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Government House on Republic Square in Yerevan, a long arcaded building of pink tufa stone with a clock tower flying the Armenian flag, fountains playing in a basin in front and people on benches and crossing the square under a clear blue sky
Government House on Republic Square, Yerevan · in Kentron, the downtown district
Town brief · 40.1814°N 44.5144°E

Yerevan

From the top of the Cascade you look down on the centre of Yerevan, and from a room in Kentron you can walk to most of its museums and squares.

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Why you should go

Ninety seconds on Yerevan

How long
Two days, plus tripsthen Garni and Geghard, Khor Virap, Etchmiadzin
Getting around
On foot, then metrocity transport shares one payment system
When
Outside high summerJuly highs average 34.5 °C
Language
ArmenianRussian widely spoken; less English outside the city
Money
The Armenian dramcards in Yerevan, cash outside it
Airports
Zvartnots EVNbus 201 every half hour by day
How long

How many days do you need in Yerevan?

At least two days for the city: one for the Cascade, the Matenadaran and Republic Square, one for the History Museum, the Genocide Memorial and the Vernissage. The trips out come on top: Garni and Geghard together, Khor Virap, or Etchmiadzin with the Zvartnots ruins.

Getting around

How do you get around Yerevan?

On foot in Kentron, and by metro, bus, minibus and taxi beyond it. The metro has 10 stations on one line and a branch, running from 07:00 to midnight. Since 2025 the city's metro, buses, trolleybuses and minibuses share one payment system, which takes a transport card or a bank card.

When

When is the best time to visit Yerevan?

Outside the height of summer and the depth of winter. July highs average 34.5 °C and August can reach 40 °C, while January highs average 1.7 °C and nights often fall to -15 °C or lower. On 24 April, a public holiday, the Tsitsernakaberd memorial is the focus of a day-long procession. Vardavar, in July or late June, is the day strangers are doused with water in the streets, so anyone out that day gets soaked.

Language

What language is spoken in Yerevan?

Armenian is the official language, and Russian is widely spoken as a second language. Outside Yerevan, English is much less common, which matters on day trips by minibus.

Money

What currency does Yerevan use?

The Armenian dram, the only legal currency for commerce. Credit cards are not widely accepted outside Yerevan, so cash in dram is needed for the day trips. Outside the capital, an ATM generally needs a card on a major card network.

Airports

Which airport do you fly into for Yerevan?

Zvartnots International, EVN, roughly 20 minutes from the centre by car. Bus 201 runs between the airport and Yeritasardakan metro station every half hour during the day, a ride of about 25 minutes in light traffic, and route 100 also serves the airport.

Most of what you come to see in the city is a walk apart: the Matenadaran at the top of Mashtots Avenue, the Cascade a few streets west of it, and the History Museum and National Gallery on Republic Square. Keep Monday for a trip out of town, since the big museums close that day.

Watch the weather for Ararat. The mountain shows from anywhere in the city on a clear day, but haze usually builds later in the day, and an overcast sky hides it completely. Save Khor Virap, with its view of the peak, for the clearest day of your stay.

The day trips leave from three different bus stations. Minibuses for Garni and Geghard go from Gai, for Etchmiadzin from Kilikia, the central bus station, and for Artashat, on the way to Khor Virap, from the Southern station behind the railway station.

Use a ride-hailing app for taxis: it fixes the fare before the ride, and at night, once the buses stop, it is the way home. With street taxis, carry small notes, since drivers may say they have no change. Ignore any driver who tells you there is no bus or minibus to where you are going.

Arrive by air or overland from Georgia. The borders with Turkey and Azerbaijan are closed, and the one crossing from Iran is badly served by public transport. A sleeper train and minibuses link Yerevan with Tbilisi, and the minibus takes about 5.5 to 7 hours with the border crossing.

Things to do

19
  1. Blue Mosque

    Blue Mosque

    Landmark

    Step in from Mashtots Avenue, where the mosque is open to the street, and keep your voice low: it is a working mosque and quiet inside.

  2. Cascade Complex

    Cascade Complex

    Landmark

    The escalator gallery runs every day from 8:00 to 20:00, but the exhibition galleries open only Friday to Sunday, 10:00 to 20:00, so come at a weekend for the art.

  3. Garni Temple

    Garni Temple

    Temple

    Marshrutka 266 runs to the village about every 30 minutes, so you can make the trip without a car or a tour.

  4. Geghard Monastery

    Geghard Monastery

    Monastery

    Marshrutka 266 goes on past Garni only when other passengers are heading here, so a taxi is the sure way to Geghard and back.

  5. History Museum of Armenia

    History Museum of Armenia

    Museum

    Monday is the closed day; on other days come before the last entry at 17:15, or 16:15 on Sunday, when the museum shuts an hour earlier.

  6. Khor Virap

    Khor Virap

    Monastery

    Bus 467 stops 1.5 km short of the monastery, so plan to walk the last stretch along the road or come by car.

  7. Matenadaran

    Matenadaran

    Museum

    Closed on Sundays, Mondays and public holidays, the museum opens 10:00 to 17:50 the rest of the week, so plan your visit for a Tuesday to Saturday.

  8. Republic Square

    Republic Square

    Landmark

    Return on a summer evening after dark, when the musical fountain in front of the History Museum plays its show.

  9. Armenian Genocide Memorial

    Monument

    Take a taxi for the trip out, because the hill is off the metro and a long walk from the centre.

  10. Erebuni Fortress

    Fortress

    Decide at the desk whether you want both the museum and the excavated fortress, since each one takes its own ticket.

  11. Etchmiadzin Cathedral

    Cathedral

    Cover your shoulders and knees before you go in, and bring a scarf for your hair if you are a woman; men take their hats off inside.

  12. GUM Market

    Market

    Head here to see what the city eats: it is the largest food market in Yerevan, all of it under one covered roof.

  13. Mother Armenia

    Monument

    Keep climbing from the top of the Cascade to reach it on foot, and save the walk for a cooler hour, since it is hard going on a hot day.

  14. National Gallery of Armenia

    Museum

    Pair it with the History Museum on the same square, and pick a few halls before you go in, since the permanent display alone runs through dozens of rooms.

  15. Saint Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral

    Cathedral

    Light your candle in the small separate building on the south-east side, because candles are not allowed anywhere inside the cathedral itself.

  16. Sergei Parajanov Museum

    Museum

    Look for the dolls and hats he made among the collages, and for the unpublished screenplays and librettos kept alongside the artworks.

  17. Vernissage

    Market

    Plan your visit for Saturday or Sunday, when the market in the park is at its busiest.

  18. Yerevan Opera Theatre

    Landmark

    Book a seat for one of your evenings and check the programme ahead, since opera and ballet share the stage through the season.

  19. Zvartnots Cathedral

    Ruins

    Stop here on your way to or from Etchmiadzin Cathedral, a few kilometres further west, and make one day out of the two.

Basemap Meridian · data © OpenStreetMap
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Sources 6

The official pages this guide was checked against.

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