Yerevan, Armenia's capital, is marked by grand Soviet-era architecture. The Matenadaran library, housing thousands of ancient Greek and Armenian manuscripts, dominates its main avenue. Republic Square is the city's core, with musical water fountains and colonnaded government buildings. The 1920s History Museum of Armenia on the square's eastern side contains archaeological objects like a circa-3500-B.C. leather shoe.
Yerevan is often pegged as the 'Pink City' because of the color of the stones used to build much of the city center, which is a compact area known as Kentron. This area, amongst others, has been greatly developed over the past decade, resulting in more restaurants, cafés, shops, and hotels.
Here are the Top 10 Places to Visit in Yerevan, which are worth visiting on a Yerevan trip:
1. Republic Square
Republic Square (also known simply as ‘the Square’ or Hraparak) is the heart and social center of Yerevan. This is where you can see some of the city’s most impressive stone buildings (including the National Museum) arranged around a large open plaza. In spring and summer, tulips and roses bloom around the edge of the square.
2. Pulpulak
Yerevan’s drinking fountains, known as pulpulak, are another unique feature of the city’s urban planning. Most of the fountains were erected in the 1920s. Incredibly, there are more than 1,500 in total – once you know what to look for you’ll notice them on almost every street corner and in parks and squares everywhere.
3. Genocide Museum and Memorial
While you’re out enjoying the finer things Yerevan has to offer, remember that things haven’t always been so rosy. The events of 1915 cast a long shadow over Armenia and are never too far from people’s memory. The best place to learn, reflect and pay your respects is at Tsitsernakaberd, the Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex. The main part of the outdoor memorial consists of 12 concrete slabs, each representing a lost Armenian province. The eternal flame laid 1.5 meters deep is a tribute to the victims of the genocide.
4. Katoghike
There are dozens of churches in Yerevan, most built from tuff stone in the same shades as the city’s buildings. They can be easy to miss, especially when they’re nestled at the foot of towering apartment blocks. Katoghike Holy Mother of God Church was consecrated in 1264, making it one of the oldest churches in the city. The complex is the result of decades of additions and reconstructions. A tiny chapel – only big enough to hold a few worshippers – is dwarfed by a new basilica that encases it.
6. Gum Market
Lavash comes in an astounding array of colors and textures, each one more delicate and airy than the last. The best place to see huge lavash sheets being prepared and sold is at the GUM Market on Movses Khorenatsi Street.
7. Vernissage Market
A must-see in Yerevan, the city’s biggest outdoor market, the Vernissage, occupies all of the central Charles Aznavour Square. It began in the 1980s when a group of local painters started displaying their works outside the art institute on Buzand Street. Today it’s a huge indoor-outdoor market selling everything from canvases and carpets to second-hand treasures and handcrafted souvenirs.
8. Blue Mosque
Built-in the 18th century, the Blue Mosque was the largest of Yerevan’s eight mosques and is the last remaining Islamic house of worship in Armenia today. Mainly used by the city’s Iranian community and embassy staff, it’s one of the top Yerevan attractions.
9. Galleries and Boutiques
The whole of Yerevan sometimes feels like an outdoor gallery, with painter’s easels, street performers, murals, and colorful cafes on every corner. There are plenty of small galleries and boutiques where you can browse Armenian art, ceramics, and handicrafts.
10. Books 1512
One of the first bookshops in Yerevan, you can’t walk past this bookstore without being tempted to poke your head in and peek at the pretty interior. The shop first opened in 1940 as a tobacconist and features the original painted ceilings and walls, carved display cabinets, and inlay floors. Now called Books 1512, it was previously known as LUYS Bookstore. The name luys means ‘light’, probably in reference to the sunbeams that stream through the shop windows illuminating the shelves of hardcover books, manuscripts, and novels.
Besides this, there is much more to explore in Yerevan!!!
