Armenia - Monasteries, Mountains & Mount Ararat

Arrival in Yerevan

Pickup from Yerevan Airport

Check in at Yerevan Hotel

Breakfast at hotel and leave for city tour

Visit Tsitsernakaberd Genocide Memorial Complex

Pay solemn respects at Tsitsernakaberd, Armenia's official memorial dedicated to the 1.5 million victims of the Armenian Genocide of 1915, featuring a striking 44-metre stele, an eternal flame, and the informative adjacent Genocide Museum. A profoundly moving and historically essential visit.

Visit Matenadaran Manuscripts Museum

Explore the Matenadaran, one of the world's premier repositories of ancient manuscripts, housing over 23,000 Armenian, Greek, Arabic, and Persian manuscripts dating back to the 5th century. This UNESCO-recognized collection offers a fascinating window into Armenian scholarship, art, and Christian heritage.

Visit Mother Armenia Monument

Visit the iconic Mother Armenia statue, a towering 22-metre aluminium figure holding a sword aloft in Victory Park, symbolising peace through strength and replacing a former Stalin statue. The base houses a military museum and the monument commands expansive views over Yerevan.

Visit Cascade Complex

Ascend the monumental Cascade, a giant stairway of limestone steps connecting central Yerevan to the Victory Park hilltop, adorned with fountains, modern sculptures, and open-air art installations. The interior escalators pass through galleries of contemporary art, and the terrace offers spectacular panoramic views of Yerevan and Mount Ararat.

Explore Etchmiadzin Cathedral & Museum

Visit Etchmiadzin Cathedral, the mother church of the Armenian Apostolic Church, founded in 301 AD and regarded as one of the oldest Christian cathedrals in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The adjacent museum houses sacred relics, ancient manuscripts, and extraordinary ecclesiastical treasures.

Visit Republic Square

Explore Republic Square, the grand neoclassical heart of Yerevan, flanked by tuff-stone government buildings, the History Museum, and the Musical Fountain, which performs nightly light-and-water shows. A perfect starting point for exploring the city and absorbing its cosmopolitan energy.

Visit Vernissage Market

Browse the vibrant Vernissage open-air market near Republic Square, where local artisans sell handmade carpets, wooden carvings, lacework, antiques, ceramics, and traditional Armenian souvenirs. A lively and colourful experience perfect for finding unique keepsakes and interacting with local craftspeople.

Back to hotel at Yerevan

Dinner and Cultural dance show

Breakfast at hotel

Departure for Garni & Geghard

Charents' Arch (Mount Ararat View)

Visit the triumphal Charents' Arch, erected in honour of Armenian poet Yeghishe Charents, which frames one of the most celebrated views of snow-capped Mount Ararat rising above the Ararat Valley. On a clear day, this iconic viewpoint delivers an unforgettable and deeply symbolic panorama.

Azat River Gorge – Symphony of Stones

Walk along the spectacular Azat River Gorge to admire the 'Symphony of Stones,' a natural formation of tens of thousands of tightly packed basalt columns rising up to 50 metres, created by ancient volcanic activity. Often compared to the Giant's Causeway, this geological wonder is one of Armenia's most dramatic natural sights.

Visit Garni Temple

Explore the magnificent Garni Temple, the only standing Greco-Roman colonnaded structure in the former Soviet Union, built in the 1st century AD as a pagan temple dedicated to the sun god Mihr. Set on a dramatic triangular basalt cliff above the Azat River Gorge, the site also features ruins of a royal summer palace and bathhouse.

Lunch in Garni

Enjoy a traditional Armenian lunch at a local restaurant in the Garni village area, typically featuring lavash bread, khorovats (BBQ), fresh herbs, local cheeses, and seasonal salads. A relaxed midday meal in a rustic mountain setting between sightseeing stops.

Visit Geghard Monastery (UNESCO)

Discover Geghard Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage Site partly carved directly into the cliff face of the Azat River Gorge, founded in the 4th century and renowned for its extraordinary medieval khachkar carvings and rock-hewn chambers. The atmospheric candlelit interior and dramatic mountain setting make it one of Armenia's most spiritually powerful sites.

Return to the hotel

Breakfast at the hotel

Visit Old Dilijan Complex, Sharambeyan Street

Stroll along Sharambeyan Street in Dilijan, Armenia's charming 'Little Switzerland,' where a beautifully restored 19th-century complex of craftsmen's houses hosts artisan workshops, studios, and a small ethnographic museum. A delightful immersion into Armenian folk crafts and traditional architecture.

Visit Lake Sevan

Explore Lake Sevan, one of the largest high-altitude freshwater lakes in the world, and hike up to the 9th-century Sevanavank Monastery dramatically positioned on a promontory overlooking the brilliant blue lake. The sweeping vistas and cool mountain air make this one of Armenia's most memorable experiences.

Visit Haghpat Monastery

Explore the twin UNESCO World Heritage monastery complexes of Haghpat and Sanahin in the Debed Canyon of northern Armenia, both dating from the 10th–13th centuries and representing the pinnacle of Armenian medieval religious architecture. These beautifully preserved stone complexes feature magnificent gavits, bell towers, khachkars, and libraries set amid forested hillsides.

Return to hotel

Breakfast & Check Out

Leave for Tbilisi

Airport drop by 7 pm