Location highlights from this tour
The 9-Day Armenia Private Tour covers the country's best-known monasteries and early cathedrals at a relaxed pace, with just two hotel bases. It begins and ends in Yerevan and is built for travellers who want culture, history and nature without changing hotels every other day.
From Yerevan you visit Echmiadzin and the ruins of Zvartnots, the Garni temple, the Symphony of Stones and Geghard Monastery, and the Matenadaran manuscript museum in the capital. A day north takes you to Lake Sevan and Sevanavank, then into the forests of Dilijan for Haghartsin, Goshavank and Parz Lake and, on the way back, Kecharis in Tsaghkadzor. A final day south reaches Khor Virap, under Mount Ararat, and Noravank in its red canyon.
Six nights are spent in Yerevan and two in Dilijan, so there are only two hotel moves, both on short days. Most days have two or three stops with free time in the afternoon; Day 8, to Khor Virap and Noravank, is the one long excursion, at 7 to 8 hours with about 4 hours in the car. The tour runs all year round on dates you choose, and because it is private, the pace and the stops can be adjusted to you.
You'll be met at Zvartnots International Airport and transferred to your hotel in Yerevan. Check-in is from 14:00, and the rest of the day is free to rest or explore at your own pace.
A gentle first excursion west of the capital, among the oldest Christian sites in the country. You drive to Echmiadzin, the seat of the Armenian Apostolic Church, whose cathedral was founded in the 4th century and is one of the oldest in the world, and walk through the church grounds. On the way back you stop at Zvartnots, the ruins of a 7th-century cathedral whose ring of columns stands open to the sky. The cathedral and churches of Echmiadzin and the archaeological site of Zvartnots are listed together as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You are back in Yerevan by early afternoon, and the rest of the day is free.
A day out east of the capital to two of Armenia's best-known sights. You start at Garni, a 1st-century Greco-Roman temple above a river gorge and the only temple of its kind in the former Soviet Union, then walk down into the canyon to the Symphony of Stones, a wall of natural basalt columns that rises from the cliff like organ pipes. Nearby is Geghard, a UNESCO-listed monastery partly cut into the rock, with chapels hewn out of the mountainside. Back in Yerevan for the night.
You leave Yerevan for the north. The first stop is Lake Sevan, a vast alpine lake at nearly 1,900 metres, and Sevanavank, the monastery on its headland above the blue water. From there the road crosses the mountains into the forests of Dilijan, where you check in for two nights. The rest of the afternoon is free to walk Sharambeyan Street, the restored old quarter of craftsmen's houses with wooden balconies and workshops.
A slow day among the forests of Dilijan National Park, with three short stops. You start at Haghartsin, a 13th-century monastery tucked into a wooded valley a few minutes from Dilijan, its churches and refectory standing among old trees. Next is Goshavank, a monastery founded in the 12th century with some of Armenia's finest khachkars, the carved cross-stones. The last stop is Parz Lake, a small forest lake at 1,334 metres, where your guide leads a short walk through the trees at your own pace. Lunch is not included, and your guide suggests where to eat. In the afternoon you return to Dilijan, and the rest of the day is free.
You drive back over the mountains to the Lake Sevan basin and on to Tsaghkadzor, a mountain resort town, for Kecharis Monastery, a complex of churches from the 11th to the 13th century among old trees. The road then runs south to Yerevan, where you check in again at your hotel, and the rest of the day is free.
The tour starts at Republic Square, the heart of the city, ringed by government buildings in the pink tuff stone Yerevan is known for, with the singing fountains at its centre. From there you walk up through the Cascade, the giant stairway of gardens and modern sculpture that climbs the hillside, with Mount Ararat filling the view from the top on a clear day. You pass the Opera House and Freedom Square, then visit the Matenadaran, the great repository of ancient Armenian manuscripts, before a stop at Victory Park for the Mother Armenia statue and the view over the whole city. The day ends with a dinner of Armenian food and local wine.
The longest day of the tour, heading south toward the great cone of Mount Ararat. Khor Virap is a monastery set right below the mountain with some of the finest views of it in the country, and the place where Gregory the Illuminator was imprisoned before Armenia adopted Christianity. Further on is Noravank, a 13th-century monastery glowing red in its narrow canyon, before the drive back to Yerevan. Haze and cloud often hide Mount Ararat, so the view cannot be guaranteed.
Check out of your hotel by 12:00 and transfer to Zvartnots International Airport for your departure.
A polished international hotel close to central Yerevan, combining spacious contemporary rooms with reliable Hilton comfort. DoubleTree by Hilton Yerevan City Centre is about a 10-minute walk from Republic Square and offers an on-site restaurant, a rooftop terrace, a spa and a fitness center, making it a comfortable premium base for three nights in the Armenian capital.
A comfortable 4-star hotel in the heart of Yerevan, just steps from Republic Square. Yerevan Place combines modern rooms with an exceptionally central location, along with a restaurant and bar, a gym and useful guest services — a convenient mid-range choice for exploring the Armenian capital on foot.
A comfortable and good-value 4-star hotel in central Yerevan, within easy reach of Republic Square and the city's main sights. Ani Central Inn offers bright rooms, daily breakfast, an indoor swimming pool and a sauna, making it a practical Classic option with more facilities than its straightforward positioning might suggest.
A 4-star hotel in Dilijan with 72 rooms, built in 2011 close to the town's historic centre. Best Western Plus Paradise Hotel Dilijan has an indoor swimming pool, a spa and wellness centre, a gym, a sauna and an on-site restaurant serving Armenian and European dishes.
A 5-star aparthotel resort about 1.8 km from central Dilijan, with self-contained units including a kitchen, balcony and garden views. Dili Town Resort and Spa has an infinity pool, a spa and wellness centre with sauna and hammam, a fitness centre, and a restaurant serving European cuisine.
A 3-star boutique guesthouse in Dilijan, split across two buildings about 3 km from the town centre. Casanova Inn has 10 rooms, an indoor pool, a spa and wellness centre, and a restaurant and bar serving a complimentary buffet breakfast each morning.
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