A Deluxe Tour Of Armenian Treasures

Arrival at Zvartnots International airport. Meet and greet transfer to the hotel. Check-in at the hotel. Rest and overnight at the hotel.   

Breakfast at hotel. Start our exploration of the vibrant capital of Armenia, Yerevan, where the ancient culture is mixed with modern lifestyle and great traditions. Though the city has turned 2800 years’ old, it keep up to the latest trends alive with hustle and bustle of contemporary life. We start our tour from the Republic Square, the masterpiece of the architect Alexander Tamanian. Continue to Cascade Complex, an open-air museum of modern art. The complex links the downtown with the residential area with massive stairways leading up to the Victory Park providing a fantastic overlook to the entire downtown from above.  The monument to Mother Armenia is standing tall in the park carefully guarding the city from above. Next we are in the Opera House, a remarkable sample of urban architecture and a lively hub of the city. Freedom Square is just behind it, surrounded by parks and outdoor cafes which are a favorite spot to spend breezy summer evenings. Our next visit is Parliament Park facing the splendid building of The National Assembly of Armenia. The park in newly opened to the public after velvet Revolution in Armenia, May 2018 and locals have loved this site so much that the park has become one of the main walking areas in the evenings. Lunch at local restaurant. Continue to Memorial park to the victims of Armenian Genocide in the 20th Century. Visit to Matenadaran, an observatory and home to the world’s largest collection of Armenian Illuminated manuscripts, books and fragments of all times (closed on Mondays). Dinner at local restaurant. Overnight in Yerevan. (B/L/D)

After your nice rest in the forested area with fresh air in your lungs, you will start the tour to the high-mountainous Lake Sevan – the emerald of Armenia. It is the largest lake in Armenia and The Caucasus, and one of the largest fresh-water high-altitude lakes in the world. This huge mountain lake which takes a huge territory of Armenia’s surface area is about 1,900 meters above sea level. Sightseeing on Sevan Peninsula. Visit the Peninsula for the monastery and perfect views over the lake. Continue to Garni. Lunch at a local house in Garni where you will have opportunity to watch Armenian national bread “Lavash” baking and barbecue making process in the underground stove called “tonir”. Visit the pagan temple of Garni is a picturesque monument of the Hellenistic period and an impressive piece of ancient Armenian architecture. It was built in the 1st century A.D. by the Armenian King Tiridates and it is dedicated to a heathen god, probably to Mithra, the god of the sun whose figure stood in the depth of the sanctuary. After proclaiming Christianity as a state religion in Armenia in 301, the temple was probably used as a summer residence of the kings. Northeast of Garni, higher up the gorge of the Azat River, there is a magnificent monument of medieval Armenian architecture – Geghard Monastery inscribed in UNESCO World Heritage list. Welcome dinner at a traditional Armenian restaurant. Overnight in Yerevan. (B/L/D)