Day 1: Yerevan City Tour
Arrival at Zvartnots airport. Transfer to the hotel. Hotel accommodations,(rooms booked beforehand). City tour: The History Museum of Armenia. The History Museum is the best place where you can get acquainted with the people who past the previous centuries. Here you may see such kind of samples which have many thousands of year history in other words you will travel in time, will have mysterious and unexplained feelings.
Continue tour to Erebouni fortress museum: Erebouni Museum of the History of the Foundation of Yerevan was established in 1968. The opening of the Museum was timed to coincide with the 2750th anniversary of Yerevan. The Museum stands at the foot of the Arin Berd hill, on top of which the Erebouni Fortress has been constructed. The City-Fortress was excavated, some parts of the structure were reinforced and restored and the fortress was turned into a museum under an open air. Overnight at the hotel in Yerevan.
Day 2: Echmiadzin - St. Gayane church – Sardarapat – Zvartnots
Breakfast at the hotel. Trip to Etchmiatsin cathedral. The Mother See of Holy Etchmiatsin is the spiritual and administrative headquarters of the worldwide Armenian Church. Holy Ecthmiatsin is a cathedral built in the years 302 to 303 AD, soon after Christianity was established as the official state religion of Armenia. It is said that St Gregory, known also as the Holy Illuminator as he enlightened King Tridat and led him to Christianity in 301, had a vision of Christ coming down from the clouds and striking the ground at Etchmiatsin with a golden hammer, thus designating the location of the new church. It is spiritual place for the people who first adopted Christianity and The residence of Patriarch (called "Catholikos")of the world's 7 million Armenian Orthodox.
Continue tour to St. Gayane church. A visit to Sardarapat Ethnographic Museum. Bearing on the left side of the Sardarapat battle monument, a driveway skirts the monument ridge to reach a tourist pavilion (refreshments) and the highly attractive "Sardarapat" museum. The ground floor central hall contains commemorative material from the battle. Starting from the right, the lower galleries present archaeological materials from Neolithic to Medieval, and implements for various traditional handicrafts. Upstairs are exhibits of carpets and embroidery, modern Armenian decorative ceramics, and jewelry. Return to Yerevan with stop at the ruins of Zvartnots temple - the pearl of the 7 c. architecture which is listed as a World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO. Overnight at the hotel in Yerevan
Day 3: Yerevan City (free day)
Day 4: Dilijan - Celebration of Vardavar - Sevan
Breakfast at the hotel. Tour to Dilijan. Visit Haghartsin Monastery in the lush Pambak Mountain range near Dilijan. Haghartsin monastery is nestled in a temperate rainforest on a mountainside. It is one of those spots in Armenia that feels like you are walking through a huge, unreal movie set. When we arrived in August it was great weather and even though it was in the middle of the day there was mist hanging about making the setting so scenic that even without the monastery it would have been breathtaking.
The first warning of the approaching monastery is a small cave-like building and some khatchkars on the left of the road, as you heading down a steep mountainside with another mountain opposite to you, way off to the left. The combination of natural and architectural beauty is very impressive, and most visitors to Armenia do not ever see it. There you can take part in the celebration Vardavar, the Transfiguration of Christ, a holiday with roots in pre-Christian Armenia. Visit Sevan lake where you can swim, sunbathe and simply enjoy your time. Overnight at the hotel in Sevan.
Day 5: Lake Sevan - Sevan Monastery – Noraduz - Selim Pass – Goris
Breakfast at the hotel. Visit Sevan Monastery on the peninsula 8-9 century. Lake Sevan is the largest lake in Armenia and one of the largest high-altitude lakes in the world. It is situated in the central part of the Republic of Armenia, inside the Gegharkunik Province, at the altitude of 1900m above sea level. Sevan was one of the three great lakes of the historical Armenian Kingdom, collectively referred to as the, and it is the only one within the boundaries of today's Republic of Armenia. Sevanavank is the historic area near the lake. Originally made from three churches, the monastery was built on an island. Receding waters in the 20th century created the current peninsula. The monastery was founded in 874 by King Ashot I. Two churches remain, St. Arakelots and Astvatsatsin.
The island monastery was, according to historians of the time, used both for worship and pilgrimage, and as a place of exile for Armenian noblemen who had fallen into disgrace. There are numerous beaches along the entire lake shore. The most famous cultural monument is the Sevanavank monastery near the town of Sevan at the northwestern shore. Initially the monastery was located on an island, but the fall of the water level turned it into a peninsula.For several centuries thereafter it remained an important spiritual center and was a pilgrimage site for thousands of visitors from all parts of Armenia. Continue tour to Noraduz which is a huge medieval modern cemetery an impressive array of early khachkars full of mysterious feelings a just a amazing place in Gegharkunik Province. Trip to Goris by selim pass which was a part of Great Silk Road. Overnight at the hotel in Goris.
Day 6: Karahunge – Khndzoresk - Tatev Monestery
Breakfast at the hotel. Visit to Karahunge, ancient observatory 5 mil B.C. Karahunge or Karahundj, Zorakarer is 3.500 years older than England's Stonehenge and 3.000 years older than the Egyptian pyramids. The total area of the observatory is 7 hectares. According to the scientist's findings, temple consisting of 40 stones built in honor of the Armenians' main God, Ari, meaning the Sun, is situated in the central part of Karahunge. Besides the temple, it had a large and developed observatory, and also a university that makes up the temple's wings.
Excursion tour to Khndzoresk which is a cave village and there are many signs of past settlement throughout the valley which are just waiting for discovery. There are a very large number of caves, although most of them are rather small. You will see that many of the caves have been carved out by man and served as houses for people. You will find the ruins of a village, a beautiful ancient church, and very old tombstones. Continue tour to Tatev Monastery Complex. Overnight at the hotel in Jermuk.
Day 7: Water Gallery - JermukWaterfall – Yerevan
Breakfast at the hotel. Jermuk is a great place to spend as much time as you can spare to relax and get away from it all. Visit Jermuk waterfall and admire it. Then visit the Gallery of mineral. Thousands of tourists each year visited Armenia for the purpose of recovering from a number of illnesses with the curing thermal waters of Jermuk. There are lots of things to explore in this beautiful city. There are several things you can check out in Jermuk.
Also, there is a tall cliff, that has natural carved bottom, locals call it "erazankneri kamurdge" - The Bridge of Dreams', meaning if you pass under it and make a wish it comes true. Another place you can check out is this spring. It is on your way out of the village. It is called "sour water". People there say wash your face with it and your wrinkles go away. Thousands of tourists each year visited Armenia for the purpose of recovering from a number of illnesses with the curing thermal waters of Jermuk. Overnight In Yerevan.
Day 8: Yerevan City (free day)
Day 9: Departure.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Price Includes:
- 5 overnights in Yerevan (5* hotel Marriott, 4* hotel Aviatrans, 3* hotel Erebouni)
- Bed and breakfast
- 1 overnight in Sevan (TufenkianWorld Hertage)
- 1 overnight in Goris ("Mirhav" hotel)
- 1 overnight in Jermuk (Jermuk Sanatourium
- All entrance fees
- Professional multilingual guide service
- Soft drinks during the trips.
Price Excludes:
- Alcoholic beverages
- Flights
- Travel insurance
- Entry visa to Armenia.
Also see tour packages in:
Europe
Armenia
Local Culture
Sightseeing
Cultural Journey
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