Embarking on a whirlwind girls trip, our adventure in Armenia began with the warm embrace of a friend who arranged our airport taxi through the gg-Transportation Service app, setting the tone for our delightful journey. The cost, approximately 2000–3000 Dram ($5–7.5), was a reasonable welcome to this vibrant country.
Despite our fatigue from limited sleep, the day in Yerevan unfolded with an exquisite brunch at the Cascade Complex. For brunch I had eggs with tomato sauce, and it was unexpectedly delicious. Surprisingly we found three Botero statues (the famous Colombian painter & sculptor) part of the complex. I don’t know his link with Armenia, but you could easily tell that Armenians were art lovers in general. The discovery of the Alphabet Wall captivated us, showcasing Armenia’s ancient and intriguing script, ranked as the 4th oldest language globally, according to an article publishedin Science.org. Capturing my name through photographs of each letter became a cherished memory.
Our day was a tapestry of cultural immersion: from lighting candles at a serene church/manastir to savoring delights at a typical Armenian bakery and walked by the soviet cinema ‘Moskva’. The highlight was visiting the Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex. Walking around evoked intensive emotions. An elderly local that looked very touched conveyed history’s weight despite our language barriers. He managed to explain some parts of the history and all those who donated & supported the Armenian cause.
Since needed to lighten up our spirits, we visited the Vernissage market. We enjoyed our selves walking around and buys small Armenian souvenirs. We then stoped by the Republic Square to take some photos and made it on time to visit also the Blue Mosque from the mid-1700s, before it was fully dark outside.
A culinary feast awaited us at Ktoor Restaurant, where we indulged in the diverse and delicious Armenian cuisine, each dish a testament to their rich culinary heritage. There wasn’t one thing that we didn’t enjoyed. As night fell, navigating the bustling nightlife led us to uncover hidden gems among the bars and clubs in Yerevan, eventually finding a less crowded yet lively spot to conclude our evening.
On our second day, we rented car and ventured to Zvartnots Cathedral, a captivating site that included also a small archeological museum. Following the Google maps recommendation, we ended up in a very bad road, and missed the main entrance, so we had to get in from the back fields. Our itinerary included stops at Saint Gayane Church (Սուրբ Գայանե եկեղեցի) where a wedding ceremony was happening. Afterwards we visited Etchmiadzin Cathedral (Էջմիածնի Մայր Տաճար), which is often referred to as the oldest cathedral in the world. The original building was completed in 303 A.D., a testament to Armenia’s ancient architectural marvels and religious significance. It was very beautiful, but unfortunately under restoration and we couldn’t get in. After a short walk and another wedding happening there, we started our journey to Gyumri.
It took us a while to arrive there, so we had just one hour of sunlight. We hurried to reach the Old Hospital Ruins. A very bad road to reach it and nothing interesting to really see, but we enjoyed the thrill of looking for it. After that we rushed to Mother Armenia monument and Black Fortress, which was closed, so we took some photos from afar. To complement our road-trip we had a modest but delicious dinner and an unforgettabl experience at Kumayri Restaurant. Warmth and traditional music made us feel like time travelers. They had these prive rooms, with a home like interior design of the 90s. The staff didn’t speak English but they were so nice and friendy and we even danced to Armenian traditional music with them in the end. This is a 100% if you visit this town. Closed our Gyumri tour with the Black Church and Iron Fountain. The later was underwhelmingly shrouded in darkness, but again it was nice driving around the city, looking for it.
To aid future travelers, I’m summarising some general information that will come in handy:
- You can pay by card almost everywhere except taxies & at Kumayri.
- They won’t accept any other currency except Dram, so better have some with you, or exchange some USD. Don’t bring Euros with you, as the only place you can exchange them is in the Airport where the rates are crazy.
- The live music in rock bars is usually till 11:00–12:00 at night, but bars are open till 2:00–4:00 am during weekends at least.
- They don’t speak English in most places, they don’t get a lot of tourists as I understood, so if you don’t know Armenian or Russian, get an app that will help you with translation. However most of the menus in restorants have english translations.
- Taxis are very cheap, so if you don’t have much time to walk from one place to another, don’t think twice to get one via “gg” app, that I mentioned before.
- To get a very nice coffee, I’d recommend Coffe House, which is a takeaway coffee place run by youngsters. Just be aware that their taste of sweet is different than in the western countries. I ordered a medium cappuccino and it was very sweet.
