Layover Tour in Armenia

A stopover in Armenia mostly means Yerevan. Zvartnots airport (EVN) lies some 12 km west of Republic Square by road, and no layover tour in Armenia meets you in the terminal. What is sold are private day trips by car, collected from the hotel. From the centre, the Alphabet Monument at Artashavan is 35 km north by road, Garni 29 km east and Lake Sevan 68 km north-east. Even the shortest trip is about an hour and a half of driving, so the airport leg is yours to budget.

The shortest, listed at three hours, goes to the Armenian Alphabet Monument, built in 2005 for the script's 1,600th anniversary, with one stone letter for each of its 39 letters. It continues to Saghmosavank, whose church of Zion dates from 1215, on the edge of the Kasagh gorge. A half-day of four hours takes in the temple at Garni and the basalt columns of the Symphony of Stones. The longest, five and a half hours as listed, loops through Sevan, Dilijan and Haghartsin on more than 200 km of road. Cars take up to four, guides speak English or Russian, and the start time is set on request.

Practical. Yerevan averages 2C by day and -8C at night in January, and 34 to 35C by day and 19C at night in July. The lake and forest stops are cooler, so take a layer. Lunch and entrance fees are not included, though the Garni trip leaves about an hour for lunch. Wear comfortable shoes for canyon paths and monastery steps, dress modestly inside the churches and carry some cash for roadside stalls. Morning light is best for photographs at the monument and the gorge. Entry depends on your passport; check it before booking a tour on a connection.