Armenia - What to Expect

Yerevan is a great place to visit. The people are very hospitible. The Congress Hotel is a great alternative to the Marriott for Western lodging, and the on-site pool area and restaurant are great. The Bellaggio is a great place to eat, and be sure to experience the great gardens and cafe spots around the opera house. Must have khorovatz (barbque, usually pork) with lavash (local handmade flatbread), sold everywhere. Food is great overall with strong Mediterranean, Persian, and Russian influences.

Amberd is the ruins of an ancient Armenian fortress in one of Ahstarak's gorgeous valleys.

wonderful place, lost in time and in the middle of mountains. the 4/5 hours trip from yerevan is also impressive.

astonishing, magical and amazing place.

Well, it is one of the greatest and the most beautiful and natural places i ever saw!It is a beautiful lake with the sweetest and the clearest water i ever saw before! There are several great and luxury hotels which welcome warmly to the guests and customers!Guess What..?!! you can swim into the water and drink it as much as you want, to tell the truth it is even sweetest than the mineral water in the shops!!!There are several old churches which even made one thousand year before!You can access to jet-skiing or to boating for having more fun! the foods in hotel are delicious!You can find lot's of tasty traditional and local foods and cookies which i bet you never tried before!So it's so great to see such landscape from your room window! the weather is great without high humidity!In one word i recommend you to visit there and have fun with Armenian brothers and sisters! and know it that they are so welcome tourists and they have hospitality habits!Behnam B.

Alaverdi is an industrial town located in the northern Debed River gorge in Lori Marz in northeastern Armenia. It is dominated by natural beauty and manmade monstrosities: huge derelict and abandoned factories and a twenty-story high smokestack that belches the refuse from the copper-smelting plant below. On a clear day, the mountains that surround the town are enough to blot out the Soviet-made, concrete mess below, especially when viewed from the plateau-top villages of Odzun, Haghpat and Sanahin that surround Alaverdi. Alaverdi is an important city as it lies on the main road between Tbilisi and Yerevan, though the winding, narrow mountain pass roads that surround it do not make it appear so. If traveling from Yerevan to Tbilisi, make a right and cross over the Debed River on the first main double bridge from the west bank to the east bank of river, then make a left to continue north to the Georgian border. The road on the east bank is much better than on the west. You also avoid driving through town, but get a great view of the historic center with its church, square and medieval foot bridge from the elevated road on the east bank. The road through town on the west bank is riddled with pot holes.

Yerevan is such a beautiful city. You feel like you are back in Ancient times when you are in the city and you have the magnificant view of Ararat Mountain. I found myself constantly in the outdoor cafe's just relaxing, reading a book and enjoying the scenery. Truly a beautiful settting as it is surrounded from virtually all sides by mountains.

My Country, my earth, my homies, my LIFE

Transportation: marshutkas from Yerevan (take them near the metro station Yeritasardakan), price: 500dr Sevan is a high-mountain lake, so big that you feel like being on the seaside. Be carefull, even in summer, if you plan to stay for the night, take warm clothes, it's always much colder than in the valley. Don't stay near the peninsula after visting the monastery. This is the most touristic place of the lake. You should go further on the left by the road (hitchiking, taxi, private car 'cause there are no marshutka), something like 15km further, you'll find an on-air restaurant, or you can stop whereever you want on the "coast", it's much more pleasant, and almost desert. Food: you should bring what you need unless you plan to go to the restaurant, because there are no markets near the lake, and buying food and bread at the restaurant is quite more expensive.

Yerevan has a hip cafe culture. You can't go a block without hitting two or three cafes. It's great to pass away the time sitting in a cafe sipping brandy and watching people walking along with their families.