Armenia Grand Tour

Victory Park Cascade Complex – Armenian National Opera & Ballet Theatre – Northern Avenue – Republic Square – Vernissage

Arrival at Zvartnots International Airport. Transfer to the hotel by our representative and check in.

Our Yerevan City tour starts with a visit to Haghtanak Zbosaygi (Victory Park). The Park is named Victory Park in commemoration of Soviet Armenia’s participation in World War II. You will see the famous Mother Armenia Statue – the female personification of Armenia. Moreover, we can visit the Military Museum underneath the huge statue of Mother Armenia. From here you can enjoy the panoramic view of Yerevan and the biblical Mount Ararat.

During the tour we will visit the Cascade complex, famous for being one of the tourist attraction sites and holding many modern art pieces. The complex has a giant stairway made of limestone; it links the downtown area of Yerevan with the Monument neighborhood. We will continue our journey to Northern Avenue with a stop at the Armenian National Opera & Ballet Theatre. The Northern Avenue is well known for its luxurious residential buildings, high-end branded shops & restaurants.
Our next stop will be the Republic Square. It is the central town square in Yerevan. Tourists are advised to visit it at nights to enjoy the dancing fountains. Later we will proceed to Vernissage, the famous flea-market in Yerevan. Visiting this market is a great chance to learn about the Armenian traditional handicrafts and to buy souvenirs.

Overnight in Yerevan

After breakfast at the hotel, we are heading to Tsaghkadzor, (flower canyon in Armenian) a small town located north of the capital Yerevan, well known by its Ski Resort, ropeway, and beautiful Kecharis Monastery. After a short visit to the Monastery, you will enjoy the spectacular view of the surrounding mountains from the ropeway and feel yourself in a unity with the nature.

Our journey will go on by visiting one of the greenest parts of Armenia, Dilijan resort town. Here you will see one of the most famous alleys in Dilijan, Old Dilijan, known as Tufenkian Complex.

Overnight in Dilijan

Breakfast at the hotel, leaving Dilijan to visit Gyumri – the second largest city in Armenia, located in the northwestern part of Armenia, just a few kilometers far from the Turkish border.

Gyumri is a cozy and friendly city. It was known as Alexandropol, later it was called Leninakan, and now it is Gyumri. It suffered a devastating earthquake in 1988. During our tour in Gyumri, we will visit Dzitoghtsyan House-Museum of Social Life and National Architecture, Vardanants Square, Yot Verk (Seven Wounds) Church Abovyan Street and the Central Park of Gyumri.

After lunch, we will continue our tour to visit Sev Berd (Black Fortress in Armenian). It used to be a Russian imperial fortress, built during the first half of the 19th century. Now it is a cultural heritage monument in Armenia where many important meetings and celebrations take place.

Overnight in Gyumri

Breakfast at the hotel, departure to Aragatsotn Province. Our first visit will be a 13th-century Saghmosavank (monastery of the Psalms) located in the village of Saghmosavan. The monastery is situated atop of a magnificent gorge carved by Kasakh river. From here, we might have a unique view of both Ararat & Aragats mountains.
Continue to the Armenian alphabet monument where we can have memorable pictures with the first letters of our names. These Armenian letters are built by big stones and the monument was opened in 2005 to celebrate the 1600 anniversary of inventing the Armenian alphabet in 405 AD. Our next stops will be Amberd Fortress, a 10th-century fortress located 2,300 meters above sea level, on the slopes of Mountain Aragats. The name in Armenian is translated “fortress in the clouds”.
The trip continues to Lake Kari, this little mountainous lake is located 3,200 m above sea level and looks like a small hole adjacent to the four tops of Mountain Aragats. The area is visited by many locals during summertime, due to its fresh air. It is worthy to try khash – one of the Armenian traditional foods.
Return and overnight in Yerevan

Breakfast at the hotel. A short drive will take us to Etchmiadzin religious city. Historically, Etchmiadzin was called Vagharshapat, it was one of the ancient Armenian capitals.

Visit Etchmiadzin Cathedral (world heritage site since 2000 by UNESCO), the mother church of the Armenian Apostolic Church, it was the first cathedral built in ancient Armenia between 303-307 AD.
Significant relics and remains of different saints are kept in a special museum in the Cathedral.

On our way back to Yerevan we will visit the ruins of the 7th century Zvartnots Temple (UNESCO World Heritage Site).

We will continue our tour to visit the Armenian Genocide Memorial and Museum. This was the first genocide of the 20th century and aimed to leave one Armenian man to put him in a museum. Here, you will discover how Armenians resurrected again and have beaten death.

Our last stop is the famous Ararat Brandy Factory where we will taste the finest Armenian brandy.

Overnight in Yerevan

Breakfast at the hotel, a short drive will take you to Gari Pagan Temple – the only standing Hellenistic style pagan temple in the whole Caucasus and the Armenian historic highland. Here, we will feel the depth of the history and culture. This temple was a genuine witness of the birth of one of the ancient Armenian kingdoms, Arshakuni kingdom of Armenia, during the 1st century AD. Additionally, the temple had witnessed the adoption of Christianity in Armenia, 301 AD. We will proceed to Geghard Monastery which means the monastery of the spear. The story of this holy place is related to the spear that Jesus Christ was stabbed by. The other uniqueness of the abbey lies in the fact that part of it is engraved in the rock. It is worthy to mention that Geghard Monastery is a UNESCO heritage site.

Back to Yerevan to visit Megeryan Carpet Company. Here, you will learn about the authentic Armenian rug and carpet handmade industry.

Overnight in Yerevan

Breakfast at the hotel. A morning drive will take you to Khor Virap Monastery in Ararat Province, south to Yerevan.

Khor Virap’s notability as a monastery and pilgrimage site is attributed to the fact that Gregory the Illuminator, the main saint and the first Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church, was initially imprisoned here for about 13 years by the Armenian King, Tiridates III. The word Khor Virap means ‘’deep pit’’, as a reference to the pit where Saint Grigor was imprisoned. We can also have an impressive view to Mountain Ararat, the resting place of Noah’s Ark according to the Holy Bible. Additionally, the site of Khor Virap was part of one of the oldest Armenian capitals, Artashat city, almost 2000 years ago.
Continue to Areni village where we will have a break for tasting the Armenian wine. 

After that, we will head to Noravank, the 13th-century Armenian Monastery which was built in a hidden place surrounded by red cliffs and mountains.

The last destination will be Jermuk resort town, famous for its waterfall, stunning nature, mineral water and professional health and spa centers.

Overnight in Jermuk

Breakfast at the hotel in Jermuk. Today we will discover one of the southern parts of Armenia. We will visit Wings of Tatev in Syunik Province, the longest non-stop double track aerial cable car. The maximum height of the cabin is 320 meters, and the length is 5750 meters. The ropeway will take us to the 9th century historical Tatev Monastery. During medieval times the monastery was a cultural and spiritual center. Next, we will visit Devil’s Bridge (Satani Kamurj), located below Tatev Monastery in the gorge of the Vorotan River. This natural wonder is created by wind and water through the ages. The last stop for today is historic cave village Khndzoresk and the famous Swinging Bridge, a 160 meters long bridge that links old Khndzoresk to the new one. The cave dwellings were inhabited until the 1950s. Turning back to cozy Goris town situated in the valley of the Goris River. It is surrounded by mountains that used to have medieval cave-dwellings.

Overnight in Goris

Breakfast. Check out of hotel. Our first visit is Karahunj (Zorats Karer) an ancient archaeological site. According to some sources the site was used for different ritual ceremonies.

Our next stop is Shaki Waterfall, situated 6 km from the town of Sisian. On the left side of the river Vorotan’s gorge, basalt lava flows have solidified to form a ledge 18 meters high from which the waterfall cascades down. We will continue our journey to Jermuk. Check in at hotel, free time for leisure in the evening.

Overnight in Jermuk

Breakfast at hotel. Today we will visit Orbelyan’s Caravanserai in the Vayots Dzor Province. It was built in 1332, by prince Chesar Orbelian to accommodate travelers and their animals. It is located at the southern side of Vardenyats Mountain Pass at a height of 2410 meters above sea level. Afterwards, we will head to Noratus village, famous for its open-air medieval cemetery, full of almost 1000 khachkars which are Armenian carved cross-stones. Next, we will proceed to Lake Sevan, jewel of Armenia. It is the largest lake in the Caucasus and one of the highest ones in the world with fresh water, 1900 meters above sea level. There we can visit Sevanavank (Monastery of Sevan) which is situated at the top of a small hill. Here you can buy some souvenirs from the local market, have a short boat trip according to the weather conditions.

Return and overnight in Yerevan

Breakfast. Check out of a hotel. Transfer to Zvartnots International Airport.