Armenia & Nagorno Karabakh Tour

Day 1: Arrival

Arrival at ZvartnotsInternational Airport. Our tourist guide will welcome you at the airport. Transfer to the hotel in Yerevan.

Overnight in Yerevan

Day 2: Yerevan City tour

Drive through the central streets of Yerevan: Republic Square, Opera House, “Cascade” Monument and Stairs, "Mother Armenia" Monument with a breathtaking view of Yerevan, Victory Bridge, Hrazdan Stadium, Sports and Concerts Center, Presidential Palace, National Assembly Building, Academy of Sciences, Tsitsernakaberd-Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex and Museum.

Visit Matenadaran, a unique Research Institute of Ancient Manuscripts and a Museum, the largest center of study and safekeeping of Armenian manuscripts in the world. Lunch in a traditional Armenian restaurant, where you’ll enjoy the best dishes of the rich Armenian cuisine. 

Overnight in Yerevan

Day 3: Echmiadzin

Leave for Echmiadzin town, the Holy See of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Visit St. Hripsime Church built in the 7th century and is considered a masterpiece of early medieval Armenian architecture. Continue to Echmiadzin Mother Cathedral. Historically, it is the focal point of the town of Echmiadzin, and it’s the oldest church in the world. It was originally built by Saint Gregory the Illuminator as a vaulted basilica in 301-303A.D., when Armenia was the only country in the world the state religion of which was Christianity. On the way back to Yerevan visit the Ruins of Zvartnots Cathedral. Zvartnots, built as Armenia's main cathedral in 641-661A.D. was to suppress the Echmiadzin Cathedral by its grandeur. The remnants of Zvartnots, even in ruins, are a majestic sight. The Ruins of Zvartnots are listed among the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Lunch in a traditional Armenian restaurant. 

Overnight in Yerevan

Day 4: Garni Temple - Geghard Monastery

Tour to Garni Pagan Temple and Geghard Monastery. The Pagan Temple of Garni is the only pagan temple currently standing in Armenia. Gracing the hillside the pagan temple was dedicated to the God of Sun, Mithra. It was built in 77 A.D. by the Armenian King Trdat I. The architectural complex of Garni was Armenia's foremost center of Hellenistic culture and the summer residence of Armenian kings.

Driving for 9 more kilometers from Garni, you'll reach the Monastery of Geghard, which is included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Geghard is an incredible ancient Armenian monastery, partly carved out of a mountain. Though the monastery has been around since before the 4th century, the main cathedral was built in 1215.It is said that the holy lance that pierced the body of Christ was kept here.Lunch in an Armenian peasant house in Garni village. 

Overnight in Yerevan

Day 5: Khor Virap - Noravank - Karahunj - Goris

Visit Khor Virap  Monastery. To this day you can visit the underground chamber where St. Gregory the Illuminator, the first Armenia’s Patriarch, was imprisoned for 13 years before curing King Trdat III of a disease. This caused the conversion of the king and Armenia into the first officially Christian nation in the world in the year 301. Its location, near the closest point to Mount Ararat within Armenian borders, offers a spectacular view of the mountain, the national symbol of Armenia. Proceed to Noravank Monastery (13-14th centuries), an architectural gemstone nestled among brick-red cliffs, just above a deep gorge.
Lunch in a lovely restaurant. Near the town of Sisian visit Karahunj-Armenia’s Stonehenge. This stone circle, now shown to be a prehistoric observatory, long predates Stonehenge in England. Ancient inscriptions found here may mark the birthplace of the Zodiac – and of Western Civilization itself. Possibly it was the world's first astronomical observatory founded 7500 years ago. Its history is really very impressive.

Continue to Goris town which is in a deep gorge having houses with red roofs. It’s a town of orchards having a rather interesting architecture of civil structures.
Overnight in Goris

Day 6: Goris - Tatev - Shushi - Stepanakert
In the morning we explore Goris, one of the most beautiful towns in Armenia. It’s a town in orchards where the houses have the same unique architecture with red tile roofs. The town is beautifully planned by a German architect in the 19th century. We visit the miraculous monastery of Tatev riding the world’s longest aerial tramway (5.7 km) built by the Swiss in 2010. Tatev is a formidable monastic complex founded in the 9th century. It’s the biggest monastery in Armenia. It's located on a rocky peninsula more than 100 meters above the Vorotan River. According to tradition the relics of the Apostles, Sts. Peter and Paul, were placed under the dome's supporting pillars. we drive to the most impressive city of Nagorno Karabakh - Shoushi City. This is the 2nd city of Karabagh and historically, it used to be the capital of Artsakh.Shushi is nestled on a frozen wave of rock. Because of its impregnable location it received the name “the eagles’ nest”. The fortress had never been taken by force in the course of its history till 1992 May 9 when the Karabakh Armenian soldiers climbed up the huge rock and liberated the historic capital of Artsakh. Here we’ll visit the only surviving churches of St. Ghazanchetsots and Green Church.  We also visit 19th the Persian Mosque and one the most beautiful old districts of the city completely abandoned.
Continue to Stepanakert, the Capital of Artsakh.
Overnight in Stepanakert

Day 7: Stepanakert - Gandzasar

Stepanakert City Tour. Visit the Museum of History and Country Study of Artsakh (Karabagh). Have a stroll in the city’s main food market. Then we’ll have a photo stop at the national landmark of Karabakh, the statue “ We and Our Mountains”, tenderly called by the inhabitants grandfather-grandmother (the Grandfather and the Grandmother). The old man with the old woman, as if they grew on the top of the hill, symbolize the attachment of Karabakhian people to their native ground. Otherwise, this sculptural composition is called the monument to Long-Livers.
Drive to Gandzasar Monastery, perhaps the most important architectural monument of Artsakh (13th century). According to renowned Russian scholar A. L. Yakobson of St. Petersburg's Hermitage, Gandzasar Monastery is "the encyclopedia of Armenian architecture."  Stop in the village of Vank where you can socialize with the locals. Lunch in a nice restaurant. Back to Stepanakert town. Rest. A walking tour in Stepanakert’s park in the evening.
Overnight in Stepanakert

 

Day 8: Stepanakert - Dadivank - Noratus - Lake Sevan
After breakfast drive to Dadivank Monastery. It dates back to approximately 9–13th centuries and is located at the foothills of the Mount Mrav, on the left bank of river Tartar. Dadivank was founded by St. Dadi who was the disciple of Thaddeus the Apostle who spread Christianity in Eastern Armenia during the 1st century A.D. In June, 2007, the grave of St. Dadi was discovered under the holy altar of the main church. Visit the Stone Garden - Noraduz, the largest field of Armenian exquisite cross-stones in the world. Continue to the Lake Sevan, the largest lake in Armenia and one of the largest high-altitude lakes in the world, situated at 1900m above sea level. A famous writer has poetically characterized Sevan, "A genuine piece of sky, dropped down on earth among mountains". Visiting the Monastery of Sevanavank (9th century) which is located on Sevan peninsula.
Overnight in Sevan

 

Day 9: Sevan - Dilijan - Haghartsin - Tsakhkadzor - Yerevan

Dilijan is a resort town in the north of Armenia. Words alone can't describe the natural beauty of Dilijan. Many poets used to say, "If there are woods, mountains, streams and mineral waters in paradise, it must be like Dilijan." As a climatic balneal health centre of medium- mountain zone, Dilijan is characterized by mild, moderate warm summer, sunny warm winter and dry warm weather during the whole year. Due to its forested mountains and mild climate, Dilijan is named "Armenia's little Switzerland."
You'll see the most beautiful part of the town, Old Dilijan. Visit Haghartsin monastery, a fairytale nestled in the middle of the forest. The next route will lead to Goshavank, which was founded by famous Armenian cleric and law – codifier, Mkhitar Gosh, in 12-13th centuries. On the way back to Yerevan, visit Tsakhkadzor Ski resort.
Overnight in Yerevan

Day 10: Free day in Yerevan

Free day in Yerevam
Overnight in Yerevan

Day 11: Deparutre

Transfer to airport. Departure.