Weekend in Yerevan Armenia

We arrived in Yerevan on a Thursday evening and went to the hotel. Taxis are necessary to get from the airport to the city center, but once in the city, everything is walkable.

Take a visit to the blue mosque (outside of prayer time), which is modeled after Persian mosques, and it is currently (as of 2023) the only operating mosque in Armenia.

Try some Armenian coffee, we found this open air coffee shop on our walk.

The Cascade has a garden with sculptures in it, has a museum of art, and offers great view of the city and allows for a great hang out space.

Next to the Cascade is a street of various food options, we stopped at one of the cafes with outdoor seating and got this beautiful fruit bowl complementary from the cafe.

Northern Avenue is the main shopping area in Yerevan. There is a mix of high-end stores along this street and plenty of life happening outside.

The Ardean Gallery is free to enter and is a center for art and design. We didn't spend much time here, but it was a unique find to explore Armenian influence in art.

Street Art while wondering around.

The cutest little gas station at a park.

The walk up the hill to the brandy factory.

The brandy factory is one of the best things to do in Yerevan. The entrance is kindof hidden, but they should be open and take walk-ins. Just check the tour times in advance. The tours wall you around the factory and explain the brandy-making process from growing the grapes to distribution. There is also a peace barrel in the factory, and you can sign the wall for world peace. After the tour, you get to taste different brandies. This was fun, even though I don't like brandy - I couldn't drink all my taste test bottles, but I know someone who had their bachelor party here and couldn't get enough of the brandies!

The park was right by our hotel, and at night, all the kids were playing in the fountains. The picture is hard to see, but so much life radiated from the kids playing here.

A few people recommended this restaurant for dinner, mainly because dolmas are a must-try food in Armenia. The ambience was really nice and we got to try a few small plates, but we learned dolmas are not our favorite food.

We explored Pushkin Street after dinner, looking for a bar to hang out in, and we fell in love with Afrolab! There are many happening places along Pushkin Street at night, but Afrolab was our vibe for sure. It was cozy inside, but we luckily got seats at the bar. The bartenders were very knowledgeable about their recommendations and fun to talk to.

After a late morning and breakfast in the hotel, we took another walk through the city and stopped at Doc Therapy Bar for specialty coffee.

Zhengyalov hats are another must-try food when in Armenia. This place was recommended on a blog about Yerevan, and I loved the hats!! They are fresh flatbreads with herbs inside. My husband didn't care for these much, but I loved them!! The restaurant doesn't have nice seating; it's a takeout place, and we ate our hats at Conservatory Park, a block away.

Street decorations while exploring the city.

Steet flowers

Khinkali are another must try food in Armenia. These are a Russian/ Caucasus region version of soup dumplings. Kavkazskaya Plennitsa had the best Khinkali, I wish I could go there everyday! The restaurant does shows and is popular so you will need reservations. However, you can get take out which is what we did.

Walked through Republic Square.

More food! Anoush restaurant in the Republica Hotel Yerevan was another recommendation. They have outdoor seating and good drinks.

There is live music at night in Republic Square and plenty of steps and places to sit and enjoy the ambiance.