All of Armenia
Destinations
The 11 provinces (marzes) of Armenia plus the 40 sites worth planning around.
vayots dzor
Areni
Areni is the birthplace of wine — 6,000-year-old winery found here. Visit Hin Areni, Areni-1 cave, local wineries, and Noravank red cliffs nearby.
Jermuk (spa town & waterfall)
Jermuk sits at 2080 m in Vayots Dzor, famed for mineral springs, a 70 m waterfall, and spa hotels. Full guide to getting there and what to do.
Noravank monastery
Noravank's 13th-century churches rise from red limestone cliffs in Vayots Dzor. Steep chapel stairs, carved reliefs, canyon setting — visitor tips.
Vayots Dzor (wine country)
Armenia's wine heartland: Areni vineyards, the world's oldest winery in Areni-1 cave, Noravank's red cliffs, Jermuk's thermal waters, Tatev within reach.
Yeghegnadzor
Yeghegnadzor is the quiet capital of Vayots Dzor — gateway to Areni wine, Noravank, Selim caravanserai, and Jermuk spa. Planning guide.
tavush
Dilijan
Dilijan blends 19th-century wooden architecture, national park forests, and a creative expat scene. Best hikes, restaurants, and hotels near Tavush.
Goshavank monastery
A 13th-century monastery founded by scholar Mkhitar Gosh in Tavush forest. How to visit, what to see, and combining with Haghartsin and Dilijan.
Haghartsin monastery
11th–13th century monastery in the Dilijan forest, restored with Sharjah funding. What to see, how to reach it from Yerevan, and pairing it with Goshavank.
Lake Parz (Dilijan NP)
Small alpine lake in Dilijan National Park, trailhead for the Goshavank hike. Zip lines, rowing boats, and forest walks. 1h45 from Yerevan in Tavush.
Tavush province
Tavush is northeast Armenia's forested highland — Dilijan, Ijevan wine, Yenokavan adventure park, Haghartsin, Goshavank, and the gateway to Georgia.
Yenokavan and Yell Extreme Park
Yenokavan hosts a 1.5 km zipline, ATVs and paragliding at Yell Extreme Park in the Tavush forest. How to reach it and what to expect.
Ijevan town
Capital of Tavush province, known for its wine factory, art scene and access to Yell Extreme Park. What to do in Ijevan and how to reach it from Yerevan.
armavir
Etchmiadzin
Etchmiadzin (Vagharshapat) is the spiritual heart of Armenian Christianity — UNESCO cathedral, holy relics, Zvartnots ruins. Complete visitor guide.
Armavir province
Armavir is home to Etchmiadzin — spiritual capital of Armenia — plus Zvartnots UNESCO ruins, Sardarapat memorial, and wineries near the Turkish border.
Zvartnots cathedral ruins
7th-century UNESCO cathedral ruins near Yerevan's airport. Partially reconstructed, paired with Etchmiadzin. Visit times, tickets, and guided tours.
Sardarapat memorial & ethnography museum
Memorial to the 1918 battle that saved Armenia from extinction, with an ethnography museum on site. 40 km from Yerevan in Armavir province.
kotayk
Garni temple
Armenia's only surviving pagan temple and the Symphony of Stones gorge. How to reach Garni from Yerevan, what to see, where to eat nearby.
Geghard monastery
UNESCO cave monastery carved into rock in the Azat gorge. How to visit Geghard from Yerevan, opening hours, what to see inside.
Kotayk province
Kotayk surrounds Yerevan on the east — home to Garni temple, Geghard monastery, Symphony of Stones, and Tsaghkadzor ski resort. Best day-trip province.
Tsaghkadzor ski resort
Armenia's only ski resort, 60 km from Yerevan. Runs, chairlift to Mt Teghenis, Kecharis Monastery, and summer hiking — season, prices, how to get there.
Symphony of Stones
Thousands of hexagonal basalt columns rising from the Azat river gorge. How to reach the Symphony of Stones from Garni and Yerevan.
Bjni village & fortress
Medieval Bjni fortress ruins and a 7th-century church, plus the trailhead for the popular Bjni–Tsaghkadzor mountain trek. Day trip from Yerevan.
gegharkunik
Gegharkunik (Lake Sevan province)
Gegharkunik province is dominated by Lake Sevan — Armenia's 'blue pearl.' Sevanavank, Hayravank, Noratus khachkars, and the gateway to Dilijan via the tunnel.
Lake Sevan
Lake Sevan at 1,900 m: beaches, Sevanavank monastery, ishkhan trout, and day-trip logistics from Yerevan. One of the world's largest alpine lakes.
Sevanavank monastery
Sevanavank's 9th-century churches crown a Lake Sevan peninsula. How to visit, best photography angles, and what the 200-step climb feels like at altitude.
Noratus khachkar cemetery
The largest khachkar cemetery in the world — hundreds of medieval cross-stones near Lake Sevan. Half-day from Yerevan, free entry, always accessible.
Hayravank monastery
9th-century monastery on Lake Sevan's quieter southern shore, less visited than Sevanavank. Combine with Noratus cemetery for the full lakeshore circuit.
shirak
Gyumri
Gyumri: 19th-century stone architecture, 1988 earthquake history, thriving arts scene, and real Armenian life. Armenia's most authentic second city.
Shirak province
Shirak is Armenia's cultural northwest — Gyumri, the 1988 earthquake city turned arts hub, Marmashen monastery, and an open highland near the Turkish border.
Marmashen monastery
10th–13th century monastery on the Akhuryan river near Gyumri. One of the most peaceful and least-visited monastery complexes in western Armenia.
lori
Haghpat monastery (UNESCO)
10th-century UNESCO monastery in Lori, 3h30 from Yerevan and 1h from Georgia. Sayat-Nova manuscripts, exceptional gavit ceiling, and Debed gorge views.
Sanahin monastery (UNESCO)
10th-century UNESCO monastery above the Debed gorge, 10 minutes from Haghpat. Remarkable gavit ceiling and the Mikoyan brothers' birthplace monument nearby.
Akhtala monastery and fortress
A fortress-monastery in Lori with some of the best-preserved Byzantine-style frescoes in Armenia, less visited than UNESCO neighbours Haghpat and Sanahin.
Lori province
Lori is northern Armenia's most dramatic province — UNESCO monasteries Haghpat and Sanahin, dense gorges, Vanadzor, and the gateway to Tbilisi via Georgia.
Vanadzor (3rd city)
Armenia's third city at the gateway to Lori's UNESCO monasteries. Base for Haghpat, Sanahin and Akhtala, with a post-Soviet character and cycling tours.
Alaverdi and Sanahin gorge
Copper-mining town in the Debed gorge, connected to Sanahin monastery by a 1976 cable car. Closest Armenian stop from Tbilisi for Haghpat and Sanahin.
Dsegh village (Tumanyan birthplace)
Mountain village in Lori where poet Hovhannes Tumanyan was born. The Tumanyan House Museum and wild-tea foraging tours offer a rewarding literary detour.
Odzun basilica
One of Armenia's oldest basilicas, dating from the 7th century, in a highland village above the Debed gorge. Combine with Akhtala and Lori's UNESCO monasteries.
Stepanavan and Dendropark
Northern Lori town near a Soviet-era Dendropark with 1,000+ plant species and the ruined Lori Berd medieval fortress. Base for the quieter plateau side of Lori.
ararat marz
Khor Virap monastery
Khor Virap monastery rises from the Ararat plain, metres from Turkey. Best views of Mount Ararat in Armenia — if the haze allows.
Ararat province
Ararat province lies south of Yerevan with Khor Virap monastery and its iconic view of Mount Ararat, plus the Khosrov Forest State Reserve.
aragatsotn
Mount Aragats
Mount Aragats has four summits — the highest in Armenia at 4,090 m. Day hike guides, Amberd fortress, Lake Kari, and seasonal access tips.
Amberd fortress
11th-century fortress at 2,300 m on the slopes of Mount Aragats, 1 hour from Yerevan. Hiking, history, and mountain views in Aragatsotn province.
Aragatsotn province
Aragatsotn surrounds Mount Aragats (4090 m), Armenia's highest peak, with Amberd fortress, Alphabet Monument, Saghmosavank, Hovhannavank, and alpine lakes.
Saghmosavank monastery
13th-century 'psalm monastery' perched on the edge of the Kasakh gorge near Aparan. One of Armenia's most dramatically positioned medieval monasteries.
Armenian alphabet monument
39 carved stone letters commemorating the creation of the Armenian alphabet in 405 AD. Near Artashavan village, 45 min from Yerevan in Aragatsotn.
Byurakan observatory
Still-operational astronomical observatory founded by Viktor Ambartsumian in 1946 on the slopes of Mount Aragats. Guided tours available from Yerevan.
Hovhannavank monastery
13th-century monastery dedicated to St John the Baptist, on the Kasakh gorge rim near Saghmosavank. Detailed stonework and dramatic canyon views.
syunik
Syunik province
Syunik is southern Armenia's wildest province: Tatev monastery, Wings of Tatev cable car, Khndzoresk caves, Karahunj megaliths, and mountain wilderness.
Tatev monastery & Wings of Tatev
Tatev monastery perches above Syunik's deepest gorge. Reach it via the Wings of Tatev — world's longest reversible cable car. Full planning guide.
Goris (gateway to Tatev)
Goris is Syunik's most likeable town — limestone canyons, unique Soviet streetscape, and the closest base for Tatev monastery and Khndzoresk cave village.
Karahunj / Zorats Karer (Armenian Stonehenge)
Karahunj (Zorats Karer) is a 5,500-year-old standing stone field near Sisian with bore holes aligned to celestial bodies — older than Stonehenge.
Khndzoresk (cave village + swinging bridge)
Khndzoresk is a former cave village in Syunik with cave dwellings inhabited until the 1950s and a 160 m swinging bridge over its canyon. Day-trip guide.
Kapan & Mount Khustup
Kapan is the capital of Syunik at the foot of Mount Khustup (3201 m). Off-road summit trips, forest gorges, and the remoteness of deep southern Armenia.
Shaki waterfall
Shaki waterfall is an 18 m basalt cascade on the Vorotan river near Sisian in Syunik — a quick, scenic stop on the southern Armenia circuit.
Sisian
Sisian is a small Syunik town near Karahunj standing stones, Vorotnaberd fortress ruins, and the Shikahogh reserve — a useful stop on the Syunik circuit.
