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Where can you go from Yerevan on a winter day trip by car?

In winter, the day trips from Yerevan to take with a driver are the routes that run all year: Garni and Geghard, Khor Virap, Echmiadzin with Zvartnots, Lake Sevan with Tsaghkadzor. The price is per car, not per seat; the road to Amberd and Lake Kari is closed by snow in winter.

Facts checked · updated

  1. Why winter routes are shorter
  2. Eight trips that run in winter too
  3. What is not in the winter catalogue
  4. What the price includes and what you pay on site
  5. On your own, in a group or with a driver
  6. Good to know
  7. Questions and answers

Why winter routes are shorter

In December the sun rises in Yerevan after 8:00 and sets around 17:40; by late February sunset moves to almost 19:00, so midwinter gives a little over nine hours of daylight. A 4–6-hour trip with a 9:00 pickup is done entirely in daylight, while the 10-hour Jermuk trip with an 8:00 pickup gets back to the city around sunset. The other factor is winter schedules: the ropeways run a winter timetable, museums keep winter hours and closing days, and the path down to the Symphony of Stones may be closed after heavy snow.

Eight trips that run in winter too

Prices per car on November 7, 2026: sedan (up to 3 passengers with 3 suitcases, or 4 with 2) / minivan (up to 7).

  • Garni Temple & Geghard Monastery — 5 hours, 80 km, 30,000 AMD / 44,000 AMD. Charents Arch, Garni, the Symphony of Stones and Geghard. A pickup around 9:00 gets you to Garni at opening time; tickets for Garni and the gorge are paid on site, Geghard is free.
  • Khor Virap Monastery — 4 hours, 90 km, 27,000 AMD / 38,000 AMD. The shortest day trip in the catalogue: the monastery at the foot of Ararat, free entry; the mountain shows only in clear weather.
  • Echmiadzin, Zvartnots & Khor Virap — 6 hours, 120 km, 39,000 AMD / 55,000 AMD. The whole route stays on the plain, with no mountain passes. The cathedral is free; Zvartnots and the treasury museum are ticketed on site; a 9:30 pickup matches opening time.
  • Lake Sevan & Tsaghkadzor — 6.5 hours, 150 km, 39,000 AMD / 55,000 AMD. Sevanavank, Kecharis and the Tsaghkadzor ropeway (daily 10:00–17:30, ticket on site). Sevan is windy, so dress warmly; check the ski season opening date locally.
  • Dilijan, Parz Lake, Haghartsin & Goshavank — 9 hours, 260 km, 45,000 AMD / 63,000 AMD. Forested Dilijan, two monasteries with no tickets and a walk of about 30 minutes around Parz Lake. About 5 hours of driving, so pickup at 8:00.
  • Khor Virap, Areni & Noravank — 8 hours, 260 km, 45,000 AMD / 65,000 AMD. Ararat, a wine tasting in Areni, the Areni-1 cave and Noravank among red cliffs. Pickup at 8:00.
  • Khor Virap, Noravank & Jermuk — 10 hours, 360 km, 65,000 AMD / 92,000 AMD. The longest trip on this list: the Jermuk waterfall and mineral-water gallery; in December and January you are back at dusk.
  • Yerevan, Erebuni, Tsitsernakaberd & Matenadaran — 6 hours, 34 km, 20,000 AMD / 27,000 AMD. The snow-day option. Museums are closed on Mondays: Erebuni is open Tuesday to Sunday 10:30–16:40, the Matenadaran Tuesday to Saturday 10:00–17:50, and the Armenian Genocide Museum (free admission) from 15 November to 15 February Tuesday to Saturday 11:00–16:45 and on Sunday 11:00–15:00.
Garni Temple with its colonnade under a clear blue sky, trees on the left and mountains on the right
Garni Temple & Geghard Monastery
5 h · 80 km
Around Yerevan
from 30,000 AMDper car
Elevated view of Khor Virap Monastery with its church, stone walls and a curving road lined with khachkars, the green Ararat plain behind and both snowy peaks, Greater and Lesser Ararat, under a vast deep blue sky
Khor Virap Monastery
4 h · 90 km
South: Ararat, Vayots Dzor, Syunik
from 27,000 AMDper car
Sevanavank Monastery from above: two dark tuff churches with conical domes and old foundations between them above the Lake Sevan shore, with boats, cafés and a car park below and mountains under a dark storm cloud across the turquoise water
Lake Sevan & Tsaghkadzor
6.5 h · 150 km
North: Sevan, Tavush, Lori, Shirak
from 39,000 AMDper car

What is not in the winter catalogue

The Grand South Loop via Tatev, Karahunj and the Selim pass runs May to October; Amberd fortress with the Byurakan observatory, June to October; Amberd, Aragats and Lake Kari, May to October: from the first snow until May the road there is closed.

What the price includes and what you pay on site

The price covers the car and driver for the whole route, hotel to hotel, every stop on the programme with waiting time, fuel, parking, water and a child seat. Entrance tickets, lunch, tastings and the ropeway are paid on site; for tickets it is safer to carry cash in drams. There is one possible surcharge, at a rate known before you book: an unplanned stop, a change of route or waiting beyond what is included.

The driver drives, waits at every stop and helps with luggage, but does not give a tour: the history and culture are a qualified guide's job. You can add one as an option when booking; the surcharge is shown on the trip page: 25,000 AMD on trips of up to 6 hours, 40,000 AMD on 8–10-hour trips.

On your own, in a group or with a driver

The per-car price is the same for everyone in the car: Garni and Geghard is 30,000 AMD for a sedan whether two or four of you ride in it, and the day runs on your schedule. On a group tour you pay per seat and follow a shared schedule. Driving yourself in winter means tracking road closures and winter hours on your own; under the BarevTrip standard every driver has at least 5 years behind the wheel and experience across Armenia's regions, including mountain roads in winter, and every car passes our check before its first trip with us.

Good to know

  • Pickup at your hotel or address in Yerevan at the time you choose, 09:00 by default; for 8–10-hour trips we suggest 8:00.
  • It is colder in the mountains and at the monasteries than in Yerevan; in monasteries, shoulders and knees must be covered.
  • Our drivers speak several languages — ask the dispatcher about yours.
  • Free cancellation up to 24 hours before pickup, Yerevan time, and one free reschedule up to the same deadline. Nothing is paid before confirmation; afterwards you pay by card via a link or in cash to the driver after the trip.

Questions and answers

What if it snows on the day? You can change the order of stops by telling the driver at the start; if the path down to the Symphony of Stones is closed, the rest of the route stands.

What about Tatev in winter? The Tatev trip runs all year: 12 hours, 520 km, 82,000 AMD / 120,000 AMD. The Wings of Tatev ropeway runs Tuesday to Sunday; Mondays are non-operating days except on public holidays. The operator’s timetable gives no operating hours for 1 January, so check the ropeway’s website for that date. In winter, the first departure is at 10:30 and the last at 17:30; tickets are available from the station ticket office or online in advance, and bad weather may cause additional closures. The last two to three hours of the drive will be in the dark, so for winter Khor Virap, Areni and Noravank in 8 hours is the more sensible choice.

Can I go skiing in Tsaghkadzor for the day? Yes: the Yerevan → Tsaghkadzor transfer takes 1 hour and costs 18,000 AMD / 25,000 AMD one way; skis fit in the minivan, and a return transfer is available on request.

The trip is sold by BarevTrip, and we are responsible for all of it: the car, the driver, the time, the route and the price.

Where to go

All tours
Garni Temple with its colonnade under a clear blue sky, trees on the left and mountains on the right
Garni Temple & Geghard Monastery
5 h · 80 km
Around Yerevan
from 30,000 AMDper car
Elevated view of Khor Virap Monastery with its church, stone walls and a curving road lined with khachkars, the green Ararat plain behind and both snowy peaks, Greater and Lesser Ararat, under a vast deep blue sky
Khor Virap Monastery
4 h · 90 km
South: Ararat, Vayots Dzor, Syunik
from 27,000 AMDper car
Etchmiadzin Cathedral on a sunny day, seen from the south: the carved three-tier belfry at the west entrance, the conical central dome on an arcaded drum, a small rotunda and the long facade, with lavender, roses and lawn in the garden in front
Echmiadzin, Zvartnots & Khor Virap
6 h · 120 km
Around Yerevan
from 39,000 AMDper car

More routes for this question: Lake Sevan & Tsaghkadzor · Dilijan, Parz Lake, Haghartsin & Goshavank · Khor Virap, Areni & Noravank · Khor Virap, Noravank & Jermuk · Yerevan, Erebuni, Tsitsernakaberd & Matenadaran · Tatev Monastery & Wings of Tatev · Yerevan → Tsaghkadzor

Sources and date of check

More questions

All tourist questions
Day trips from Yerevan with kids: where to go and how to get there?With children, short day trips from Yerevan work well: 4–6 hours and open all year, like Garni and Geghard, Khor Virap, Echmiadzin with Zvartnots or Sevan with Tsaghkadzor; for a full day, Dilijan and Parz Lake. The price is per car, a child seat is free on request, and you pick the time and stops.How many day trips from Yerevan do I need to see the main sights of Armenia?The main sights around Yerevan come down to five day trips plus a city day: Garni and Geghard, the south with Khor Virap and Noravank, Sevan and Dilijan, Tatev with its ropeway, and the north, Gyumri or Lori. Three days cover the first three, five cover all, seven leave room for rest and weather.Tatev and the Wings of Tatev in one day from Yerevan: how long is the drive and when is the cable car closed?Yes, Tatev works as a day trip from Yerevan, but a long one: the cable car station is about 250 km away, almost four hours each way, and the whole route takes about 12 hours. The cable car does not run on Mondays (except holidays) or in bad weather, and from December to February it runs less often.Garni and Geghard half-day trip from Yerevan: how long does it take and how to get there without a tour?Garni Temple and Geghard Monastery take about five hours from Yerevan: 80 km and four stops, Charents Arch, Garni, the Symphony of Stones gorge and Geghard. Without a guided tour you go on your own by marshrutka and taxi, or in a private car with a driver who drives and waits but gives no tour.