Tour Overview
| Duration | 10 Days / 9 Nights |
|---|---|
| Country | Armenia — Beyond Yerevan |
| Price From | $1,620 per person (twin share) |
| Tour Style | Private / Comprehensive |
| Data Source | Araratour — 2026 |
Itinerary Highlights
Day 1: Arrive Yerevan
Welcome at Zvartnots Airport. Transfer to your hotel. Evening walk through Republic Square with its pink tuff stone, the Cascade complex, and Northern Avenue. Welcome dinner with Armenian brandy (Ararat, of course). Overnight in Yerevan.
Day 2: Yerevan — The Pink City
Full-day Yerevan: Matenadaran manuscript museum (17,000+ ancient texts), the Genocide Memorial and Museum (Tsitsernakaberd), Vernissage flea market, and the Sergei Parajanov Museum dedicated to Armenia’s most famous filmmaker. Lunch at the GUM Market food hall. Evening at a jazz club in the Saryan Street wine district. Overnight in Yerevan.
Day 3: Echmiadzin & Zvartnots
Visit the “Vatican of Armenia” — Etchmiadzin Cathedral (301 AD, one of the world’s oldest), the Treasury Museum with the Holy Lance (believed to have pierced Christ), and St. Hripsime Church. Continue to Zvartnots Cathedral ruins (UNESCO, 7th century) — a circular masterpiece. Afternoon at the Ararat Brandy Factory for a tour and tasting. Overnight in Yerevan.
Day 4: Mount Aragats & Amberd Fortress
Drive to Armenia’s highest peak — Mount Aragats (4,090m). Hike from Lake Kari (3,200m) through alpine meadows to the southern summit at 3,879m (optional, with guide). Visit the 7th-century Amberd Fortress perched on a windswept hillside at 2,300m. Continue to the Armenian Alphabet Monument with its giant stone letters. Overnight in Yerevan.
Day 5: Khor Virap, Areni & Noravank
Sunrise at Khor Virap Monastery at the foot of Mount Ararat — the closest point to the biblical mountain. Visit Areni-1 cave, the world’s oldest known winery (6,100 years old). Wine tasting at a family vineyard. Continue to Noravank Monastery, tucked into a dramatic red rock canyon — the tomb carving shows God the Father with almond-shaped eyes. Overnight in Yeghegnadzor.
Day 6: Tatev Monastery & Wings of Tatev
Drive south through the Vayots Dzor region. Visit the ancient Selim Caravanserai on the Silk Road (14th century). Ride the Wings of Tatev — the world’s longest reversible cable car (5.7km, Guinness World Record) — to the magnificent Tatev Monastery on a cliff edge. Explore the monastery complex with its oil press, library, and breathtaking gorge views. Overnight in Goris.
Day 7: Karahunj & Goris Caves
Visit Karahunj (Zorats Karer), “Armenia’s Stonehenge” — 200+ standing stones with carved holes, possibly a 7,500-year-old astronomical observatory. Explore the cave dwellings of Old Goris carved into volcanic cliffs. Continue to Khndzoresk swinging bridge connecting two sides of a dramatic canyon. Overnight in Goris.
Day 8: Lake Sevan & Dilijan
Journey north to Lake Sevan, the “Jewel of Armenia.” Visit Sevanavank Monastery on the peninsula at 1,900m. Lunch of ishkhan (Sevan trout). Continue to Dilijan, the “Armenian Switzerland.” Walk Sharambeyan Street with artisan workshops. Visit Haghartsin Monastery hidden in a forested valley. Overnight in Dilijan.
Day 9: Haghpat & Sanahin Monasteries
Visit the UNESCO twin monasteries of the Lori region. Haghpat Monastery (10th century) with its unique bell tower and library. Sanahin Monastery with its scriptorium and medieval university. Walk through the picturesque Debed Canyon. Return to Yerevan for farewell dinner with live duduk music. Overnight in Yerevan.
Day 10: Depart Yerevan
Morning at the GUM Market for Armenian dried fruits, spices, and sujukh. Transfer to airport.
Inclusions
- 9 nights accommodation (4-star Yerevan, boutique in regions)
- Daily breakfast + 3 dinners
- Private vehicle with driver
- Expert English-speaking guide
- Wings of Tatev cable car
- Brandy & wine tastings
- Mount Aragats hike (guided)
- All monument entries
Why Southern Armenia
- Wings of Tatev: the world’s longest cable car to a cliff-edge monastery
- Karahunj: older than Stonehenge, a genuine astronomical mystery
- World’s oldest winery at Areni-1 cave (6,100 years)
- Mount Ararat views from Khor Virap at sunrise — iconic and moving
- Mount Aragats: climb Armenia’s rooftop on a non-technical summit
