Yerevan Wine Days - 01-05 May, 2019

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival / City Tour

Stop At: Tsitsernakaberd, Yerevan
Arrival to Yerevan. Transfer to hotel. Check-in.
City Tour: Today we will visit to Tsitsernakaberd: The Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute and the monument, memorializing the victims of Armenian genocide.
Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Republic Square, Yerevan
Our short tour will continue to the Republic Square.
Duration: 20 minutes

Stop At: Opera, Yerevan
Walking in Mashtots Avenue and square near Opera House.
Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Yerevan Cascade, Yerevan
We will see the Cascade Complex designed by architects Jim Torosyan, Aslan Mkhitaryan, and Sargis Gurzadyan the construction of the cascade started in 1971 and was partially completed in 1980.
Inside the Cascade, underneath the exterior steps, are seven escalators that rise along the length of the complex. There are also exhibit halls connected to some of the landings along the escalators which compose the Cafesjian Museum of Art.
Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Victory Park and Statue of Mother Armenia, Yerevan
The Mother Armenia statue symbolises peace through strength. It can remind viewers of some of the prominent female figures in Armenian history, such as Sose Mayrig and others, who took up arms to help their husbands in their clashes with Turkish troops and Kurdish irregulars. It also recalls the important status and value attributed to the older female members of an Armenian family.
Its location on a hill overlooking Yerevan makes it look like a guardian of the Armenian capital.
Duration: 45 minutes

Meals included:
• Lunch: Lunch in Tospia Restaurant.
Accommodation included: Guests will have accommodation in 4* Imperial Palace Hotel which located in Yerevan.

Day 2: Khor Virab / Areni / Noravank Monastery

Stop At: Khor Virap, Lusarat, Ararat Province
Take trip to Khor Virap Monastery (IV-XVIII th cc.). This monastery is very prominent because of its history: Gregory the Illuminator, who introduced Christianity to Armenia, has been imprisoned here about 13 years as at that time there was a prison in the place of the monastery. Here we can enjoy the spectacular view of the sacred Ararat Mountain - an immortal symbol of Armenia.
Duration: 45 minutes

Stop At: Areni Wine Factory, Areni, Vayots Dzor Province
Afterwards we will continue our tour to Armenian Wine Village Areni. This village is very famous with its red wine. Visit the wine factory of the village where we will have wine degustation.
After this we will continue our tour to T'rchunneri (Birds) Cave. The excavation is located above the Arpa River, inside a Karst Cavern made from tens of thousands of years of mineral water dripping into limestone crevices, It consists of three rooms or halls, the first two of which are connected by passageways. There are also niches and “basement” and “attic” floors opening upward and downward from the first room. The total area of the cave is about 500 square meters. 2007-2008 excavations of the first room and surrounding area uncovered layers of material culture dating to different periods of the Copper (chalcolithic) and Stone Ages. Based on the results of radiocarbon examination, samples taken from these layers (bone fragments, coal, fabric pieces, seeds and other organic residues) are traced back to late 5th- early 4th millennium BCE.
Duration: 45 minutes

Stop At: Noravank Monastery, Areni, Vayots Dzor Province
Heading to Noravank, a monastery of XIII century, situated among amazing sheer rocks on the bench of a twisty gorge. This is the only monastery where we may find a unique sculpture of Father God.
Return to Yerevan. Overnight.
Duration: 45 minutes

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch: Lunch in Cave Restaurant.
Accommodation included: Guests will have accommodation in 4* Imperial Palace Hotel which located in Yerevan.

Day 3: Garni / Geghard / Yerevan

Stop At: Garni Temple, Garni, Kotayk Province
Take trip to Garni. This Pagan Temple was built in the Ist century AD. It is the only temple that remains from the Pagan times in Armenia. It was devoted to the God of the Sun Mihr, and was a gift to the queen. In 1679 it was destroyed by earthquake. In the 1975 the Temple was restored.
Lunch in Noyan Aygi Restaurant. Lavash(Armenian Bread) baking ceremony and degustation.
This traditional flatbread is made with flour, water, and salt, and its thickness depends on how thinly it’s rolled out. Toasted sesame or poppy seeds — or both — are sometimes then sprinkled on top before baking. Traditionally, the dough is rolled out flat and slapped against the hot walls of a clay oven where it then cooks. Watch a demonstration on how lavash is made and take the opportunity to try your hand at preparing and baking it. Then, once it’s ready, enjoy a tasting: savoring it with local cheese and green vegetables.
Duration: 45 minutes

Stop At: The Monastery of Geghard, Geghard, Kotayk Province
We will continue our trip to Geghard a medieval monastery being partially carved out of the adjacent mountain, surrounded by cliffs. It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. While the main chapel was built in 1215, the monastery complex was founded in the 4th century by Gregory the Illuminator at the site of a sacred spring inside a cave. The whole complex is awash with detailed sculptures, cliffside monks’ cells, and many striking stone crosses (khachkars), elaborately etched into the rock faces.
Afterward you will see Charents Arch that is located on the road to Garni and is used as a spectacular place to view Mt. Ararat and its valley.
Back to Yerevan.
Visit to Saryan Street for the “Yerevan Wine Days” festival. Opening Ceremony. Wine degustation.
Overnight.
Duration: 45 minutes

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
Accommodation included: Guests will have accommodation in 4* Imperial Palace Hotel which located in Yerevan.

Day 4: Lake Sevan / Dilijan / Haghartsin Monastery / Yerevan

Stop At: Lake Sevan, Lake Sevan, Gegharkunik Province
Take trip to Lake Sevan; the largest lake in Armenia and the Caucasus region. It is one of the largest freshwater high- altitude lakes in the world. Lake Sevan is situated in the central part of the Republic of Armenia, in the Gegharkunik Province, at the altitude of 1,900 m (6,200 ft) above sea level. The total surface area of its basin is about 5,000 km2 (1,900 sq mi), the lake itself is 940 km2, and the volume is 34.0 billion m3. It is fed by 28 rivers and streams. Here we will visit Sevanavank, a monastic complex located on a peninsula at the northwestern shore of Lake Sevan.
Duration: 45 minutes

Stop At: Dilijan National Park, Dilijan, Tavush Province
Heading to Dilijan. Dilijan usually is called Little Switzerland by the locals. Mild climate and gorgeous nature made this town well known as a beautiful resort. Walking in the Sharambeyan Street, Old Town Dilijan.
Duration: 45 minutes

Stop At: Haghartsin Monastery, Dilijan, Tavush Province
Drive to Haghartsin Monastery(13th-century) located near the town of Dilijan. It was built between the 10th and 13th centuries (in the 12th under Khachatur of Taron); much of it under the patronage of the Bagratuni Dynasty.
There we have chance to take part in monastic life: we will bake bread, take part in honey-making process and will enjoy the nature.
Duration: 45 minutes

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch: Lunch in Vanatun.
There we have chance to take part in monastic life.
Accommodation included: Guests will have accommodation in 4* Imperial Palace Hotel which located in Yerevan.

Day 5: Yerevan / Markets / Departure

Stop At: Vernissage Market, Yerevan
A visit to traditional food market – GUM, and handmade and jewelry market Vernissage in Yerevan.
Transfer to the Airport. Departure.

Duration: 2 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast: Breakfast in Hotel
No accommodation included on this day.