Yerevan between art, history and city life

Yerevan is ideal for travellers who want to combine exploring the city with a focus on art and history. The main museums, parks, cafés and cultural centres are located in the city centre, making the city especially easy to explore on foot. Yerevan's tourist information and citizen service centres provide visitors with free multilingual maps and guidebooks, as well as information about museums, excursion programmes, the Yerevan City Tour and municipal services. This makes it easy to find your way around while enjoying a wide choice of cultural attractions.

Art, architecture and views

At the Cascade, art, architecture, lively city life and green spaces come together. The Cafesjian Sculpture Park in the Cascade complex displays works by renowned artists. For a different perspective, visit the rooftop terrace of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, which offers panoramic views of Mount Ararat and Yerevan.

The city's museums each have a distinct focus. The permanent exhibition at the Erebuni Museum presents the history of Urartu through architecture, fine arts, irrigation and fortification systems, wall paintings and ceramics. The collection of the Yerevan History Museum includes around 100,000 archaeological, ethnographic, numismatic, craft, applied art and documentary works charting the city's development from antiquity to the present day.

Manuscripts, maps and the history of printing

The Matenadaran Museum is dedicated to Armenian manuscript culture and its development from the early Middle Ages to the modern era. The map hall displays cartographic and geographical materials relating to the history of Armenia and the wider region. The Museum of Printing offers a look at important early printed works, including the first book printed in Armenian, “Urbatagirk” (“The Book of Fridays”), printed in Venice in 1512, and the Voskanyan Bible from Amsterdam, printed between 1666 and 1668. Items on display also include the first printed map, “Hamatarats Ashkharhatsoyts” (“General Geographical Atlas”), printed in Amsterdam in 1695, and the first printed journal, “Azdarar,” published in Madras from 1794 to 1796.

Art and events

The Cafesjian Center for the Arts offers a variety of exhibitions, including significant works from the Cafesjian Art Trust. The Yerevan Museum of Modern Art displays important works by famous Armenian artists of the 1960s. Historically, it was the first modern art museum in the former Soviet Union. The Fridtjof Nansen Museum's regular programme includes book discussions, presentations, conferences and film screenings; it also offers educational programmes.

Festivals add their own highlights. The Golden Apricot Yerevan International Film Festival was founded in Yerevan in 2004. Armenian Panorama is a pan-Armenian competition section for films by filmmakers of Armenian descent. Yerevan Wine Days has been held in Yerevan since 2017; festival-goers can sample wines made from local grapes. The programme may vary from one edition to another.

City tour or museum visit

The 90-minute Yerevan City Tour introduces visitors to the history, culture and architecture of Yerevan, as well as its historical and cultural monuments and attractions. A guided tour of the Armenian Genocide Museum covers the entire exhibition, with 12 halls, and lasts between 40 minutes and one hour; tours are offered in Armenian, Russian, English and French. The different durations are useful when planning: you can treat the city tour and an in-depth museum visit as separate activities. Check the latest information about museum tours before your trip.

Discover the subregion: Yerevan.

Discover more destinations: Lori, Kotayk, Vayots Dzor, Armavir, Tavush, Shirak, Gegharkunik.

Return to the main travel overview: Armenia.