From coffee to carpets and hikes to hillside churches, going off the beaten path in Armenia reveals cultural gems beyond its capital, Yerevan
By Marlise Kast-Myers
Armenia has a population of roughly 3 million, of which Yerevan is home to roughly a third. As we roll into our hotel, it seems most Yerevanites are out that night. Even in the lobby of The Alexander, the bellman explains that Armenia is a late-to-bed, late-to-rise culture.
Acclimating our senses the following morning is a rooftop breakfast served by a gracious staff who introduce us to Armenian coffee – finely ground into a powder and brewed in a jazzve pot. Ruby pomegranate juice brightens the table beside yogurt, figs, honey, olives, pastries, brined cheeses (chanakh and lori), cured beef (basturma), and other local delights.
Following breakfast, we meet Lusine Guin Dalera, our guide and owner of Next is Armenia. During the Covid-19 pandemic, she launched her business, which gained traction with viral videos introducing the “other side” of Armenia. Over the next five days, she will be our driver, translator and historian.
At the centre of the action is Republic Square, ringed by government buildings and the History Museum of Armenia, with a collection of roughly 400,000 artefacts, documents and archaeological findings, including the world’s oldest known leather shoe, from 3500BC.
Long before Christianity spread across Europe, Armenia quietly became the first nation to adopt it in AD301. It was a decision that still shapes the landscape today. We see it first-hand over lunch at Tumanyan’s Art.
It is the coffee and stuffed flatbreads (zhingyalov hats) that lure us to this neighbourhood restaurant, but a heart of hope that leaves us in tears. At the centre of it all is the owner, Kristina Balayan, who serves us dolmas, trout, pickled vegetables, roasted potatoes, lubu shorva (red bean soup) and other specialities.
Upon arriving in Yerevan, she joined the NGO World Central Kitchen to feed the displaced, eventually opening Tumanyan’s Art in December 2023. Balayan has been helping to nourish thousands of Armenians, from widows to orphans.
Still, Balayan pours us wine and insists on raising a glass to “peace”. I did not know how, having endured all that, Armenians had the courage to find joy. But as Lusine explains, “We can’t live in fear of today simply because of the uncertainty of tomorrow.”
In Martiros Saryan Park, it seems people are finding that joy, artists setting up easels and brushing colour on canvases in this living gallery. Just off the Armenian National Opera and Ballet Theatre, this vibrant area celebrates Armenia’s deep ties to France, with Parisian-style cafes and flower carts stacked with fresh roses, so perfectly petalled, you would swear they were Photoshopped into life.
By sunset, we are counting fibres at the Megerian Carpet Museum. Ironically, the famed business launched in New York, where Armenian immigrant Hovannes John Megerian started restoring rugs in 1917.
Leaning on natural dyes and double-knot methods, he revitalised the craft and established a cultural hub in Armenia with factories, museums and showrooms. With more than 22 weaving facilities across the country, Megerian has become a major force in preserving the heritage.
From carpet factories to blanketed hillsides, we head north into the Debed River valley, where cool, misty air smells of fire and fruit. Located in Armenia’s Lori province, the deep gorge stretches from Vanadzor to the Georgian border.
Founded in the 10th century, this complex of churches was a crucible of wisdom for calligraphers, philosophers and illuminators. Despite the passing of time, rays of light break into the darkness through crowned domes and arched windows.
Nearby is Haghpat Monastery, the other half of the Monasteries of Haghpat and Sanahin Unesco World Heritage site.
The complex is seen as the pinnacle of Armenian architecture. Among gravesites and crooked slabs, this medieval tapestry of bell towers, vaulted corridors, and sacred frescoes whispers tales of faith and persecution.
Mendz Er Cave (Big Cave) is next on our route. Once believed to have sheltered early humans, the cave now houses a museum beside a restaurant, where we lunch on wraps and clay-pot stews reminiscent of shepherds’ fondue.
The next day, we hike from Kobayr Monastery to Odzun Church, our trail slicing through the gorge past ruins of Horomayr, one of 4,000 religious structures in Armenia.
Holding the pack is our guide from HikeArmenia, who corrals us through the verdant passage while pointing out rhythms of rural life. Farmers gather walnuts into leather pouches beside hedgerows laden with berries, pears, plums and Cornelian cherries.
Our trek ends in the village of Odzun, famous for its church constructed around the 5th to 7th centuries.
We visit the local Tumo Centre, which runs Armenia’s free technology programme for teens – a reminder that even in one of the country’s oldest landscapes, the future was being quietly shaped.
The following morning echoes that past in a drive along barren roads dotted with abandoned factories. Climbing towards 1,400 metres (4,600 feet), we head to Tavush province towards Apaga Resort in Yenokavan. Opened in 2003, this property in the clouds has cosy rooms in free-standing structures. Outside are grazing horses that raise their heads at nothing greener than the earth.
Within the property is Yell Extreme Park, a hub for adventure with horse riding, zip-lining, rock climbing, off-roading and hiking. Elaborate meals are served in a glass-walled restaurant overlooking the valley, where paper-thin lavash comes with platters of tree mushrooms, lamb and trout.
As the trip draws to a close, we stop at Haghartsin Monastery, where Lusine lures us with gata, flaky Armenian pastries filled with blueberry, lemon and figs.
Beyond those fragrant fillings is a rich history of the monastery dating back to the 10th century. Once favoured by scientists and royalty, Haghartsin now holds the graves of kings.
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