We generally focus on travel in Asia or Europe but ignore Eurasia. However, Eurasia consists of some wonderful and less explored gems like Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia. Armenia is the least expensive of the three as far as travel budgets are concerned. Here, we will discuss Armenia and what to see and do in Yerevan, Armenia's capital city.
1. Republic Square
The Republic Square is the heart of Yerevan city. The square consists of an oval roundabout and another section which contains a pool with musical fountains. It's surrounded by government buildings one of which was the House of the Government, others being the National museum & Marriott hotel.
This place comes alive at night with the lights adding a festive fervour and people are spotted sitting and enjoying the fountain shows with songs & colourful lighting. It is rightfully tagged as the cultural hub where people from different places come & spend some quality time socializing with other people.
In a lane next to the square, is a line of shops where you can shop for Armenian souvenirs and authentic Armenian products.
2. Genocide Museum
Now there's a bit of history that Armenia & Turkey share between them. The Armenians generally speak of the atrocities committed by the Turks on their ancestors and haven't forgiven the Turks. I've been to Turkey previously and am a fan of the country, so I didn't completely understand the reason for this hostility. After spending a hour & a half at the museum, I understood why the Armenians dislike the Turks.
History behind the place
The Armenian Genocide that took place before & after First World War involved a systematic killing of 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Turks. It started with deportation of Armenians from Constantinople (now Istanbul) to Ankara and ended with them being killed. The Ottoman Turks slaughtered the men, kidnapped/raped the women and religiously converted the children.
Despite all that, Armenians were good at trade, education, industrial growth, book publishing, medicine. Infact they were the pioneers of using innovative technologies even in those times.
Other section of the Museum
Walking upstairs, you'll see a memorial complex. This Genocide memorial complex is built on the hill of Tsitsernakaberd to commemorate the Armenians - who died during the genocide. The memorial is designed with a 44m stone slab symbolizing the national rebirth of the Armenians. Twelve slabs are positioned in a circle, representing the 12 lost provinces in current day Turkey. There's an eternal flame at the centre of the 12 slabs dedicated to the 1.5 million people killed during the Genocide.
When you get to the other side of the complex, you'll reach an empty courtyard area from where you can enjoy panoramic views of the city. Looking at the views, you can only marvel at the bravery of the Armenians who've seen so much of bloodshed in their history and yet never lost their spirit.
Experience at the Museum
It is deeply saddening to read the story of the Genocide on the walls of the museum & your throat will dry up on several instances when you read how brutally the Armenians were murdered. It's a numbing feeling when your mind works in imagery and you vividly visualise things as you read them.
You'll develop a certain amount of respect not out of pity but out of appreciation for the determination & bravery of the Armenian people. I generally don't find museums appealing but this place didn't just catch my attention but captured my imagination. You'll read, breathe and live the Armenian story through the walls in the museum. An experience at this museum is truly enriching which makes this a must-do place in Yerevan.
3. Watch a show at the Opera & Ballet Theatre
The famous Opera & Ballet Theatre is the pride of Armenia. It is intimidatingly fabulous in terms of it's architecture and is the hub of art & culture.
Picture by Tatev.com
Even when Armenia faced dire situations in it's history, the Opera always remained a higher priority. It symbolises the relentless fight, tenacity and spirit of the Armenian public.
Performing and working in a Bollywood musical myself, I was keen to see some performance theatre of Armenia but I ran out of luck as there wasn't any show playing in the theatre that week. I hope you have the goodluck of watching a show or two here!
TIP - In case you don't get to see a show here, there's an ice-cream parlour in the premise for consolation.
4. Freedom Square
The Freedom Square is another happening place in Yerevan. It has a number of cafes, outdoor galleries and there's always a buzz around the place.
Walk up to the statue of Martiros Saryan (considered to be one of the greatest painters of Armenian origin) and you'll find a beautiful outdoor art gallery. Local artists & painters neatly arrange and put up their artworks. Water paintings, oil paintings, cloth painting, ceramic plate painting, wooden artwork - the gallery has it all.
Such is the craftsmanship, detail and precision in the artworks on show, that you'll end up buying some artwork yourself. I ended up buying ceramic plate artwork & an absolutely out-of-the-world dry flower painting made with petals of exotic perfume flowers.
I love how you can bargain a few thousand Armenian drams (no kidding) from the artists here. You'll find artists who have their own pamphlet with a feature of their works that are internationally famous.
The guy who's dry flower art I had purchased looked like a struggling artist but he surprised me when he went to his car parked by the tree-side and grabbed change from inside and gave it to me. Appearances can be deceptive and how!
TIP - There's a little cafe across the main road on the opposite side of the Opera theatre. Do have a cappuccino there as it's absolutely smashing!
5. Visit the Mother Armenia statue
The Mother Armenia Statue is a captivating place where you can easily spend an hour or two at. Mother Armenia - as the name suggests is a female personification of Armenia.
Standing tall on a pedestal, the statue - located in Victory Park overlooks the entire city of Yerevan. The monumental statue replaces the statue of General Secretary Joseph Stalin that was created as a victory memorial after World War II. In 1962 the statue of Stalin was removed and replaced by the Mother Armenia statue designed by Ara Harutyunyan. The overall height of the statue along with the pedestal & elevated platform is 51m.
What the statue symbolizes
The monument symbolises peace through strength & courage. It is an ode to the many brave female warriors & figures in Armenian history like - Sose Mayrig & other women like her who took up arms to help their husbands in their war with the Turkish troops & Kurds.
If you see the statue carefully, then you'll notice that it looks like an old, muscular lady ready to take some action with her sword. She is seen as the protector, nurturer, saviour, highlighting the important status that older Armenian women have in the family. It's location on a hill overlooking the city makes it look like the watchful guardian of Armenia.
In & around the statue
If you climb a few steps onto the platform below the pedestal of the statue, then you'll walk into a museum. This museum displays a gallery of the various bravehearts and legends that fought for Armenian independence.
Outside the museum, there are demo weapons, fighter planes, war-tanks and missile launchers placed around the Mother Armenia statue for people to visualise what wars must have felt like. Also, there are several stalls of food & drinks lined up for visitor's convenience.
6. Wine & dine at Terrazza
If you don't mind shelling out a few bucks for a great gourmet dining experience, then Terrazza is the place for you in Yerevan. It has the best Armenian food & seafood besides some refreshing coolers & mocktails. The ambience is warm, cozy and welcoming. The food quality is top notch and the service is equally good.
Photo by Terrazza Management
Royal interiors and a comfortable themed outdoor seating make it an aesthetically beautiful place as well. The prawns, grilled salmon with veggies, steak, chicken & fries are some of it's specialties. In dessert, the choco lava cake is an absolute knockout!
You have to dine here once and the place will ensure you come back again for more. In fact, if you're staying somewhere far from the city and have a midnight hunger pang, then visit or order online from the Caucasus restaurant. It's the only restaurant that gives a 24 hour service.
7. Visit the Cafesjian Centre for the Arts
Inside the famous Yerevan Cascade, is an art museum called the Cafesjian Centre for the Arts. On your way to the cascade, firstly you'll see Cafesjian sculpture gardens with sculptures and contemporary artworks on display. My favourite one is the brown bronze sculpture of a woman smoking a cigarette.
It is a quiet place where you can find space to just sit down, read a book or find inspiration from all the art around you. The line of gardens leads to the cascade which is a complex containing a massive staircase with fountains & sculptures in the terrace garden.
You can go to the top of the cascade if you just want to enjoy the view. To reach the top, either climb up the stairs or go through the center (which is free to enter) and take escalators to the top. But if you're into art, then I suggest you to buy tickets to the museum at the entrance. The tickets grant you access to the exclusive art exhibitions at every level.
The only way you can access each tier of the cascade is that first you take an escalator, then get off it- walk to the right - take an elevator to go down in the cascade and enter a gallery. Inspired by the vision of its founder, Gerard L. Cafesjian, the Center offers a wide variety of exhibitions, derived from the Gerard L. Cafesjian Collection of contemporary art.
Art galleries inside the Cafesjian Centre for the Arts
The Cafesjian Art Galleries include the Gallery One, Khanjyan Gallery, Eagle Gallery, Sasuntsi Davit Garden Gallery, Star Landing and the Special Events Auditorium.
In the Khanjyan gallery, a huge mural is executed by Soviet & Armenian painter Grigor Khanjyan. The 3 primary scenes of the mural illustrate important events in Armenian history - Armenian Alphabet, Vardanank, Resurrected Armenia.
The detailing involved in the making of the mural is awe-inspiring. You'll end up wondering if it's humanly possible to make a piece of art that well-defined & intricate.
If the fine details are a characteristic of Khanjyan, then the sculptural technique is the USP of the next gallery. In the Sasuntsi Davit Gallery - "basrelief" - the sculpting protrudes out of the wall like a 4-D artwork. The sculpture is 15 times larger than the original graphic piece it is translated from, making it a contemporary masterpiece.
My favourite art exhibit - The FLY
My favourite part is this art exhibit called "The FLY" from Armenian artist & designer Arman Nur. He creates an artwork - a one line painting with the silhouette of Yerevan and a special animation, tracing guess what?
The trajectory of a fly!
He was present there at the Center to explain his artwork. He also showed us a live demo of it's working. In this, the "stressful fly" moves in a trajectory creating a single line painting of his own face.
His aim is to transfer the viewer into a virtual parallel reality and perceive reality in a different manner. He wants us to see life from the eyes of something as small, perceivably disgusting & insignificant as a Fly. He even plans to go to Paris & show the same artwork. This time with the exception of the fly tracing the silhouette of the map of Paris. How freaking creative is that!
He then offered us the "Fly spectacles" that he created, to see the world from the eyes of a fly. I must say it felt surreal - like another dimension altogether. The concept was to view the relationship between mankind & nature through the Prism of Love. His speech was translated to us by this lovely lady called Annahit from Sweden (Thankyou mam!).
Rest of the experience
After Arman Nur's excellence, you'll see the Gerard L. Cafesjian collection or the Eagle Garden Gallery. Some of the exhibits look so amazingly close to real life that you'll feel you're at Madame Tussauds. At the top level is the Swarovski crystal museum. After this, you can climb a few stairs to get to the top of the cascade.
It offers a terrific view of Yerevan city. The place fills you with a sense of contentment. A feeling similar to the one that hits you after watching a brilliant film.
8. Pamper yourself at the Wine & Grape Spa
If you want a 3 hour pampering of the highest order, then a session here is the best thing to do. The Wine & Grape Spa prides itself on spa treatments involving the sweet grapes from the Ararat valley.
They say that once you dip in the wine made from this fruit, you will, after the treatment, feel youthful & strong. Even if you're a guy, I recommend you to choose the Goddess package. The name of the package has got nothing to do with the gender. It just has the most number of treatments included (9 treatments).
Picture by armwinespa.com
They base their treatments on the healing magical properties of grape seeds & fresh blend that rejuvenates & provides the essential nutrients your skin desires. All this while you get to sip the Ararat grape wine yourself. If this isn't Royal Wellness, show me what is!
I have had spa treatments at various spa centers in the world but let me tell you that even I have never experienced something like this. Not many people who come to Yerevan know of this hidden gem, so I absolutely recommend you to visit this spa. The treatments are not that expensive plus you get couple discounts on the packages.
9. Party at the Paparazzi
Paparazzi is certainly the best party pub in city of Yerevan. If you visit this place, then make sure you do it late night on the weekends. I went to this place during the week and had the entire place to myself.
The pub has plush interiors, an attractive bar counter and a classy ambience. There's also a cafe at the top incase you're feeling a bit mellow. The bartenders are friendly and know how to put on a show to entertain you while making your drink.
Travellers/Tourists get free rounds of "welcome drinks", so make sure you play your visitor card. The sound system is thumping with the beats setting up the mood for the night. And the drinks? You've got to be here to experience that.
TIP - Try the Surprise Motherfucker drink. You're welcome.
10. Enjoy Armenian food at Qaghaq Pandok
Tasting local cuisine is the most important part of a travel experience. So staying in the capital of Armenia, it's all the more imperative to taste local Armenian food. Qaghaq Pandok gives you all that and more! Get a taste of the best authentic Armenian food accompanied with some fine wine at this place.
Photo by Qaghaq Pandok management
The interiors are warm and resemble a Hogwarts-like film set with it's wooden furniture and lighting. The food is fresh, flavoursome, tasty and filling. There are a variety of options for both - vegetarian & non-vegetarian food. The service is swift and I'd suggest you to remember what you ordered because you won't understand the Armenian font in the bill during the time of payment. It's the perfect end to a nice long satisfying travel day.
Conclusion
Armenia is like a delightful budget friendly surprise, punching much above it's weight. In fact it has quietly sneaked into my list of favourite destinations, leaving many famous overrated expensive destinations behind. Yerevan it's capital city is the perfect blend of art, history, culture blending well with the modern times. And did I mention the women of Armenia?
It's like a Fashion Week Parade happening on streets with gorgeous women everywhere - be it at currency exchange centres or supermarkets. The mothers of Armenia must be drinking some magic potion to produce such stunning offsprings. Too bad I couldn't settle in Yerevan to find a date for myself because of my return ticket booked in advance.
Anyway, that's my list of the things to do & see in the beautiful city of Yerevan, Armenia. Hope it helps you plan your trip better.
Do share this blog with your friends, family, boyfriends, girlfriends and other souls bitten by wanderlust and help - them plan their trip & me grow my blog. Cheers!
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