Arrival in Yerevan. Transfer to the hotel.
Dinner at a local restaurant near the hotel.
Overnight in Yerevan.
Day 2: Yerevan City Tour
Your introduction to the capital of Armenia begins with a guided tour of the city, one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited metropolises. Start your day with a visit to the Mother Armenia monument, representing the female personification of Armenia. This monumental statue is located in the Victory Park, overlooking Yerevan. Next up is a panoramic tour which includes the beautiful building of Yerevan Opera and Ballet Theater, the building of the National Assembly, and the iconic Republic Square. Visit the History Museum of Armenia, which contains over 400,000 exhibits, and covers a vast period of Armenia’s history, from pre-Christian times up to modern days. After the museum enjoy a walking tour at the Cascade Complex and the Cafesjian contemporary art center with its outdoor exhibitions, featuring works by world-known contemporary artists.
Free time for lunch in the center of Yerevan.
After lunch visit the Yerevan Brandy Company for touring and degustation of the legendary Ararat brandy. The company was founded in 1887, during the period of the Russian Empire.
Transfer to the hotel. Free time.
Dinner and tour at the Megerian Carpet Factory, where you will discover the secrets of Armenian rugs.
Transfer to the hotel. Overnight in Yerevan.
Day 3: Etchmiadzin Cathedral – Zvartnots Cathedral – Genocide Memorial and Museum – Lusik Aguletsi Museum
Visit the UNESCO world heritage sites of Etchmiadzin Cathedral and Zvartnots Temple. The Cathedral of Etchmiadzin is the mother church of the Armenian Apostolic Church, founded in 301 AD. Armenia is the first nation to adopt Christianty as a state religion. Etchmiadzin is a sacred place for Armenian people and the spiritual heart of the Armenian Apostolic Church. You will also visit the Treasury Museum of the mother cathedral, after which a short ride will take you to the 7th-century Zvartnots temple. The name of the temple is translated as “the temple of vigilant angels.”
Return to Yerevan. Free time for lunch.
After lunch, visit the Armenian Genocide Memorial and Museum in Tsitsernakaberd. The memorial consists of three main monuments: the Memorial Wall, the Sanctuary of Eternity (Memorial Hall and Eternal Flame) and the Memorial Column “The Reborn Armenia.” Learn about one of the most tragic periods of Armenian history in the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute located here. Every year, on April 24 – Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day – thousands of people climb the hill to the memorial complex and lay flowers to the eternal flame.
Transfer to hotel. Free time for rest.
Dinner at the Lusik Aguletsi House-Museum will also include a tour at the museum, during which you will get acquainted with the art and paintings of Lusik Aguletsi, as well as discover the secrets of the traditional Armenian dresses.
Transfer to the hotel. Overnight in Yerevan.
Day 4: Khor Virap Monastery – Areni Cave – Lunch at a Winery – Noravank Monastery – Yerevan
Travel to the Ararat region of Armenia to visit the Khor Virap monastery, located at the site where Gregory the Illuminator, the patron saint of the Armenian church, was imprisoned for 13 years. Khor Virap is located at the foot of Mount Ararat, providing a stunning view of the biblical mountain.
Continue the tour and visit the famous Areni-1 cave situated near the village of Areni. It is a complex of caves connected by narrow passages where in 2010, the oldest known leather shoe was found (almost 5500 years old), and in 2011, the world’s oldest known winery (5th millennium BC) was discovered.
A hearty lunch at a local winery-restaurant will include tasting of Armenian wines as well. Areni village is a famous center of wine making and is known as the wine capital of Armenia.
After lunch, visit the 13th-century Noravank monastery, truly a marvel of medieval Armenian architecture, situated among sheer rocks in a picturesque gorge.
Return to Yerevan. Overnight in Yerevan.
Day 5: Geghard Monastery – Garni Temple – Parajanov Museum
Travel to a major pilgrimage site in Armenia, the Geghard monastery, dating back to the fourth century and carved into the mountainside. The monastery complex was founded by Gregory the Illuminator at the site of a sacred spring inside a cave. Geghard is included in the list of the UNESCO World Heritage sites. Here at the monastery, enjoy a haunting performance of Armenian spiritual songs.
At the nearby Garni village, visit the 1st century Garni pagan temple, the only temple of its kind in the region. It is the best-known structure and symbol of pre-Christian Armenia. During the tour at Garni temple enjoy a short performance of Armenian duduk.
Afterwards, visit a local rustic house where you will have a chance to participate in the making of Armenian bread called lavash, a soft, unleavened flatbread cooked in a ground oven, tonir. Lunch at the rustic house.
Return to Yerevan to visit the Parajanov Museum, a tribute to Soviet Armenian film director and artist Sergei Parajanov. The museum was founded in 1988, when Parajanov moved to Yerevan. Parajanov himself chose the place and the construction project of the museum. The collection consists of more than 600 works of art. Parajanov’s work has no direct analogies in the world of art and amazes with its fantasy, wit and artistry.
Transfer to the hotel. Free evening. Overnight in Yerevan.
Day 6: Lake Sevan – Old Dilijan – Goshavank Monastery – Yerevan
Drive to Lake Sevan, which is the largest body of water in Armenia and the Caucasus region. It is one of the largest freshwater high-altitude lakes in Eurasia. The lake is situated at an altitude of 1,900 m (6,234 ft) above sea level. We will have a stop at the peninsula to visit Sevanavank Monastery and enjoy the amazing view to the lake.
Next stop is the old town of Dilijan, where you’ll have a walking tour along the Sharambeyan Street to visit artists’ workshops, shops with Armenian wares and the Esayan Museum with its recreation of typical 19th century Dilijan homes. Observe the impressive art of wood carving before continuing along the lanes of this enchanting town with its typical architecture of two-storied tiled wooden homes and intricately carved balconies.
Lunch at a local restaurant in Dilijan.
Visit the monastery of Goshavank, a 12th-13th-century Armenian monastery located in the village of Gosh. The impressive monastery which has remained in relatively good condition also houses one of the world’s finest examples of a khachkar.
Return to Yerevan. Farewell dinner at Yerevan Tavern restaurant with Armenian folk music and dance performance.
Transfer to the hotel. Overnight in Yerevan.
Day 7: Departure
Check-out from the hotel, transfer to the Zvartnots international airport for departure.
