Private Tour to Garni Temple, Geghard Monastery, Symphony of Stones and Khor Virap

Photo 3 Private Tour to Garni Temple, Geghard Monastery, Symphony of Stones and Khor Virap

Photo 4 Private Tour to Garni Temple, Geghard Monastery, Symphony of Stones and Khor Virap

Private Tour to Garni Temple, Geghard Monastery, Symphony of Stones and Khor Virap in Yerevan, Armenia

5.0(3)

Duration

5 hours

Languages

English, Russian

Guests

3-3

This private tour includes visits to Armenia's best tourist attractions! We will visit Garni pagan temple, the magnificent Geghard monastery complex, partially carved in the rock, the Symphony of Stones, and Khor Virap.

Highlights:

Garni temple
Geghard monastery
Symphony of stones
Khor Virap
Ararat mountain

Includes:

Private transportation by minibus
Hotel pick-up and drop-off
Professional guide
Entrance fees for Garni and Symphony of stones

Not included:

Lunch

Please note: the departures are daily. Price for solo travellers is from 140 EUR.

You will be picked up from your hotel/meeting point and driven to your first stop, the Garni pagan temple, which towers over a triangular cape and is Armenia's only surviving example of heathen culture. It combines Greco-Roman and Armenian styles. In the first century AD, King Trdat the First ordered the temple's construction, which was dedicated to the God of the Sun. Following the adoption of Christianity in 301, the pagan temple lost its significance, and the fortress of Garni became the king's summer residence. Near the temple are the ruins of the royal palace and a bathroom with stunning mosaic work.

The next stop will be Geghard monastery, an unrivaled masterpiece of 13th-century Armenian architecture. Some of the complex's churches have been carved out of massive rocks. The complex was initially named Ayrivank (cave monastery). Still, it was later renamed Geghard (lance) because the monks had kept the lance used by Roman soldiers to sting Jesus Christ's side in this monastery for centuries. Geghardavank was built to be the best place for singing spiritual songs because of its unique acoustics. The complex is adorned with many striking khachkars (cross-stones) and subtle sculptural embellishments. The site has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List.

Your next stop will be the Symphony of Stones in Garni Canyon, where you can explore the stunning geological monuments represented by columnar basalts that were born from lava flows. Basalt masses are broken into polyhedral columns, which have earned the name "Basaltic Organ" due to their regularity of form.

Your final stop will be at Khor Virap monastery, the closest point to Mount Ararat, Armenia's national symbol, and where you can take great photos with the giant mount in the monastery's background. It is the most well-known pilgrimage site in Armenia because it is directly related to the adoption of Christianity. Christianity was adopted as a state religion in Armenia in 301 due to the efforts of Saint Gregory The Illuminator, who was imprisoned in the dungeon before converting King Trdat The 3rd to Christianity, and over which a church of Khor Virap monastery was built in the 17th century. You can descend into the 6m-deep dungeon where St. Gregory spent 13 years imprisoned. We will transfer you to Yerevan at the end of the tour.

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