Yerevan

2,750 fountains of Shahumyan Park

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

Abovian street

Աբովյան Փողոց

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.

Anteb

A family-run cafe that serves a huge variety of kebabs in a very casual cafe-type setting. The Adana and Urfa are a bargain at about 800 dram each and the Iskender, though slightly more expensive for 3,000 dram (May 2015) rivals the best. The rice pudding is pricey but tasty. Cheap drinks and free fresh hot pocket bread.

Aram Khachaturyan House Museum

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.

Armenian Genocide Memorial (Genocide Museum & Tsitsernakaberd Monument)

Ցեղասպանության զոհերի հուշարձան

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.

Monument always open, museum Tue-Sun 11:00-16:00·Free

Armenian Railways Museum

Museum of Railway Transport of Armenia

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.

Closed Mondays·Free

Artashi Mot

Cheap shaurmas, soups and kebabs upstairs, fancier but still well priced sit-down restaurant underground. Great place to have BBQ and to meet your traditional fast food cravings. The fancier part is considered by many to be the finest place for khorovats (BBQ) in Armenia. Judge for yourself, but not before trying the horti (beef) and sunki (mushroom) barbeques. They are both delicious, when they have them. Other nice alternatives include the fish barbeque and the piti soup. Whichever barbeque you get, get some of the tomato sauce mix that Artash makes to put on your meat, or just to dip your bread into.

Opens 11AM

Arten Theatre

Արդեն

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.

Asador

Surf and turf. Steaks from around the world, and fresh seafood flown in. Excellent wine selection as well.

Daily 12:00-00:00

Blue Mosque

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

Botanical garden of Yerevan

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.

Cafesjian Museum of Modern Art

Cafesjian Centre for the Arts

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.

Escalators gallery daily 08:00-20:00; special galleries Fri-Sun 10:00-20:00·Free

Calumet

Bohemian, friendly, alternative crowd. Insanely smokey (seriously). There is no outdoor section so if you're not a fan of cigarette smoke, it might not be the place for you. English speaking staff and solid drinks selection. A nice place to kill a night.

free

Cascade Memorial to the Victims of Soviet Repression

Cascade Memorial

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.

Cascades, Sculpture Park and Cafesjian Museum

Cafesjian Centre for the Arts

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.

Tue-Thu 10:00-17:00, Fri-Sun 10:00-20:00·Adults 1,000 dram, children under 12 - free

Caucasus Tavern

Кавка́з

Extensive menu of Caucasian dishes in 5 languages plus photos. You can order fish straight from the aquarium.

Children's Park

շարժապահեստ Մանկական

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).

Children's Railway Park

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

Circular park

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

Climb the Cascades

(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.

Dolmama

Fusion Armenian-World cuisine. Excellent food, service and ambience. The outdoor seating out back is a way to experience the old courtyards that filled central Yerevan in the past.

Daily 11:00-23:30

Eduard Isabekyan Gallery

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

500 dram

English park

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

Erebuni Fortress

The excavations, recreations and museum of the nearly 3,000-year-old fortress that established Yerevan. Fairly well- (and maybe the best-) preserved fortress of Urartian Period in Armenia.

1,000 dram

Erebuni Museum of History

Էրեբունու թանգարան

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.

Tue-Sun 10:30-16:30·1,000 dram for museum and site; 500 dram for site only. Tour in foreign language 2,500 dram

Fountains of Saryan Post Park

Saryan-Mashtots Park

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

Freedom (or Theatrical) Square

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

Gini Pig

Wine, beer and pizza in a small, rustic space, run by an Australian-Armenian fellow. A favorite of many for the food and vibe.

2,000–4,000 dram

Grand Candy Ponchikanots

Ponchikanots

Ponchiks are a regional type of donut. Fried dough stuffed with a custard and topped with powdered sugar. Grand Candy took over the old space of a popular former Soviet "ponchikanots", or place of ponchiks and this is a popular spot for a fresh, hot, and very cheap treat. Lots of locally made candy and chocolate for sale as well. Grand Candy's big competition in the ponchik realm came down from Gyumri and opened up a few blocks away. So if you want to try a ponchik with a chocolate custard filling as well, head to Ponchik Monchik.

10am-8pm

History Museum of Armenia

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.

Tue-Sat 11:00-18:00, Sun 11:00-17:00·2,000 dram, usual discounts apply