Things to do in Yerevan: A Complete Guide to Armenia’s Thoroughly Modern Capital

Tucked away in the southwestern corner of Armenia in the foothills of Mount Ararat, you’ll find Yerevan, Armenia’s thoroughly modern capital. Known as the ‘Pink City’ for its pink tuff stone, the architecture lining its wide boulevards and pedestrian streets is most certainly rosy and striking. We uncovered an incredible arts scene, from the giant hillside Cascade steps to the nightly light and music shows centred around the city centre fountains. Life in the capital is lived outdoors, thanks to Yerevan’s generous green spaces and warm climate. Expect parks and streets lined with lively café terraces serving excellent food in generous portions, washed down with local wine and brandy.

This year-round getaway will easily occupy you for around three days, but I’d recommend staying longer and using Yerevan as a base for day trips beyond the capital. If you’re ready to dip into the delights of this city, this guide, with a map of things to do in Yerevan, is for you. It covers must-see sights and essential day trips, too.

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Map of Things to Do in Yerevan

Also accessible from Yerevan:

• Gyumri: Armenia’s Black and Apricot City
• Tbilisi: Capital of Georgia
• Batumi: Georgia’s resort city on the Black Sea

Yerevan Card

If you plan to visit museums in Yerevan or use public transport, there’s a Yerevan Card. I didn’t buy this, but I wish I had. For a start, it would have made it easier to access the metro system. A modern cashless system sounds great until your foreign Visa and Mastercard won’t work at the barriers, the Telcell Wallet app requires an Armenian phone number, and the stash of Armenian emergency cash is totally useless.

If you buy the card, you’ll get free admission to around 30 museums, several free tours and transport (including from the airport), plus discounts around the city. The Yerevan Card also includes a free local SIM card, which, if I’d known, would have saved me from buying my own eSIM as part of my usual trip prep when travelling beyond the bounds of my home phone contract. Pick your duration from 24 hours to 10 days. Purchase it online or at participating museums.

Tsitsernakaberd (The Armenian Genocide Memorial & Museum) is the one museum in Yerevan I urge you to visit, and it’s free to everyone. So, no need to include that in your decision calculation.

1. Cascade Complex

The number one attraction for tourists in Yerevan. The locals love it too. Expect local gatherings, great views, and art on each level, plus plenty of selfie-taking. Open from early until late,

You might be wondering how such a massive structure arrived there? The Cascades were part of architect Alexander Tamanian’s Master Plan of Yerevan (1924), an ambitious project to transform Yerevan from a provincial town into a modern capital. It’s a bold and striking urban design, with park areas wrapping around it. Building work on the Cascades began in the 1970s and halted while the country reeled from the impact of the 1988 Spitak earthquake. The Cascades, as you see them today, were completed in 2009, and there may be more to come on the upper levels.

The first thing that strikes you when you see the Cascades is the sheer size of it. This is so much more than a pretty fountain with steps up each side. And those steps! 572 of them, connecting 5 large terraces. For a welcome surprise, check out one of the doors on the left-hand side for escalators to take you up to each level from the inside. Unexpected, but very welcome, especially in the full heat of the Yerevan sun.

Once you’ve made it to the top, it’s time to enjoy the views across Yerevan. Great at any time of day, but if you arrive at dawn, you have the best chance of seeing Mount Ararat, straight ahead, from the top. And if you visit late, the entire Cascade complex is beautifully lit up.

Each level features fountains, statues, and unique geometric reliefs and carvings of images from Armenian history, along with an abundance of modern art on the terraces and inside, which you’ll see if you find the escalators. There’s more in the park area at the base too. It really is a unique place.

I instantly recognised the yellow ‘Poets’ on the top of poles, on the steps. There are remarkably similar ones from the Catalan sculptor Jaume Plensa in Andorra, the tiny microstate set in the Pyrenees between France and Spain.

Once you’ve taken in the views at the top, on the terraces and explored inside, I’d recommend stopping off in one of the restaurants at the foot of the steps. Garten Restaurant and Brewery on the right-hand side turned out to be an excellent choice. A jug of local lemonade hit the spot, and although we didn’t stay to eat, the food looked and smelled delicious.

2. Victory Park and Mother Armenia

Once you’ve visited the Cascades, the next unique thing to do in Yerevan is to visit Victory Park, which is just to the North. It’s walkable uphill from the Cascades, or, if you’ve already got enough steps in for the day, Yandex Go is a good option; they’ll drop you off at the park entrance.

Mother Armenia

As you enter the park, you won’t see Mother Armenia immediately, even though she’s 22 metres tall and standing on a 29-metre pedestal. But continue and she will appear from behind the trees. Look for the khachkars as you go. These orange-coloured carved stone crosses are engraved with the names of military figures and arranged in groups 40 metres apart to commemorate 40 years since the end of World War II. Armenian khachkars are on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List, and each one is unique. You’ll spot them throughout Armenia.

Mother Armenia hasn’t always been at the top of the plinth. She replaced a huge statue of Stalin in the 1960s. Check out the inside of her plinth for a small, free military museum. You’ll find an eternal flame In front of her, and quite the collection of tanks, either side of her. Plus, she’s overlooking some of the best views of Yerevan.

Amusement Park & Ferris Wheel

But there’s a lot more to see in the park itself. An amusement park complete with a huge Ferris wheel, visible from across the city, a dino park, and a lake. The amusement park was quiet for our visit, but it gets busier later in the day as the temperature cools and on weekends. If you want to try the local Kvass drink, which looks like beer but really isn’t, you’ll find vendors selling it. It’s made by soaking rye or sourdough bread in water and fermenting it with yeast, sugar and sometimes raisins. It’s non-alcoholic.

3. Opera Theatre Complex and Freedom Square

If you’re wandering through central Yerevan, it would be hard to miss this part of the city, filled with grand neoclassical architecture and prominent cultural monuments set in and around a large public square and gardens.

Alexander Spendiaryan Opera and Ballet National Theatre

The showpiece is a white circular building, housing the Alexander Spendiaryan Opera and Ballet National Theatre at one end and the Aram Khachaturian Concert Hall at the other. Another example of architect Alexander Tamanian’s work. He’s the man who designed the modern city.

Do check the concert and event listings for your visit. Expect to pay anywhere from 2,000-28,000 AMD (£4-£55 or €5-€65). Excellent value for a ticket to a concert, ballet or opera and a special way to enjoy your time in Yerevan.

Martiros Sarian Park

Wander through Martiros Sarian Park where the artists gather to sell their artwork. If you’ve got a sweet tooth, drop into Ponchik Monchik, an Armenian institution that sells a special style of doughnut popular across the Caucasus. Ponchiks are massive hollow balls dusted with icing sugar, filled with cream, usually vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry.

Swan Lake & Sculptures

Beyond the square to the east, there’s Swan Lake, an artificial pond where swans swim in the summer and it transforms into an ice rink in the winter.

4. Kentron (downtown) district

Kentron district is the vibrant heart of the city. Northern Avenue is the central pedestrian spine, starting on the edge of the Opera Complex and going south towards Republic Square and the dancing fountains.

Abovyan Street, Tumanyan Street and Pushkin Street are the grand avenues crisscrossing the centre, each with its own personality. I’ve added a few eating and drinking venues on the map, but here’s a little more about the main streets.

Northern Avenue

Unlike the surrounding historic streets, this avenue features upscale storefronts, trendy cafés and restaurants, and luxury accommodation. It’s the street where you find locals strolling and street musicians performing. And it’s the lead-in to Republic Square for the nightly dancing fountain show, so it’s especially busy around this time.

Abovyan Street

One of the oldest streets in Yerevan, with a Belle Époque feel. Look out for the beautiful black-and-red volcanic tuff stone buildings and hidden courtyards. It’s also where you will find Charles Aznavour Square, home to the classic Cinema Moskva, the grand Stanislavski Russian Theatre.

Tumanyan Street

Tumanyan Street connects the Opera area to the Cascades, and houses the Hovhannes Tumanyan Museum, named after the national poet for whom the street is also named. The street is packed with traditional restaurants, including khinkali houses and traditional bakeries.

Look out for traditional painted houses and apartment blocks in the traditional pink tuff stone.

5. Republic Square & The Dancing Fountain Show

Hard to miss, this striking square is surrounded by impressive buildings in a variety of styles, including the History Museum of Armenia and the stunning Marriott Hotel. In the evenings, the central fountains are the main event with a nightly show enjoyed by locals and tourists alike. Be there well in advance to secure your spot and watch the fountains lit up and dancing to music.

It usually starts at 9 pm and happens every day except Tuesday (late May through September), but this can vary.

6. Vernissage Market

If you want souvenirs for your trip, there’s no better place to go than Vernissage Market. It’s located in the heart of Yerevan, near Republic Square, and leads to the circular park area. While it started out as an artisanal flea market for locals, it’s now geared toward tourists, but you’ll still find some beautiful things here.

Wood carving was a theme, with beautiful chess and backgammon sets, wooden musical instruments and khoravats skewers with hand-carved handles. Paintings, handmade ceramics, embroidered textiles, and bags were everywhere.

Look around at some of the buildings bordering the market, including the Alexander Spendiaryan Specialised Music School, a Soviet industrial-style building made from the pink tuff stone that much of the city is built with.

7. Yerevan’s Museums

Yerevan has over 30 museums, but unless you are planning a lengthy visit, you may find yourself choosing between them. My standout would be Tsitsernakaberd (The Armenian Genocide Memorial & Museum), which is free. Matenadaran, the huge Armenian manuscript and book repository, is also recommended.

If you’re planning to visit several, I would suggest a Yerevan Card, which gives you free access to around 30 museums. It will also get you transport savings and discounts around the city, plus a free E-Sim for your stay in Armenia.

Tsitsernakaberd (The Armenian Genocide Memorial & Museum)

The first is Tsitsernakaberd (The Armenian Genocide Memorial & Museum), taking you through the years of oppression of the Armenian people. While this doesn’t, on the face of it, sound like a fun thing to do on holiday, I’m so glad I went. I urge you to make the time too.

The memorial is in a striking setting, perched on a hill overlooking the city. Twelve massive stone slabs stand in a circle, leaning inward over an eternal flame (The Sanctuary of Eternity). They represent the twelve historic Armenian provinces that were lost to the Ottoman Empire. Adjacent is a 44-meter-high needle-like obelisk pointing upward, symbolising the survival and cultural rebirth of the Armenian nation.

Once inside the Armenian Genocide Institute, you’ll find doors through to the Memorial Wall: A 100-meter-long engraved wall listing the names of towns and villages where massacres and deportations occurred. Then visit the museum, which takes you through Armenian history with films, storyboards, and exhibitions. Whether you are familiar with the history or, like me, had little idea, you will find it compelling. This is not a museum you march through quickly.

Matenadaran

Sitting grandly on Mashtots Avenue between The Cascades and Victory Park, Matenadaran is a huge yellow tuff stone building with a giant statue of Mesrop Mashtots, the medieval scholar who invented the Armenian alphabet, standing in front of it.

Matenadaran translates to ‘manuscripts repository’, and with over 23,000 ancient manuscripts and over 500,000 documents in the archives, it’s a fitting title. The collection is included in UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register. The Matenadaran is included in the Yerevan card.

Expect to see illuminated Gospels decorated with gold leaf, ancient maps, and centuries-old manuscripts. The highlight is the Msho Charentir, a massive manuscript weighing 27.5 kg, A stark contrast to one of the museum’s smaller specimens, a tiny church calendar from 1434, weighing just 19 grams. Take a guided tour to make the most of your visit, or simply wander around on your own (free with the Yerevan Card).

Other Museums you might like to visit

Here are some more museums in Yerevan. There are around 30 listed on the Yerevan Card.

• History Museum of Armenia: Right in Republic Square. It’s the country’s main collection of Armenian artefacts. The oldest known shoe is one of its more famous exhibits. The National Gallery of Armenia is also to be found in the same building.
• Erebuni Historical and Archaeological Museum-Reserve: The founding site of the city, with a fortress and remains dating back to 782 BC. You’ll find it in the South of the city, beyond the station, on Ann Berd Hill.
• Sergei Parajanov Museum: a cultural house-museum dedicated to the life and cinematic genius of the famed Soviet-Armenian director.
• Komitas Museum-Institute: Opened in 2015. It tells the story of Komitas, an Armenian musician, who travelled to remote villages to write down thousands of traditional songs before they could be lost to history and his life following the Armenian Genocide. Also in the south of the city

8. Yerevan’s Religious Spaces

As the world’s first Christian nation, you can expect plenty of churches, from ancient medieval structures through to more modern revivals. So let’s start with the biggest of them all.

Saint Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral

The largest Armenian cathedral in the world, it’s a massive structure built from local tuff stone that can hold up to 1,700 people. It commemorates the anniversary of Christianity’s adoption in Armenia and was consecrated in 2001.

If you’re interested in visiting more of Yerevan’s churches, I’ve marked the most notable ones on the map.

Blue Mosque

The only active Muslim place of worship in Armenia and a rare surviving example of the city’s 18th-century Persian heritage. Built in the classic Shia style, it’s restored and beautiful, featuring striking turquoise-and-yellow geometric tiles, intricate mosaics, and Arabic calligraphy.

9. The Circular Park

The Circular Park (also called Youth Park) is a 2.5-kilometre-long green space that curves around the eastern edge of downtown Yerevan, stretching from St Gregory the Illuminator in the south, around, and up to the Cascades. It’s another part of Alexander Tamanian’s 1924 modern Yerevan as a garden city.

At its core, it’s a string of parks circling the centre. And it works. Yerevan is a city where the weather is warm for much of the year and life is lived outdoors. The parks offer shade during the day and space to meet, eat, and drink late into the evening, and that’s just as well as Yerevan is a city of night owls. We visited several restaurants here. I recommend Flagman Cafe and Restaurant for both the setting and the food. The kitchen was open late, and that’s especially useful when you arrive late and your accommodation is just across the road. I also rate Bardak Pub, with a huge fountain set in its outdoor space and cosy interior,

10. The Kond Neighbourhood & Pedestrian Tunnel

If the polished pink-tuff buildings of downtown start feeling a little too uniform, there is an escape hatch right under your feet. Hidden near the western edge of the centre lies the Kond Pedestrian Tunnel, a dimly lit, 460-metre concrete passage straight out of the Soviet era.

When you emerge on the other side, the modern city completely vanishes. You are standing in Kond, Yerevan’s oldest surviving neighbourhood. Dating back to the 17th century, this labyrinth of crumbling houses feels a world away from the grand avenues nearby. It is gritty and unpolished and a part most tourists completely miss.

As we wandered the area, we did find a Craft Beer bar with an extensive beer fridge and a friendly welcome. We threw dice for prizes at the bar (we lost). Open till late. It serves food too. I’d recommend Gargoyle & Kruzhok Pub.

11. Hrazdan Gorge (Brandy District)

The Kond Tunnel also provides access to the Hrazdan Gorge, the dramatic, deep canyon bisecting Yerevan and the home to Yerevan’s two renowned brandy factories. Both factories sit directly opposite one another across the gorge near the Victory Bridge and dominate the skyline. A visit here should be on your to-do list if you’re a brandy fan. We’re not, so we skipped it. Of the two, Ararat is the easiest to tour.

Yerevan Brandy Company (ARARAT)

An active distillery, now part of the French spirits conglomerate Pernod Ricard. The state-of-the-art ARARAT Museum focuses heavily on the art of blending, production standards, and its prestigious worldwide presence. Explore the ageing cellars, inhale the aroma in the scenting rooms, and taste world-renowned blends such as Dvin (the potent blend famously favoured by Winston Churchill) and Nairi.

Noy Ararat Brandy-Wine-Vodka Factory

On the opposite side of the riverbank lies Noy Ararat Brandy-Wine-Vodka Factory, where Erivan Fortress once stood. This one has more of an old-world vibe. Visitors descend into extensive underground cellars and hidden fortifications, passing walls built by Persian khans. Contact Noy directly to arrange a visit or a tasting,

12. Historic South Yerevan

Head south to find both Shengavit District and Erebuni. Both are modern commercial and residential areas, but they contain some of the oldest remaining parts of Yerevan. The area is also home to Sasuntsi Davit train station, the GUM market and one of Yerevan’s main shopping centres.

Sasuntsi Davit Station

David of Sassoun Square, along Tigran Mets Avenue, sits right on the border of these two districts, about a 30-minute walk from the centre, or you can get there directly by metro. As a train fan, I loved this station. Very pink and very Armenian, with a central soaring clock tower. You won’t miss the statue of David of Sassoun, riding his horse, in front of it.

Inside, it’s light and bright, helped by the Armenian sun shining through the double-height glazed window. The white ceiling is decorated with intricate, traditional Armenian patterns. A cool, calm space, away from the heat and bustle outside.

Erebuni Fortress and Bronze Age Yerevan

If you want to go back in time to the beginnings of Yerevan, this is the place to visit. Arin Berd Hill (Erebuni) is the site where King Argishti recorded the city’s founding in 782 BCE. In the ruins, you’ll find a stone carving bearing the King’s inscription, remnants of a royal palace and temples, and evidence of ancient drainage systems and pebble-paved streets. A museum with thousands of artefacts excavated from the area completes the set. A good time to hire a guide to help make sense of it.

If you have more time in the south of the city, visit the Komitas Museum Institute, or pair the trip with a visit to the main Armenian GUM market and the ultra-modern shopping mall near the rail station. I’ve marked all these places on the map,

Day Trips from Yerevan

There’s no getting away from it: visiting the major sites in Armenia on public transport requires a fair degree of commitment, flexibility, time, and tolerance and a few taxi trips, too. But there’s another way. We took tours, and every one we took was exceptionally well organised and fantastic value,

Gyumri – Armenia’s black and apricot city

I highly recommend a visit to Armenia’s second-largest city, with its striking volcanic stone, tuff architecture, vibrant centre, its own Mother Armenia statue, and a black fortress where the inside is totally unexpected. An organised coach trip to Guymri will get you to the main sites quickly and efficiently.

It may leave you wishing you had more time, though. This is the one trip on this list you can also do by public transport. It’s easy to take the train from Yerevan to Gyumri, but I would stay over for a couple of days. Here’s my trip report on our time in Gyumri, with all the details on how to get there.

Yerevan: Echmiadzin, Hripsime, Gayane, Zvartnots Temple Tour

A short half-day tour, taking you to sites around 20 km from Yerevan. The two main stops are Etchmiadzin, one of the oldest cathedrals in the world and Zvartnots Temple, a great spot for panoramic views of Mount Ararat. There are also stops at the churches of Hripsime and Gayane, both of which are UNESCO-listed.

Khor Virap, Garni, Geghard, Symphony & Charents Arch + Lavash

An 8-hour day trip to some of Armenia’s most iconic sites. If you only have time for one trip, you want variety, and you don’t want to be sitting on a coach all day, this one is the best choice,

Enjoy Khor Vrap, one of the most iconic monasteries in Armenia, right on the Turkish border, offering some of the best views of Mount Ararat. The furthest point on the trip. Then return via the Geghard Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the Garni pagan temple. There are plenty of panoramic views at the Symphony of Stones, Charants Arch, and Azat Reservoir. A demonstration of traditional Armenian bread-making (Lavash) may also be included.

Sevan, Dilijan, Ancient Monasteries: Haghartsin & Goshavank

A northern loop of Armenia. At 10 hours, this trip, including Lake Sevan, is one of the longer ones. The trip includes a visit to Lake Sevan, one of the world’s largest high-altitude freshwater lakes. Then stop off at the ancient monasteries of Haghartsin & Goshavank (be prepared for plenty of stairs). Then enjoy the charm of old Dilijan, a mountain town with wooden balconies, stone houses, artisan workshops, cosy cafés, and a glimpse into 19th-century Armenian life.

From Yerevan: Tatev Monastery and Scenic South Armenia Tour

A southern loop of Armenia. At 14 hours, this was the longest day trip we went on. If you don’t like long coach journeys or heights, this one isn’t for you, but it’s a trip I absolutely loved.

Tatev Monastery is one of Armenia’s finest and there’s a trip in the world’s longest reversible aerial cable car to get there. A stop at the Khndzoresk Cave Village was a highlight for me. I like cave settlements. To get to it, you’ll need to cross a swinging rope bridge over a gorge. There’s also time on the tour to stretch your legs at Shaki Waterfall, and a brief stop at the Areni wine factory. It’s a long day with a lot packed in.

Our food stops were at an Armenian transport spot, so nothing fancy, but it was a revelation (and in a good way, too).

Yerevan: Practicalities

Where to stay

Yerevan is a city of some size with over 1,2 million people in the city itself and more in the wider Yerevan area. This means paying attention to location is key. But bear in mind where ever you choose you will not be close to everything. And for much of the year, the temperatures are sky high, so you may not feel like walking huge distances either. Public transport isn’t as straightforward as you may be used to in much of Europe, although Yandex Go, will get you to wherever you need to go cheaply. As to whether or not it gets you there quickly is down to the traffic, not the availability of drivers.

We booked accommodation pretty late, and I was surprised by the lack of choice and the prices were higher than I was expecting too. I think I would have done much better had I booked earlier when there was more availability. Yerevan attracts many visitors from Russia and other countries from the former USSR, plus it has a significant diaspora who also return to visit, so Yerevan gets more visitors than you might at first think.

With all this in mind, I would pick accommodation in either Kentron (City Centre / Republic Square):or Cascade & Opera District, especially if it’s your first visit. That’s unless you are there principally for the wine bars and night life. In which case Saryan Street & Pushkin Street Corridor might suite you better.

If you want a quieter, more laid back experience, with more of a neighbourhood feel, I’d pick somewhere around the circular parks. We stayed on the east side at Yerevan Boutique Hotel. The setting was delightful, the staff could not have been more helpful. The breakfast was excellent on the days we could take advantage of it. Some days we couldn’t. Tour buses left early, so breakfast was probably wasted on us. With hindsight, somewhere more central would have saved us the 30 minute walk to the tour bus departure point, near the Opera Complex and some of the other central attractions too.

Here’s an interactive map with some options.

How to get to Yerevan

We arrived in Yerevan on a direct flight from London (Luton) with European budget carrier Wizz Air. Also worth mentioning the border with Türkiye and also with Azerbaijan are closed so overland routes from those countries directly is not possible. The borders with Georgia and Iran are open with a combined trip to Armenia and Georgia a popular way to see both countries. Here are the main ways to get to Yerevan:

How to get around Yerevan

There is public transport in Yerevan, including a metro service and buses, but Armenia is a city full of drivers and those that don’t drive often use car hailing apps, especially Yandex Go, judging by the traffic jams in the city.

If you do want to use public transport, including the metro, I’d recommend getting a Yerevan card, which is easily purchased regardless of where your credit card is from. I found the metro system, required an Armenian phone number to use the app to buy tickets, plus my UK bank card was not accepted for a tap in and tap out service and cash was not accepted either. I ran out of ideas after that and gave up. A Yerevan card, would have given me free public transport, a free E-sim, free access to many of the attractions in the city and various discounts too.

Best Time to visit Yerevan

Expect a wide range of temperatures, depending on when you visit. Cold sub-zero temperatures are the norm in winter dropping down to around -14C. The summer heat of Yerevan is intense. Temperatures up to 40C are common. So unless you like extremes, the shoulder seasons of spring (May) and autumn (September to October) are the best times to visit.

Armenian Christmas is on 6 January and the entire city undergoes a massive festive transformation that stretches from early December all the way through mid-January.

Where to Next

Once you’ve explored Yerevan, why not look further afield into the wider Caucasus? Here are some ideas.

• Things to do in Yerevan: Armenia’s modern capital and pink city
• Things to do in Gyumri: A guide to Armenia’s Black and Apricot City
• Iron Fountain Gyumri: Armenia’s Extraordinary Soviet UFO
• Things to Do in Tbilisi: A Guide to the Capital of Georgia
• Things to Do in Batumi: Georgia’s Unexpected Black Sea Gem
• Things to Do in Kutaisi: A Guide to Georgia’s Ancient City
• Visit The Incredible Cave City of Vardzia, Georgia

I hope you enjoyed reading this. If you have any questions or comments, do let me know in the comments. Thank you for reading my blog.

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