Armenian Heritage

You arrive at night at Yerevan airport, where your guide welcomes you before your transfer to the hotel. You take advantage of a short early morning to rest from your journey.

Late in the morning, you begin your discovery of the capital at Matenadaran, an institute that houses a collection of ancient manuscripts.

After lunch, you continue with a moment of reflection at the Armenian Genocide Memorial and its adjacent museum, on the Tsitsernakaberd hill. You then head to the Mother Armenia statue, which overlooks the city from the heights of Yerevan.

The day ends with dinner at Megerian Carpet, dedicated to the art of Armenian carpet making. For four generations, the Megerian family has been collecting, restoring and manufacturing carpets in Arménie and the United States.

You join the Geghard Monastery, at the entrance to the upper Azat Valley. Largely troglodytic, this ensemble of churches and stone crosses testifies to Armenian medieval architecture. A former cultural and ecclesiastical center, it preserves relics of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

Optional, with additional charge: a concert of spiritual music in the monastery, to appreciate the acoustics of the place.

In Garni, you visit thepagan temple dedicated to the Sun god, a witness to the Hellenistic era in Arménie. This stop is also an opportunity to meet the locals: you have lunch at a local home and discover the traditional craft of making lavash, Armenian traditional bread.

Back in the capital, you end the day with a stop at the Armenian brandy distillery, where you taste this local specialty.

You take the road to Etchmiadzin, seat of the Armenian Apostolic Church, west of Yerevan. Before arriving there, you discover the ruins of Zvartnots Cathedral, dating from the 7th century and inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site along with the churches of Etchmiadzin.

You then explore the Holy See of Etchmiadzin, which brings together several buildings and sacred places. You discover there in particular the Church of St. Hripsimé, from the 7th century, and the Etchmiadzin Cathedral, whose origins date back to the 4th century. The Catholicos of all Armenians resides in Etchmiadzin.

On Sundays, those who wish can attend the Eucharistic celebration in the cathedral. No seating is available.

After lunch, you return to Erevan for a free afternoon, to be spent strolling and shopping. On weekends, you can browse the Vernissage, a market combining crafts, antiques and second-hand items.

Optional, with supplement and only on Sundays: a show of music, dances and folk songs by the Tatoul Athounian group.

You cross the Ararat Plain to reach Khor Virap. Located on a hill in the middle of vineyards and orchards, it offers a viewpoint over Mount Ararat, which dominates the surrounding landscapes.

You continue heading east towards the Vayots Dzor region, passing through the village of Areni. The winemaking tradition there dates back over 6,000 years. You discover the local methods of wine production, between artisanal processes and more modern techniques.

After lunch in Vayots Dzor, you explore the region and visit the Noravank monastery, nestled in a gorge of the upper Amaghou valley.

You continue towards Syunik, in southern Arménie, to discover the Karahunj site. A walk allows you to explore this ancient complex, associated with astronomical observation, before heading to Goris for dinner and overnight.

You begin the morning with a visit to the old town of Goris. Nestled in a sunken landscape and dotted with rock columns, it owes its nickname of "Little Cappadocia" to this setting.

A winding road then leads you to Tatev. To reach the monastery, you take the Tatev Wings Aerial Tramway, which travels over five kilometers above the Vorotan Canyon. You discover this monastic complex, once a major center of culture and learning.

You head north towards Lake Sevan, crossing the Vayots Dzor region again. The mountain road takes you to the Selim Pass, where you enjoy views of the surrounding reliefs. You also discover its caravanserai, a testament to the commercial travels and passage of caravans during the medieval period.

Near the shores of Lake Sevan, you reach Noradouz, an ancient village in the Gegharkunik region. It has an old church and a medieval cemetery housing several hundred khachkars, these stone steles decorated with carved crosses.

You continue your exploration at Lake Sevan, located at 1,900 meters altitude, whose surface area is approximately two and a half times that of Lake Léman. You visit the churches of the Holy Apostles and of the Holy Mother of God.

You arrive in Dilidjan in the evening, for dinner and the night.

The night can also take place in Sevan, with no change to the program.

In the morning, you head towards Vanadzor.

Optional, with additional charge: a meeting with the master of khachkars, Mr. Bogdan Hovhannisyan, in his workshop in Vanadzor.

You continue towards Alaverdi, a small mining town in northern Arménie, located about fifteen kilometers as the crow flies from Georgia. A few kilometers to the east, you discover the Haghpat monastery, built between the 10th and 13th centuries and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

After lunch at Haghpat, you visit the Sanahin monastery, also inscribed on the World Heritage list. Successively passed into the hands of the Kiurikian, Zakarides and then Arghoutian, it testifies, like Haghpat, to Armenian religious architecture from the 10th to 13th centuries.

You find Erevan for dinner and the night.