Places

Temples, monasteries, lakes and towns: facts, hours, tickets, how to get there and which tour goes there

Tatev Monastery on a green promontory above the Vorotan gorge: the Church of Saints Paul and Peter, fortress walls and a round tower under a blue sky with clouds
PlacesTatev Monastery: cable car, tickets, closures, road from YerevanA monastery above the Vorotan gorge, 250 km from Yerevan. No cable car on Mondays; March–November ticket 6,500 AMD one way. The trip takes 12 hours.November 12, 2026 · 12 min read · Mikayel Melkumyan
Sharambeyan Street in Old Dilijan: flagstone paving, stone houses with an outdoor wooden staircase and a balcony of cut-out carving, a gable with a cross ahead, trees on the right and a white dog
PlacesDilijan: a town and hub for Haghartsin, Parz and GoshavankA town in Tavush Province, 97 km and about 1.5 hours from Yerevan. From the old town to Haghartsin, Parz, the deer centre and Goshavank: 12–24 minutes by car.November 11, 2026 · 11 min read · Mikayel Melkumyan
Arches and columns of the ruined 7th-century Zvartnots Cathedral, their capitals carved with basketwork and Ionic volutes, with snow-covered Mount Ararat rising into the clouds behind
PlacesEtchmiadzin & Zvartnots from Yerevan: sights, hours, directionsOne UNESCO site, two places 17–20 km from Yerevan. Zvartnots: 10:00–18:00, Sunday until 16:00, ticket 1,500 AMD.November 11, 2026 · 8 min read · Mikayel Melkumyan
Aerial view of Sevanavank Monastery on the Sevan Peninsula: two dark stone churches with ruins around them, autumn hillsides, deep blue Lake Sevan and a band of low clouds over the mountains.
PlacesLake Sevan: Sevanavank, swimming and winter — what to knowA lake at about 1,900 m, 68 km from Yerevan, about an hour away. Sevanavank: two 9th-century churches, free entry. August 2025 water: 21.7 °C.November 11, 2026 · 11 min read · Mikayel Melkumyan
Noravank Monastery in warm, low sunlight: the two-storey Surb Astvatsatsin church with its colonnaded drum and the domed Surb Karapet stand behind a stone wall beneath the red cliffs of the Amaghu Gorge, with golden grass and rocks in the foreground.
PlacesNoravank: getting there, entry, season and stop order via AreniNoravank is a 12th–14th-century monastery under red cliffs, 117 km from Yerevan, about 1 h 49 min. Entry is free; how to build the day together with Areni.November 10, 2026 · 9 min read · Mikayel Melkumyan
Main church of Geghard Monastery with its conical dome, stone-paved courtyard and visitors under steep cliffs on a sunny summer day
PlacesGeghard Monastery: entry, hours and how to get there from YerevanA working 13th-century rock-cut monastery, UNESCO site, 38 km from Yerevan. Free entry, 45–60 minutes to visit.November 9, 2026 · 11 min read · Mikayel Melkumyan
The reddish stone church of Khor Virap with its conical dome rises above the monastery walls and round towers, set against snow-capped Mount Ararat on a clear day, with a dry rocky hillside below
PlacesKhor Virap: the monastery by Ararat — sights and visit timeA working monastery 42 km from Yerevan, about 40 minutes away; mostly 17th-century buildings, free entry. A BarevTrip tour allows 75 minutes on site.November 9, 2026 · 9 min read · Mikayel Melkumyan
Garni Temple on a summer day with visitors on its steps and the square, mountains behind
PlacesGarni Temple: hours, tickets and how to get there from YerevanA 1st-century temple 28.5 km from Yerevan, about 35 minutes. Open 10:00–21:30, ticket 1,500 AMD, children under 12 free.November 7, 2026 · 10 min read · Mikayel Melkumyan