Armenia, journey through the centuries - 10 days

Classic Tour
10 days / 9 night
Jan - Dec

1Day

Yerevan - History Museum of Armenia - ARARAT Brandy Factory - Photo Atelier Marashlyan - Megerian Carpet museum - Republic Square

Yerevan / Take unforgettable memories with you from 2800 years old and also young capital, which is known as pink city. Ancient ruins, pink buildings, museums, parks, singing fountains, etc.
History Museum of Armenia / History Museum of Armenia preserves and publishes the objects and collections, which represent the history and culture of Armenia and the Armenian people. About 400,000 historical and cultural objects from the period of Paleolith to our days
ARARAT Brandy Factory / ARARAT Brandy Company, widely known with its legendary brandies, was founded during the period of the Russian Empire in 1887. Factory's product won the 1st place in the World exhibition of 1900 in Paris and has the exclusive right to write "Cognac" on its bottles. And during the Yalta conference, in 1945, Joseph Stalin presented Winston Churchill with an Armenian brandy "Dvin" produced by Ararat Brandy company
Photo Atelier Marashlyan / Photo Atelier Marashlyan is the first photo studio in Armenia with Armenian traditional and vintage costumes. Professional photo sessions in costumes from various regions of historical Armenia give everyone unforgettable feelings and memories
Megerian Carpet museum / Enter the fairytale of the unique Armenian design rugs from different regions and of various ages
Republic Square / Republic square, located in the heart of Yerevan, was designed by architect Alexander Tamanyan in 1924. The square is decorated with singing and dancing fountains, two museums, impressive government buildings (built in 1920-1950). There is a big stone pattern in the center, meant to look like a traditional Armenian rug from above

2Day

Arch of Charents - Geghard monastery - Garni Temple - Baking Lavash in Garni - Live performance of duduk in Garni - Symphony Of Stones - Master Levon's handmade underground cave

Arch of Charents / The Arch of Charents is situated on the way to Garni and Geghard. From here you will see a breathtaking view to Mount Ararat
Geghard Monastery / Geghard Monastery is listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was founded in the 4th century partially carved directly out of the adjacent mountain
Garni Temple / Garni Temple is the only surviving pagan temple in Armenia. This stunning Greco-Roman colonnaded temple dates from the 1st century AD. Set on the edge of a gorge, the temple offers spectacular views of the Azat gorge.
Baking Lavash in Garni / Traditional Armenian bread Lavash as an expression of culture is included in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
Live performance of duduk in Garni / Duduk is an ancient Armenian musical instrument made of apricot wood. UNESCO proclaimed the duduk and its music as a Masterpiece of the Intangible Heritage of Humanity
Symphony Of Stones / Symphony Of Stones or Basaltic Organ is a natural wonder in the Garni Gorge. Do not miss the opportunity to see the most impressive basalt columns in the world
Master Levon's handmade underground cave / Levon Arakelyan saw a vision and heard a voice saying to him: "Levon, you will perform one singular miracle in this world"

3Day

Khor Virap monastery - Areni-1 cave - Noravank monastery - Becore khachkar making - Old Bridge winery - Tanahat monastery - Zorats Church - Bezoar Goats and bear observation in Shatin

Khor Virap Monastery / Khor Virap means "deep dungeon". Don't miss the pit where Gregory the Illuminator was imprisoned in 287-301 by King Tiridates III of Armenia. From the monastery you can enjoy a beautiful view of the biblical Mount Ararat
Areni-1 cave / The Areni-1 is a cave complex where was found 5,500-year-old earliest known leather shoe, 6100-year-old earliest known winery in the world
Noravank Monastery / Noravank means "new monastery". 13th-century fantastic monastery complex is set on a hill surrounded by red rocks
Becore khachkar making / Khachkar, also known as an Armenian cross-stone, is a carved stone usually up to 1.5 meters in height. Each khachkar is unique. "Armenian Cross-Stones Art: Symbolism and Craftsmanship of Khachkars", are included in the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage
Old Bridge winery / Family-run since 1998, Old Bridge is a boutique winery offering tours and tastings, paired with locally produced goat cheese and honey. Depending on the time of year, visitors can participate in grape-picking, distillation, or bottling. Old Bridge combines traditional Armenian (especially from Vayots Dzor region) and modern winemaking technologies and equipment.
Tanahat monastery / Tanaat Monastery was first mentioned in the 8th century. It is composed of dark blue basalt, and therefore it is often called the “Black Monastery”. In the Middle Ages, the monks of the monastery deprived themselves of food of animal origin, even dairy products, and ate exclusively vegetables and cereals
Zorats Church / Zorats Church was built in 1303 and it is unique in Armenian churches. It was designed so that soldiers sitting on their horses could receive the blessing of the church before the battle
Bezoar Goats and bear observation in Shatin / In the village of Shatin the Melik Matevosyan's house is the closest to the place of Bezoar goats and bears

4Day

Shaki Waterfall - Zorats Karer megalithic complex - Tatev Ropeway - Tatev Monastery

Shaki Waterfall / Shaki waterfall is so nice to look at. This waterfall, with a height of 18m, will amaze you at the beautiful view
Zorats Karer megalithic complex / Zorats-Karer or Karahunj is a megalithic complex consists of hundreds of vertically arranged two-meter stones. Archeologists and astronomers do note their similarity to the stone circles found at Stonehenge in England
Wings Of Tatev / Tatev ropeway is recorded in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest reversible cableway in the world, which passes 5752m without stopping. It is the shortest way to Tatev Monastery, full of picturesque and impressive views
Tatev Monastery / Tatev Monastery is a pearl of Armenian architecture. It was founded in the 9th century and was important spiritual and educational center in medieval Armenia

5Day

Goris - Old Khndzoresk cave village - Jermuk

Goris / Goris is an important cultural and historical town in Syunik region. Stone-pyramids of Old Goris, 4th-century basilica of Surp Hripsime, old town, museums, theatre, etc.
Old Khndzoresk cave village / Old Khndzoresk is a medieval cave village. Over time, people moved from the caves to a new part of Khndzoresk. Currently, two sections of the village are connected by a 160-meter-long swinging bridge
Jermuk / The name of mountain Spa town Jermuk means "warm mineral springs". It is attractive for its fresh air, beautiful waterfall, artificial lakes, walking trails, the surrounding forests and mineral water

6Day

Selim Caravanserai - Noratus Cemetery - Mikayelyan Family Farm - Lake Sevan - Sevanavank Monastery - Dilijan

Orbelian's Caravanserai / Located at a height of 2410 meters above sea level, Orbelian's Caravanserai is the best preserved caravanserai in the entire country
Noratus cemetery / This is the largest collection of "khachkars". According to a story during the invading army of Tamerlane the villagers dressed the khachkars up in clothes, helmets and leaned swords against them. From a distance the khachkars looked like army of soldiers as a result Tamerlane's army retreated
Mikayelyan Family Farm / Farm is specialised in milk production and processing, in particular, cheese production: wine-cheese, cognac-cheese, etc. The farm has a spacious and comfortable space for visitors
Lake Sevan / The "blue" Sevan is the largest freshwater lake in the region. With an altitude of about 2000 meters above sea level, it’s one of the highest lakes in the world. The freshwater lake is surrounded by the Geghama mountains
Sevanavank Monastery / Sevanavank is standing on the rocky peninsula on the lake Sevan. Initially, in 874, the monastery was built at the small island. Later, in the era of Joseph Stalin, the water level fell about 20 metres, and the island transformed into a peninsula
Dilijan / Dilijan is a resort town nested within Dilijan National Park. It is one of the world's few National Park Cities. Nature, culture, history, Cuisine, SPA...

7Day

Breeding center for the Caucasian red deer - Lake Parz - Upper Horomayr monastery - Odzun monastery

Breeding center for the Caucasian red deer / Breeding center for the Caucasian red deer in Dilijan National Park
Lake Parz / Parz means pure in Armenian. It is situated in the heart of thick forest. The clear waters of the lake reflect the green like a mirror. There are many activities in the lake area including boating, Zip lining, etc
Upper Horomayr monastery / Upper Horomayr monastery is а small (in size) but unique monument with architectural, historical and cultural features, located near the village of Odzun, on the edge of Debed Gorge, on a picturesque plateau
Odzun monastery / Odzun is a unique church spectacularly located. The oldest part of the building dates from the 5th century. There is a funeral monument near the church, which is quite rare

8Day

Haghpat monastery - Zarni-Parni cave-fortress - Lori Berd fortress - Stepanavan Dendropark - Gyumri

Haghpat Monastery / Haghpat is a medieval monastery complex built in the 10th - 13th centuries. It represent the highest flowering of Armenian religious architecture. There are also a number of splendid khachkars (cross-stones) of the 11th-13th centuries. It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Zarni-Parni Cave-fortress / Zarni-Parni is a medieval cave-castle built in the 10th-12th centuries. It consists of 3 caves, in one of which the books of Haghpat monastery were kept and were saved from destruction. The complex has a museum, displaying rare samples of the lifestyle and culture of Lori
Lori Berd Fortress / Ruins of 11th-century fortress cover about 35ha on a plateau, which is 1500m above the sea level. Deep canyon and 20-25m height walls made the Lori Fortress unapproachable
Stepanavan Dendropark / Stepanavan Dendropark is a beautiful arboretum with a lot of different trees and flowers. Here you can breath the freshest air and walk throught alley garden
Gyumri / Gyumri is the second largest city in Armenia. It is the city of culture, city of the history, city of the humor

9Day

Saghmosavank monastery - Armenian Alphabet Monument - Amberd fortress - Armenia Wine winery

Saghmosavank Monastery / Saghmosavank is a 13th-century unique monastery complex standing atop the majestic Kasakh gorge. The word "saghmos" means a spiritual song, and the acoustics in the church is amazing. That's why it was called Saghmosavank
Armenian Alphabet Monument / An unusual monument to the Armenian alphabet is a composition of 39 Armenian 2-meter letters carved from tuff
Amberd Fortress / Amberd is a 7th-century fortress. The name means "a fortress in the clouds" in Armenian. It is located 2300 meters above sea level
Armenia Wine Winery / Armenia Wine is a largest winery built in the style of Armenian classical architecture

10Day

Matenadaran - Vernissage Market - Gum market - Ejmiatsin Cathedral - Zvartnots Temple

Matenadaran / Matenadaran is a museum of ancient manuscripts and a research institute. It has one of the largest collections of medieval books in the world and the largest collection of ancient Armenian manuscripts.
Vernissage Market / Vernissage is an open-air market and the best place to find any Armenian souvenir and examples of folk art
Gum market / "Tasty" market for lovers of Armenian dried fruit and not only
Ejmiatsin Cathedral / Etchmiadzin Cathedral is the mother church of the Armenian Apostolic Church built in 301-303 AD. It is considered to be the oldest cathedral in the world and is listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO
Zvartnots Temple / The "temple of ruins" is listed as a UNESCO heritage site. It was the first circular 3 storey church built in the 7th century. After 3 centuries it was destroyed by an earthquake. Then Armenians started to built more stable rectangular based churches