This is our Yerevan and Etchmiadzin story — the capital’s food and city walks, and a single day trip that covered the oldest cathedral in the world, a Greco-Roman temple and a monastery carved into rock.
As you drive from Sevan Lake to Yerevan, you will pass through some mountains. At one point in this journey, you might spot a snowy peak in the distance. It is an imposing structure and disappears again for a while. The mountains soon give way to reveal the greatest symbol of Yerevan – the snow capped peaks of Mount Ararat.
We’ll cover Ararat in greater detail in the next blog, for now, let’s call it the Burj Khalifa equivalent of Yerevan – a monumental structure that defines the city in many ways and forms a part of the lasting memory of being here.
The bustling capital city
Yerevan is the capital city of Armenia and also its largest one. Its history goes back to the 8th century BC and has been continuously inhabited since then. Today, Yerevan is a beautiful modern city with unique architecture and an amazing vibe with its mix of cultures and food.
Most of the buildings in Yerevan are made of rocks in different shades of pink forming a mosaic-like design. These are made of tuff – a soft volcanic rock. In other cities of Armenia, you will find a similar mosaic design but not as pink. It is truly unique and fascinating!
We arrived at Yerevan in the evening as Zaven, our driver from Hyur Service, dropped us at Teryan Street in front of our Airbnb. We checked into our apartment (a beautiful one) and decided to go out for a walk and to get dinner. Yerevan can spoil you for choice – there are just too many good restaurants to choose from. We did some quick research and made a reservation at one called Lavash. We quickly fed the kids some rice and left.
Dinner and city walks
The restaurant was a short walk away. I really loved the city vibe in the evening – there was a lot of activity, plenty of parks, cafes and restaurants. Once we got there, we realised why the reservation was needed – there was soon a long line of people waiting to get a table. We had pomegranate wine (so good!), salads, barbecued chicken and lamb, pilaf and their record breaking dessert called Gata.
The gata is basically like a puff pastry, flaky and slightly sweet with a filling of dry fruits – so good that we ordered an extra plate! Armenian food has strong Persian influence having been part of the same empire long ago.
We walked down to Moscow Cinema on Aboyvan Street and continued onwards to the Opera House. The entire square was full of kids playing on remote controlled cars and jeeps.
We crossed this square to reach the cascade expecting it to be lit up but there was nothing to be seen there. So, we walked back to our room.
Zaven is back
Next morning, we got ready and went to a cafe called Local’s for breakfast. There weren’t many places open at this time of the day. We got back to our apartment to find Zaven waiting for us with his white shirt and black sunglasses.
Hyur Service had allocated him once again since we were already familiar with him – I had requested them if we could have the same driver for all our tours. It seemed like they remembered it and honored it. Oh and by the way, Zaven couldn’t speak a word of English but we seemed to get along well.
Oldest cathedral in the world
This was a day-trip of sorts and we first went to Saint Hripsime Church in the nearby city of Vagharshapat or Etchmiadzin as it is also known. This is one of the oldest surviving churches in Armenia. Inside, we saw a wedding function going on.
Next stop was one of the highlights of the day – the oldest cathedral in the world – the Etchmiadzin Cathedral. It was built around the year 301 by the patron saint of Armenia – Gregory the Illuminator.
Gregory is the one who converted Armenia from Zoroastrianism to Christianity around the same time. The cathedral complex was huge and had beautiful gardens full of butterflies. Parth kept chasing the butterflies and had a lot of fun running around.
Garni temple and a natural wonder
After this, we had a long drive across the city through a lot of traffic to Garni. Garni is home to the eastern-most Greco-Roman temple and the only one remaining in the former Soviet Union. It is a symbol of the pre-Christian times of Armenia.
From one side of the temple complex, we could spot a unique rock formation in the distance. We were going there next. Zaven drove us to the Garni gorge below the village to visit the Symphony of Stones – the name of that rock formation. The formation is basically columns of basalt (volcanic rock) which have been carved out by the river flowing next to it. The shape of the rocks can be likened to an organ (the musical one) leading to its name.
We kept walking downhill into the gorge till the point where we could spot the Garni temple. There was also a shop there – we got freshly pressed pomegranate juice and strawberries. The kids loved the strawberries as usual. We got on a toy train as we wanted to skip the uphill walk.
A monastery cut into the rocks
Next stop was lunch. Zaven took us to a home which was also a tourist group lunch place. Parth found their kid’s scooter and other toys and played with them while the food came. There were a bunch of salads, dips with lavash bread, soup and a lot more. We were almost full when they brought out the roast chicken. It was so good that I stuffed myself as much as possible!
With happy tummies, we proceeded to Geghard monastery – the last stop for the day. The road didn’t exist for the last bit of the journey and it was a bumpy ride. From the parking lot, it was an uphill climb to get there. The uniqueness of this monastery was that it was carved into the sides of the mountain. There were caves connected to the inside chambers of the monastery and it was fun to explore those.
Shopping time
We got back to Yerevan after a long drive and asked Zaven to drop us at the Vernissage market. It was almost 5:30 pm and the market would close at 6. There was a lot of cool stuff at this market and it was the perfect place for souvenirs!
We bought a lot of little souvenirs for all the folks back home. We also got a flute for Parth which he kept playing throughout the walk – attracting unpleasant gazes! It would have been great to spend more time here but we were grateful we got here just in time – otherwise, we would have missed the market timings.
The Republic Square was close to the market – we decided to walk over. After spending some time playing near the fountains, we went to a nearby supermarket, bought some supplies for the next day’s breakfast and took a cab back home. Dinner was ordered on Yandex from a nearby Chinese takeaway place. I absolutely loved the mochi bun!
Wrapping up
Next morning, we made a quick breakfast of bun and omelette and ate it along with the yogurt and bananas we had bought the previous evening. Zaven was back to pick us up for our trip to southern Armenia.
Just to round up our Yerevan experience, we had one more day after our 2-day trip to southern Armenia. We spent that exploring the Cascade area, climbing up to the top of the Cascade to see Mount Ararat, walking through the parks and eating some amazing food. The Yerevan Cascade has 5 levels and over 500 steps to get to the top. It is an architectural wonder and a prominent tourist area in the city.
Must visit food options
Two restaurants we went to and loved were Rehan (Turkish and Lebanese food) and Gustav (the best burgers ever!) – definitely recommend Gustav as a MUST VISIT!
Oh and before I forget, do take back some Gata for the folks back home. It is absolutely amazing – simple, not too sweet and has everything to be the perfect snack!
We discovered a small shop in a basement run by an old lady. As we climbed down the steps, we could smell the warm freshly baked gata inside. The lady couldn’t speak English, so a customer there helped translate our requirements and we packed as many as our luggage could hold. Here’s the location – do check the place out and support small local businesses!
Yerevan had been the most unexpected amazing city we had been to – after Almaty. In the next blog, we will explore some of the less visited parts of Armenia. If you enjoyed reading this, do subscribe to the blog and leave a comment below.
If you’re going: practical notes
- Stay: Airbnb apartment on Teryan Street — central, walking distance to restaurants, the Opera House and Republic Square.
- Getting around: Hyur Service driver (Zaven) for the day trips to Etchmiadzin/Garni/Geghard; Yandex app for cabs and food delivery within the city.
- Food: Lavash for the Guinness-record gata and Armenian classics (book ahead, it fills up); Gustav for the best burgers we had anywhere; Rehan for Turkish/Lebanese; a hidden basement gata shop near Republic Square run by an old lady, even better than Lavash’s.
- Watch out for: Vernissage market closes at 6pm — time your visit; Republic Square’s dancing fountains aren’t always running (we found nothing lit up one evening).
Yerevan and Etchmiadzin: Quick Answers
What’s the best way to see Etchmiadzin, Garni and Geghard in one day trip from Yerevan?
We did all three plus Saint Hripsime Church in a single day with a private driver (Hyur Service) — Etchmiadzin and Hripsime first since they’re close together near Vagharshapat, then the longer drive across the city to Garni temple and the Symphony of Stones gorge below it, ending at Geghard monastery carved into the mountainside. It made for a long day with two toddlers but was completely doable.
Is Etchmiadzin really the oldest cathedral in the world?
Yes — the Etchmiadzin Cathedral was built around 301 AD by Gregory the Illuminator, the same patron saint who converted Armenia to Christianity, making it widely considered the oldest cathedral in the world. We visited it as part of a day trip and the complex also has beautiful gardens full of butterflies.
How many days do you need in Yerevan?
We split ours across two visits — an evening arrival plus a full day trip to Etchmiadzin/Garni/Geghard, then one more day after our southern Armenia loop for the Cascade and city walks. If you’re not doing day trips separately, 2-3 days in the city itself covers the Cascade, Republic Square, Vernissage market and the food scene comfortably.
What should you eat in Yerevan?
Don’t miss gata — we had the Guinness-record-holding one at Lavash (book ahead, it gets a line) and later found an even better version at a hidden basement bakery run by an old lady who didn’t speak English. For dinner, Gustav has the best burgers we had anywhere and Rehan does excellent Turkish and Lebanese food.
Is Yerevan good for families with young kids?
We travelled with 4 adults and 2 toddlers and Yerevan was easy — wide pedestrian squares, parks and remote-control car rentals for kids near the Opera House, and restaurants that don’t blink at toddlers in tow. Just plan around nap times since day trips to Garni/Geghard run long.
Planning the rest of your Armenia trip? Subscribe and we’ll send you our Armenia Pre-Trip Checklist plus the Magnet Map of every stop in this series.
You can find all the Armenia blogs here:
- The Armenia Itinerary – plan you perfect trip to Armenia
- Crossing over a land border to Dilijan – the Switzerland of Armenia
- Yerevan and Etchmiadzin – the oldest cathedral in the world
- Mount Ararat and Areni Wine – a trip to South Armenia
- Flying on the Wings of Tatev – the longest reversible cable car in the world
6 thoughts on “Yerevan and Etchmiadzin: The Oldest Cathedral in the World”