Unforgettable Week in Armenia

Unforgettable Week in Armenia

During this week you'll make an unforgettable journey through Armenia. You will learn about the culture, traditions, food and lifestyle of Armenians. You will have an opportunity to bake Armenian national bread Lavash, taste Armenian wine, see ancient monasteries, churches, temples, be the part of the astonishing nature.

Itinerary

Day 1: Evening walk in Yerevan

Stop At: Dancing Fountains, Republic Square, Yerevan 0013 Armenia
The singing and dancing fountains at the Republic Square of Yerevan attract both travelers and locals. Operating between spring and fall, the fountains include a colorful light show and feature not only classical music, but also pop, rock and jazz.
Duration: 1 hour

No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Hotel

Day 2: Etchmiadzin - Zvartnots - Yerevan

Stop At: Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Vagarshapat, Vagharshapat, Armenia
According to most scholars it was the first cathedral built in ancient Armenia, and is often considered the oldest cathedral in the world. The original church was built in the early fourth century—between 301 and 303 according to tradition—by Armenia's patron saint Gregory the Illuminator, following the adoption of Christianity as a state religion by King Tiridates III.
Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Zvartnots Temple, Vagharshapat Armenia
Zvartnots Cathedral (literally 'celestial angels cathedral') is a 7th-century centrally planned aisled tetraconch type Armenian cathedral built by the order of Catholicos Nerses the Builder.
Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Matenadaran - The Museum of Ancient Manuscripts, Mashots Av 53, Yerevan 0013 Armenia
The Matenadaran, officially the Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts is a museum, repository of manuscripts, and a research institute in Yerevan. Currently, the Matenadaran contains a total of some 23,000 manuscripts and scrolls—including fragments.
Duration: 1 hour

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Hotel

Day 3: Garni - Geghard - Sevanavank - Haghartsin - Dilijan

Stop At: Garni Temple, Geghard Monastery Road H3, Garni Armenia
An Ionic pagan temple located in the village of Garni. It is the best-known structure and symbol of pre-Christian Armenia. The structure was built by king Tiridates I in the first century AD as a temple to the sun god Mihr.
Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: The Monastery of Geghard, Geghard Armenia
Geghard is a medieval monastery, being partially carved out of the adjacent mountain, surrounded by cliffs. It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site with enhanced protection status.
The monastery complex was founded in the 4th century by Gregory the Illuminator at the site of a sacred spring inside a cave.
Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Monastery Sevanavank, next the Holy Mother of God Church, Sevan Armenia
Sevanavank sits on the peninsula east of Sevan City, at one time an island which archeological digs have shown to have been inhabited during the Neolithic and Bronze Ages. According to an inscription in one of the churches, the monastery of Sevanavank was founded in 874 by Princess Mariam.
Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Haghartsin Monastery, Dilijan Armenia
Haghartsin is a 13th-century monastery located near the town of Dilijan. It is located in a rainforest on a mountainside.
Duration: 1 hour

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight at guest house.

Day 4: Hayravank - Vardenyats Pass - Areni - Noravank - Bird Cave - Yeghegnadzor

Stop At: Hayravank Monastery, Hayravank Armenia
Hayravank is a 9th to 12th century Armenian monastery located along the southwest shores of Lake Sevan.
Surrounding the monastery are numerous khachkars and gravestones that are part of a small cemetery. To the northwest a short distance from the site, are the remains of Bronze Age through medieval fortification walls and foundations of a settlement. A polished black vessel of the Early Bronze Age was discovered during archaeological excavations in the area. Weapons of metal and stone, tools, clay idols, numerous vessels, fireplaces and two tombs, all from the Iron Age were discovered in the vicinity as well.
Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Vardenyats Pass (Selim Pass), M10 Highway, Geghhovit Armenia
Vardenyats pass (Selim) is an ancient caravanserai. The building served as a place where caravans who moved from Europe to the East stopped for an overnight stay.
Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Areni Wine Factory, Areni Armenia
Founders Armen and Ashkhen will tell us about their wine factory and will allow us to taste different kinds of Armenian wine.
Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Noravank Monastery, Areni Armenia
Noravank is a 13th-century Armenian monastery, located in a narrow gorge made by the Amaghu River, near the town of Yeghegnadzor. The gorge is known for its tall, sheer, brick-red cliffs, directly across from the monastery.
The monastery is best known for its two-storey Surb Astvatsatsin (Holy Mother of God) church, which grants access to the second floor by way of a narrow stone-made staircase jutting out from the face of building, one of the earliest examples of cantilever architecture.
Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: T'rchuneri (Bird) Cave, Highway, At the Entrance To Noravank Canyon, Areni Armenia
The excavation is located above the Arpa River, inside a Karst Cavern made from tens of thousands of years of mineral water dripping into limestone crevices.
It consists of three rooms or halls, the first two of which are connected by passageways. There are also niches and “basement” and “attic” floors opening upward and downward from the first room. The total area of the cave is about 500 square meters.
Duration: 1 hour

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight at guest house.

Day 5: Jermuk - Carahunge - Tatev - Goris

Stop At: Mineral water gallery, Jermuk 3701, Armenia
Jermuk is known for its fresh air, waterfall, artificial lakes, walking trails, the surrounding forests and mineral water pools.
In Mineral water gallery we will taste 5 different kinds of mineral water with different temperature from 30 to 53 degrees.
Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Jermuk Waterfall, Jermuk Armenia
The waterfall of Jermuk on Arpa river has a height of 70 meters.
Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Karahunj, Sisian, Armenia
Carahunge is a prehistoric archaeological site, which is 3, 500 years older than England's Stonehenge and 3, 000 years older than the Egyptian pyramids.
It was created as an astronomical observatory marking the movement not only of the sun and moon, but also the stars.
Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Wings of Tatev, Halidzor Village, Halidzor Armenia
Wings of Tatev is a 5.7 km cableway between Halidzor and the Tatev monastery in Armenia. It is the longest reversible aerial tramway built in only one section, and holds the record for Longest non-stop double track cable car.
Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Tatev Monastery, Tatev Armenia
Tatev Monastery is a 9th-century Armenian Apostolic monastery located on a large basalt plateau.
The monastic ensemble stands on the edge of a deep gorge of the Vorotan River.
Duration: 1 hour

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Hotel

Day 6: Khndzoresk - Vorotnavank - Khor Virap

Stop At: Khndzoresk Swinging Bridge, M12, Yerevan 0032 Armenia
Khndzoresk Bridge is 160-meter long bridge weighting 14 tons, connects the two banks of the village, Old and New Khndzoresk. Old Khndzoresk is famous as a cave settlement, where the village is located on both slopes of the mountain and inhabitant have used natural and artificial caves on those slopes as dwellings. The New Khndzoresk was built in the 1950s.
Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Vorotnavank Monastery, Vorotan Armenia
Vorotnavank is a monastic complex located along a ridge overlooking the Vorotan gorge. The complex is surrounded by a high stone wall for defense against foreign invasions and once housed workshops, stores, a seminary, resort, cemetery and an alms-house. A pillar stood in the yard of the monastery symbolizing that there were monks entering into religious service and kings inaugurated at this location.
Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Khor Virap, Artashat, Lusarat Armenia
Khor Virap is one of the most popular destinations in Armenia, because it is where St. Gregory the Illuminator was imprisoned for 13 years before curing King Trdat III of a disease. This caused the conversion of the king and Armenia into the first officially Christian nation in the world in the year 301.
Duration: 1 hour

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Hotel

Day 7: Vernissage market - Yerevan food market

Stop At: Vernissage Market, Northern Avenue 6/2, Yerevan 0013 Armenia
Vernissage is a big open air market which offers traditional Armenian jewelry, souvenirs, handicrafts and many other items. Here one can get bags, t-shirts, hats with typical Armenian pattern. Almost everything is handmade.
Duration: 1 hour

Meals included:
• Breakfast
No accommodation included on this day.