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For almost all visitors, their introduction to Armenia begins with Yerevan.
Armenia’s capital, which recently celebrated its 2,800th anniversary, immediately captivates visitors. The “Pink City,” as it’s known due to its many tuff buildings, often welcomes visitors with sunny weather.
Modern Yerevan owes its fame to the architect Alexander Tamanyan. He designed the city’s master plan, transforming Yerevan from a small town in the early twentieth century into one of the most beautiful capitals.
In this article, we’ll tell you what to see in Yerevan so you don’t miss the most interesting sights.
Republic Square
The square’s shape is formed by five prominent buildings:
The National History Museum of Armenia
The Government of Armenia, with its tower housing the city’s main clock and bells
The Central Post Office Building
The Marriott Armenia Hotel
The Ministry of Energy
The square is adorned with the famous singing fountains
Cascade Complex
Another popular landmark in Yerevan is the Cascade Complex.
The Cascade is a large, beautiful staircase. Climbing it to the very top opens up to a stunning panorama of the city with Mount Ararat on the horizon.
The Cascade is also a center for contemporary art. Museums, galleries, and numerous sculptures are located here. The most popular of these are those by the renowned Colombian sculptor Botero.
The Cascade is a very popular meeting place for Yerevan residents and visitors alike. It also boasts numerous cozy restaurants.
Opera House
The Opera and Ballet Theatre is located on Freedom Square between the Cascade complex and Republic Square. The opera building was also designed by Tamanyan. It consists of two concert halls: the Aram Khachaturian Concert Hall, which seats 1,400, and the Alexander Spendiaryan National Opera and Ballet Theatre, which seats 1,200. One of Yerevan’s most beautiful buildings, it was built between the 1930s and 1950s.
Pick an evening and, for example, attend the unique Armenian opera “Anush.”
Northern Avenue
Northern Avenue connects the Cascade Opera House and the main square. This new pedestrian street opened in Yerevan in the early 2000s.
Mother Armenia Monument
Like many cities, Yerevan has its own central monument, the “Mother Armenia” monument located in Victory Park. The monument was unveiled in 1967. The sculptor is Ara Harutyunyan.
Monument to Sasuntsi David
Another of the most famous monuments in Yerevan is the monument to the Armenian epic hero David of Sasun.
Vernissage Flea Market
Another must-see for visitors to Yerevan is the famous Vernissage flea market. Here you can find any souvenir, from ceramics to backgammon, paintings, silverware, and even handmade carpets.
GUM Market
Besides souvenirs, visitors to Yerevan are sure to want to take home something delicious from Armenia. And for that, the Old GUM is the place to go. Here you’ll find a variety of spices, all kinds of dried fruits, nuts, cheeses for every taste, and much more you’ve never even heard of.
Matenadaran
The Armenian language is one of the oldest languages in the world. Furthermore, the Armenian alphabet is one of the oldest alphabets on Earth. If you want to learn the history of the Armenian alphabet and see numerous ancient books and manuscripts, you should definitely visit one of Yerevan’s most fascinating museums—the Matenadaran Museum of Ancient Manuscripts. It houses over 120,000 manuscripts and 300,000 archival documents.
Parajanov, Saryan, and Erebuni Museums
Besides the Matenadaran, Yerevan has many other interesting museums, the most popular of which are the house-museum of the great director Sergei Parajanov, the museum of the renowned artist Martiros Saryan, and the Erebuni Museum, a museum of the history of Yerevan.
Armenian Genocide Memorial
This is a must-see place to honor the memory of the victims of one of the most horrific crimes in human history.
Cathedral of St. Gregory the Illuminator
Built to commemorate the 1700th anniversary of the adoption of Christianity in Armenia, the Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator is the largest church in Yerevan.
Old Yerevan Courtyards
If you join our sightseeing tour of Yerevan, we’ll definitely visit the old Yerevan courtyards. This is where you’ll truly feel the true flavor of Yerevan.
Wine Restaurants
As we’ve already discussed, Armenian winemaking is experiencing perhaps the greatest boom in its history. Hence the large number of wonderful wine restaurants. And it’s definitely worth spending an evening at one of these restaurants, enjoying more than one glass of this wonderful beverage.
Yerevan Brandy Factory
And what trip to Yerevan would be complete without a tour of the Yerevan Brandy Factory? After all, Armenian cognac is as much a hallmark of Armenia as Mount Ararat.
Malkhas Club
Yerevan is also a city of jazz. It permeates much of the city. The city has many renowned jazz clubs where you can listen to wonderful music. Perhaps the most famous is Malkhas Club, where the great Levon Malkhasyan has been performing solo for many years.
Of course, every Yerevan resident will give you dozens more lists of must-sees in Yerevan. So come visit us often, and you’re sure to find your favorite place in this sunny city, where every guest feels at home just a few steps off the plane.
Join us on our Yerevan city tour and we’ll show you our favorite city.