Yerevan: City of Fountains and Sculptures

Post written by Laura

Yerevan is the capital city of Armenia and with its laid back friendly atmosphere, green open spaces and arty culture has just become one of my favourite cities!

Yerevan was the starting point of my second G Adventures tour in as many months having recently completed part of a Camino de Santiago with G. This time I travelled to Yerevan on my own as a solo traveller before meeting the group a day later ready to commence ‘The Best of Georgia & Armenia‘.

This post covers some of the sights of the city including those I discovered during my first solo day wandering around on my own and some on the second and subsequent days as part of the G Adventures group.

As mentioned, I had arrived a day early so I took the opportunity to explore the city on foot which was easy to do from my centrally located accommodation. I had no idea what to expect but as soon as I left the hotel I came across open air cafes, clean and modern pedestrian streets and fountains!

With no particular agenda, the first place I arrived at was Republic Square where the History Museum of Armenia can be found. The buildings surrounding this attractive square are different shades of pink, a theme which extends beyond the square and has given Yerevan the name of the ‘pink city’.

Next I walked through Children’s Park and not surprisingly this was the place for kids with playgrounds and a little train which takes youngsters around the park.

Miasnikyan Square is lined with wide straight busy roads but had an attractive centerpiece full of colourful and well maintained flowers. It was easy getting across these roads as they were well organised with wide pavements and efficient traffic lights.

Fountains are everywhere in Yerevan and this one was in English Park. I later learned that many fountains were put in place to provide some coolness to the city during the height of the summer months when temperatures reach in excess of 40 degrees. Thankfully during my visit to Yerevan in mid September the temperature was around 25 degrees which was perfect.

For an impressive collection of fountains a visit to Vardanyan’s Park is recommended. This pretty park was a gift to the city from the Vardanyan family and contains lush plants and trees, lovely sculptures and many fountains.

Children (and adults) were having fun racing through some of the fountains and others were relaxing in the sun on one of the many benches.

On the corner of Republic Square with its ornate fixtures and striking black facade (standing out in all of the shades of pink) I spotted Diamond Bar with its rooftop terrace and thought this might be a good place for a drink and a view.

This collection of Russian dolls was on display in the Diamond bar. Russian dolls or their official name of Matryoshka dolls are matriarch symbols with the largest doll being the main matron and the smallest doll being the baby. There are many theories of the origins of the dolls and the meaning of the stacking they represent.

I was shown the lift to the roof terrace of Diamond bar which overlooked Republic Square.

My first (and as it turned out of only two) cocktails of the entire trip, this margarita was a tad expensive at around £10.50 however I justified it for the view across Republic Square. When I checked later on Trip Advisor the reviews for the Diamond restaurant were pretty rubbish so I was glad I didn’t eat in there!

Near to my hotel in the central Kentron district of Yerevan was Northern Avenue a wide pedestrian street lined with relaxed cafes, bars and shops.

As I continued exploring I came across Charles Aznavour square, another pleasant location for a break and perhaps a coffee and some people watching. Charles Azanavour was a French-Armenian singer and this square was named in his honour. I didn’t hang around there as I then turned off towards Swan Lake!

Swan Lake is an artificial lake in the centre of Yerevan and was built in 1963. Apparently swans are not often found there but in theory the lake was named after the first ballet which was staged in the nearby Opera in 1935. In the winter the lake freezes over as Yerevan temperatures plummet.

The Opera house is officially called the ‘Armenian National Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet’ and was first opened in 1933. The building was designed by architect Alexander Tamanian. There are two concert halls inside, one with 1400 seats and the other with 1200.

I had found a coffee shop recommendation and using Google maps I made my way to Lumen Coffee 1936. This small coffee shop was previously a tobacconist and still has its authentic originally painted walls.

The atmosphere was cosy and friendly and my Costa Rican coffee and home made Armenian cake were delicious.

The Cascade

I visited the Cascade twice, the first time on my own and the second time was as part of the first day of my G Adventures tour. It was great to have Sonia, our G Adventures guide offering extensive information about Cascade. Cascade complex is a giant limestone art deco staircase which features many sculptures and pieces of art. It was completed in 1980 and contains 572 steps.

At the foot of the Cascade is a statue of Alexander Tamanian who was the architect who designed the streets of Yerevan as well as the Opera house as mentioned above.

At the Alexander Tamanian statue is a street plan of the centre of Yerevan. Sonia explained the layout and various neighbourhoods of the city. She also said that Yerevan was first built in 782 BC which makes it older than Rome!

During my first visit I climbed all of the steps to the top of the Cascade in the 25 degree heat.

As I climbed I came across many features and sculptures.

And more fountains.

As I climbed higher panoramic views of the city began to open up.

At the top I came to the obelisk which commemorates 50 years of the Armenian socialist republic and the Victims of the Soviet Repression.

From the top I could vaguely make out the outline of Mount Ararat. Mount Ararat is a snow capped dormant volcano in Turkey and it is said that Noah’s Arc came to rest on the top of Mount Ararat. Yerevan was largely designed to enable Mount Ararat to be viewed from key locations around the city… but only on a clear day!

Even higher than the obelisk at the top of the Cascade, located in Victory Park is the Mother Armenia monument. As part of the group I was taken there by mini bus at the beginning of the G Adventures tour.

There are also several sculptures in the Sculpture Garden at the foot of the cascade which have been created by artists from all over the world. For example, the above was made by Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos.

The above sculpture ‘Woman smoking a cigarette’ was created by Colombian sculptor Fernando Botero who is famous for his exaggerated human proportions. 

The second time I visited the Cascade Sonia showed our group of 14 to the lifts which run inside in a cool air conditioned space adjacent to the 553 steps I had climbed the previous day. This more leisurely method enabled me to see even more sculptures which were featured next to the lifts.

Above are some of the sculptures found inside the lift area of the Cascade.

Inside the Cascade there are 4 galleries which are accessible via internal lifts. It was slightly confusing as to reach them, you had to take the lift to the floor below the level you were at each time. However this was well worth doing. For example one gallery contained a large mural by an Armenian painter called Grigor Khanjyan which illustrated key events from Armenia’s history. Helpful information boards explained more but these were things like the creation of the Armenian alphabet and the turbulent history of the last century.

Another contained an exhibition of paintings and another had a large sculpture by an Armenian sculptor called Artashes Hovsepyan.

The above street art was painted by an Italian artist called Antonio Perrotta and can be found near the Cascade.

Large collections of paintings by local artists were for sale in the shaded Painter’s Vernissage park.

Including several of Mount Ararat.

During our travels Chris and I often seek out vegan restaurants as they tend to be high quality, sometimes a bit quirky and usually with plenty of choice. I found Future Diner where I had a tasty snack during the afternoon of my first solo day. In fact, the lentil kebab I had there washed down with a glass of local Armenian red wine was one of the most delicious wraps ever, so highly recommended if you are nearby.

Welcome meeting

At 6 pm at the end of my first day of solo exploring I attended the G Adventures welcome meeting and met (already mentioned) guide Sonia and my fellow adventurers for the first time. Following the introductions and an outline of the Armenia part of the trip, Sonia led us to a restaurant called the Kilikia Beerhouse where we had dinner.

This was in a lovely setting on the open air roof terrace of a small building and enabled us to start chatting and getting to know the people we would be spending the next week with. And apparently Kilikia is the most popular brand of craft beer in Armenia.

Genocide Museum

Following our visit to Victory Park and the Cascade (as mentioned above) as a group we had a somber trip to the Armenia Genocide Museum and Memorial Complex. This is dedicated to the 1.5 million Armenians who lost their lives in the genocide of the early 20th century.

The Memorial Complex receives many visits from worldwide officials and fir trees are planted as part of these ceremonies.

Artefacts and exhibitions are displayed inside the main building of the museum and we took some time reading through the tragic history of the Armenian genocide as well as other historical events. The Temple of Eternity (above) consists of 12 granite posts arranged in a circle.

Cultural lunch

For lunch we were driven to Machanents House, a cultural art and education centre. This place was a treasure trove of handicrafts, paintings, rugs, pottery and sculptures. The one on the above right is called ‘pilgrim’ which reminded me of the Camino de Santiago last month 😀

Lunch was a wonderful selection of traditional Armenian dishes including a range of fresh tasty salads, breads, local cheeses, vegetable soup and barbequed chicken.

I enjoyed a glass of local Machanents red wine with my lunch.

Dessert was ‘lucky cake’ as a coin had been hidden and baked inside one of the slices. G Adventurer Katy was the lucky person who found it in hers!

After lunch we had some time to wander around and look at the extensive displays of art as well as the shops which sold crafts, pottery, paintings and even rugs and carpets!

We could also stop and watch displays of pottery being made and local bread being baked.

After lunch we visited the large Vagharshapat complex where the Saint Hripsime church is located.

Saint Hripsime Church is one of the oldest in Armenia and dates back to the seventh century. Of Roman origin, virgin Hripsime was said to be extremely beautiful but had escaped to Armenia. It is said that King Tiridates III tried to pursue her but she refused his advances so was punished by being roasted alive.

From Saint Hripsime church we walked to Saint Gayane church. This church was built in year 630 and Saint Gayane was also an early female martyr.

Next was a visit to the ruins of the Zvartnots Temple (St Gregory Church) which is a designated UNESCO heritage site. Zvartnots was built in the Seventh Century and its circular exterior structure was unique in terms of medieval Armenian architecture. It was destroyed by a powerful earthquake in the 10th century.

Zvartnots Temple is located close to Mount Ararat and on a clear day offers spectacular views.

Our mini bus driver took us back to the centre of Yerevan where our final stop for the first day was at an open air market.

We had a wander around the market before heading back to our hotel.

Evenings in Yerevan

Following our initial introductions at the welcome meeting then meal at the Kilikia Beerhouse a few of us went to Republic Square to watch the evening dancing fountain show. This colourful and entertaining spectacle was accompanied by a random mix of music from Queen to classic themes to Caribbean sounds. This show takes place every evening from 20:00 – 22:00 except on Mondays.

For our second evening as a group after a busy day exploring the sites in and around Yerevan as covered above, 6 of us went to the Beer Academy. This was located a few meters from the hotel.

We were given a flight of complimentary local beer samples which enabled us to each select our preferred choice (of which mine was ginger beer). As we had enjoyed a large lunch of traditional Armenian food, the 6 of us shared a couple of platters to munch on.

Another day another craft beer place. The following evening (after exploring wider Armenian culture which will be covered in the next blog post) G Adventurer Al led a slightly different group of 7 of us to the Dargett.

Dargett is a popular brand of craft beer in Armenia having a brewery just outside Yerevan and a bar and restaurant in the city centre. We had some food in there and while they also did flights of beer samples (which came at a cost), this time I decided to order a Dargett beer cocktail. It was called Beer Garden Spritz and contained Armenian Apricot Ale, Ararat Apricot brandy, lemon juice and mint. But unfortunately all I could taste was the beer…

After leaving Dargett, some of our group of new friends went back to the hotel but the remaining 4 of us decided a nightcap would be a good idea to enable us to sample some local Ararat Armenian brandy a company which was established in 1887.

We made the excellent choice of selecting Bar Phoenix which was close to our hotel. With its classy and sophisticated ambience, soft jazz music in the background and tasty Armenian brandy this was the perfect place to end to our time in Yerevan.

As shown in the above clip I enjoyed an Ararat cherry brandy, a coffee brandy and an apricot brandy all of which were delicious 😋

I spent 4 nights staying in the Ibis Central in Yerevan and while there our G Adventures guide Sonia took us to some more interesting sites outside of the city which will be covered in the next post.

In terms of a summary of Yerevan I thoroughly enjoyed my time there and would highly recommend a visit. Getting there from the UK isn’t straightforward as there are currently no direct flights but with such an abundance of things to do and see it might be well worth the effort!