Yerevan is one of the most beautiful “pink city’ that we’ve ever been to, its buildings were all made of naturally coloured volcanic rocks of varying shades of pink, giving its city a vibrant and lively atmosphere! Yerevan is also known for her night life where pubs, cafes and restaurants are open till the wee hours of the morning. As one of the locals told us, Armenians like to party, have fun and be merry! Here are our suggestions of things to do in Yerevan!

Yerevan, the “pink city”.

1. Visit the Mother Armenia monument

This statue is actually a female personification of Armenia, from here, it’ll be like she’s watching over the whole of Yerevan city, making her the guardian of Armenia. This Mother Armenia monument also symbolises peace through strength.

Can you spot the eternal flame?

2. Enjoy a panorama view of Yerevan from the top of the Cascade

The cascade is a 5 storey complex which has a large stairway that brings you right to the top where you can enjoy a breathtaking panorama view of Yerevan. Unfortunately that day when we were there, the weather wasn’t too good and we couldn’t get a clear view of the magnificent Mt. Ararat.

Inside this complex, there’s also an art exhibit which houses some very interesting contemporary art pieces. Our personal favourites are the 2 in the photos below.

Can you guess the material used to make this majestic lion?

Swarovski Cyrstal Palace at the top floor. So pretty!

3. Visit the local market

We have always enjoyed visiting the local markets in different countries as we feel that this is the best place to get an insight into the locals’ way of living, also it’s a great place to meet the friendly locals! Over here at Yerevan, the locals were so friendly and constantly offered us different food to try! We were so full after exiting the market from tasting all the different unique kind of dried fruits! You see those long strips of dried fruit hanging from the circular metal pole? Those were actually walnuts mixed with dried grape juice! Very delicious! 🙂

Another very interesting sight to behold, is the outright display of fresh cow’s trotter at the entrance of the market! Our guide shared with us that Khash, is a very popular dish among the Armenians during winter, especially for the men. Khash is a traditional dish of boiled cow’s trotter and it’s a supposedly very nutritious winter food that will keep you very warm in winter. It’s also often accompanied with vodka and our guide said that once you have Khash, the rest of the day will be gone as you will be too sleepy and lethargic after this very heavy dish!

4. Learn more about Armenia’s history in the Matenadaran

The Matenadarn is a national museum built in 1945 houses more than 20,000 manuscripts depicting the history of Christianity in Armenia, ancient medicinal herbs and plants, literature and so much more. Since Armenia is such an old country, these manuscripts were extremely important in understanding the history of Armenia and its well preserved culture. We went on a guided tour where we had very interesting information about the different manuscripts and its origins.

5. Understand more about Brandy and partake in a Brandy tasting session

Though we weren’t big fans of brandy, in fact, we don’t think we’ve ever tried it before, this was still a very interesting experience for us as we learnt so much about Brandy. Brandy is actually made from wine that has been kept in an oak barrel for a minimum of 3 years to form spirit, which was then blended together with different ages of spirit to form Brandy. So it’s wine, then spirit and then Brandy. There are 3 ways to tell the quality of Brandy, 1. viscosity – the thicker the better, 2. colour – the darker the better, 3. taste – the stronger the taste, the better. Daniel says that the 10 years old brandy had a chocolate aftertaste, which was affirmed by the Brandy master that was guiding the session. For me, I can’t taste that “chocolateness” though. Overall, we had a very fun and insightful time at the Yerevan Brandy Company! If you’re a foodie, wine or brandy person, you might be interested in the food & wine tour offered by BeMyGuest.

Fun fact: The difference between Brandy and wine is that once Brandy has been bottled, its value remains as the number of years that it has previously been stored in the oak barrel. While wine on the other hand can be bottled and its value will continue to increase with age.

No prize for guessing which we preferred!

6. Get your hand made souvenirs at the Vernissage art market

This was one of our favourite places in Yerevan, there were so many different handicrafts and it was so fun to walk through this market. Some were selling beautiful painting of the different famous landmarks of Armenia (especially of the Khor Virap monastery that was set against the majestic Mt. Ararat backdrop), bags made from carpets, wooden sculptures (Armenia is well know for being very talented at wood carving) and many more!

7. Admire the talented works of famous oscar winning film director, Parajanov

“The colour of Pomegranates” was one of his best works, but we have yet to watch it. We didn’t take any photos inside the museum though as we had to pay an additional fee for it. It was very enjoyable admiring his quirky art works as some were really out of this world. He was arrested and put in jail because his movies were too ‘out of the box’ and the government at that time was most afraid of such minds which could easily influence the rest of the population. But nothing could stop this talented artist, even when he was not allowed to make film when he was in jail, he continued to make collages which were like a compressed film to him and each collage told a different story. You will be able to see his collages in the museum.

Photo credits: https://blansh.wordpress.com/2010/05/29/parajanov/

 8. Pay your respects at the Genocide Memorial

Unfortunately the Genocide museum was closed for a year for thorough restoration and will only be opened 2 days before its 100th anniversary which will be on the 24th April 2015. The genocide happened during and after first world war where more than 1.5million Armenians were brutally killed without any mercy by her enemy. The genocide happened in 3 phases, the first was when all the men were being called out to join the army and then killed (so that the rest of the population will not have any males to protect them), then next was the killing of all women, elderly and children, and the last was the intellectuals.

Photo credits: https://www.flickr.com/photos/nersess/2137880081/ (genocide)

9. Be a child once again at the Grand Candy Store

As soon as we entered the Grand Candy Store, we were greeted with a burst of bright colours, delightful squeals from the excited children and also the buzz from a  very cute train that was going round and round the store on a lit up railway track! It was almost like ‘heaven” for children! Of course, we were equally elated too! We proceeded to the second floor where we had a sugar coated donut and a cuppa hot choc just like the rest of the locals. It was one of the best that we’ve ever tasted! It’s a must try if you’re ever visiting Yerevan! And also, don’t forget to pick up some yummy chocs or candies on the first floor! We bought some dark chocolates and coffee chocolates, they were reallllly good!

Photo credits: http://www.grandcandy.am/

10. Visit the largest Armenian church in the world, the St Grigor Lusavorich

The St Grigor Lusavorich cathedral is also the symbol of the 1700th anniversary of the proclamation of Christianity as a state religion in Armenia as well as a tribute to St Gregory, the illuminator, who was responsible for introducing Christianity to Armenia. This church is one of the newest church in Armenia and was built only around 6-7 years ago if we don’t remember wrongly. This church is particularly beautiful at night after being illuminated by the floodlights.

Essential Information

Most of the activities above were part of our tour with BeMyGuest where we had 1-2 days to explore Yerevan. If you wish to know how we spent the rest of our time in Armenia, check out our post on things to do in Armenia.

Hope you enjoyed our post about our suggestions on things to do in Armenia! Do drop us a comment if we’ve left out any!

Armenia is usually not the first country that will come into your mind when you’re deciding on your next travel destination but we are going to change that. Here are 8 very interesting things to do in Armenia and hopefully you’ll be convinced to explore Armenia next! 🙂

1. Be awed by the beautiful ancient churches & ruins

Armenia was said to be the first country to have adopted Christianity as its state religion back in the 301AD (more than 1,700 years ago!). A lot of these churches built back then have been restored and today, you’ll be able to visit the sites of these awe-inspiring millennium old monasteries. You can imagine the immense amount of rich history of these churches that dates way back into the past, it was certainly an eye-opener for us!

Stunning Khor Virap Monastery set against the magnificent Mt Arara! Postcard worthy!

Some of these beautiful ancient churches include the impressive Geghard Monastery (Gina’s personal favourite), an ancient cave monastery where the entire church was carved inside a rock mountain, Khor Virap Monastery where St. Gregory the Illuminator was kept imprisoned in a deep pit for 13 years, Tatev Monastery (Daniel’s favourite), the fairytale like setting against the magnificent Mt. Ararat, just to name a few. Click here to view our list of the top 10 most beautiful Armenian churches that you must visit at least once in your lifetime!

2. Indulge in the delicious local cuisine

We had a great opportunity to dine at Cross of Unity in Echimiazin, which was a social enterprise cafe where children get to attend art classes for free and people with disabilities get to work there to earn a living. They also own a restaurant that offers excellent local food such as Morash (shredded chicken mixed with green peas) and Kyufta (handmade sausage beef, grains and sauteed mushrooms). Armenians love to eat bread (Lavash), which is a thin layer of flat chewy bread that’s made from flour, salt and water and baked in an underground Tonir (earth oven). The Lavash can be kept for 1 year without turning bad. So usually the local women will bake the Lavash in bulk and then store them to eat slowly for the next few months. Armenians cannot imagine having their meals without bread! (Even if they’re eating rice, they’ll need to have bread with it too!)

Fun fact: The difference between Armenian way of baking their bread lies in the Tonir that’s situated underground instead of on the ground like how Central Asia or Iran does it.

This lady is one of the most talented carpet weavers around!

Super delicious Kyufta! Just looking at it now it’s making me salivate!

3. Drink the famous Armenian coffee

The difference between Armenian coffee and others lies in its preparation method. For Armenians, they’ll usually crush the coffee beans, add water to it, and then heat it in a special Armenian coffee pot where it’s narrower at the top. Once the coffee mixture start to rise and foam, it’s ready for drinking! Thick Armenian coffee without sugar and a thick layer of residue at the base of the cup, just the way they like it. You have to try it!

Fun fact: Our guide shared with us that some ladies could even tell their future by looking at the stains left behind on the inner side of the cup by the thick coffee mixture!

4. Explore Yerevan, the ‘pink city’ of Armenia

Once you step into Yerevan, you’ll be in awe of its beautiful architecture where its buildings were made up of volcanic rocks of various shades of pink! That’s how Yerevan got its nickname ‘Pink City” or sometimes also known as the city of stones. Yerevan is a very developed city with modern architecture, cultural centres (Opera House), museums and monuments. Some of these highlights include the Republic Square, Genocide Memorial, Mother Armenia Monument, Vernissage Art Market, just to name a few. Check out our post on exploring the “pink city” Yerevan in Armenia! You definitely have to dedicate at least 1 full day or more to explore the main sights of this beautiful city!

Photo taken at the Republic Square at night

5. Visit the one and only remaining Pagan Temple – Garni Temple

The only remaining Pagan temple left in the whole of Armenia. Back then when Christianity was being introduced to Armenia, all the Pagan temples were destroyed and replaced with Churches, except for this particular Garni Temple which was apparently too beautiful to be destroyed. Hence they decided to make an exception for this temple and instead of destroying it, they built their church right next to it and made sure that it was taller and bigger than the Garni Temple. We were very lucky to be able to witness a ritual going on when we were there as our guide told us that it was very rare! In the photo below, there’s a Pagan priest wearing a cape with a sun like symbol at the back, which symbolises eternity.

6. Delight your taste buds with delicious fruit flavoured wines

Armenia is one of the oldest country that has produced wine in the world. It’s attributed to its blessed location of being on the fertile valleys of Mt Ararat where high quality grapes could be grown. The interesting thing about this wine tasting session at Areni Wine is that not only you get to taste the traditional red wine, but also wines of different interesting fruit flavours such as apricot, pomegranate and more! The apricot wine was particularly sweet, almost tasted like dessert wine. Though we won’t huge fans of wine, we really liked the fruit flavoured wines! You will also get to watch a short video on the production of wine here in Armenia. If you’re a foodie and wine person, you may wish to check out the food & wine tour offered on BeMyGuest!

7. Enjoy the majestic view of Lake Sevan and its surrounding

The word “se” means black in Armenian (referring to the black minerals) and “van” means lake. Hence, “Sevan” actually means black lake. This enormous lake covers 5% of the entire Armenia and it’s the most important lake for the Armenians. It’s also the second largest freshwater high-altitude lakes in the world where it’s situated 2,000m above sea level. The lake actually used to be even larger where its depth was at least 20 metres higher! The land that you see on the right hand side of the photo used to be entirely covered with water. Sadly during the USS period, the Russians decided to lower the lake’s surface by around 20m to increase the use of the water for irrigation and hydroelectricity. To save the lake from suffering the same fate as the fast disappearing Aral sea, the Armenian government created a tunnel in 2004 to channel back the water into Lake Sevan and since then, the water level has stabilised at 20m below its original level.

8. Be amazed by the beautiful Khachkars at Noratus Cemetery

The Noratus Cemetery is famous for its collection of more than 1,000 beautifully preserved Khachkars (cross stones) where some had very interesting and unique carvings on it. There was a Khachkar that had a celebratory scene of a wedding being carved on it, because they believed that you can overcome death with happiness.

Fun legend: The shards of glass pieces lying on the tomb in the photo below has an interesting legend behind it which dates back to the 19th-century. There was a monk named Ter Karapet Hovhanesi-Hovakimyan who was from a monastery near the village. He was in charged of conducting burial services at Noraduz and to do that, he had to travel for 2 hours to the cemetery from the monastery. To save him the trouble, he built himself a small cell in Noraduz and actually lived in the cemetery all the way till he was 90 years old. When he was 90 years old, he asked his fellow monks to bury him alive. His last words were: “I do not fear death. I would like you to not be afraid also. Never fear anything, but God alone. Let anyone who has fear come to me. Pour water at the burial stone, drink the water, wash your face, chest, arms and legs. Then break the vessel that contained the water. Fear will then abandon you.” To this day, people still come to the monk’s grave to perform this ritual, leaving broken pieces of glass scattered all about the tomb stone. Interesting huh?

9. Relax or ski at the beautiful winter wonderland  Tsaghkadzor

You could rent skis or snowboard here at Tsaghkadzor where a ski lift will take you up to different stations. It was quite cheap actually, it only cost around 5,000 drum ($12) per person to rent the ski equipment for the whole day. The ski lift pass was a separate charge. Unfortunately due to time constraint, we did not get to ski here, so we can’t advise much about skiing here. Also, because of the foggy weather, we decided to give the ropeway a miss as we won’t be able to have a nice view at the top.

Essential Information

The above activities were part of a tour with AMTravel that was arranged by BeMyGuest. Our guide, Hayk, was exceptionally good with his vast knowledge of the history of Armenia and its various attraction sights. He was literally like a walking museum! Overall, we highly recommend this tour for anyone who’s interested in visiting Armenia!

AMTravel also owns the Best Western Aghveran Hotel which was not bad if you wish for a resting stop near Lake Sevan before continuing on your journey to the north like us. Breakfast and dinner were both included in the price too! Besides the usual facilities, they also offer bowling, billiard, table tennis and table football!

Hope you enjoyed our post about the top 8 things to do in Armenia! Do drop us a comment if you have any other suggestions on things to do in Armenia.