In the era of COVID, the country is open to tourists from Russia, for entry you will need a certificate of vaccination or a negative result of a PCR test made no later than 72 hours before arrival.
How to get there and where to stay
A round-trip ticket from Moscow to Yerevan costs from 12,000 rubles* per person. Yandex works great in Armenia.Taxi, so use the app to comfortably and inexpensively get to the city center.
Here are a few options where you can stay:
R&R Hotel – from 2100 rubles* per night per person;
Elysium Gallery Hotel – from 1,700 rubles* per night per person;
Meg Hotel – from 3200 rubles * per night per person.
What to see and try in different parts of the city
Yerevan conquers with its cozy atmosphere, here, against the backdrop of beautiful mountain landscapes, various epochs are intertwined in a bizarre pattern. Numerous cafes and restaurants give a special charm to the city. Today we will share with you a list of places where you can have lunch, have a cup of coffee or dance. They are mainly concentrated near the iconic city attractions – Republic Square, the Cascade and the Opera House. This list contains the favorite locations and routes of local residents.
Saryan Street and surroundings
The main “restaurant” street of the city is Saryan Street (named after the innovative artist Martiros Saryan, his museum is located here, which we also recommend visiting). Cafes, bars, restaurants are located on both sides of the street, many entrances and terraces are decorated with garlands, and this makes everything look very festive.
Note the wine bar, shop and tasting room In Vino. There are hundreds of wines from different regions of the world, including local pride — Karas and Takar, sets of delicious cheeses and a variety of meat snacks. The owners have created not just a shop, but a meeting place for fans of winemaking, they believe that “Wine is not just a drink. Wine — contacts with the philosophy and history of the country where it is made.”
Colorful ethnic bar “for your own” — Calumet Ethnic Lounge Bar – an atmospheric chamber space with an incredible interior, in which the influence of the Iranian diaspora is felt. Guests sit on the floor on pillows at low tables, play backgammon or dance. They play interesting music here and regularly arrange concerts of local bands and DJ parties.
At the end of the street rises the historical district of the city — Cond, with houses and streets-labyrinths of the XVI-XVIII centuries. with a very special atmosphere. There is a bar at its foot The Kond House with a cozy courtyard and a greenhouse. In the evening, from the streets of Konda, you can see how she shines and shimmers with neon colors during another DJ party.
A unique bar is hidden on the street of Karen Demirchyan’s new high-rise buildings, among other outdoor cafes Simona – in addition to the stylish interior and an interesting cocktail menu, excellent music is played here, including on vinyl, DJ sets are regularly arranged, and the work of bartenders becomes a real performance,
Around the Cascade
The second restaurant street — Tamanyana – is located next to the Cascade: a complex of terraces, waterfalls and flower beds overlooking Mount Ararat. There are cafes and restaurants of French, Italian and Oriental cuisines, small coffee shops, pubs and bars. Take a seat at a table in a cafe Dors City Point among the high arches of pink tuff houses or cross a small square and settle down in August Cafeteria.
In addition, the Cascade is also a cultural point of attraction – it is located inside Gafeschyan Art Center with a private collection of sculptures and furniture of the XX century, next to Tamanyan Square is Museum of Russian Art, which presents the works of Russian masters of the XIX and XX centuries, and a few houses later — chamber house-museum of the artist and sculptor Yervand Kochar, who is called the “Armenian Picasso”. All expositions are small, their inspection will not take you much time, but it will add impressions from this area of the city.
In the vicinity of Republic Square
In the area of Republic Square, in a historic house made of black tuff, there is a species restaurant Diamond. Take the elevator to the topmost terrace and you will have a wonderful view of the Government Building, the History Museum, Singing fountains and the roofs of neighboring houses. The menu includes many dishes of Oriental cuisine, unusual snacks, traditional tortillas, meat and vegetables cooked over an open fire.
On the neighboring Abovyan Street there is one of the most cozy restaurants of local cuisine — Abovyan 12. From the street it is difficult to assume that inside there is a large courtyard with tables covered with checkered tablecloths, where families and large companies have dinner and drink wine among hanging bunches of grapes. In addition to an excellent wine list, this place is distinguished by excellent desserts, for example, fragrant baked apple with cinnamon and dried fruits. The restaurant is complemented by the Dalan Art Gallery with designer souvenirs, jewelry, paintings.
There is a vinyl record store nearby 2nd Floor Vinyl Garage Store and a bar. There is an impressive selection of vinyl, including Armenian music. The store is open until midnight, DJ sets are often arranged here.
It is definitely worth visiting a special place for the city — Mirzoyan Library. This is a cafe in the inner “Tbilisi” courtyard with wooden balconies and vintage furniture, as well as a private library of books and albums on photography. This is one of the centers of attraction of the local intelligentsia. Spend the evening with a glass of dry red and ice cream with baklava or seeds and salt, looking at the endless paintings, mirrors and decorations on the walls.
Recently, the owner of Mirzoyan Library opened a new unusual place — The Rose Barrefined author’s cocktails are created here, good music is played in the evenings, and the walls are used for photo exhibitions. The place looks like a secret, there is no bright sign next to it, the landmark is a green door with a marquise.
Lumen Coffee – a meeting place for fans of the third wave coffee. Here you will find a minimalistic interior, the best varieties of coffee of your own roasting, various ways of brewing alternatives. And delicious desserts and parties with music on vinyl. A secret coffee shop “for your own” is not so easy to find, it is hidden in the courtyards of houses, so follow the navigator.
They also love jazz in Yerevan! The main places where the locals themselves go — Club 12, Malkhas Jazz Club and Ulikhanyan Club – small chamber clubs, each with its own unique atmosphere. The interior of Club 12 resembles the bourgeois salons of the early XX century, the rest look more democratic. Guests of absolutely different ages come to listen to the legendary Armenian jazzmen, many concerts end with friendly jam sessions.
To get a better feel of Yerevan, we recommend sitting at a cafe table by the window or on the terrace with a glass of local dry wine and grilled meat and vegetable dishes, take your time and observe the life of the city. Exchange a few words and smiles with other visitors, passers-by, waiters. The city will surround you with hospitality, you will be able to feel how everything is arranged here quite simply, but not without grace and charm.
*Prices are valid at the time of publication
