7-Day Armenia Discovery Tour

Overview

Suggested itinerary · arranged on request

Day-by-day plan

1. Day 1

   Yerevan

   Arrival and a city tour: the Cascade and its view of Ararat, the Matenadaran manuscript museum, Republic Square and Northern Avenue. Tsitsernakaberd, the Armenian Genocide Memorial and Museum, can be visited today or on day seven.

   Overnight: Yerevan

2. Day 2

   Garni, Symphony of Stones and Geghard

   About 40–50 minutes east to the 1st-century Garni Temple and the basalt columns of the Symphony of Stones, then 15 minutes on to Geghard, partly cut from the rock (UNESCO). A lavash baking demonstration and lunch in Garni village can be requested, subject to availability. Back in Yerevan by mid-afternoon, with time to rest before the longer days ahead.

   Overnight: Yerevan

3. Day 3

   Lake Sevan, Dilijan and Haghartsin

   An hour north to Sevanavank on its peninsula above Lake Sevan, then through the tunnel into the forests of Dilijan National Park. Walk the old street of Dilijan and drive up the valley to Haghartsin Monastery, built between the 10th and 13th centuries. Return to Yerevan in the evening, about 1.5 hours.

   Overnight: Yerevan

4. Day 4

   Etchmiadzin and Amberd on Mount Aragats (or Gyumri)

   Start with Etchmiadzin Cathedral, the mother church of the Armenian Apostolic Church, about 30 minutes west of Yerevan, and the ruins of Zvartnots nearby. Then climb to Amberd Fortress at about 2,300 m on the southern slopes of Aragats, with the Vahramashen church of 1026. In summer, when the road is open, Lake Kari at about 3,200 m can be added. In winter, or if you prefer a city, replace Amberd with Gyumri, about 1.75–2 hours from Yerevan, for its 19th-century Kumayri quarter, museums and black tuff houses. Keeping Etchmiadzin as a short morning stop on that version makes a day of about 9–10 hours.

   Overnight: Yerevan

5. Day 5

   South to Goris via Khor Virap, Areni and Noravank

   Check out and head south. Stop at Khor Virap for Ararat views (about 45 minutes from Yerevan), then continue to Areni and the Areni-1 cave, where the world's oldest known winery was found. A wine tasting can be arranged with a local winery once availability is confirmed. See Noravank in its red gorge, then cross the Vorotan pass into Syunik and arrive in Goris in the early evening. A long day of about 9–10 hours, with roughly 4.5 hours of driving split into short sections.

   Overnight: Goris

6. Day 6

   Tatev, Wings of Tatev and Khndzoresk

   Drive about 30–40 minutes to Halidzor and ride the Wings of Tatev cable car, 5,752 m long, across the Vorotan gorge to Tatev. The monastery, a medieval centre of learning, has a main church built in 895–906 and a fortified wall above the cliffs. If the cable car isn't running, Tatev can be reached by road. In the afternoon, visit Khndzoresk, where people lived in cave houses until the mid-20th century, and cross the suspension bridge over the gorge. Evening in Goris, a town of stone houses below eroded rock pinnacles.

   Overnight: Goris

7. Day 7

   Zorats Karer and back to Yerevan

   Leave Goris after breakfast. About 40 minutes towards Sisian, stop at Zorats Karer (Karahunj), a prehistoric site of hundreds of standing stones on a windy plateau. Continue north back to Yerevan, about 4 hours of driving in total, arriving in the afternoon. The day can end at Zvartnots International Airport for an evening flight.

   Overnight: Yerevan, or departure

Timings are indicative. The order, pace and stops are agreed with you.

Route