Duration: | 7 Day(s) - 6 Night(s) |
Tour Category: | Culture Tours |
Magical Holidays in Armenia
Day 1: Departure from home country
Day 2: Arrival / Yerevan City Tour / Etchmiatsin / Zvartnots
Arrival at Zvartnots airport. Meet and greet transfer to the hotel. Accommodation at the hotel. Rest. After breakfast starts a city tour around Yerevan. During your tour, you will see the Republic Square, “Cat statue”, Cascade, Opera house, Victory Park with Mother Armenia statue.
Visit Tsitsernakaberd Memorial park and museum of the victims of Genocide. Echmiadzin is mere 20 km from Yerevan. On the way optional stop at St Hripsime church which is considered to be one of the 7 wonders of Armenia. Lunch in a local restaurant. Return to Yerevan with the stop at the ruins of Zvartnots temple - the pearl of the 7th c. architecture (inscribed in UNESCO World Heritage list). Opportunity to have a farewell dinner in a traditional Armenian restaurant. Overnight at the hotel in Yerevan.
Day 3: Yerevan / Ashtarak / Fortress of Amberd / Saghmossavank / Yerevan
In the morning after breakfast drive to the Aragatsotn region. Visit the smallest pan-Armenian church Karmravour (7th c.) in Ashtarak* - one of the most ancient Armenian cities. Drive to the Fortress of Amberd* (9th c.), stands halfway up Mt. Aragats, at the height of 2300m. The fortress stands on a rocky cape.
Drive to Saghmossavank Monastery. Saghmosavank Monastery was founded in 1215 when prince Vache Vachyutian ordered to erect there the temple of Surb Zion (Holy Zion). Later the temple acquired extensions from the western and southern sides – the vestibule (1250), the book-depository (1255), the church of St. Astvatsatsin (1235). Drive to Yerevan. Overnight at the hotel in Yerevan.
NOTE*: Amberd is possible to visit only starting mid-May as it’s 2300 m above sea level and the Armenian highland is covered with snow until the end of April.
*Optional participation in Tonatsuyts folk theatre
Day 4: Yerevan / Noratous / Lake Sevan / Dilijan / Goshavank / Yerevan
After breakfast drive to Noratous cemetery which is a medieval cemetery with a large number of early khachkars located in the village of Noratus, Gegharkunik marz near Gavar and Lake Sevan, 90 km north of Yerevan. The cemetery has the largest cluster of khachkars in the republic of Armenia. It is currently the largest surviving cemetery with khachkars.
Drive to Lake Sevan. Lake Sevan is the largest lake in Armenia and one of the largest high-altitude lakes in the world. The huge mountain lake takes up 5% of Armenia's surface area and is 2,000 meters above sea level. On a clear and sunny day, the water is a deep turquoise color. Sevan is a freshwater lake. Drive to the resort town of Dilijan - a green city located in the northern Armenian province of Tavush, Called by locals the "Little Switzerland" of Armenia, it is a worthwhile place to see, and spend the night. It is one of the most important resorts of Armenia, situated in Dilijan National Park.
The Sharambeyan street in the centre, has been preserved and maintained as an "old town," complete with craftsman's workshops, a gallery, and a museum. Hiking, mountain biking, and picnicking are popular recreational activities.
Visit Goshavank - meaning Monastery of Gosh - is a 12-13th century Armenian monastery located in a village of Armenia named Gosh (Tavush marz), which was originally known as Nor-Getik. It was the home of Mkhitar Gosh, after whom the village and monastery were named. Opportunity to have lunch in a local house tasting local homemade dishes. Drive back to Yerevan. Overnight at the hotel in Yerevan.
Day 5: Yerevan / Khor Virap / Areni / Noravank / Yerevan
After breakfast drive to Khor Virap Monastery. This fortified monastery is the place of pilgrimage and one of the most worshipped ones in Armenia and the holy site for the Armenian Apostolic Church. The monastery was erected in the 6th – 17th centuries above the dungeon where St. Gregory the Illuminator, the Baptist of Armenia, had been kept for the disseminating of Christianity until tsar Trdat decided to adopt this religion. The dungeon where the holy elder was tortured used to be the tsar's dungeon (“Khor Virap” – “deep pit”). The pit swarming with poisonous snakes and scorpions served as a prison. According to the legend St. Gregory, the Illuminator stayed in that pit for 13 years. Drive to Vayots Dzor region. On the way visit Areni winery for tasting local wine. Visit Noravank Monastery.
Noravank (meaning "new monastery") is a 13th-century monastery, located 122 km from Yerevan in a narrow gorge made by the Darichay river, nearby the city of Yeghegnadzor, Armenia. The gorge is known for its tall, sheer, brick-red cliffs, directly across from the monastery. The monastery is best known for its two-story S. Astvatsatsin church, which grants access to the second floor by way of narrow stones jutting out from the face of the building.
In the 13th–14th centuries, the monastery became a residence of Syunik's bishops and, consequently. a major religious and, later, cultural center of Armenia closely connected with many of the local seats of learning, especially with Gladzor's famed university and library. Opportunity to have lunch in a local cave cafe tasting local food. Drive back to Yerevan. Overnight at the hotel in Yerevan.
Day 6: Geghard / Garni / Matenadaran / Vernisage
After breakfast departure to Geghard temple. The monastery of Geghard is a unique architectural construction in the Kotayk province of Armenia, being partially carved out of the adjacent mountain, surrounded by cliffs. While the main chapel was built in 1215, the monastery complex was founded in the 4th century by Gregory the Illuminator at the site of a sacred spring inside a cave.
Drive to Garni Temple. Garni became the last refuge of King Mithridates of Armenia, where he and his family were assassinated by his son-in-law and nephew Rhadamistus. Several constructions and buildings have been identified within the enclosed area, including a two-story royal summer palace, a bath complex, a church built in AD 897, a cemetery, and the site's most famous and best-preserved edifice, a peristyle Greco-roman temple built in the Ionic order. Opportunity to have lunch in a local house and watch the Armenia national bread "lavash" making process. Drive back to Yerevan.
Visit Matenadaran depository of manuscripts which contains historical documents from all over Europe and Asia throughout the many countries. Opportunity to have farewell dinner in an Armenian restaurant with folk music.
Visit an open-air Vernissage flea market that bustles with hundreds of vendors selling a variety of crafts on weekends. Opportunity to have farewell dinner in an Armenian restaurant with folk music. Overnight at the hotel in Yerevan.
Day 7: Departure
Transfer to the airport. Departure home!
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