What to see in Armenia

Soviet Modernist Yerevan: An Architecture Walk

• Museums and city sights
• Central Armenia & Yerevan

Walk Yerevan's Soviet modernism: Rossiya Cinema, Komitas Hall, Cascade, Hrazdan Stadium and Demirchyan Complex - dates, route order, and what still stands.

Sardarapat Memorial: Armenia's 1918 Battle Site

• Museums and city sights
• Central Armenia & Yerevan

Sardarapat Memorial near Armavir: 1918 battle site, Israelyan's red-tufa complex, ethnography museum tickets, hours and how to reach it from Yerevan.

Goshavank Monastery & the Village of Gosh

• Churches and monasteries
• Northern Armenia

Visiting Goshavank: Mkhitar Gosh's law code that reached Poland, the 1291 embroidered khachkar, his statue and hillside tomb, and the drive from Dilijan.

Byurakan Observatory: Stargazing on Aragats

• Museums and city sights
• Central Armenia & Yerevan

Visit Byurakan Observatory on Mount Aragats: day tours, the 2.6m telescope, night stargazing prices and how to book ahead on bao.am.

Haghartsin Monastery: Dilijan's Forest Abbey

• Churches and monasteries
• Northern Armenia

Visiting Haghartsin monastery near Dilijan: the three medieval churches, the Zakarid rebuild, the debated royal tomb, and the 2008-2013 restoration.

The Cascade: Yerevan's Stairway of Art and Views

• Museums and city sights
• Central Armenia & Yerevan

Yerevan Cascade: 572 steps, free escalators, Cafesjian sculpture garden and city views. Hours, how to visit, and when Ararat actually shows.

Best Places to Visit in Armenia

Essential places to visit in Armenia by region: Yerevan, Khor Virap, Garni, Sevan, Dilijan, Tatev, Gyumri and Lori - what to prioritise on a first trip.

Matenadaran: Yerevan's Museum of Ancient Manuscripts

• Museums and city sights
• Central Armenia & Yerevan

Matenadaran holds about 23,000 manuscripts, including a 28kg book saved from genocide in two halves. Tickets, hours and what's actually worth seeing.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Armenia

• Churches and monasteries

Armenia has three UNESCO World Heritage sites: Haghpat and Sanahin, Geghard, Echmiatsin with Zvartnots. What is inscribed, what is not, how to visit.

Areni-1 Cave: The World's Oldest Winery

• Caves
• Southern Armenia

Inside Areni-1, the cave near Areni that gave up the oldest known winery, the oldest leather shoe and a Copper Age brain - what was found and how to visit.

Karahunj (Zorats Karer): The Armenian Stonehenge

• Mountains and nature
• Southern Armenia

Visit Karahunj (Zorats Karer), Armenia's answer to Stonehenge: 223 standing stones near Sisian, the whistling holes, the real age, and how to get there.

Tsitsernakaberd: Visiting the Armenian Genocide Memorial

• Museums and city sights
• Central Armenia & Yerevan

A respectful guide to Tsitsernakaberd, the Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan: the eternal flame, the museum, hours, entry and how to get there.

Khndzoresk Cave Village & Swinging Bridge

• Caves
• Southern Armenia

How to visit Old Khndzoresk in southern Armenia: the abandoned cave village, the 160 m swinging bridge over the gorge, the loop walk and getting there.

Sevanavank Monastery: History and How to Visit

• Churches and monasteries
• Northern Armenia

How to visit Sevanavank, the 9th-century monastery on the Lake Sevan peninsula: the two dark-stone churches, the climb, its history and getting there.

Etchmiadzin Cathedral: Armenia's Holy Mother See

• Churches and monasteries
• Central Armenia & Yerevan

Etchmiadzin Cathedral, the world's oldest cathedral and seat of the Armenian Church: the descent legend, the Holy Lance and how to visit from Yerevan.

Where to See Mount Ararat: Best Viewpoints in Armenia

• Mountains and nature
• Central Armenia & Yerevan

Where to see Mount Ararat in Armenia: the best viewpoints at Khor Virap, the Yerevan Cascade and Charents Arch, and when the mountain actually shows.

Zvartnots Cathedral: Armenia's UNESCO Temple Ruins

• Churches and monasteries
• Central Armenia & Yerevan

Zvartnots Cathedral: the ruined 7th-century round temple near Yerevan, why the 45m rotunda fell, what to see today, and how to pair it with Etchmiadzin.

Armenia's 20 Monasteries & UNESCO Sites by Region

• Churches and monasteries

A map-register of Armenia's 20 top monasteries, temples and UNESCO sites by region: founding century, distance from Yerevan, UNESCO status and entry.

Best Monasteries in Armenia

• Churches and monasteries

How to choose between the best monasteries in Armenia: Khor Virap, Geghard, Tatev, Noravank, Sevanavank and the UNESCO north, grouped by region.

Mount Aragats and Lake Kari

• Mountains and nature
• Central Armenia & Yerevan

How to visit Mount Aragats and Lake Kari: the drive-up alpine lake at 3,200 m, the four peaks, Amberd fortress and Byurakan, and the easiest summit hike.

Northern Armenia: Lori, Haghpat & Sanahin

• Churches and monasteries
• Northern Armenia

What to see in Lori, northern Armenia: the UNESCO monasteries of Haghpat and Sanahin, Odzun, the Debed canyon, Lori Berd and Tumanyan country in Dsegh.

Dilijan: Armenia's Little Switzerland

• Spa and resort towns
• Northern Armenia

Visiting Dilijan, Armenia's forested spa town: Haghartsin and Goshavank monasteries, the Sharambeyan craft quarter, hiking, and getting there from Yerevan.

Garni Temple & Geghard Monastery: Day Trip from Yerevan

• Churches and monasteries
• Central Armenia & Yerevan

Garni and Geghard in a half-day from Yerevan: the only Greco-Roman temple in the region, a cliff-carved UNESCO monastery, Symphony of Stones and lavash.

Khor Virap Monastery: Ararat Views & How to Visit

• Churches and monasteries
• Central Armenia & Yerevan

How to visit Khor Virap, Armenia's signature Ararat view: the monastery under the mountain, the pit you can climb into, and when the peak shows.

Lake Sevan, Armenia: Beaches, Water Temps and Getting There

• Lakes and canyons
• Northern Armenia

Water near 20°C in July and August, free public beaches, 24 departures a day from the Northern Bus Station in Yerevan, Sevanavank and the lake off-season.

Noravank Monastery: Armenia's Red-Cliff Gem

• Churches and monasteries
• Southern Armenia

How to visit Noravank: the two-storey Burtelashen church and its narrow cliff-face staircase, the red Amaghu gorge, and the drive from Yerevan via Areni.

Wings of Tatev & Tatev Monastery: Complete Guide

• Churches and monasteries
• Southern Armenia

How to ride the Wings of Tatev, the world's longest reversible cableway, visit the clifftop Tatev monastery, and reach it from Yerevan or Goris.