Taste and Smell of Armenia

Day 1: Yerevan

Yerevan
Arrival at Zvartnots International Airport. Transfer to the hotel.

Day 2: Yerevan

Yerevan (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Breakfast. City Tour. We will start the tour with the capital of Armenia: Yerevan. For ages this city has been known as a “pink city” because of the color of the stone it has been built with. So we will visit Republic square, Mashtoc Avenue, the House of Opera and Ballet after Aram Khachatryan, the park “Cascad”. Visit Matenadaran: manuscript museum which is also the world's largest repository of ancient Armenian manuscripts. Matenadaran is the one and only in the world as such. It holds not only Armenian but also Persian and Arabian manuscripts. Lunch at a restaurant during the visits. After this we will visit History museum. An impressing fact of the museum is probably that it has a national collection of 400,000 objects. Next visit will be to Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex: Tsitsernakaberd dedicated to the victims of Armenian Genocide. Visit most famous Armenian Cognac Factory. Armenian Cognac is very famous in the world and as it is known it was the favorite drink of Winston Churchill. Dinner at a local restaurant with folk music, where most delicious and natural masterpieces of Armenian cuisine are waiting for you to taste. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 3: Yerevan

Yerevan – Ejmiatsin – Zvartnoc – Parakar - Yerevan (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Breakfast. We will start the excursion to centuries-old monuments Ejmiatsin and Zvartnots. These sites are listed on UNESCO World Heritage list. The Cathedral of Ejmiatsin, founded in 303, is the official residence of the Catholics of Armenia. Echmiadzin is a sacred place for Armenian people and a spiritual heart of Armenian Apostolic Church. We’ll continue the trip to Zvartnots Temple, which was built on 7th century by Nerses Builder. Currently there are only ruins of Zvartnots, but which has not lost its mystery over the years. Lunch at a local restaurant. Drive to Parakar village and at a local house we will have lunch and will enjoy the cooking master class of Armenian dessert “Sudzukh” and homemade pasta “Arishta”. The show will be run by a famous Armenian TV star. The active participants will get gifts by the host and will be treated by homemade liquor. Return to Yerevan. Visit “Megeryan” carpet factory. Dinner at the factory restaurant.

Day 4: Goris

Yerevan - Khor Virap – Areni village – Noravank – Karahunj – Goris (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Breakfast. Take trip to Khor Virap Monastery (4-18th cc.). This monastery is very prominent because of its history; Gregory the Illuminator, who introduced Christianity to Armenia, has been imprisoned there about 13 years as at that time there was a prison in the place of the monastery. Here we can enjoy the spectacular view of the sacred Ararat Mountain - an immortal symbol of Armenia. Literally Khor Virap means deep gorge. Visit village Areni which is considered to be an important center of wine production industry and which has a history of more than 6000 years. And this is the place where the oldest example of a leather shoe was discovered by archaeologists. You are welcome to taste its excellent wine. Here you will also get the chance to participate in preparation of famous barbecue. Continue our tour to Noravank - a monastery of XII century situated among amazing sheer rocks on the bench of a twisty gorge. This is the only monastery where we may find a unique sculpture of Father God. Visit Karahunj or Zorats Karer which is 3500 years older than Stonehenge and 3000 years older than Egyptian pyramids. Some specialists even calculated the age of the stone circle itself, purely basing on the position of stars in the sky in earlier times - the result was 7.6 thousand years ago. This would make Karahunj the oldest astronomical observatory in the world. Dinner and overnight in Goris.

Day 5: Jermuk

Goris – Tatev – Khndzoresk – Jermuk (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Breakfast. City tour in Goris. Visit cave village Khndzoresk, where we will have a short walking tour crossing the moving bridge over a huge gorge and getting to old caves, which have been inhabited till the end of 19th century. Lunch at a local house in Yeghegndzor, where we will have a master class of making vodka of Armenian fruits and have lucnh with the family tasting the Special Dish of this region, Tolma with Onion.
Continue our trip to monastic complex Tatev (9-13th century): a famous center of studies of those times. To reach the monastic complex we should use a cable car which holds the record for world’s longest non stoppable double-track cable car. After all departure to famous spa town Jermuk. Here you will have the opportunity to enjoy fresh mountain air, visit one of the most beautiful Armenian waterfalls. Dinner and overnight in Jermuk.

Day 6: Dilijan

Jermuk –Selim – Noraduz - Sevan – Dilijan (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Breakfast. Today we are going to pass the pathways that have been used by the travelers of Great Silk Road. We will drive through the Selim Caravanserai, which served as an important center of exchange, trade and for overnight during the times of Great Silk Road. Here we can see the immortal tracks of world history. Lunch at the local restaurant. Visit to Noraduz. After here we will drive to Lake Sevan which is one of the largest lakes in the world. It stands out with its sweet and astonishingly blue water. Here we can enjoy the breathtaking scenery of the beautiful lake. Then we will visit Sevanavank Monastery which is situated on Sevan Peninsula. There are 2 monasteries actually; one of them is destroyed but
the other stands still. They have been built in the middle Ages, around 10th century. Then we will drive to Dilijan. Walking along the Sharambeyan Street, which is one of the oldest streets of the city, we may buy souvenirs and see the life of the small city. During the walk you will breathe the clean mountain air. Visit brewery, where you will get acquainted with the process of making Armenian beer. Dinner and overnight in Dilijan.

Day 7: Gymuri

Dilijan – Ijevan – Haghpat – Gyumri (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Breakfast. Departure to Alaverdi. On the way we will have a stop at the wine and brandy factory which is famous for its white wine products. Lunch at a local restaurant. Visit a unique masterpiece of Armenian architecture of X-XIV centuries: the monastery of Haghpat which is UNESCO World Heritage Site. Haghpat Monastery was one of the largest religious, cultural and educational centers of medieval Armenia. Departure to Gyumri. Dinner at a local restaurant most famous for its appetizing a and tasty fish dishes.

Day 8: Yerevan

Gyumri – Amberd – Saghmosavank – Yerevan (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Breakfast. Walking down the beautiful streets of Gyumri: a city which has changed its name several times. Initially it was called Kumayri, later Alexandrapol. After that it used to call Leninakan and finally Gyumri. This city is the second largest city of Armenia. It is located on a distance of about 120 km away from Yerevan and is located on the bank of Akhurian River. While exploring Gyumri we will visit art Gallery of Aslamazyan Sisters who are usually associated with Frida Calo. Visit Alexandrapol brewery to see the production of Armenian beer which has deep roots of traditions. Departure to Aragatsotn region. Lunch at the local house including an amazing master class of Armenian sweet '' Gata ''. Visit Armenian Alphabet monument. Head towards medieval and mysterious Amberd fortress (7th-13th centuries AD), which is amazingly built on the slope of Mount Aragats (4091 meters above sea level). Visit Saghmosavank monastery. After all this we will get back to Yerevan and have dinner at the traditional restaurant. Overnight in Yerevan.

Day 9: Yerevan

Yerevan – Garni – Geghard – Yerevan (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Breakfast. Take trip to Garni. This Pagan Temple built in the 1st century AD. It is the only temple that has been preserved from the Pagan times in Armenia. It was devoted to the god Mihr, who was the god of cleanness. In 1679 it was destroyed by earthquake. In the 1975 the Temple was restored. Then we will continue our trip to Geghard Monastery. Its name came from the legendary lance that was used to pierce the body of Christ. It has been kept here for centuries. Though the exact foundation of the monastery is unknown, the present complex was built in the mid – 13th century. Afterwards we will visit a local house where you will have the chance to see and participate in the preparation of Armenian national bread: lavash. It is very thin, usually sold in very large forms. It is usually cooked in a ground oven: “tonir''. In 2015 it has been inscribed in UNESCO intangible heritage list. Here we will enjoy the “Armenian fast food” with lavash and cheese. Return to Yerevan. Visit fruit market. Last dinner will be at a beautiful Armenian restaurant with folk music. Overnight in Yerevan.

Day 10:

Yerevan (Breakfast)
Breakfast. Departure and transfer to the airport.