Vernissage Market

If you’re someone who delights in collecting handmade treasures, finds joy in bringing home decorative plates and quirky magnets from every journey, and can never resist a beautiful piece of jewelry or an exquisite pair of shoes — then Yerevan’s famed Vernissage flea market is your dream destination.

Operating since 1966, Vernissage has become an iconic fixture of the city’s cultural and commercial life. The market is at its most vibrant on weekends — Saturdays and Sundays reveal the full breadth of its dazzling inventory.

Here, beneath the open sky, you’ll find everything from tiny pomegranate-shaped trinkets — a beloved symbol of Armenia — to richly woven carpets that could easily cover the floors of a palace. The local vendors are masters of their craft and their charm; don’t be surprised if they promise to fetch you a star from the heavens — and almost convince you they just might. Vernissage is far more than a market — it’s a living, breathing reflection of Armenian character, a place where past and present intermingle, and where every stall seems to hide a story waiting to be discovered.

For those with a fondness for Soviet-era nostalgia, Vernissage offers a time capsule of cherished relics — porcelain figurines, New Year’s tree decorations, retro kitchenware, and clocks that once ticked away in homes across the former USSR. History lovers will be drawn to items that evoke the distant past — from archaeological-style artifacts to antique curiosities that whisper tales of bygone civilizations. And for the seekers of the bold and unusual, the market showcases a kaleidoscope of local craftsmanship: vivid creations in leather, fur, wood, metal, and semiprecious stones, each piece a testament to the ingenuity and soul of Armenian artisans.

Stretched across countless stalls are paintings and portraits, intricately designed jewelry, traditional musical instruments, silverware, ceramics, glassware, coins, vibrantly patterned carpets, and more — a cornucopia of cultural heritage laid out for the curious and the collector alike. Among them, warm-hearted Armenian grandmothers offer pieces from their youth — delicate garments, faded books, and timeworn accessories — and in those quiet exchanges, one can’t help but feel a gentle ache for the passage of time and the stories it leaves behind.