling more refined than the Turkish variant), khorovats (the Armenian barbecue of pork, lamb and vegetables). The terrace above Republic Square is the finest dining position in the capital. Book ahead.

Lavash

Traditional Armenian / Kentron

The most beloved traditional restaurant in central Yerevan — named for the Armenian flatbread (lavash, UNESCO Intangible Heritage) that is the foundation of Armenian food culture, serving the full range of Armenian cuisine: khorovats, dolma, manti (tiny dumplings in yogurt), harissa (the ancient wheat-and-chicken porridge), Armenian cheeses and the house chacha grape spirit. Excellent value. Book ahead at weekends.

GUM market café

Food market / traditional

The GUM market (the historic covered market of Soviet Yerevan, still functioning as a food market) has a ground-floor café area serving traditional Armenian breakfast: matsoni (Armenian yogurt), lavash with local honey and butter, dolma, churek (sweet sesame bread) and Armenian coffee. Under AMD 2,000 (€4.50) for the finest breakfast in the city. Open from 7am Tuesday to Sunday.

Itinerary

3 days in Yerevan — a suggested itinerary

Day 1

Republic Square, Cascade, brandy tasting, Armenian dinner

Bus from the airport (30 minutes, AMD 300). Republic Square — the fountain choreography (evenings, May to October), the National History Museum facade. Walk north on Northern Avenue to the Cascade — climb all 572 steps (or take the internal escalators) for the Mount Ararat view from the top. The Cafesjian Centre for the Arts for the Botero sculptures and the contemporary exhibitions. The Ararat Brandy Factory tour and tasting in the late afternoon (book ahead; the Nairi 20-year is the extraordinary one). Lavash for dinner (booked ahead).

Day 2

Genocide Memorial, Vernissage market, Kentron evening

Tsitsernakaberd Genocide Memorial and Museum (taxi, 15 minutes) — the memorial, the eternal flame, the 12 slabs, the museum. Allow two hours; the experience is profound. The Vernissage market on the return if it's the weekend (open Saturday and Sunday) — the khachkars, the miniature painting, the Soviet memorabilia. Lunch at the GUM market café. The Opera House (Yerevan's 1933 Stalinist opera building) for the evening — tickets are inexpensive and the programme is consistently strong. The Club for dinner (booked ahead).

Day 3

Garni Temple and Geghard Monastery

Marshrutka (shared minibus) from Yerevan's Kilikia bus station to Garni (45 minutes, AMD 300). The 1st-century pagan temple in the gorge. Walk (or taxi, 10km) to Geghard Monastery — the cave churches, the khachkar carvings, the extraordinary acoustics of the carved-rock interior. Buy lavash and local cheese from the monastery market stalls for a picnic on the gorge above. Return marshrutka to Yerevan by 4pm. The Vernissage for any last-minute khachkar purchases. Final khorovats at any of the Kentron restaurant gardens before the airport bus.

Why Yerevan for a city break?

Yerevan's best neighbourhoods

What to see in Yerevan

Where to eat in Yerevan

3 days in Yerevan — a suggested itinerary

Cities similar to Yerevan