Fasciculi itinerum
Ancient stone churches, a view of Ararat and forests and mountain lakes.
Seven days across an ancient Christian land: Yerevan and its Cascade, the churches of Etchmiadzin and Zvartnots, Garni temple and Geghard, Khor Virap facing Mount Ararat, the wine country of Areni, Noravank, Lake Sevan, the forest monasteries of Dilijan, and the UNESCO monasteries of Sanahin and Haghpat.
With ALNWRAS WORLD — a world of journeys.
Met at Yerevan airport, then a first evening in a city built of rose-coloured stone.
Your driver meets you at Yerevan airport and takes you to your hotel in the city centre. Yerevan is known as the pink city for the tuff stone of its buildings, which turns rose-coloured at sunset.
You receive your room and have the rest of the day to rest, or to stroll to Republic Square, where the fountains are lit after dark.
Hospitium: Yerevan
Two ancient churches in the morning, the Cascade and the old squares in the afternoon.
In the morning you drive about 21 kilometres west to Etchmiadzin, the Holy See of the Armenian Church, and to the ruins of Zvartnots cathedral, both on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Parts of the Etchmiadzin cathedral may be under restoration, in which case it is seen from outside.
In the afternoon you tour Yerevan: Republic Square, the Opera House and Northern Avenue, and the Cascade, a monumental stairway of 572 steps with galleries of modern art, and a view of the city and, on a clear day, of Mount Ararat.
The mother church of the Armenian Church, in a UNESCO site.
The ruins of an ancient cathedral, with Ararat behind.
The city’s main square and a stairway with a view of Ararat.
Nota: Entrance fees and tastings are not included. The schedule can change with weather, traffic and road conditions.
Hospitium: Yerevan
A pagan temple, a gorge of basalt columns and a monastery carved into the rock.
You drive 28 kilometres east to Garni, a temple from before the Christian era, set above the Azat gorge. Below it, a short drive away, the Symphony of Stones is a wall of basalt columns, like the pipes of a giant organ.
Then on to Geghard, a monastery carved partly out of the cliff, in a valley of rock and stream. Back in Yerevan, you can stop for lavash, the thin Armenian bread baked in a clay oven.
A colonnaded temple above the Azat gorge.
Basalt columns shaped by the river.
Chapels carved into the cliff.
Fresh bread from a clay oven, as a paid extra.
Nota: Entrance fees and tastings are not included. The schedule can change with weather, traffic and road conditions.
Hospitium: Yerevan
The monastery facing Mount Ararat, a wine village and a monastery between red cliffs.
A day to the south of Yerevan. The first stop, 45 kilometres away, is Khor Virap, a monastery on a small hill that stands directly across the plain from Mount Ararat, one of the best views of the mountain.
You continue to the village of Areni, 111 kilometres from Yerevan, with its wine culture and the Areni-1 cave, an archaeological site. The last stop is Noravank, 120 kilometres from Yerevan, a monastery in a narrow gorge between red cliffs.
The monastery with the classic view of Ararat.
Wine country and an archaeological cave.
A tasting at a local winery, as a paid extra.
A monastery between red rock walls.
Nota: Entrance fees and tastings are not included. This is a long day by road; the time at each stop is set by your guide.
Hospitium: Yerevan
A high mountain lake, then forest monasteries and a night in Dilijan.
After breakfast you leave Yerevan for Lake Sevan, 68 kilometres to the north, a large freshwater lake high in the mountains. You walk up to Sevanavank, the monastery on the peninsula, for the view across the water.
The road continues into the forests of Dilijan, 110 kilometres from Yerevan, a green mountain town. You visit Haghartsin and Goshavank, two medieval monasteries hidden in the woods, and Old Dilijan, a small street of craftsmen’s workshops. You sleep in Dilijan.
The monastery on the peninsula, with a view of the lake.
Medieval monasteries in the Dilijan forest.
A restored street of craft workshops.
Nota: Entrance fees and tastings are not included. The schedule can change with weather, traffic and road conditions.
Hospitium: Dilijan
The UNESCO monasteries of the north, and a frescoed church above a gorge.
A day in the north of Armenia, in the province of Lori. You visit Sanahin and Haghpat, two monasteries on a high shoulder, which together form one UNESCO World Heritage property, with their stone chapels and carved crosses.
Then Akhtala, a monastery known for its frescoes. In the evening you return to Dilijan. It is a long day, with the time at each stop set by your guide.
Two monasteries in one UNESCO World Heritage property.
A monastery known for its frescoes.
Nota: Dress modestly: these are active religious sites. Entrance fees are not included.
Hospitium: Dilijan
Your driver takes you from Dilijan to Yerevan airport.
After breakfast your driver takes you from Dilijan to Yerevan airport, about 110 kilometres, for your flight home. The departure time from Dilijan is set by your flight time. We look forward to welcoming you again.
Finis itineris
City centre, Yerevan · 4 noctes
Genus hospitii: Double room
Imagines huius deversorii mox addentur cum ius utendi habebitur.
Dilijan · 2 noctes
Genus hospitii: Double room
Imagines huius deversorii mox addentur cum ius utendi habebitur.
Adiutor automaticus qui errare potest. Pretia viva non ostendit neque reservationes, solutiones aut visa confirmat. Hic notas cartae vel diplomatis ne mittas.
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