Good afternoon everyone!
I’ll share our trip day by day while the impressions are still fresh! Maybe it will be useful for someone planning their journey.
We traveled by rental car: Garni (overnight) — Azat Reservoir — Khor Virap — Surenavan — Tigranashen — Noravank — Areni (overnight) — Shaki Waterfall — Vorotan — Tatev — Goris (overnight) — Khndzoresk — Lake Sevan shore — Yerevan. Now we’re planning to spend 2 nights and 1.5 days relaxing in Yerevan and sorting through all the impressions…
We are a family — 2 adults and 2 children (8 and 11). Fans of independent travel, we plan and organize everything ourselves)
We landed at Zvartnots at 2:20 PM, picked up our reserved car (AutoUnion via economycarrentals), grabbed some snacks at Carrefour in Yerevan Mall, and drove to Garni. On the way, we stopped at the Arch of Charents — Mount Ararat was hiding behind clouds, but the views were still stunning ❤️
In Garni, we checked into Harmonia Garden GastroYard & Hotel. Very satisfied. The room is simple, but the location is great, with a beautiful garden and a delicious, hearty breakfast 👍🏻
At sunset, we went for a walk to the Geghard Monastery. We arrived around 7 PM. There were already few people, we explored all the halls and walked to the bridge. By the way, during the whole trip, Geghard felt like the most impressive monastery. Maybe because it was the first))
We had a very вкусный dinner at the Vitrage restaurant overlooking the mountains and Garni Temple. Not exactly budget — for 2 adults and 2 children it came to about $90 USD (≈ 8,000 rubles) (hummus selection, pork entrecôte, lamb rack, tabbouleh, beef kebab, chicken shashlyk, fries, two glasses of wine and lemonades; as a birthday gift they brought dessert — gata with blackberry yogurt ❤️ and even gave us a scented candle)).
Because of the time difference, we woke up very early and at 7 AM, quite shamelessly, sneaked onto the territory of the Garni Temple via a path from the gorge side. We managed to walk around, take photos without people, and enjoy the sunrise 😊 Later we were spotted and politely asked to leave the same way. They even refused to take the entrance fee — told us to come back at 9 when the ticket office opens.
Before breakfast, we still had time, so we went to the Symphony of Stones. Of course, we were completely alone again, the ticket office wasn’t open, so we put the entrance money into my gift envelope and left it under the glass. An amazing and very impressive place! ❤️ Much more beautiful in real life than in pictures. And being completely alone there makes it even more special.
After breakfast, we checked out and visited Garni again like proper tourists)) Beautiful, but already crowded. Still, it was nice to see so many foreigners — clear interest in Armenia from Europeans. Italians, French, Germans…
Then we headed to Khor Virap via Azat Reservoir. Stopped for a few photos — beautiful 👍🏻 On the way we saw storks in the villages 🥰
As we approached Khor Virap, we already felt we wouldn’t like it 😅 too many cars, buses (we arrived around noon), pigeons being pushed on you, souvenir stalls, a beggar on the steps… it felt too much like a market, and the sacred atmosphere was lost. So we took a quick look (Ararat was covered in clouds) and left. Maybe just bad timing.
After lunch in Pokr Vedi, we visited Surenavan — the stork village. Walked around a bit, talked to locals. We were thrilled (I even more than the kids 😁). Interesting place, glad we stopped 👍🏻
We went to Noravank via Tigranashen. Many fortified positions along the way. The road is incredibly beautiful — a dream for lovers of mountain serpentines! Sad that people even think about war when there’s such beauty around.
We also saw a few wrecked cars on the slopes near sharp turns — so drive carefully and don’t get too distracted by the scenery.
Noravank is stunning! But I’d say the real highlight is the nature around it and the gorge you drive through. Beautiful red cliffs ❤️
We also visited Areni Cave, though without a guide — the kids were already getting restless. At the nearby restaurant (closer to the pool), wisteria is blooming! If you haven’t seen it — go and enjoy the fragrance. It’s incredible ❤️
We stayed overnight at Areni Wine Art guesthouse. And this gets a BIG LIKE 👍🏻 and sincere recommendation! Rooms are very simple (but it costs about $55 USD (≈ 5,000 rubles) for four people), but the host, Eric, is fantastic. A young guy who chose winemaking over an office job in Yerevan. Speaks excellent Russian and English! Delicious homemade wine, a cozy dining area with a view, and an incredibly tasty dinner. And just a genuinely warm, душевное atmosphere 👍🏻 this is exactly how a guesthouse should be.
Again woke up early and went exploring nearby. About 1 km from the guesthouse there’s an unusual mudflow dam. From the outside it looks dull, but inside you can feel the power and beauty of the structure. Really impressive!! Just keep an eye on the kids 😁
We drove further up the serpentine and looked down at the road to Noravank. Eric also has two A-frame cabins on the cliff — amazing views! Next time I’d stay there)
After breakfast, we said goodbye and headed toward Tatev. First stop — Shaki Waterfall. Arrived around 11:30, already quite crowded. But still beautiful 😊
Bought souvenirs on the trail — about $1 USD for a bracelet, $8 USD for a tote bag. Magnets also cheap.
We continued via Sisian and Vorotan (stopped at a medieval bridge similar to Garni’s rock formations), approaching Tatev from above. The road is high, winding, with trucks, but not too difficult — just drive calmly. The views are incredible ❤️
Tatev Monastery is excellent. Lots of rooms, interesting to explore. The views are amazing! Many people, but not that “market” feeling like Khor Virap (subjective).
We didn’t take the cable car — drove down by car. The mountains are massive! The cable car looks tiny in comparison.
Stayed overnight in Goris — very pleasant, lively center. Atmospheric 👍🏻 reminded us a bit of Side in Turkey with wooden balconies on stone buildings.
Hotel: Passage. Looks luxurious, but service needs improvement. Breakfast buffet was limited, even forgot spoons and bowls. But the room was large and nice. Overall, a good stop.
This is a mudflow dam in Areni)
Finally adjusted to the time zone 😅
After breakfast, went to Khndzoresk. Arrived around 10 — already people there. The road to parking is 2.8 km of rough terrain — slow but manageable.
At the bridge, a local guide immediately approached us — showed a furnished cave, explained life there, walked us across and took photos. Mixed feelings: useful, but very rushed. Said “pay whatever you want,” then later hinted that 10 000 dram ($12 USD) is expected. We paid but the situation left unpleasant feeling. Not about the money — just the approach.
If he had just said the price right at the start, we would have simply agreed and that’s it… in short, tourism spoils people.
On the way back we exchanged a few more words with him while he was waiting for the next visitors — it felt like a more natural conversation.
So keep in mind — “pay whatever you want” can later turn into “that’s too little.” But thanks to him for the museum and the story anyway.
We enjoyed walking through the caves on our own. It was interesting to imagine how people lived here.
The little bridge really gives you a thrill.
After Khndzoresk we headed back — already straight through Goris, but then turned up on the map toward Sevan, because we still had one more important stop along the way.
An enthusiast from the village of Artabyunk has set up a viewing platform on his property to watch mountain goats and, if you’re lucky, even bears. He provides binoculars and a telescope. A really great guy 🥰 you can tell he genuinely loves the place where he lives.
Of course, we gave him a “tip.” He said 1000 dram was enough, we barely managed to press 2000 on him 😅 and treated him to chocolate-covered marshmallows we had специально brought from Novosibirsk as souvenirs for nice people (by the way, one pack already went to Eric from Areni, one more left — now we’re looking for a third awesome person 😂😂😂).
He invited us for coffee, but we had to keep going…
The road to Sevan again went through very high mountain passes — we climbed up to 2420 meters. There are almost no cars here, no trucks at all. The road surface is not very good in places.
We passed the Orbelian caravanserai — we had planned to stop, but it was very cold and still completely covered in snow.
We drove along the shore of Sevan and stopped by Hayravank.
And now we’re in Yerevan) processing the impressions.
We’re also planning to go to ROT54. And maybe to Levon’s Cave. And maybe to the Black Wall ) depending on the mood.
In Yerevan, we’re not naming the hotel yet, but we’re happy with it too)
Summary on everyday practicalities:
Driving is вполне manageable, people drive normally. Iranian trucks on the highway are not scary. You just drive reasonably.
The roads are mostly excellent. There are some sections with old asphalt and deep holes — then you just watch the road more than the mountains 😅
There are lots of serpentines — if you like that, you’ll be thrilled!
95 petrol — 520–540 dram per liter.
Food — for a family of 4 it comes to about 2,000–3,000 rubles ($30-45 usd).
Entrance to monasteries and viewpoints is free. Only parking is charged almost everywhere (300–500 dram). So overall, quite budget-friendly.
Surenavan — 20 minutes by car from Khor Virap. There are stork nests on every street 😍 Just an ordinary village. It’s interesting to stop by for a few minutes, walk around, talk to the locals: they’ll tell you the names of the storks, how many years each pair has been together, how they raise their chicks… You can take beautiful photos of the nests with a view of Ararat, if it’s not covered by clouds.
In fact, there are stork nests in other villages too. Even on the way to Khor Virap. But here there are a lot of them. All counted and numbered.
