31 Amazing Things to Do in Yerevan, Armenia

Yerevan, Armenia is one of my favorite places, the city I always love returning to and the one that makes it so hard for me to leave every single time. I can’t imagine a trip to Armenia without visiting Yerevan.

And even if I’ve been to the capital of Armenia so many times (over the years I spent a few months there in total) every time I visit Yerevan I have a new list of things to do in Yerevan. Because there is just so much to see, do and experience there!

And now it’s about time I share with you the list of my favorite Yerevan attractions so you know what to do in Yerevan when you visit the capital of Armenia.

To be honest, the city is not the most beautiful one, especially not in a classical way, but with so many things to do in Yerevan, you will be busy for at least two days and eventually will want to return for more.

That was the story with me however, after my first trip to Yerevan in July 2012 I wasn’t too crazy about the city. It had to grow on me but now I consider Yerevan to be one of “my” places, the one I’m a bit crazy about and wouldn’t mind living there for a while.

Short History of Yerevan, Armenia

You might be surprised but Yerevan is actually older than Rome, Italy. Not long ago the city celebrated its 2800th birthday.

That’s because in the year 782 B.C. the Erebuni Fortress was built on the territory of Yerevan and it is said the city developed from it. Over the centuries Yerevan often changed its state belongingness but never really played an important role.

Until the beginning of the 19th century, it was just a provincial town but once Yerevan became the part of the Russian Empire the city grow rapidly with its biggest development in the 20th century.

For the very short time, between 1918 and 1920, Yerevan was the capital of independent Armenia before it became part of Russia and the Soviet Union again. Since 21st September 1991, when Armenia regained the independence, Yerevan is again the capital city of the country again.

Best time to visit Yerevan

It’s great to visit Yerevan all year long but there are moments when this might not be the best idea.

If this is your first trip to Yerevan (or Armenia in general) I would avoid summer months, simply because it can be too hot, even over +40C. This makes sightseeing almost impossible as you can’t fully enjoy the place and all you can think of is finding some shadow or better yet, the air-conditioned room.

Your chances of seeing Mount Ararat – the holy mountain of Armenians – are also slim then as it’s often pretty hazy in the summer months.

Another time I would advise against visiting Yerevan is the New Year and Christmas time. Just recently I was in Yerevan exactly at that time and everything was closed: shops, museums, numerous restaurants, and cafes – everything!

The choice of places to go out, have a coffee or eat something was very limited and the majority of my favorite places was just closed. You don’t want to deal with this feeling of disappointment!

On the contrary, I would recommend visiting Yerevan in late spring or early autumn when the weather is pleasant but not too hot, days are long and sunny and you can fully focus on Yerevan sightseeing.

How to get to Yerevan

The majority of people traveling to Yerevan arrive either by plane or by land from Tbilisi, Georgia.

These days there are more and more airlines serving Yerevan airport, including low-cost flights with Ryanair and Wizzair. That makes getting to Yerevan so much easier and cheaper.

I usually use LOT Polish Airlines – they are not the cheapest (I usually buy my tickets when they are on sale) but I definitely appreciate the direct flights to Yerevan from Warsaw.

Zvartnots International Airport is located around 12 kms from the center and is connected with the city by bus or marshrutka.

Taxis are also very affordable, especially with Yandex Taxi (a local Uber) you shouldn’t pay more than 2.000 AMD. There is free wifi at the airport which should make ordering a taxi via the Yandex app much easier, you can also buy a local SIM card at the airport.

If you come from Tbilisi to Yerevan you will arrive either to Kilikia bus station (around 2,5 kilometer from the center, bus no 5 goes to the center) or the train station (you can get there by metro, station Sasuntsi David).

Click here to read in full details all about getting from Tbilisi to Yerevan.

How many days should you spend in Yerevan

I honestly think that you should plan at least 2 days in Yerevan but of course the more the merrier. I’ve spent around 2 months in Yerevan in total and still haven’t seen all Yerevan attractions I’ve wanted to, my list of things to do in Yerevan is only growing.

In those two days, you can see all the major attractions and sights, visit some museums and enjoy the city to the fullest.

While Yerevan is a very walkable city and you can get to most of the places on foot, there are a few sights, like the Armenian Genocide Memorial, that are located a bit away from the center (Yandex Taxi will come handy again).

Yerevan Card

If you plan to visit museums (and you definitely should include some of them in your Yerevan itinerary) I recommend getting the Yerevan Card – the official city pass. Not only you will get free admission to most of the museums, but the card also offers free transfer from the airport, free metro rides, numerous discounts all over the city and more.

Click here to get your Yerevan Card!

Things to do in Yerevan

So now that you know the basics of visiting Yerevan, let’s cut to the chase. Here is the list of all the best things to do in Yerevan

Climb the Cascade for the best view of Yerevan

This is the absolute number one activity in the capital of Armenia and you should start your Yerevan sightseeing with it!

The Cascade is a masterpiece of Soviet architecture and one of the most impressive things you will see in Yerevan. Designed by Sargis Gurzadyan, Jim Torosyan, and Aslan Mkhitaryan and built between 1971 and 2000s this giant, spectacular stairway is rich in the details referring to the Armenian culture and carefully planned with lots of green spaces surrounded by the concrete.

But the main reason to come here is to see the best view of Yerevan and, if you are lucky, Mount Ararat. Try to be here around the sunset time for the best light and the biggest chances to see the Holy Mountain.

If you are too lazy to climb up the stairs, and there are many of them, you can find the escalator inside the Cascade, the entrance is on the left side and it’s free of charge.

Admire the modern art at the Cascade

Once at the Cascade, after focusing first on the view of Yerevan take a look around you. There are numerous pieces of modern art scattered around on the Cascade itself and in the small park leading to the giant stairway.

They all belong to Cafesjian Center for the Arts, the modern art museum located inside the Cascades.

While you need a ticket to visit the exhibition inside, admiring the art outside and when riding the escalator is free of charge.

Among all the pieces of art here you will find your favorite ones for sure – mine is the overweight woman and the giant teapot.

Say hello to Mother Armenia

As you might have seen in other post-Soviet cities (especially in Kyiv, Ukraine and Tbilisi, Georgia) the idea of the massive statue of “mother” personifying the country is rather popular.

You can find a similar statue in Yerevan too.

Mother Armenia is located in the Victory Park above the Cascade and even if she has a very seriously-looking face and she holds a sword, she is there to take care of her country and the nation.

Around the monument, you can see a few military objects, such as tanks or planes – they are part of the military museum.

Mother Armenia isn’t the only reason why you should visit Victory Park. On the contrary to the serious statue, you can find here the amusement park with the ferries wheel (a mandatory piece in all the post-Soviet cities) and lots of other rusty attractions.

If you like exploring abandoned places, the cafe “Aragil” is perfect for that.

From in front of Mother Armenia, you can also admire some spectacular views of Yerevan and Mount Ararat.

Victory Park is located on the steep hill. You can take the escalator to the upper part of the Cascade and then keep walking further up or you can take Yandex Taxi to the park and after visiting it continue your way down to the center through the Cascade.

Visit Matenadaran to see impressive manuscripts

As you might know, Armenia has its own unique alphabet, created at the very beginning of the 5th century by Mesrop Mashtots. It has 39 letters and is very beautiful, although it looks nothing like the Latin alphabet.

Not far from the Cascades you can find Matenadaran – the museum of Armenian manuscripts, the largest one of that kind in the world. This is one of the most precious treasures of the Armenian culture.

Inside you can find around 13 thousand manuscripts, the oldest one from the 5th century. The majority of them are in the Armenian language but there are some in Latin, Arab, Hebrew, Persian, Greek, etc.

See the Opera house and get a ticket to the show

The National Opera Theater in Yerevan is a massive building, dominating the northern part of the center. It was opened in 1933 and inside you can find two halls, each of them with over a thousand seats.

If you would like to see the play here you can get the affordable tickets for the show and enjoy a bit of the culture during your time in Yerevan. You can purchase the tickets at the ticket office on the left side of the Opera House, at Sayat-Nova Avenue.

Opera and its surroundings are also a very popular place among locals, with numerous cafes, green areas and a small pond called Swan Lake. You will spend some time here for sure, just enjoying the city vibe.

Visit the Cathedral

Armenia was the first country in the world that adopted Christianity as the state religion, in the year 301. That’s one of the reasons why this country is so interesting and unique.

You won’t find all that many churches in Yerevan but there is one very impressive sanctuary – Saint Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral. It’s fairly new, finished in 2001, and currently, this is the largest cathedral of the Armenian Apostolic Church in the world.

You should visit it even if you are not a very religious person. It looks spectacular, with its sharp geometric lines, not like your usual cathedral.

The interior is a bit raw, overwhelming and a bit modern, so different from the churches we are used to seeing. From the architectural point of view, this is a real masterpiece.

Find other churches

When sightseeing in the center of Yerevan you might notice there are not too many churches around, which might be surprising considering this is the oldest Christian nation in the world. Well, they are there, just a bit hidden.

You will find them in some unusual places like the yard behind the blocks of flats, blended in between modern architecture or standing casually at the corner or busy streets.

The modern look of Yerevan was designed at the beginning of the 20th century and well, back then the church wasn’t in a good relationship with the state. The churches, even if important for the Armenian culture and identity, weren’t built on a mass scale (like in Poland, for example).

Some of the churches you might want to see include Katoghike Church (on the corner of Abovyan and Sayat-Nova streets), Zoravor Surp Astvatsatsin Church (in the yard on Parpetsi street, close to Tumanyan street) and Saint Sarkis Cathedral (on the edge of the Hrazdan Gorge at Israyelyan Street).

Walk Northern Avenue

Each city has a place where you go to see others and to be seen. For Yerevan, it’s Northern Avenue – a pedestrian street opened in 2007 that stretches from the Republic Square to the Opera.

During the day it’s a bit soulless with modern buildings that are often empty and with fancy shops but in the evening it’s bustling with people, buzzing until late night hours.

You can see here the street performers, sit down in one of the cafes and just observe the world going by and people walking up and down the street like on the catwalk.