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Introducing Armenia

Discover Armenia.
Armenia's story is an ancient one. By the 4th century, an Armenian kingdom had already risen, adopting Christianity as a major part of its cultural identity. Known as the “Land of Churches,” the highlands of this country still abound with around 4,000 millennia-old monasteries and places of worship. Meanwhile, in the south, you have the modern yet historic capital of Yerevan, which is heavy on culture, food (khoravats is to-die-for), and the brutalist Soviet architecture that defined 20th-century Armenia until its independence in 1991.

When is the best time to visit?
Visiting from April-May or September-October are the sweet spots. Armenia is still relatively undiscovered as far as tourism is concerned, so you don’t have to worry about contending with crowds in summer—but temperatures can reach as high as 104°F/40°C. Conversely, temps in the dead of winter (January) can dip to around 36°F/2°C, although there are good skiing conditions at the resort town of Tsaghkadzor. 

Where should you go?
To experience the Armenia of today while also glimpsing its history, visit the capital of Yerevan. Chic cafes, teahouses, and European wine bars exist near rustic taverns and the ancient National Library of Armenia, which is home to thousands of scrolls and historic texts. You also shouldn’t miss the dancing fountains light show in Republic Square.

If you only have time to visit one of Armenia’s historic monasteries, make sure it’s Khor Virap. Located about 40 minutes south of Yerevan and dating back to the 7th century, it sits in the shadow of the ancient biblical site of Mt. Ararat. This is the region where Armenia was first founded in 860 BCE. Needless to say, the views of the monastery and its backdrop are the stuff of postcards.

How many days do you need?
You can explore Yerevan and visit one or two of Armenia’s famous monasteries in four or five days. If you’d like to dive deeper, plan on a week. With 10-14 days, you could plan a comprehensive trip through Armenia and even tack on a visit to neighboring Georgia.

Armenia Travel Insights

Armenia & Georgia Tour - 9 Days
Map of Armenia & Georgia Tour - 9 Days
Armenia & Georgia Tour - 9 Days

This 9-day itinerary hits Georgia and Armenia's cultural and historic highlights. Visit the multi-ethnic crossroads of Europe and Asia in Tbilisi, explore small-towns in Kakheti, and discover 6th-century Jvari Monastery. Cross the border into Armenia to see 10th-century Haghpat monastery, Sevan Lake, and a 2000-year old Mithran sun temple. End your trip with a visit to Yerevan's Republic Square and nearby Saint Hripsime Church—one of the country's oldest.

Armenia's mountains in summer
Map of Hiking in Armenia - 8 Days
Hiking in Armenia - 8 Days

Explore the best of Armenia's ancient Christian landmarks and mountainous landscapes with short hikes and comfortable overnight accommodations. Start your trip with a visit to Yerevan's Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Park and Cascade Monument. Visit the 4th-century Khor Virap Monastery, see snow-capped Mt. Ararat, and ride the world's longest cable car in Tatev. End the trip with a visit to the Noratus Cemetery and a 2000-year old Hellenistic pagan temple.

History & Hiking in Armenia  - 8 Days
Map of History & Hiking in Armenia  - 8 Days
History & Hiking in Armenia - 8 Days

Spend eight days exploring the medieval history of Armenia with this itinerary. You'll go from the streets of the capital city to the mountain and valley scenery, seeking out the historic churches, monasteries, and temples hidden among the hills.

Armenia Travel Maps

Get the lay of land, and understand distances between the places you want to visit
Map Armenia & Georgia Tour - 9 Days
Armenia & Georgia Tour - 9 Days
View article
Map Hiking in Armenia - 8 Days
Hiking in Armenia - 8 Days
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Map History & Hiking in Armenia  - 8 Days
History & Hiking in Armenia - 8 Days
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Trip Reviews for Armenia

The latest reviews by travelers who booked their trip on kimkim

Maro, our local travel specialist was great.....
Armenia | Oct 12 - Oct 18, 2019

M
Mariam N.
Grand Blanc, MI | Reviewed on Oct 26, 2019
Maro, our local travel specialist was great....very helpful in planning our trip. She responded quickly to any questions or concerns and her recommendations were on point. My only regret is that we didn't get the chance to meet her and say "Thank you!"
Karen, our driver, was wonderful. He was very knowledgable, warm, and so polite. We truly enjoyed our time spent with him and wouldn't mind having him again for our next trip!
Aside from visiting the beautiful Monasteries, Churches, Genocide...
Read more

Maro, our local travel specialist was great....very helpful in planning our trip. She responded quickly to any questions or concerns and her recommendations were on point. My only regret is that we didn't get the chance to meet her and say "Thank you!"
Karen, our driver, was wonderful. He was very knowledgable, warm, and so polite. We truly enjoyed our time spent with him and wouldn't mind having him again for our next trip!
Aside from visiting the beautiful Monasteries, Churches, Genocide Memorial, and Alphabet Monument, it was so very nice meeting families and watching as well as learning how lavash and different cheeses are made.
Needless to say, we had quite an amazing trip....enjoying every minute!

Local specialist: Maro Mkhitaryan
Maro
Maro Mkhitaryan
Local specialist in Tbilisi, Georgia | Replied on Oct 29, 2019

Dear Mariam,
Thanks very much for your kind words. I am delighted to hear you enjoyed your holiday with us and really appreciate the positive feedback. We hope to welcome you back in our region in the future!
Maro

summer 2019
Armenia | Jul 19 - Jul 30, 2019

S
sandy b.
Austin, TX | Reviewed on Aug 18, 2019
Overall - great trip. I was a very passive planner for this trip - my first using a company like KimKim - and I accept some responsibility for the itinerary disappointments - the greatest of which was that we saw way too many cathedrals and monasteries. At one point I told Maro that we were Jewish and would like to visit some Jewish areas or synagogues, which we did on one of our free days after the trip, but there was nothing included in the itinerary. Our driver Achiko was great: he... Read more

Overall - great trip. I was a very passive planner for this trip - my first using a company like KimKim - and I accept some responsibility for the itinerary disappointments - the greatest of which was that we saw way too many cathedrals and monasteries. At one point I told Maro that we were Jewish and would like to visit some Jewish areas or synagogues, which we did on one of our free days after the trip, but there was nothing included in the itinerary.

Our driver Achiko was great: he was helpful and friendly and did "extras" that we appreciated, such as bringing us some of his father's wine and cha cha and his mother's sauce and providing a copy of the Georgian music we heard while in the van. He was always on-time and good-natured. The van was comfortable and clean. His driving was smooth. His English language skills need to be improved.

Due to problems with airlines, we flew out July 19 instead of July 18 which meant that we missed one day in Tbilisi. I took out travel insurance so would like feedback on whether we get a refund for one night at the hotel. I notified Maro of the delay and Achiko was there July 20th at the airport for us.

Our first day with Achiko we went to the history museum and National Gallery - which we LOVED - and some other places like Matsminda park.

Jvari was okay as was Mtsketa... that was early in the trip and we were tired from having a catch a 5:35 am flight the day before.

The Prince Alexander Chavchavadze's museum house was a big disappointment. We were told we would get 5 glasses of wine, and we only received 1. The man serving wine at the museum was unfriendly. The museum was unimpressive, and we received no information about the museum. I told Maro I wanted to visit the wine-growing region. We did - but didn't get to drink any wine or learn about the wine-making process. The visit was a huge disappointment because we drove and drove to arrive in the region... for what? On my own I wandered around and found a fancy hotel that had a wine bar... and I could have sampled wines but it was time to go... big big disappointment.

Uplistsikhe - great! Ushguli - great! Except... we drive around for 1.5 hours trying to find the place we were going to stay. I think Achiko thought Mazeri was the name of a hotel.... who knew it was a village about 30-40 minutes from Mestia? Began to lose our patience... Maro said he had communicated this to me... that we would not be staying in Mestia... I think he should have sent an updated itinerary. He may have sent the "final" itinerary... but I don't think he did.

But Mazeri the next morning was lovely... and the site for several walks 10-12 km that could have been fun to do. But... not on itinerary. Instead we got to "wander" around Ushguli... not quite like hiking/walking I had hoped to do.

Gori was interesting - especially the Stalin museum.

Martivili - no big deal. Lots of rain the day before meant that we didn't get to go on the boat ride (which apparently was not very long anyway). Why did we even go here? WE drove and drove and then walked a tiny big along the paved trail. Don't think this was much of a destination.

Borjormi was interesting... but we never went to the National Park of Borjomi...?? Walked around a park within Borjormi... a city park.... ??

Green Monastery was lovely.

Vardzia and Rabath Fortress were a lot of fun.

Accomodations;

Old Mestia hotel in Tbilisi was great.
The hotel we stayed in 2 different nights in Kutaisi - nice location; lousy mattress.
Bed and breakfast in Marzia was great - lovely hostess.
Rabath Fortress was wonderful in every way.

Food - wonderful!!! Portions were very generous, and we felt guilty for not being able to eat it all. Only not good meal was in Borjomi... we were only ones in restaurant... and we had to order the meal ourselves (which is NOT a problem at all... it is just that the food was provided at all the other restaurants we went to for lunch). To clarify - we did not PAY for the meal - Achiko did... but the whole thing seemed "off". Why was noone else at this restaurant? Why was the food not ready for us... (I know I sound spoiled: I'm not. I just want to give you the feedback that this day was different from the others, in case you didn't know).

Billing: After taking the trip, I realize I would have liked to have received more information on food provided in advance, and also an itemized bill for expenses: hotels; lunches; drivers' fee; etc. We did not know anything about the food we would be receiving (enough for a family of giants) and I don't know how much I paid for what.

Reimbursement: do we receive refunds for anything that we couldn't go - such as our missed night in Tbilisi on July 19 or the lack of a canyon ride in Martvili.

Overall, I appreciate that KimKim did all the research and arrangements so that my husband and i could visit many places in Georgia in a country that we knew very little about. I have never been this passive in planning, and it was a learning experience to travel this way. It was my choice to be passive. I think to improve your services: either an initial phone conversation or more questioning of the travelers would be helpful to flesh out for the trip planner what travel elements are important to the travelers to make sure that they experience those elements in the trip. I really wanted to do a bit of hiking and visit a wine region to learn more about wines in Georgia. Neither really happened. I did see lots of monasteries and cathedrals... but that was never really a priority for me.

Also, I originally wanted to go to Armenia and then changed my mind to go to Georgia. Small detail but Maro is located in Yerevan...????Why was he assigned to plan my trip?

Local specialist: Maro Mkhitaryan
Maro
Maro Mkhitaryan
Local specialist in Tbilisi, Georgia | Replied on Aug 19, 2019
Dear Sandy,
Thank you so much for your detailed feedback, it is really appreciated.
I'm glad that you enjoyed your stay in Georgia.
The local hospitably assumes abundant food and I am glad that you enjoyed Georgian dishes. We do our reservations in advance to save time, the reserve for all the restaurants were done beforehand, the driver just chose the menu and for the payment, it depends on the place weather they accept cash or bank transfer. I am sorry that you didn't visit Martvili due... Read more

Dear Sandy,
Thank you so much for your detailed feedback, it is really appreciated.
I'm glad that you enjoyed your stay in Georgia.

The local hospitably assumes abundant food and I am glad that you enjoyed Georgian dishes. We do our reservations in advance to save time, the reserve for all the restaurants were done beforehand, the driver just chose the menu and for the payment, it depends on the place weather they accept cash or bank transfer.

I am sorry that you didn't visit Martvili due to weather conditions. I have already submitted the application for your refund and you will receive 24$ which is the ticket price for 2 people. What concerns your missed night in Tbilisi, the hotels do not accept last minute cancellations and we paid for the overnight.

I am responsible for planning tours for both in Armenia and in Georgia. We have 2 agencies and I work from both agencies.

Thank you once again for providing us such detailed information, this will help us continuously improve our service. Wish you more new discoveries and memorable experiences! All the best, Maro