WHAT TO SEE IN ARMENIA?

Armenia is a country that treats its historical heritage with sensitivity and tenderness, not only honoring it, but also painstakingly inscribing every detail of past eras into the modern picture. You can fill your vacation with a review of all sorts of cultural attractions without leaving the capital. Of the museums, the following undoubtedly deserve special mention: the State History Museum, the Museum of Manuscripts, the Museum of Folk Art, the State Art Gallery, the Erebuni Museum, where visitors will travel to the mysterious kingdom of Urartu, the Giotto workshop-museum. And this is not counting the huge number of private galleries and small shops exhibiting masterpieces of local artists and figures of art. Those who prefer walks in the fresh air to closed galleries of spacious and bright halls should simply walk around, exploring the picturesque geography of the charming city. Appreciate the charm of the Victory Park alley, immerse yourself in the exciting crowd of the Republic Square, climb, as if on the steps of the ancient pyramid of Mesopotamia, to the top of the Cascade complex, appreciate your feat and see the city rhythmically breathing, pulsating and sparkling with life. And reward yourself for these energy-consuming wanderings by visiting a cognac factory.

The capital is beautiful, but the surrounding lands also hide many amazing treasures. You can feel the spirit of the Caucasian Middle Ages by organizing a fascinating trip to one of the castles that have been gnawing into the mountain slopes with their rough fortress walls for many centuries. Amberd, Smbataberd and Metsamor are all ancestral nests of proud and warlike princely families who ruled these lands from the 10th to the 13th century AD. In Erebuni you can touch true antiquity, feeling the warmth of stones hewn in the 8th century BC under your palms, and seeing how great kingdoms end their existence – the powerful people of Urartu once lived here.

Armenia is also proud of its rich spiritual heritage, Christian monasteries are carved into the hard stone body of the local mountains, which have been preaching and welcoming believers within their walls for many centuries. Some temples have stood under the caring skies for more than 1700 years. In the city of Artashat, the famous Khor Virap monastery rises. In addition to amazing architectural beauty and rich historical heritage, it generously rewards its visitors with magnificent views of Mount Ararat, which now lies on Turkish soil. You should definitely visit the Geghard Monastery, explore the churches of Mesrop Mashtots and Karmravor carved into the rock, admire the beauty of the temples of Garni, Surb Hripsime and Surb Gayane. Fortunately, the last two are also included in the UNESCO list. In addition to them, the World Organization has honored the monasteries of Haghpat and Sanahin, the Echmiadzin Cathedral and the ruins of Zvartnots with its attention.

Armenia also attracts travelers with its amazingly dramatic and poignant mountain landscapes. The mysterious Lake Sevan and the roaring waterfalls (Jerkum and Kasakh) will give you unforgettable shots. And in the town of Jermuk, famous for its hot springs, you can not only admire the turbulent streams, but also improve your health.

Your trip will be incomplete if you do not fulfill the following covenants. Have you been there but not done it? No problem, you can always repeat the trip:

1. Feel like a real meat eater and try at least 10 meat dishes according to Armenian recipes (and you are unlikely to find any others here)
2. Visit an Armenian family. Be enchanted by the intricacies of toasts, smell the aromas of the dishes being prepared, plaintively swallowing saliva, drown in the gastronomic flow of all sorts of dishes and understand that you do not want to leave here. Ever.
3. There, feel all the insidious softness of the local cognac. Don’t believe it, feel it once more and fall in love with the amber drink irrevocably.
4. Lose a piece of your heart in the transparent depths of Lake Sevan.
5. Freeze, hearing the sad song of the duduki, feel all the beauty of the melody and its piercing sadness, and be inflamed with the desire to see Ararat.
6. See Ararat, and be imbued with the confidence that it should be closer and more accessible.
7. Buy hot lavash right on the street and eat it right away, blowing on burnt fingers, and feeling the amazing softness of fresh pastries. Wash it down with “matsoni” and feel with your whole body that life is a success.
8. Walk along the old streets of Yerevan, taste the fresh water from the drinking fountain.
9. Take an evening of local cheese, sweets and cognac. Understand that Armenia is a delightful country and go wandering around the evening city.
10. See stunning mountains, feel like a mountain prince for a second, touching the warm roughness of an ancient wall and riding a horse along a picturesque mountain path.