Things to do in Yerevan

Yerevan is older than Rome. It was rebuilt from 1924 in pink volcanic tuff, on a radial plan around one central square. The stone is local, and it is why people call this the pink city.

The city itself

• Republic Square. The centre of the 1924 plan, with singing fountains through the summer evenings.
• The Cascade. A giant limestone stairway up the hillside, sculpture on the terraces, the city below.
• Matenadaran. The manuscript repository above the avenue, holding thousands of Armenian codices.
• Kond. The one district that survived the rebuilding, low and tangled, right beside the modern centre.
• Vernissage. The weekend open-air market for carpets, silver, woodwork and Soviet oddments.

Eating and drinking

The city has a café habit and keeps late hours. Brandy is the local export. The ARARAT factory runs tours and tastings on the river bluff.

Food tours go to the GUM market for dried fruit, walnut sujukh and cheese. Lavash baking is the usual hands-on stop. Most run half a day.

Using the city as a base

Almost every regional tour starts and ends here. Garni and Geghard make the short day. Sevan, Dilijan, Noravank and Tatev make the long ones.

Practical

• Getting around. One metro line, cheap and quick, plus marshrutka minibuses. The centre is walkable and mostly flat.
• Taxis. Apps work and are inexpensive. Agree the fare first if you flag one down.
• Season. July runs hot and dry, above thirty-five degrees. Spring and autumn are the comfortable months.
• Markets. Vernissage is at its fullest at the weekend and thin on weekdays.
• Day trips. Book the driver, not the seat. Group departures are scarce outside summer.