Seven Reasons to Visit Yerevan

 Jennifer Walker

While Tbilisi gets all the love in the Caucasus, Yerevan is often left as an after thought. Which is a pity, because Yerevan has a lot to offer its visitors. We love Yerevan, and we’re going to tell you why you should love Yerevan too!

The views of Mount Ararat

Even though it’s in another country, you can get perfect views of Mount Ararat in Yerevan. On a clear morning, you can make out the double peaked mountain with “Big Ararat” and “Little Ararat” easily, and as the sun sets in the west, the lonely mountain paints a lovely picture at sundown.

Yerevan’s café culture

As you walk through the wide marbled streets in downtown Yerevan, you’ll notice that the city has a rich outdoor culture. Small cafés line the main streets and side alleys down and around the city’s downtown. There is also the added bonus that you’ll find a lot of free Wi-Fi in the Armenian capital, making it a haven for bohemian artsy types sitting out in cafés working.

The Cascade

Opposite the opera lies Yerevan’s most avant-garde and striking monument. The Cascade is a large staircase towering above the city with stunning views of Mount Ararat from the top. You’ll pass modern sculptures and structures, making it partly an outdoor museum and partly a park. It also houses the Cafesjian Museum of Art inside the vast structure, turning it into a cultural complex as well as a key landmark.

A great base to explore the country

Armenia is not a big country, and Yerevan being more or less in the geographical center makes it the ideal base to explore. You can easily pop off to Lake Sevan or Khor Virap for the day, and Echmiadzin is practically in the suburbs anyway. Take a longer time in Yerevan and you can also go out and explore the rest of Armenia as well.

Vibrant nightlife

In the summer, Yerevan comes to life. The streets and parks around the opera house become lined with outdoor pavilions and terraces. The city fills up with people at night to see live DJ acts in the park, one year Nicolas Sarkozy’s son came and DJ-ed here, fun fact, and there is always something to do. You’ll also find a number of trendy clubs and bars where you can party till dawn Yerevan style!

Wide boulevards and green spaces

Tbilisi has the small winding streets of the old town, Yerevan has the big boulevards and open spaces. There are parks a-plenty in the city, and the open spaces of the city’s avenues and public squares make it a breezy place. While the Soviet architecture might not be everyone’s cup of tea, it’s hard to say that Yerevan is not a pleasant city with lots of trees and greenery. At night, make sure you head to Republic Square for the singing fountains, a music and light extravaganza that happens from 10 to 11p.m., although the crowds already hang out by the cool fountain at 9 to get involved with the action. There is quite a party going on here.

A city of culture

Yerevan is a city buzzing with culture, being home for 19 libraries, 5 museums and 3 theaters. While most visitors to Yerevan may spend most of the time outside of the city on excursions to Geghard or Lake Sevan, there is plenty to keep you occupied culturally in the city, like the Contemporary Art Museum or the Yerevan History Museum. There are also plenty of exhibitions, film screenings, concerts and performances in the various festivals taking place in Yerevan, like Francophonia a festival dedicated to French culture, or the National Library Week.

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