Echmiadzin, Zvartnots & Khor Virap

1. 1
   Hotel in YerevanPick-up at your address at the chosen time09:30

   ≈ 25 min by car · 17 km

2. 2
   Zvartnots Cathedral ruinsThe ruins of Zvartnots, a round church from the mid-7th century, stand on the edge of Vagharshapat. Catholicos Nerses III built it, and in the 10th century it collapsed, according to UNESCO documents in an earthquake. Today you can see the stepped base, partly restored columns with basket-weave and eagle capitals, arches of the lower tier and the foundations of the Catholicos's palace. A small museum holds finds from the excavations, and on a clear day Mount Ararat rises behind the ruins. The site is part of a UNESCO World Heritage property.09:55–10:35

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   © BarevTrip

   The ruins of Zvartnots, a round church from the mid-7th century, stand on the edge of Vagharshapat. Catholicos Nerses III built it, and in the 10th century it collapsed, according to UNESCO documents in an earthquake. Today you can see the stepped base, partly restored columns with basket-weave and eagle capitals, arches of the lower tier and the foundations of the Catholicos's palace. A small museum holds finds from the excavations, and on a clear day Mount Ararat rises behind the ruins. The site is part of a UNESCO World Heritage property.

   Ticket: pay separately on site

   ≈ 10 min by car · 7 km

3. 3
   Echmiadzin Cathedral, St. Hripsime, St. GayaneEtchmiadzin Cathedral in Vagharshapat is the principal church of the Armenian Apostolic Church. It stands inside the walled complex of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, where the Catholicos of All Armenians resides. The first church here was built in the early 4th century, founded by Gregory the Illuminator according to church tradition, and its present cross-shaped plan dates from a rebuilding in the 480s. Outside you see the conical dome, belfries above the apses and a carved 17th-century bell tower; inside, the walls are covered with 18th-century paintings. In 2024, after years of restoration, the cathedral reopened to visitors.10:45–12:15

   ≈ 50 min by car · 46 km

4. 4
   Khor Virap MonasteryKhor Virap is a working monastery on a rocky hill in the Ararat Valley, close to the Turkish border, with Mount Ararat rising directly opposite. According to church tradition, Gregory the Illuminator was held here in an underground dungeon for thirteen years. Most of today's buildings date from the 17th century: a wall with round towers, the Church of the Holy Mother of God and a chapel where a narrow iron ladder leads down into a pit about six metres deep. The surrounding hills hold the ruins of Artashat, an ancient Armenian capital.13:05–14:05

   ≈ 40 min by car · 43 km

5. 5
   Hotel in YerevanReturn to the same or another address in the city≈ 15:30

Driving times assume no traffic and are based on OpenStreetMap as of November 11, 2026; the schedule includes another 45 min for parking, walking and breaks en route.