Photograph Yerevan and Ararat from Victory Park

Yerevan celebrates its birthday as Erebuni-Yerevan every October, with concerts and city decorations; one recent municipal edition dressed streets and bridges in red and apricot colors. The scale changes from year to year, from a single modest day to a larger program, so check the municipality website shortly before…

If your trip falls in October, check whether it overlaps the Yerevan Marathon. In the 2019 edition the municipality closed Republic Square, Saryan Street and the Victory Bridge, with many other central streets, from early morning to mid-afternoon. Plan the morning on foot and leave extra time for any airport or…

The round Alexander Spendiaryan Opera and Ballet Theatre, designed by Alexander Tamanyan, stages opera, ballet and concerts through autumn and winter. The official site lists the repertoire in English and sells tickets online. Seats are usually gone well before the performance, so buy early. Go in the evening, when…

Malkhas Jazz Club on Pushkin Street is an intimate room with live jazz every night, and jam sessions give it a looser side. Pianist Levon Malkhasyan, who founded it in 2006, usually plays with his band late, after midnight, so come for a late set rather than an early dinner. In summer his band has also played on the…

Khor Virap monastery, south of Yerevan on the Ararat plain, is the classic place to photograph Mount Ararat rising behind a church. A local forum poster calls the view even better than the city viewpoints, and a visitor tip says early morning gives the best view. Check the forecast the day before, because the mountain…

For handmade gifts without haggling, try Dalan, a shop and gallery on Abovyan Street selling wood, ceramic, leather, textile and metal pieces by Armenian artists. Shops have set prices, so keep bargaining for open-air markets. If origin matters to you, ask staff who made the piece, because a guide notes that not every…

Do not plan the Armenian Genocide Museum and memorial for a Monday: the museum is closed that day and on official holidays, and Sunday hours are shorter. Entry is free, but guided tours must be reserved by phone in advance and start on time, so arriving more than ten minutes late can lose your slot. Allow about 90…

The Sergei Parajanov Museum on Dzoragyugh Street holds about 1,400 exhibits by the filmmaker: collages, dolls, hats, drawings and behind-the-scenes material from Sayat-Nova, The Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors and The Legend of Suram Fortress. Watch one of the films first, because the objects make more sense with the…