Yerevan, Armenia.

They call Yerevan the "Paris of the Caucasus"—but I hate those comparisons. This city promises something so much better: pink stone that glows at sunset and vibrant streets.

5 days itinerary

Day One – Arrival, Tea, and Low-Energy Wonder

Check-in: The Alexander, Yerevan (late afternoon)
We land, we float into the lobby, we melt into the sheets for a second.

Afternoon: Vernissage Market
We start soft. Old Soviet pins, handmade chess sets, a carpet we almost buy. Then a tea stop that turns into people-watching.

Evening: Dinner at A Terra (Octant Hotel)
Our welcome dinner is firewood and herbs, dim lights and things roasted until they whisper. We barely check the menu—we trust it.

Day Two – Art, Concrete, and a Touch of Mystery

Morning: Cascade Complex + Cafesjian Center for the Arts
We climb the Cascade, slowly. It’s a Soviet mega-staircase turned sculpture garden, topped with a view over the city and Mt. Ararat if we’re lucky. Inside: neon, silence, and some surprisingly weird contemporary art..

Lunch: Lavash
We go traditional-but-not-too-traditional. Ghapama, lamb & things wrapped in leaves.

Afternoon: Yerevan Modernism Walk
We head off the map a little. Concrete chess houses, utopian staircases, faded mosaics. The Chess House, the Polytechnic, and a culture center that looks like it was built by time travelers.

Dinner: Sherep
Big windows, open kitchen, zero pretense. We try something we've never heard of, and it's perfect.
We walk. We snack. We don’t decide. It’s fried, grilled, dipped, sweet, sour, gone.

Day Three – Monks, Dust, and a View That Shuts You Up

Morning: Khor Virap Monastery (45 min drive)
We head south. The monastery sits on a hill, the mountain looms behind it. We take photos, then stop. Because no photo gets it right.

Lunch: Roadside Khorovats
We find a place that looks like nothing. Smoke, meat, bread, pickled things. Best meal of the day, no contest.

Afternoon: Noravank Monastery (1 hr drive)
Red rocks, stacked churches, steps carved into cliffs. It’s like someone built a cathedral in the middle of a geological mood swing.

Evening: Back to Yerevan + spa reset
We return dusty, sun-flushed, quietly fried. Time to disappear into The Alexander’s spa—warm steam, volcanic scrubs, and 90 minutes where the world goes quiet. Our legs thank us. Our souls too.

Dinner: Light, lazy, local
Maybe room service. Maybe something easy nearby. After the day we’ve had—and the steam we’ve earned—we don’t need much. A bottle, a view, and no more shoes

Day Four – Lakeside Sci-Fi and Abandoned Sanatoriums

Morning: Drive to Lake Sevan (1 hr)
It’s blue. It’s massive. It’s weirdly high up. We climb to Sevanavank Monastery, try to look spiritual, and immediately get distracted by the view.

Lunch: Tsovatsar by the lake
Fish straight from the water, wine poured with a shrug, and someone’s playlist drifting in from the kitchen.

Afternoon: Dilijan detour (40 min)
We go full Ghibli. Dilijan is misty, quiet, a bit haunted in the best way. We pass a Soviet sanatorium buried in the forest. Might be open. Might not.

Evening: Back to Yerevan (1.5 hrs)
We drive with the windows down and a playlist we argue about.

Dinner: The Club
Underground, soft light, jazz in the next room. The food is layered, the crowd low-key.

Day Five – Metro Chandeliers and a Final Toast

Morning: Yerevan Metro + Hidden Soviet Glamour
We go underground. The metro stations are full of marble, chandeliers, mosaics. It’s like riding the train through a Cold War opera set.

Late morning: Tsitsernakaberd Memorial
We move slow here. The wind, the trees, the silence. History with weight.

Lunch: Pandok Yerevan
A feast before leaving. Clay pots, flatbread, herbs…delicious.

Afternoon: Last hour, last look
A final walk through Northern Avenue, last souvenirs, last coffee. We’re already talking about coming back.