Yerevan is called a city on eternal vacation: it seems that no one is in a hurry here, and local residents, instead of the frantic pace of life and the eternal race characteristic of capitals, choose to enjoy every minute. People leisurely stroll along beautiful streets and parks, sit in restaurants and admire the majestic Ararat rising on the horizon. Fairy tale! And now it is very easy to get into it.
How to get there
The most profitable way to the capital of Armenia from Moscow is to fly with Aeroflot flights with a connection in Sochi. The duration of the journey depends on the transfer, on average it takes about 16 hours on the road, and the cost of the flight is about 15,000 rubles one way.
Planes arrive at Zvartnots airport, which is located 12 km from Yerevan. From there you can get to the city center in half an hour by bus No. 201 or minibuses No. 107 and 108. By taxi the journey will take 15 minutes.
Entry rules
Entry for Russian tourists is free, no COVID documents are required. You don’t need a visa either, and you can get to Armenia even without having a foreign passport – using a Russian one. You can stay in the country for up to 180 days.
Where to stay
There are many different accommodation options in Yerevan – from inexpensive hostels to five-star hotels and comfortable apartments. If you want to live within walking distance of the main attractions, choose housing in the center: this is the area of Republic Square, Abovyan, Tumanyan, Khanjyan, Moskovyan, Martiros Saryan streets, Mesrop Mashtots Avenue.
A night in a hotel of at least three stars with good guest reviews (score 8 points out of 10) will cost from 3,000 rubles for a double room.
What to see
Republic Square
You should start getting to know the city from its center, and in Yerevan this is the main square. Around it are located the building of the Government of Armenia, the Marriott Armenia hotel, the House of Ministries (the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Transport and Communications are located there), Central Post Office and Museum of History of Armenia.
In the center of Republic Square there are singing fountains, which many tourists and locals come to see in the evenings. The spectacle is very beautiful: jets of water seem to dance to music – from classical masterpieces to popular rock and pop compositions. The performance ends with the song “Une vie d’amour” by Charles Aznavour.
The singing fountains on Republic Square are open from late May to October every day from Tuesday to Sunday. The illuminated show starts at 20:00 and lasts 2 hours.
Museum of History of Armenia
Address:pl. Respubliki, 4.
Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday from 11:00 to 18:00, entrance until 17:30. Monday is a day off.
Ticket price: 1000 drams (4000 drams – with a tour in Russian).
Site: https://historymuseum.am/ru/
One of the most famous museums in the country, which you definitely need to visit to learn more about Armenia. Last year it turned one hundred years old, and most of the halls were temporarily closed for reconstruction, but now almost all of them are working, and by the summer they promise to open the rest.
The museum houses a rich collection – more than 400,000 exhibits! You can, for example, look at ancient shoes made of solid leather, which are about 5,500 years old, and 6,000-year-old utensils for making wine. We recommend taking a tour, otherwise you will miss out on a lot of interesting things.
Grand Cascade and Cafesjian Arts Center
Address: st. Tamanyan, 10
Opening hours: the gallery is open daily from 8:00 to 20:00.
Ticket price: visit to the Cascade and gallery is free.
Site: https://www.cmf.am/
One of the modern symbols, without which it is no longer possible to imagine Yerevan. The cascade starts in a small park and rises to Victory Park (we’ll talk about it separately). This is a monumental structure: a pompous staircase with sculptures, fountains and flowerpots.
The cascade was designed in the general plan of the city by the famous architect Alexander Tamanyan (a monument to him now stands at the foot of the stairs). This system of stepped passages with waterfalls and flower beds was supposed to connect the central and northern parts of the city. Construction began in the 80s, after the collapse of the Union it was frozen and resumed only in the early 2000s. By the way, the construction is not finished yet, but you can still go up to the observation deck.
Today, inside the Cascade there is the Cafesjian Arts Center, where, along with paintings and sculptures by Armenian artists, you can see the works of Marc Chagall and Andy Warhol.
At the top of the Cascade there is an observation deck from which a wonderful view of the city and Ararat opens. It’s best to come at sunset – at this time of day the “pink city” (Yerevan is so called for the houses made of pink, white and yellow tuff in the center) is especially beautiful.
Victory Park (“Akhtanak”)
Working hours: Mother Armenia Museum is open on weekdays from 10:00 to 17:00, and on weekends – until 15: 00.
Ticket price: free.
If you climb to the top of the Great Cascade and walk a little further, you will find yourself in Victory Park. From here you also have an excellent view of the city, and you can also ride a Ferris wheel and look at the Mother Armenia monument. This monument perpetuates the feat of the Armenian people in the Great Patriotic War.
At the foot of the monument the Eternal Flame burns, and at the base there is a military museum, where personal belongings of heroes not only of the Second World War, but also of the Karabakh War are displayed.
Erebuni Fortress and Museum
Address: st. Erebuni, house 38
Opening hours: Tuesday-Saturday 10:30 to 16:40. Monday and Sunday are days off.
Ticket price: 1500 drams, with excursion – 4000 drams.
Site: erebuni.am
Once upon a time, the ancient state of Urartu was located on the Armenian highlands. Today all that remains of it are the ruins of a fortress called Erebuni (this was the name of the capital of Urartu), founded in 782 BC. It is located on the Arin-Berd hill on the outskirts of Yerevan. The ruins themselves are not very interesting: there really is little left here, you can only estimate the size of the ancient palace and temples from the foundations.
If you want to know more, take a tour: the guides fascinatingly talk about the history of the ancient state and draw attention to the unsolved mysteries and secrets that archaeologists discovered. The excursion is also worth visiting the museum at the fortress, where examples of Urartu culture found here are exhibited.
Matenadaran
Address: Mashtots Ave., 53.
Operating hours: Tuesday to Saturday from 10:00 to 17:00. The ticket office is open until 16:30. Monday and Sunday are days off.
Ticket price: adult – 1500 drams, visiting with a guided tour in Russian – 5000 drams.
Site: https://matenadaran.am/
In general, this is a research center and one of the largest repositories of manuscripts in the world. It sounds a bit boring? However, the local museum is considered one of the most interesting in Yerevan, and even children are delighted with it.
The best way to explore the museum’s huge collection, located in 14 halls, is with a guided tour. The guide will tell you many unusual facts, offer directions using the first printed map in the Armenian language, and show you the largest manuscript in the world (weighing 28 kilograms!). The smallest one is also kept here – this is an explanatory calendar dating from the 15th century, weighing only 19 grams – a little less than four ten-ruble coins.
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