Things to do in Yerevan
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Yerevan
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best weather, everything open, 18 to 26 degrees, late May and late September are the peak picks.
Hot city at 30 to 36 degrees, great mountains and Lake Sevan swimming, sightseeing in mornings and evenings.
Cold, quiet and cheapest, khash season and Tsaghkadzor skiing in January and February, some mountain roads difficult.
Shoulder gamble, 10 to 18 degrees, low prices and superb Ararat views on post rain clear days.
What's on
- Yerevan Wine Days May
Saryan Street closes and Armenian wineries pour outdoors, the best festival for a first trip.
- Vardavar a Sunday in June or July (98 days after Easter)
City wide water festival, no exemption for visitors, protect phones and leave dry clean clothes at the hotel.
- Golden Apricot International Film Festival July
Armenia main international film festival, with apricots at peak season in the markets.
- Yerevan Jazz Day 30 April
Jazz day opening a summer season of live music and outdoor concerts at the Cascade and Freedom Square.
- Areni Wine Festival October
Harvest festival in Areni village beside the oldest winery cave, combine with the southern loop.
- Genocide Remembrance Day 24 April
Hundreds of thousands walk to Tsitsernakaberd with flowers, solemn and not a casual memorial visit day.
- Armenian Christmas 6 January
Festivities run 31 December to 6 January, some businesses close 1 to 6 January.
- Trndez mid-February
Fire festival in the winter calendar.
- Independence Day 21 September
Independence Day with balloon events around this date.
Best things to do in Yerevan
The Cascade Complex
Monumental stairway with terraces, sculpture and free galleries, plus the best sunset and Ararat view in the centre.
Tsitsernakaberd Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex
Essential memorial and museum documenting Armenian life before 1915 and the genocide that followed.
Matenadaran
World leading collection of Armenian manuscripts, best understood on the one hour guided tour.
Republic Square
Ceremonial oval of tuff buildings that becomes the city nightly ritual when the singing fountains run.
History Museum of Armenia
Best single orientation to 3000 years of Armenian history, from Bronze Age wagons to medieval maps.
ARARAT Brandy Museum
Working brandy ageing cellar tour ending in a seated tasting, with stronger aged tiers on the advanced package.
Sergei Parajanov Museum
Joyful house museum of Parajanov collages, dolls and assemblages made from scraps and found objects.
Saryan Street
Kentron wine street where bars pour Armenian Areni and Voskehat wines by the glass outdoors until late.
Where to stay in Yerevan
Kentron
first trip, all round base
Walkable radial centre containing almost every sight, restaurant and wine bar, with the Cascade to Republic Square pocket the sweet spot.
Arabkir
mid range, longer stay, families and return visitors
Residential district north of the Cascade, cheaper and quieter with its own cafes, a short ride hail into the centre.
Kanaker-Zeytun / Victory Park edge
quiet stay with a specific hotel reason
Calm residential area with some Ararat views, but further from everything and dependent on ride hails.
Think twice about
- Malatia-Sebastia, Shengavit, Erebuni and Nor Nork outer districts
Far from Kentron, dominated by housing blocks and arterial roads, thin on cafes and dependent on ride hails for everything.
- Sasuntsi Davit station and Kilikia bus station area
Transport hub edge with heavy traffic and no hotel stock worth choosing over Kentron.
- Mashtots, Baghramyan and Tigran Mets main avenues
Six lanes, horns, summer dust and poor air at the kerb. The same hotel one street back is a different stay.
- Zvartnots airport area
No reason to sleep there. The ride into Kentron is 15 to 25 minutes and cheap by app.
Best restaurants in Yerevan
Dolmama Restaurant
Most famous Armenian restaurant since 1998, refining traditional dishes including its signature dolma.
Lavash Restaurant
Best all round first Armenian dinner, with bread baked on site and a long menu done well.
Sherep Restaurant
Big central crowd pleaser built around an open kitchen, with Armenian and European breadth for mixed groups.
Tavern Yerevan
Hearty traditional tavern for khorovats, kebabs and khashlama, with live folk music at some branches.
Anteb
Western Armenian specialist renowned for manti, tiny crisp dumplings served with broth, yoghurt and sumac.
Mer Taghe
Lahmajun specialist by the Cascade, serving thin crisp flatbread rolled with herbs, tomato and lemon.
Elie's Lahmajun
One of the three lahmajun specialists in the local crawl, best eaten with a savoury tan yoghurt drink.
Lahmajun Gaidz
Third name in the lahmajun holy trinity, with partisans who rate its spiced minced meat flatbread first.
Outdoor things to do in Yerevan
Garni Temple
Only standing Greco Roman colonnaded temple in Armenia, dramatically sited on the edge of the Azat Gorge.
Symphony of Stones
Towering hexagonal basalt columns in the gorge below Garni, formed by cooling lava and walkable on a path.
Geghard Monastery
UNESCO monastery half built against and half carved into the cliff, with rock chapels and a sacred spring.
Khor Virap Monastery
Fortified monastery in front of Ararat at the closed Turkish border, where Gregory the Illuminator was imprisoned.
Noravank Monastery
Thirteenth century monastery at the end of a red cliff gorge, glowing brick red in afternoon light.
Areni-1 Cave
Cave where archaeologists found the world oldest known winery and a 5500 year old leather shoe.
Sevanavank Monastery
Two ninth century black tuff churches on a rocky peninsula with Lake Sevan spread on three sides.
Dilijan
Forested resort town in Dilijan National Park, cooler and greener than Yerevan, with hiking trailheads nearby.
Best hotels in Yerevan
The Alexander, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Yerevan
First internationally branded luxury hotel in Yerevan, with spa, indoor pool and the city service benchmark.
Grand Hotel Yerevan
Historic grand dame from 1926 facing Charles Aznavour Square, chosen for character over modern product.
Seven Visions Resort & Places, The Dvin
Maximalist resort hotel complex with multiple restaurants, pools and performance spaces on the gorge edge.
Tufenkian Historic Yerevan Hotel
Best mid range sense of place, with handcrafted Armenian furnishings and a rare courtyard pool.
Republica Hotel Yerevan
Modern design led hotel two minutes from Republic Square, with a terrace eatery and strong breakfast.
ibis Yerevan Center
Reliable chain hotel on Northern Avenue with predictable rooms, soundproofing and a 24 hour desk.
North Avenue by Stellar Hotels
Chain style Northern Avenue option with predictable rooms and no surprises, useful for group bookings.
Kantar Hotel
Locally run hotel near Republic Square with a pool and spa offer at mid range prices.
Is Yerevan expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | AMD 15,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | AMD 40,000 a person |
| Splurge | AMD 120,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Matenadaran: a few days ahead
- ARARAT Brandy Museum: a few days ahead
- Aram Khachaturian Opera and Ballet Theatre: a few days ahead
- Mount Aragats: weeks ahead
- Yell Extreme Park: a few days ahead
- Paragliding in Armenia: a few days ahead
- Tatev Monastery: a few days ahead
- Wings of Tatev: a few days ahead
- ARARAT tour, Dolmama and Lavash or Sherep dinners Thursday to Saturday, and Opera headline productions.
- Tatev cable car timed tickets in season, Aragats guided hikes and paragliding with a weather buffer.
- Garni and Geghard or Khor Virap tours in May, June and September if you want an early departure.
Is Yerevan safe?
- Yerevan is very safe for visitors, crime against visitors is rare and the centre is comfortable late at night.
- Real risks are roads and mountains, assertive driving, altitude and slower rescue outside the city.
- Borders with Turkey and Azerbaijan are closed, avoid border zones and do not fly drones at Khor Virap or memorial sites.
- Summer heat and dust and winter inversions can worsen air quality, carry asthma medication if needed. Emergency number 112.
Yerevan travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Airport and street taxi overcharging, use an app ride or pre booked transfer with the price agreed in the app.
- Saving a hazy Ararat view for later, go to the Cascade or Khor Virap on the first clear morning.
- Tatev sold as a casual day trip, it is a 14 to 15 hour day and better done overnight in Goris.
- Northern Avenue and mall shopping at international prices, buy crafts at Vernissage and food at GUM instead.
Getting around Yerevan: public transport and more
- Walk Kentron, most sights are 5 to 20 minutes apart on foot.
- Use gg and Yandex Go ride hails, cheap with upfront prices, and download both before you land.
- Metro has one line and 10 stations, useful for Sasuntsi Davit and Yeritasardakan.
- Carry dram in small notes for markets, small cafes and rural excursions, cards work widely in the city.
Who Yerevan suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Great |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Great |
Make Yerevan your trip
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