Things to Do in Shirak: Gyumri, Crafts and the High Plains

Gyumri could easily fill two full days on its own, and the wider region rewards those who venture beyond it. Here's what's actually worth doing — in the city and out on the plateau.

What are the best things to do in Shirak?

Gyumri — the Kumayri Historic District, its churches, museums and living crafts — is the essential first stop, and it deserves an overnight rather than a rushed return trip from Yerevan. Beyond the city: Marmashen and Harichavank monasteries, the early Christian ruin of Yereruyk, Lake Arpi National Park, and — for winter travelers — Ashotsk, Armenia's snowiest corner.

Walk the Kumayri Historic District

Start here, and go slowly. The district preserves some of Armenia's finest surviving 19th-century urban architecture — black volcanic tuff façades alongside red and apricot-coloured stone, wooden balconies, decorative ironwork, merchant houses, courtyards and workshops. Abovyan Street and the surrounding lanes reward unhurried walking more than any single monument does; this is a district to wander, not a checklist.

Vardanants Square, Gyumri's central public space, is the natural starting point — the Church of the Holy Saviour, the Seven Wounds Church, civic buildings and a monument to Vardan Mamikonian all sit around or near it, making it the logical launch point for a walking route through the centre.

Gyumri's churches and the 1988 earthquake

The Church of the Holy Saviour (Amenaprkich), built 1858–1873 and strongly inspired by the medieval cathedral of Ani, was badly damaged in the 1988 Spitak earthquake and reopened in 2023 after major restoration — its story ties together Gyumri, Ani, the earthquake and modern reconstruction in one building. The Seven Wounds Church (Yot Verk), in dark tuff, remained active through the Soviet period when many churches elsewhere closed; parts of its domes, fallen in 1988, still stand beside the church as a direct, visible reminder. Saint Nshan Church, on Rustaveli Street, completes a natural walking circuit through the district.

Approach the earthquake with the gravity it deserves. It remains inseparable from Gyumri's modern identity — reconstructed churches, surviving damaged buildings, memorials, post-earthquake housing and personal stories are woven through the city, and they explain why its architecture reads in such distinct historical layers.

Museums and galleries

The Museum of Urban Life and National Architecture (Dzitoghtsonts House), in a wealthy 1872 merchant residence, recreates 19th-century Alexandropol domestic life through furnished interiors, clothing, carpets, musical instruments and household objects — the single museum to prioritize if you only visit one. The Aslamazyan Sisters Gallery holds paintings and ceramics by Mariam and Yeranuhi Aslamazyan, whose extensive travel shows in international artistic influences woven through Armenian subject matter; it also offers hands-on ceramic painting, good for families and creative-minded travelers.

Gyumri is also linked to several important Armenian cultural figures with house-museums — poet Hovhannes Shiraz, writer Avetik Isahakyan, and actor Mher (Frunzik) Mkrtchyan among them. Choose one or two according to personal interest rather than attempting all of them.

Black Fortress and Mother Armenia

Black Fortress (Sev Berd), a circular structure of dark volcanic stone from the 19th-century Russian imperial period, once served military purposes and now hosts cultural events and a small museum — its round form makes an interesting contrast with Armenia's medieval mountain fortresses elsewhere. Beside it stands Gyumri's own Mother Armenia monument, with panoramic views over the city, the Shirak plain, the surrounding highlands and, on clear days, Mount Aragats. Visit the two together for the combined view.

Gyumri's parks and everyday life

Central Park retains several Soviet-era amusement rides, including a Ferris wheel with elevated city and (on clear days) Aragats views — not an essential historical stop, but a relaxed, genuinely local experience that works well for families. Nearby, a historic theatre building, associated with performances of the early Armenian opera Anush, is now home to the TUMO Center for Creative Technologies — an interesting bridge between historic performance culture and contemporary education.

For the city's real daily rhythm, visit the shuka (central market) — cheese, herbs, dried fruit, nuts, pickles, coffee, fresh produce and spices — a good, authentic stop before lunch.

Blacksmithing and crafts

Gyumri's most significant living tradition is blacksmithing — decorative gates, railings, window grilles, candlesticks and chandeliers, some made by craftsmen from families that have preserved the skill for five or six generations. In December 2023, the Tradition of Blacksmithing in Gyumri was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, recognizing both the craft itself and the way it continues to shape Gyumri's architectural identity.

A properly arranged blacksmith workshop visit — meeting a craftsman, seeing traditional equipment, watching iron forged, understanding how the decorative ironwork throughout old Gyumri comes together — is one of Shirak's strongest living-culture experiences, and genuinely different from another museum stop. Pottery and ceramics workshops offer a similar hands-on dimension, and combined with blacksmithing they make Gyumri especially strong for craft-focused private touring.

Gyumri food and evening life

Shirak's cold highland climate shapes hearty regional dishes: panrkhash (lavash and cheese), tatar boraki (boiled dough pieces with garlic yogurt and fried onions), khash, particularly associated with winter, and khorovats, the everyday Armenian grill.

Gyumri rewards travelers who stay after the day-trip crowds leave — a growing scene of cafés, bars, restaurants and live-music venues fills the historic centre in the evening, and spending a slower weekend rather than a single rushed day is genuinely the better way to experience the city.

Marmashen Monastery and the Akhuryan Gorge

Above the Akhuryan River, Marmashen developed mainly between the 10th and 13th centuries, with its principal church dated by inscription to 986–1029 under Pahlavuni family patronage — architecture that shares real affinities with the wider medieval traditions of the Ani period. The riverside setting suits more than a quick monastery visit: walking, a picnic, and photography along the water all extend the stop naturally.

Nearby, the Akhuryan Gorge, particularly around Vahramaberd, offers canyon walls, birdlife, wildflowers, walking routes and photography — a genuine natural complement to the monastery. Kayaking operates on suitable sections of the Akhuryan water system when conditions allow, availability depending on water level, weather and season — a strong addition to a two-day, adventure-oriented Gyumri programme.

Harichavank Monastery

Near the village of Harich, southeast of Artik, Harichavank developed between roughly the 7th and 13th centuries into a major medieval centre with a school, scriptorium, churches and fine khachkars. A small chapel standing alone on an isolated rock beside the gorge is one of its most memorable features. Don't treat the monastery as separate from its setting — a walk through the village, or a local meal, adds real context that driving straight back to the vehicle misses.

Yereruyk Basilica

One of Armenia's most important early Christian monuments, near Anipemza — a ruined three-nave basilica whose exact date is genuinely debated: most sources place it in the 4th–5th centuries, though Armenia's official tourism authority, drawing on excavations from 2009–2016, dates it to the 5th–6th centuries; there's no surviving textual reference to settle the question, and the dating rests on architectural style alone. Whichever end of that range is correct, it preserves the monumental basilica form that predates the domed medieval churches most visitors associate with Armenia, in an open highland setting that adds real atmosphere. Sunset is particularly recommended — the reddish stone shifts colour in the evening light, making it one of Shirak's most atmospheric photography locations. Because it lies close to the international border, carry identification and follow local access guidance.

Shirak and ancient Ani

Ani, the great medieval Armenian capital, is historically inseparable from the wider Shirak landscape — but it lies in Turkey today, not Armenia, and cannot be visited as an Armenian attraction. What's genuinely available from Armenian territory is the historically connected landscape: Yereruyk, the Akhuryan valley, Marmashen, and the remains of medieval bridges and trade routes, plus the clear architectural echo in Gyumri's Holy Saviour Church, itself inspired by Ani's cathedral.

Jrapi Caravanserai, a lesser-known medieval site tied to the trade routes once connecting Armenia with Ani, northern Armenia and Georgia, is a worthwhile specialist stop for anyone interested in medieval trade and caravan routes — secondary to Marmashen, Harichavank and Yereruyk for a first visit.

Lake Arpi National Park

Established on 16 April 2009, covering 21,039.3 hectares in Shirak's Ashotsk area, Lake Arpi National Park protects the lake basin, meadow-steppe, subalpine meadows and wetlands that support genuinely rare and endangered species. Its wetlands serve as nesting, feeding and migration habitat for numerous bird species, making it one of Armenia's strongest birdwatching destinations, best in late spring and summer. Hiking here crosses broad, open highland meadows and wetlands rather than forest trails — a much more exposed, remote atmosphere than Tavush's woodland hikes. Because the park sits close to the international border, carry identification and follow park or border-area guidance.

Ashotsk: cross-country skiing, snowkiting and snowshoeing

Ashotsk, in Shirak's far northwest, is genuinely Armenia's snowiest corner — heavy, long-lasting snowfall and open highland terrain. Rather than the downhill-resort experience at Tsaghkadzor, Ashotsk is built for cross-country skiing, with equipment rental, lessons and guided experiences available through the local ski centre — a distinctive winter product in its own right. It's also one of Armenia's principal areas for snowkiting, suited to experienced riders and organized instruction given the reliable wind and open terrain, and snowshoeing offers an easier alternative for travelers who don't ski — short village walks, highland routes, snow photography and winter picnics.

Mantash Reservoir and Trchkan Waterfall

Mantash Reservoir, at around 2,600 m in the foothills of Mount Aragats, sits in stark, dramatic highland scenery — fishing and camping are prohibited to protect the environment, so treat it as a scenic and hiking stop rather than a recreational destination. Trchkan Waterfall, about 23 m high, lies on the Shirak–Lori boundary and is best described as shared between the two regions rather than belonging to either exclusively; spring and early summer bring the strongest flow.

Jajur, Artik and Panik

The village of Jajur is associated with painter Minas Avetisyan, one of Armenia's most important 20th-century artists, and his house-museum is a strong complement to Gyumri's galleries for art-focused travelers. Artik is closely tied to the volcanic tuff — red, black and pink stone — that defines Gyumri and Shirak's distinctive architecture, with quarries, historic churches and archaeological remains around it. In Panik, an unusual Bread Museum celebrates the grain traditions behind Shirak's "breadbasket" reputation — a niche but genuine stop for culinary tours and families rather than an essential first visit.

Shirak's agricultural landscapes

Much of Shirak is broad highland field — wheat, barley, potatoes, livestock, hay, small rural villages — a landscape fundamental to the region's identity and a real contrast to forested northern Armenia. Golden wheat fields in summer are particularly photogenic, and the same land explains Shirak's noticeably heartier, more warming cuisine.

How to fit it together

• One day: Kumayri Historic District, Vardanants Square, Dzitoghtsonts House, Seven Wounds Church, Holy Saviour Church, Black Fortress, a local dinner — Gyumri only.
• Two days: add Marmashen, the Akhuryan River landscape, and a craft experience.
• Three days: add Harichavank and Yereruyk, with more time in Gyumri itself.
• Four or more: Lake Arpi, Ashotsk, winter activities, Jajur and rural experiences.

When to go

April–June suits green highlands, birdwatching and cultural touring. July–August is best for Lake Arpi, hiking, and golden agricultural landscapes, plus Gyumri's outdoor café life. September–October brings harvest landscapes and cooler, comfortable walking temperatures. December–March turns Shirak into genuine winter country — snow in Gyumri, cross-country skiing and snowkiting at Ashotsk, and a distinctive winter atmosphere throughout.