Few nations have histories as ancient, complex and laced with tragedy as Armenia. And even fewer have a culture that is as rich and resilient. The simply extraordinary collection of medieval monasteries scattered across the country is the number-one attraction, closely followed by a dramatically beautiful landscape that is perfectly suited to hiking and other outdoor activities.

And then there’s the unexpected delight of Yerevan – one of the region’s most exuberant and endearing cities. Combining the culture-rich capital and the countryside makes for an enticing and tremendously enjoyable travel experience.

Follow this itinerary to make the most of your visit to Armenia. If you have only a week, you could keep moving each day (distances are not huge but the roads are windy); with more time, you can stay longer at idyllic spots such as Dilijan.

When is the best time to go? 

Most of Armenia has a dry, high-altitude climate, though there are some rainy pockets in the Lori, Tavush and Syunik regions. Temperatures are mild in spring (March to May) and the countryside is covered in wildflowers, making it a perfect time to go hiking.

In summer (June to August), it can get as hot as 40°C (104℉) in Yerevan, but it’s a little cooler in the north. Autumn (September to November) still has warmish weather and stable conditions. Winter can be bleak, with temperatures falling to -10°C (14℉) or even lower in some areas. 

How to get from the airport

Most people get to Armenia by flying into Yerevan’s Zvartnots International Airport or by taking a bus, slow train or chartered vehicle over the border from Georgia. A minibus runs between the airport and Abovyan St in the city center, stopping at both Sasuntsi Davit metro station and Rossiya Mall en route. You’ll be charged extra for your luggage. It’s best to agree on the price before getting in a taxi; the taxi trip from the airport to the center will take 15 to 20 minutes.

Advertisement

How to get around

Soviet-era shared minivans known as marshrutky are Armenia’s only public transport option outside of Yerevan. Schedules are listed online but are only an estimation as marshrutky usually only leave when full. Yerevan itself has sparkly new electric city buses as well as a single-line, Soviet-era metro (it’s worth riding just for the experience).

Getting around by rented car or 4WD (with or without a local driver) is the easiest and most reliable way to travel outside of Yerevan. Major highways have been paved, but country roads are often unsurfaced and heavily pot-holed. Also, road safety leaves a lot to be desired; be ready for some aggressive driving, speeding and unsafe overtaking. Use reputable taxi services, and if you’re hiring a car to drive yourself, avoid driving at night when the lack of street lighting can further affect safety.

What to pack

Many women like to dress up in the capital, while men tend to dress more casually, as do women outside of Yerevan. Keep in mind that when visiting an Armenian monastery, it is respectful to dress modestly – shorts, short skirts and bare shoulders are frowned upon. Women should consider packing a scarf to cover their heads, although this isn’t essential. Also, pack some good hiking shoes and a 220V/50Hz adapter.

Days 1–2: Begin in Yerevan

How to spend the days: Use your two days in Yerezan to walk around the center, soaking up the atmosphere. Start with a sip from a pulpulak (drinking fountain) and a spin around the towering tuff-stone architectural masterpieces in Republic Square, followed by a visit to the History Museum of Armenia. Then stroll up Abovyan St and peek inside the luxurious Hotel Alexander, which impressively maintains its historic tuff facade.

Continue to Charles Aznavour Square, named after the French-Armenian singer commonly described as Paris’ Frank Sinatra. Here, you’ll find the Moscow Cinema, built in 1936 on the remains of an old church, plus a former Persian mosque turned into a hotel and a friendly-looking spider sculpted in 2008. Make a left on Tumanyan St to reach Swan Lake, the location of a 2015 performance by American rapper Kanye West (he surprised the crowd by diving into the lake, prompting the oh-so-perfect name Swanye Lake).

Continue ahead to the Armenian National Opera and Ballet Theatre, where locals go to see a show and zip around on electric scooters. Cross the roundabout to a park that hosts an art market, centered on a statue of Armenian painter Martiros Sarian. Perhaps with a newly purchased painting under your arm, cross a row of open-air cafes towards a statue of architect Alexander Tamanyan, who looks here more like a hip DJ than a city planner.

Walk past amazing sculptures by artists such as Fernando Botero, Jaume Plensa and Barry Flanagan before reaching the illustrious 572-step Cafesjian Center for the Arts, aka the Cascade. Ride the escalators and climb up to Victory Park for the best views over the city and the mighty 22m (72ft) Mother Armenia Monument, which houses a military museum featuring photos of fallen soldiers during WWII and the First Nagorno-Karabakh War.

If time allows on day one or two, there are a host of art galleries, museums and cultural hubs to explore, or you could while away an afternoon sitting on a terrace soaking up Yerevan cafe life. 

Evening: Book dinner in one of Yerevan’s many excellent restaurants, such as Lavash – a chic Armenian restaurant. Alternatively, enjoy local wines over a charcuterie platter at In Vino, then head to a club for some live music.

Day 3: Visit Garni Temple, Geghard Monastery and Khor Virap 

How to spend the day: Less than an hour east of Yerevan are two of Armenia’s most spectacular sites, and on the drive out here, you’ll pass Charent’s Arch, a stone archway built by architect Rafael Israelyan in 1957 to frame the perfect hilltop view of Mt Ararat in the distance.

First, visit Garni Temple, an astonishing 2000-year-old pillared Roman-style temple originally constructed in 77 CE but rebuilt between 1969 and 1975 after it was destroyed by earthquakes and invasions. Continue to the World Heritage–listed Geghard Monastery, founded in the earliest days of Christianity in Armenia. The main stone church, Surp Astvatsatsin, was built in 1215 and it houses a chapel with holy spring water that locals line up to touch.

The hills outside the monastery are filled with caves built by monks, so take a wander and explore. To finish up, head south to the beautiful hilltop Khor Virap Monastery for epic views of Mt Ararat.

Advertisement

Evening: You can return to Yerevan for the night or stop at Camp 3Gs in Goght between Garni and Geghard. As well as a guesthouse, there are bell tents available to rent, and a pool to cool off in during the summer.

Day 4-5: Soak at a spa in Jermuk

Go to Jermuk: It’s 170km (105 miles) from Yerevan to Jermuk, and the journey takes around three hours.

How to spend the day: After all that touring, you’ll be grateful for some downtime in the wellness resort of Jermuk. The town has long been a popular vacation spot due to the precious mineral water treatments offered by its sanitariums. It’s also blissfully cool in summer and a popular skiing destination in the winter.

Plan to spend at least a day enjoying wellness treatments here – the longer you can stay, the better! Back in the Soviet days, people would sign up for 18-day courses with medically supervised immersions in Jermuk’s healing waters. 

Jeeps parked behind the top-end Grand Resort Jermuk also take groups to natural geysers that bubble every five to seven minutes like a mountain Jacuzzi. The trip takes a couple of hours, depending on how long you want to swim, and is charged per vehicle, not per person. 

Evening: Dine out at one of the restaurants near your accommodation. Outside of the high season, Jermuk can feel a bit like a ghost town in the evenings.

Day 6: Explore the caves around Goris

Go from Jermuk to Goris: The 113km (70-mile) trip from Jermuk to Goris takes just over two hours.

How to spend the day: The endlessly winding roads that leap through gorges over the mountains of Syunik come to a major junction at Goris. The town’s tree-lined avenues and grand 19th-century Armenian architecture are precious rarities in a country largely swept of its past by mundane Soviet-era structures.

Newly restored with repaired cobblestone streets and renovated buildings, Goris is ready to show off to the world. Walk around the town’s magical streets, stopping for a photo at its mini–Eiffel Tower (you know you want to) before walking from the town cemetery up to clusters of volcanic pinnacles punctured by ancient caves now used to stable cows, and soaking up the awesome views.

Less than 15km (9.3 miles) east, don’t miss the cluster of cone-shaped cliffs and caves containing former dwellings and churches at Khndzoresk, accessed via a freaky, 160m-long (525ft) pedestrian suspension bridge.

Evening: Book dinner at Lounge by REDROOF, which offers Armenian and European dishes served by attentive bar staff. 

Day 7: Admire the colors of Lake Sevan

Go from Goris to Lake Sevan: The journey from Goris to Lake Sevan takes four to five hours. 

How to spend the day: It will take half a day to reach Lake Sevan (Sevana Lich). Set at 1900m (6234ft) above sea level and covering 1240 sq km (479 sq miles), this is the largest lake in the Caucasus and one of the largest freshwater high-altitude lakes in the world.

Its colors and shades change with the weather, varying from dazzling azure to a deep, dark blue and a thousand shades in between. Despite the concerns of environmentalists and ongoing work to save this precious lake, it remains one of Armenia’s most popular vacation spots for locals and Russian tourists escaping the summer heat.

Skip the charmless town of Sevan (unless you’re using it as a transport hub) in favor of the Sevan Peninsula, which, while busy, offers arresting views from its hilltop monastery. Don’t miss Armenia’s most cherished collection of khachkar (carved gravestones) and the scrumptious Mikayelyan Family Farm for cheese-tasting nearby.

If you have a vehicle, the windswept east side of the peninsula has a diving resort, charming boutique hotels, and calmer beaches at Wishup Shore.

Evening: Wander the lakeside to find a spot to dine. Restaurants tend to crank their stereos up loud when tourists arrive in the popular areas of the lake, so finding somewhere to eat is easy.

Day 8-9: Enjoy the charms of Dilijan

Go from Lake Sevan to Dilijan: The town of Dilijan is around 20km (12.5 miles) from the north end of Lake Sevan.

How to spend the day: Alpine Dilijan is billed as the “Switzerland of Armenia,” and while that may be a stretch, it has undeniably attractive scenery and an extremely pleasant climate. During Soviet times, cinematographers, composers, artists and writers came to Dilijan to be creative, and there’s certainly enough natural beauty to inspire creative thought.

Lush oak and hornbeam forests dotted with wildflowers in springtime surround the resort town, with snow-capped peaks in the distance. This is perfect hiking territory, even on cooler days in the height of summer, especially along the red and white-marked Transcaucasian Trail.

Nearby are two well-kept, busy monasteries – Haghartsin and Goshavank – and there’s a zipline park that’ll get your blood pumping.

Evening: There’s little to do in the evenings in Dilijan except stroll around admiring the Swiss-meets-gingerbread-house style architecture, eat at top-notch restaurants (check out Kchuch), and rest after hiking in the mountains by day.

Day 10: Alaverdi and Debed canyon 

Go from Dilijan to Alaverdi: The 84km (52-mile) trip from Dilijan to Alaverdi takes less than two hours.

How to spend the day: The closest Armenian city to Georgia, Alaverdi is home to two UNESCO-listed monasteries and some of the country’s friendliest guesthouses, whose owners are happy to share their knowledge of the Armenian kitchen through cooking masterclasses.

Alaverdi also has a fascinating museum dedicated to two Armenians – brothers Anastas and Artyom Mikoyan – who worked their way up to the highest echelons of Soviet society. Parts of the town look a bit like Mordor due to a local copper chemical factory, which belched black smoke throughout the valley for decades.

Alaverdi and the surrounding area are filled with Soviet-era buildings, many of which are abandoned. Nearby, the Debed Canyon is one of Armenia’s prettiest regions, and yet its small towns and wide open spaces. You can go whitewater rafting on the Debed River most days from April to December.

Evening: You’ll probably dine at your guesthouse – we rate the adorable Iris Bed & Breakfast. Alternatively, head to a riverside eatery such as Restaurant Atorick.

This article was adapted from Lonely Planet’s Georgia, Armenia & Azerbaijan guidebook, published in July 2024.