Yerevan

Impossible to miss, this pedestrian avenue was opened in 2008 connecting Opera with Republic Square, the two hubs of central Yerevan. It's a post-modern response to post-World War II Soviet Yerevan architecture. It is emerging as the shopping district, together with Sayat-Nova ave., Terian st., Tumanian st. and Abovian st.

It's home to very few remaining Belle Époque period structures of Republican Armenia. Some gems of Art Nouveau, early Modern (constructivist and the like), and Moorish Revival style can be found in the backyards of Abovian, Nalbandian and Hanrapetutian streets. Most often they are in a very poor condition due to neglect. Hanrapetutian st. might get a special attention if you are not time constrained.

On the north the square is bordered by the Opera House, followed by a park with a lake and full of open air cafés on the east, and from south it borders the Northern Avenue

It's the 8-lane highway of the city which somehow also accommodates a pedestrian zones on the sides (result of standard Soviet planning of main 'Prospekts'). It is overly noisy because of the heavy traffic (mostly unorganised public transportation) but the parts close to The Opera is a favourite hangout place for the locals. There are three buildings on the avenue which are well worth attention - Matenadaran, the covered market (the interior is now a modern supermarket and mall, but the highly-decorated original exterior survives) and Blue Mosque.

Houses the world's largest collection of Armenian illuminated manuscripts, and one of the largest such collections of any kind in the world. A display room has a sampling of some of the finest works, and the additional cost of the guided tour is worthwhile. The building is dug into the hill and can withstand a nuclear attack. The white stone statue in front is of Mesrop Mashtots, teaching the Armenian alphabet, his invention, to a rapt disciple (Koryun, Armenia's first historian and biographer), and looking down at the street of his name.

An 18th-century Shia Islamic Mosque, one of the few surviving structures of a once (before Soviet secularisation) prospering Muslim community of Yerevan.

The Sculpture Park is a small green zone in the immediate North of the Opera. Sculptures from Botero and other artists of international fame decorate the park. The park is part of Cafesjian Museum - the Armenian version of Guggenheim. The main part of the museum is in the Cascades - an Art Deco version of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon stretching nearly the height of the Empire State Building. It's a massive white stairway up a hillside of central Yerevan, decorated with green stretches, fountains and waterfalls. Higher level of the Cascades give a spectacular view of Mount Ararat and panorama of central Yerevan with its hilariously multi-colour roofs. The first floor and the bookstore of the museum as well as the indoor escalators to the top of the Cascades are free of charge.

Beautiful square and train station with Soviet classical architecture, and one of Armenia's most famous monuments - the soaring statue of Sasuntsi David (David of Sasun), which is often used as a symbol of the city.

Monument dedicated to the memory of the victims of Soviet-era murders and deportations, atop the Yerevan Cascade, next to the obelisk that commemorates 50 years of Soviet Armenia. The Cascade Memorial was designed by Jim Torosyan, Yerevan's chief architect between 1971 and 1981, and was constructed in the late 1980s and completed around 2008. Inside the large concrete structure, a memorial slab has the inscription of "To All Your Souls on Fire", from the "Frenzied Masses" poem by Yeghishe Charents who himself fell victim to the repressions in 1937. So far, this monument often has been neglected, but it connects to a major part of Armenia's recent history.

The home of late composer Aram Khachaturyan (1903-1978) has been turned into a museum. Things like his manuscripts and piano are on display here, and the building also has a concert hall.

Founded in 1921, the Gallery preserves more than 42,000 works of Armenian and international fine art and decorative-applied arts. Its collections include masterpieces by world-renowned artists such as Hovhannes Aivazovsky, Vardges Sureniants, Arshile Gorky, Marc Chagall, Wassily Kandinsky, Donatello, Tintoretto, and many others. The Gallery also preservs unique fragments of medieval Armenian church frescoes from Armenia and Armenian cultural centers abroad. Features several floors full of mostly paintings, organized by their country of origin. The Armenian collection is the best and of very high quality, the Russian is quite good, and art lovers will enjoy the European collection as well.

A roundup of the nation's history from early settlements to the 20th century. Lots of archaeological exhibits and pieces of art give an impression of each period. If you would like to move along the timeline then start at the top of the building. The early periods are amply annotated, but the English (and Russian) tags thin out considerably by mid-19th century, reappear in the exhibit dedicated to the Great Catastrophe of 1915 (though it's very disturbing even without a single word), and are missing completely for the Soviet era, so if you're interested in the more modern history of the country and don't speak Armenian, a guided tour may be advisable. A "strictly no photography" policy applies. As of October 2022, the majority of the exhibition is under renovation and according to staff, this will hopefully be finished in 2023. For this time, the price is reduced to 1,000 dram.

A modern art museum, housing the collection of Gerard Cafesjian. It has Arshile Gorky, Andy Warhol, Marc Chagall and other big names on display. The collection is very rich in Glass Art, has many pieces of the Libenský-Brychtová couple, including specially made 'For Armenia' series. Special galleries display monumental tryptichons or reliefs focusing on Armenian history. Entry can be made at any level, but information desk, shop, study center and facilities are at the bottom. In front of the cascades, there is a sculpture park with some Boteros and other plastics.

Presents all periods of the life in Yerevan starting from paleolithic settlements (50,000 years) to modern days. Ancient maps and the pictures of the lost city, pre-Soviet Erivan, are of special interest. Lift and sloping floors for people who use wheelchairs.

Houses quite a selection of contemporary art by mostly Armenian artists. On the opposite side of the street, there is the newly opened HayArt cultural center as well as the Eduard Isabekyan Gallery.

The museum stands at the foot of the Arin Berd hill, on top of which the Urartian Fortress Erebouni has stood since 782 BCE. The City-Fortress was excavated, some parts of the structure were reinforced and restored, and the fortress was turned into an outdoor museum. The city was built by Argishti I the King of Urartu in 782 BCE. The temple of God Khaldi occupied an important place in the fortress. The walls of the temple were decorated with numerous frescos. The museum houses 12,235 exhibits. It has two branches in Shengavit and Karmir Blur with 5,288 and 1,620 exhibits respectively in stock.

The House-Museum of Sergei Parajanov, a famous Soviet film director. The museum is best known for special Parajanov collages and art that everybody loves and enjoys. It is equally highly appreciated by children, teenagers and the most demanding art critics. Many highest level official informal meetings are conducted here. It is a must-see!

If you are a lover of bright colours and enjoy Impressionist art then the House Museum of Martiros Saryan is a place for you. It's a 3-floor structure, designed by the artist and built during his lifetime, both as his home and a house for his heritage after his death.

An austere monument & museum commemorating the victims of the Armenian Genocide. The permanent collection documents the 19th C community, then its ruthless destruction circa 1915 at the hands of the Ottoman Empire.
Tsitsernakaberd (meaning "Fortress of Swallows") is probably best reached by taxi. Walking from town, follow Athens St past the Hrazdan Stadium to Brazil Square roundabout, where a little lane branches north up the hill.

Houses some artifacts of Armenian historical wood carving culture (doors, furniture and the like), and wood-based sculptures by modern day artists.

Dedicated to renowned prominent thinker, writer, poet, fabulist and humanist Hovhannes Toumanian, with 18,000 exhibited items. Rooms of the Apartment are: Study Room, Guest Room, Dining Room, Children’s Room, Nvard Toumanian’s Room, Balcony, Olga’s Room,

Presents the history of the Armenian railway, from 1895. Exhibits are labelled in Armenian and Russian, but not English. Several large exhibits are in an adjacent garden, accessible from the museum. A steam locomotive and carriage stand in the station, and are accessed by crossing the tracks at the Yerevan end of the platforms.

Small but good art museum, commemorating the eponymous artist. Housed in an interesting round building in Brutalist style.

Small museum dedicated to the eponymous sculptor and artist.

Combination museum and restaurant with numerous Soviet-era household exhibits - cars, appliances, arcade games, and posters. Visitors can actually play the arcade games, dance to 1970s/1980s music, and enjoy food and drink from the era.

Built in 1948, around 460 m².

Tons of fountains - including a huge splash pad that kids love to run through in the summer.

When Yerevan celebrated its 2,750th birthday, this park opened a water feature with a fountain for each year of Yerevan's history.

The big fountains of Republic Square with a music, light and of course dancing water show every evening.

At the foot of the Cascade complex, which itself has many fountains, this sunken fountain with lots of seating is one of Yerevan's coolest spots to escape the heat of summer.

The oldest factory in Armenia. Offers tours and tasting, but the people there are very uptight and the place is overrun by tourists.

Levon Arakelyan's wife asked him to dig a potato storage cellar, but instead of this he created a complex structure of stairs, corridors and rooms inside a rock. It took him 23 years to do this until he died in 2007. His wife now organises excursions showing these undergrounds.

Erected in 1967, replacing the monumental statue of Joseph Stalin.

Yellow brick building, finished in 1950 to house the Supreme Soviet of Armenia. Today it serves as the parliament building.

The city's administration is housed in this massive five-story building. Construction started during Soviet times, was halted in 1991 for over a decade and the building was finally completed in 2004. The Yerevan History Museum is attached to it.

Stars, embedded in the pavement, commemorating twelve Armenian actors and musicians.

Visit one of the themed restaurants in the Hrazdan Gorge to see the locals partying. The food does not tend to venture far from barbecue and crayfish, but it is usually good barbecue, and the prices range from very reasonable to the unreasonable. Check the prices on the hard liquor and wines before ordering a bottle if you’re price sensitive.

(or - before 20:00 - take the escalators inside the art gallery, stepping outside at each level) one evening for the great views of the city and Mt. Ararat, then head across the street to the amusement park inside Victory Park for some cotton candy and a ride on the rickety Ferris wheel.

on the Cascades or the Lover's Park, and an art exhibition at Swan Lake park or Lover's Park.

A water park popular with the locals in the summers, it consists of a big open-air water park and a much smaller indoor one. Anybody can cool down there as in total it offers 7 outdoor and 3 indoor pools. There are also wall-climbing facilities. During winter time, the largest pool of the park is turned into an ice skating rink.

Zoo is home to about 3,000 animals mainly representing South Caucasus and Armenia: bears, goats, snakes, Armenian mouflon and black vultures. Also from other parts of the world: lions, tigers, hyenas and an Asian elephants. It was upgraded and renovated to the modern standards back in 2014.

This is a mixed-use sports & athletics stadium just south of city centre.

The collection includes more than 200 species of endemic, rare and declining plants. However, after the collapse of the Soviet Union due to insufficient funds the condition of the park started declining and now it needs a lot of improvements.

Miniature railway for children to ride in, established in 1937.

Yet another beautiful remnant of Soviet urban planning in Yerevan. The park, opened in 1937, is situated in a gorgeous canyon of Hrazdan river and features a children's railway. Though the park and the railway still function, most of the infrastructure is horribly deteriorated. On the other hand the deterioration gives the feeling of a 'ghost park from a fairy tale' even though it is always populated. From Missak Manouchian Park, go northwest through the Kond Pedestrian Tunnel (which is creepy, but seems safe).

Despite its name, the park's shape is semi-circular. You can see several monuments to important Armenian and Russian imperial figures here.

One of Yerevan's oldest parks, though smaller in size than it once was. It is popular with couples for wedding photographs.

A cemetery that doubles as a park.

One of the oldest parks of Yerevan. Renovated in tradition of Japanese landscaping with Armenian spirit. It often hosts open air art exhibitions and concerts. It is best reached by metro, station 'Marshal Baghramian' - perhaps the most underused building and allegedly the best in Modernist style.

Surrounding the artificial Vardarvar Lake, this park was renamed Lyon Park to honor France's second city. Lyon is a friendship city of Yerevan and the French funded the renovation of the park in the early 2010s.

Features the Luna Park amusement park, a couple of small lakes and cafés.

Spend a late night at a café in the Opera park, and outside the Melody Café for some of the best people watching in Yerevan.

Chill out in Yerevan Green Belt.

A triangular park with a statue of the painter Martiros Saryan is where painters gather to sell their work. Many more on the weekend than on weekdays.

ends with the popular statue of the composer Arno Babajanyan, which brings attention to his famous nose and long fingers. The Swan Lake park usually hosts various open air art exhibitions. Ice-skate with many locals at the Swan Lake (next to the Opera House) during winter months.

Part of the Tumo Centre for Creative Technologies.

Built in 1963, total area is 57.45 ha.

- Amusement park. Features a huge monument of Mother Armenia as well as some Soviet military equipment on display. Very nice view of the city centre.

The building is perhaps modeled after SemperOper of Dresden, however it is supposed to be double as beautiful as the Yerevan building is two sided: One side (entrance from the Theatrical/Freedom square) is home to Opera and Ballet Theatre, while the street side houses the Khachaturian Concert Hall. For music fans, attend cheap and excellent performances at the Opera or the Chamber Music Orchestra. If a national dance group is performing, don’t miss it.

Opened in 1936, with 4 theatre halls.

The oldest modern theatre in Armenia, here you can see the most famous actors of the country perform.

Independent chamber theatre founded in 2022, in a former House of Culture with about 50 seats. Performances, play readings, labs and lectures; the programme is on the website.

A new circus building finished in 2018, on the place of a former one which was demolished in 2012. Opening of the circus was planned for 2020, postponed by the pandemic and as of 2024 it has still yet to open.

Yerevan's birthday is usually celebrated on the second Saturday of October. It's usually a huge event, with central Yerevan being pedestrian only: there are many stages all over the city for theatrical or music (usually thematic - ethnic minorities, folk, jazz, rock, pop and classics) performances with a culmination on Republic Square. The festival is centered around the Erebuni fortress, since it is the cradle of Yerevan. It is hard though to find out the exact dates for the festival.

A fairly well-established international film festival, usually held in July. Armenians take pride in it.

An emerging international animated film festival held in autumn.