Չարենցի կամար Գառնի (հեթանոսական տաճար 1-ին դ. Ք. Ա.)

After breakfast, we go on an excursion in the Yerevan History Museum, which is located in the building of City Hall. The museum's collection consists of more than 87 thousand exhibits. The main exhibit is a copy of the cuneiform stone from the fortress of Erebuni, which states that in 782 BC the king of Urartu Argishti I founded a fortress city here. Afterwards we visit the pagan temple of Garni, built in the I century by Armenian king Trdat I and dedicated to the god of sun Mihr. According to history, the temple was built on the money of the Roman Emperor Nero. Azat River gorge is famous for its basaltic pillars - the result of a volcanic lava flow. Next stop is Geghard monastery complex (IV century), which is included in the list of World Cultural Heritage by the UNESCO. Its full name is Geghardavank, literally it is translated as "Monastery of the spear." The name of the monastery complex comes from Christ Spear (Spear of Longinus), which the Roman soldier Longinus thrust in Jesus Christ. The spear is now kept in the treasury of Echmiadzin Cathedral. Back to Yerevan. We continue our tour in Armenia and visit Yerevan Brandy Factory, where we have a fascinating tour with tasting of 2 types of brandies (a three-year "Ararat" and a ten-year "Akhtamar"). We visit the Tsitsernakaberd memorial complex, dedicated to the victims of the Armenian Genocide of 1915, and the Genocide Museum.

After breakfast, we go to the Armenian monastery of Khor Virap, situated at the foot of Mount Ararat, near the border with Turkey. It is a place of pilgrimage, which is connected with the legend of Grigor Lusavorich (Grigor the Illuminator). According to church tradition, Gregory was imprisoned on the orders of King Trdat III, caught in that he professes Christianity, and was held there for 13 years. Those interested can go down to the prison, which has a depth of 6 m and a diameter of 4.4 m. Right in front of you, very, very close and in all its beauty you will see the symbol of Armenia - Mount Ararat. Then we continue our way to the village of Areni in Vayots Dzor region of Armenia. Village of Areni is famous for its wines till now. Every year in October the annual festival of wines takes place there. Then we go Noravank monastery complex, built in XIII-XIV centuries, which is located 1.5 kilometers east to the village of Areni. The complex is located on a narrow ledge winding gorge tributary of the Arpa River. The gorge is famous for its steep red cliffs, towering behind the monastery. Return to Yerevan.

After breakfast, we continue the tour to the pearl of Armenia - blue Sevan. Lake Sevan is a freshwater lake in the Armenian highlands. It is the largest lake in the Caucasus. It is guaranteed to be the largest source of fresh water in the region. We will also visit the Sevanavank - a monastery in the north-west coast of Lake Sevan. The monastery is located on a peninsula, which was once a small island. We continue our tour to Tavush Province of Armenia – to a small town-resort of Dilijan, located on the picturesque banks of the river Aghstev. The next stop will be Haghartsin Monastery, which was built in the X-XIII centuries, mostly under the auspices of the Bagratuni Dynasty. We will also visit Goshavank - monastery complex, built in XII-XIII centuries in the village of Gosh in Armenia. Goshavank is the cultural, educational and religious center of medieval Armenia. The sources referred to it as a seminary, university, and so on. Return to Yerevan.

After breakfast, we visit the History Museum of Armenia. The museum has collected about 400,000 exhibits. The museum exposition is divided into several departments: archaeological, ethnographic, numismatic department, historic architecture department, the Department of Modern and Contemporary history of Armenia. Next we visit the city of Echmiadzin - the center of the Armenian Apostolic Church, where the residence of the Catholicos is located. We will visit Echmiadzin Cathedral (301-483 AD), which is included in the UNESCO World Heritage list. We visit the ruins of Zvartnots temple, which was destroyed in the earthquake. In 2000, the ruins of the temple and the archaeological area around it are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. A farewell dinner at a restaurant with tasting of national dishes.