Yerevan: the pink city under Ararat

It’s 5:51 a.m. on the Cascade — the giant limestone staircase that climbs up the hillside on the northern edge of central Yerevan — and Mount Ararat (which is, of course, in Turkey now, but visible in clear weather from anywhere in Yerevan) is just becoming visible across the plain. The snow-capped twin peaks of Big Ararat (5,137 m) and Little Ararat (3,896 m) are catching the dawn. The Armenian symbol of national identity, on the other side of the closed border, fifty kilometres away. The geography of the Yerevan morning is, in some sense, the whole history of the country.

Why I keep coming back

Armenia is the world’s first officially Christian country (since AD 301, with the conversion of King Tiridates III) and home to one of the oldest continuous national cultures in the world. The Armenian alphabet was invented in AD 405; the manuscripts at the Matenadaran in Yerevan are some of the oldest surviving Christian liturgical texts.

The country is also one of the smallest and most physically constrained in the region — landlocked, with closed borders to Turkey (since 1993) and Azerbaijan (since 1991), opening only to Georgia and Iran. The geopolitical situation has been difficult for thirty years; the 2020 and 2023 Nagorno-Karabakh wars produced significant changes to the country’s borders and population.

Yerevan itself is a 19th-century Russian-Imperial-laid-out city that has been heavily Soviet-modernist-rebuilt since the 1920s, with the famous tuff-stone buildings (volcanic rock in pinks, oranges, and creams) that give the city its distinctive colour palette.

Where to base yourself

Central Yerevan (around the Opera House or Republic Square) for the walking experience.

Kentron (the central district) for the boutique hotels and restaurants.

What to actually do

Walk Republic Square at dusk. The 1924 designed central square with its singing fountains in summer; the architectural symmetry of the surrounding Soviet-modernist tuff-stone buildings.

Climb the Cascade. The giant 20th-century staircase project from the city centre to the top of the hill, with sculpture gardens and contemporary art at each level (the Cafesjian Center for the Arts), ending at a Soviet-Armenian monument at the top.

Visit the Matenadaran. The Armenian manuscript museum and repository; the Mesrop Mashtots Institute. Some of the oldest Christian liturgical manuscripts in the world.

Visit the Genocide Memorial and Museum. Tsitsernakaberd. The 1915 Armenian Genocide remains the central historical fact for Armenian national identity. The museum is sober and essential.

Day-trip to Geghard Monastery and Garni. An hour east of Yerevan; Geghard is the half-built, half-rock-cut 13th-century monastery; Garni is the 1st-century Greco-Roman temple (a rare classical-era survivor in the Caucasus).

Day-trip to Tatev or the Areni wine region. Tatev is the 9th-century monastery in the southern mountains, accessed by the world’s longest non-stop double-tracked aerial tramway (the ‘Wings of Tatev’). The Areni Cave Complex, in the same region, contains the world’s oldest known winery (6,100 years old).

Drink Armenian cognac. Armenia produces some of the best brandies in the post-Soviet space; the Yerevan Brandy Company’s Ararat brand is the famous label. Tour and tastings available.

Where to eat

Armenian food: lavash (the long-cooked flatbread, UNESCO-listed), khorovats (Caucasian grilled meat), dolma (stuffed vine leaves), spas (yogurt soup), the strong tradition of dried fruits and walnuts.

Sherep — Modern Armenian; popular with locals; cafeteria-style for lunch. Lavash — Refined Armenian. Dolmama — Higher-end Armenian. Mer Tagh — Cheap, traditional, the daily working lunch. The wine bars on Saryan Street — the city’s drinking strip; mid-tier Armenian wines. Coffee at the Armenian small-cup style — strong, no milk, served with a glass of cold water.

When to come

May–June and September–October for the most pleasant weather.

Summer is hot (35°C+); winter is cold (sometimes well below freezing in January) but the high mountains have excellent skiing.

Practical notes

• Visa: Most Western passports get 180 days visa-free.
• Money: Armenian dram; ATMs work.
• Transport: The Yerevan Metro is small but useful. Taxis and Yandex/GG apps for longer rides. A car with driver for day trips.
• Language: Armenian (with its own unique script); Russian widely understood; English increasingly common in central Yerevan.
• The 1915 history: A central and unresolved fact of Armenian identity. The genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire killed 1.5 million Armenians and displaced the survivors across the Middle East, Europe, and the Americas. Most Armenians have family directly affected. Engage thoughtfully.
• The 2020 / 2023 wars: The loss of much of Nagorno-Karabakh and the displacement of 100,000+ ethnic Armenians from the region is recent and visible. Some refugees may be visible in Yerevan.

A final thought

Armenia is one of the most historically deep and politically constrained countries I have travelled in. The combination of the world’s first official Christian state, the medieval and ancient manuscript culture, the 20th-century genocide and Soviet experience, and the difficult contemporary geopolitics produces a country that does not yield itself to a quick visit.

The rewards, for the patient visitor, are real. The architecture (the volcanic tuff stone, the medieval monasteries, the Soviet-modernist mid-century), the cuisine (one of the most distinctive in the wider Caucasus), the wines (the natural-wine scene around Areni is genuinely interesting), and the warmth of the Armenian hospitality are all worth a longer visit than most tourists give.

Five nights in Yerevan, plus three or four days for monasteries and day trips, is the right length. Combine with Georgia (an easy land border at Sadakhlo / Bagratashen, 5 hours by road) for a 12–14 day Caucasus loop. Both small countries reward the patient traveller in ways that the more famous destinations of the region do not.