14 Unique Things to Do in Armenia for Foodies & Adventurers

Armenia has to be one of our favourite adventure destinations. The country is still relatively undiscovered by tourism, and public transport isn’t really set up to get you to the most beautiful parts of Armenia. (It is tough to get around but you do have some options that will make your travels around Armenia SO much easier!)

This means that the most beautiful and isolated spots remain beautiful and isolated. Some of our very favourite things to do in Armenia are in the south, an area where very few tourists visit, and they’re missing out.

As foodie and adventure hunters who are in love with the Caucasus and have spent over two months in Armenia, we can’t let you leave these things off your Armenia itinerary!

1. Wander the Old Khndzoresk Abandoned Cave Village

I have not worked out the proper pronunciation for this place yet!

If you head all the way down south to Syunik province, you’ll come across an abandoned village carved into the side of a cliff face alongside a gorge. And the only way to reach the village is by using a swinging bridge that crosses the gorge. Yeah, it’s as fascinating as it sounds.

Old Khndzoresk is a small site of ancient cave dwellings that were inhabited until as recently as the 1950s. The Soviets came in and forcibly relocated everyone to what is known as New Khndzoresk.

Cross the swaying bridge (and don’t forget to stop part way to get some great views across the valley!), step inside the abandoned church with ancient artwork and khachkars and continue along the dirt path to explore inside the abandoned cave houses. You could easily spend an hour or two here. Entrance is free.

2. Explore the World’s Oldest Winery

Areni-1 Cave is recognised as the oldest winery in the whole world! Wild. Inside a cave in the Areni region, they discovered several wine-making vessels and pressed grape seeds that have been dated back 6000 years! The Caucasus wine-making history never ceases to amaze me.

But not only is this where the world’s oldest winery has been discovered, it is also where the world’s oldest leather shoe was found. You can actually see it housed in Yerevan’s History Museum of Armenia.

Step inside the cave, wander through the rooms and see all the archaeological finds. While you can get a ticket that is just for entry to the caves, we’d recommend against this because there isn’t any info inside the caves. We opted for the ticket with a guided tour so that we were talked through the whole history of the place and wine.

3. See Sparkling Lake Sevan and its Monastery

The largest lake in the Caucasus, Lake Sevan is pretty special to look at. This huge expanse of bright blue water is surrounded by mountains and if you visit during the winter, you can get some amazing photos with the snow!

There is a small peninsula that sticks out in to the lake that has great views of the lake, but also has the historic monastery of Sevanavank. You can step inside and see the lit candles, the ancient khahchkars and artwork.

4. Climb the Cascade and Cross Your Fingers for Clear Skies

Yerevan’s iconic sight is the Cascade, an artistic set of stone steps that lead to a city viewpoint with (hopefully!) a backdrop of might Mount Ararat in the background.

There is a park at the bottom that is full of unique sculptures, and there are more sculptures along the steps as well as within the building beneath them. This is the spot in the city to come for sunset. The sun goes down as the city lights turn on.

If you’re up for more steps, keep heading up higher than the top of the Cascade to Victory Park to see the very Soviet Mother of Armenia statue and the eternal flame memorial overlooking the whole of Yerevan.

5. Visit Tsitsernakaberd Museum to Learn about the Armenian Genocide

This is an absolute necessity if you’re visiting Yerevan or Armenia. The museum talks you through the horrific events of the genocide between 1915 and 1923, and personal stories of those affected.

There is a huge amount of information in this museum and so we actually ended up staying for a few hours here; it is hard-hitting but a vital part of Armenian history that all tourists really need to learn about.

Above the museum is a large memorial with an eternal flame.

6. Have a Traditional Meal with a Side of Lavash Baking

This has to be one of our very favourite restaurants in Yerevan! Lavash is a huge, thin and chewy Armenian flatbread that baked in a traditional tonir (similar to a tandoor). The bakers place the dough on to a large paddle that kind of looks like a cushion, lean right into the tonir, and then slap it up against the side.

The tonir is hot that it sticks straight away, and a couple of minutes later, the dough is peeled off, and there you have your lavash. Lavash bread is actually even recognised by UNESCO as Armenia’s intangible cultural heritage! And Lavash Restaurant has a section of their restaurant with several tonir where you can watch this ancient bread-making practise while eating your food.

Not only does Lavash Restaurant have the lavash baking, it also serves really tasty local Armenian food. Their breakfast is some of the best we have tried in Armenia – fried oyster mushrooms and loligov dzvadzekh (tomato scrambled eggs).

The ghapama (a whole pumpkin baked with rice, nuts and dried fruit inside), the muhammara (spiced walnut and red pepper spread), hummus, salads are all delicious. You can have a proper slap-up Armenian vegetarian meal here and get to see a bit of Armenian culture while you’re there!

>> Check out our other top spots for veg food in our Yerevan restaurant guide <<

7. Take the Scenic Route to Tatev Monastery

Right down south of Armenia is a UNESCO monastery teetering on the edge of a huge valley. The monastery itself is enough reason to visit, but when combined with the journey to get to Tatev Monastery, this day trip is stunning!

Your best bet is to get yourself to Goris first, and hire a driver for the day from here; you can either get a lift all the way to the monastery (this route has spectacular views the entire way!) or a lift to the Wings of Tatev.

The Wings of Tatev is a very long cable car system that lets you fly across the valley and drops you right at the monastery. When we visited, the cable car was shut, but I am confident that the views would be amazing!

You can also visit Tatev as a day trip from Yerevan but it will be a long old day.

There are several tour operators that will combine the journey with a few other stops, or hire a driver for the day through GoTrip. The best way without doubt would be to hire yourself a car because the journey is BEAUTIFUL!

8. Taste All the Local Delicacies at the Food Market

Yerevan’s GUM market is a proper foodie experience! This is the place to get all the classic local foods with everything from dried fruit to lavash to cheese to herbs. You could easily spend an hour here just wandering round trying little tasters from the stands; the vendors here are super friendly! If I were you, I’d grab these bits and pieces when you visit:

• Lavash. Of course the classic Armenian flatbread recognised by UNESCO.
• Cheese. There are some really unique cheeses in this market! Blue cheese, string cheese, potent hard cheese, soft chewy cheese. Definitely get yourself a taster before you commit.
• Walnuts and dried apricots. Armenia’s favourite nuts and dried fruit. You can get these loose or prepacked with several different nuts and fruit.
• Sharots. A classic sweet snack of walnuts on a string dunked in a thickened grape juice syrup. They kind of look like a sausage or even a candle. You’ll find these in Georgia too, called churchkela over there.

You’ll be able to find a lot of traditionally vegetarian Armenian food right here!

9. Try Local Armenian Wines in the Wine Regions

With one of the world’s oldest wine cultures, you just know that Armenian wine is going to be good before you even try it!

Yerevan is full of wine bars where you can go for organised wine tastings of just order yourself a bottle. One of our favourites is Urban Gastro & Wine Bar.

Otherwise, leave the city and instead head to the wine regions: Ararat, Aragatsotn, Armavir, and Vayots Dzor. Areni is one of the towns most well-known for its wine, and here there are several different places you can go for wine tastings. It’s also the same location as the world’s oldest winery, Areni-1, so you can combine both into one visit.

And if you fancy trying something a little different, go for a pomegranate wine. It’s a little sour and astringent but with a nice fruitiness.

10. Take a Scenic Drive through Debed Canyon

This area is SO beautiful! The road follows along the river within the canyon and passes by ancient monasteries, some are UNESCO recognised, some are crumbling away, some have amazing artwork inside. Our favourite spots that you have to add to your Debed road trip are:

Kobayr Monastery

Park up at the side of the road and follow the rocky path up the side of the canyon for maybe half an hour. It is sign-posted and is a proper little adventure where you won’t see other tourists. Once you get to the monastery, take a look at the amazing ancient artwork and definitely catch the view over the canyon from up here.

Alaverdi Town

This old town has a historic bridge and lots of old Soviet reminders from signs to buildings to abandoned rusted cable cars swaying in the wind.

Akhtala, Sanahin, and Haghpat Monasteries

Akhtala has the most impressive frescoes inside and the monastery itself is perched on a cliff overlooking the canyon. Sanahin and Haghpat are both UNESCO recognised.

Again you can either hire a car (Local Rent is great for cars in Armenia) or hire a driver for the day with our favourite GoTrip.

You confirm your trip route on their website and then you can stop anywhere along the route to jump out and take photos, go for lunch, etc. and the best part is that you don’t have to pay any extra for waiting times. So, if you want to spend an hour wandering around a monastery, by all means!

Take a look at our in-depth GoTrip review to understand the service better.

11. Garni Temple & Geghard Monastery

Garni Temple is an ancient Greco-Roman Pagan structure that was from well before Armenia declared itself the very first Christian country (back in the 4^th century), but it has been rebuilt many times over the years because of destruction during invasions or earthquakes. The temple is perched right on the edge of a valley so it has a great viewpoint too. Tickets cost 1500 AMD.

Just up the road from Garni Temple is the Symphony of Stones which is a unique rock formation with similarities to the hexagonal-shaped pillars of rock of the Giant’s Causeway in North Ireland. BUT, the pillars of rock are in the cliffside, not on the ground. Pay 200 AMD to get a closer look.

A short drive up the road from Garni is UNESCO recognised Geghard Monastery. This place is beautiful and has such intricate carvings in the brick inside the monastery. Keep an eye out for all the detailed khachkars too! Entrance is free.

This is a great day trip from Yerevan. It can be done by public transport and a little hitchhiking/crossing your fingers for a taxi in the middle.

Otherwise, hire a driver for the day with GoTrip. They are a service that connects you with local drivers. There are fixed fees which are confirmed up front, and for that fixed fee you can have unlimited stops en route for the day. So you can hop between all three of these spots easily.

Or if you’d rather drive yourself, you can hire a car for the day (or longer if you fancy) we recommend using Local Rent.

12. Taste Hearty and Unique Local Dishes at Gwoog Restaurant

Arguably, Armenia’s best restaurant, for us anyway. Controversial. Yerevan’s restaurants are good, don’t get me wrong. But there is something so homely and traditional and authentic about Gwoog up in Gyumri. It feels like you’ve been invited round to someone’s house for dinner instead of an actual restaurant.

The food is unlike you’ll get in the restaurants in Yerevan. It’s still local but very much northern Armenian cuisine. Go for the panrkhash (lavash baked with cheese and caramelised onion), tatar boraki (sheets of pasta cut into squares and topped with matzoon (sour yoghurt) and a lot of garlic) and the vana kalagosh (squares of lavash baked with lentils, garlic, ghee, onions, spices and matzoon).

Read about all the best things to do in Gyumri for a great day trip from Yerevan.

13. Try Rich Armenian Coffee with a Slice of Gata

Armenian coffee with dark, rich, aromatic, and punchy. Pair this with a slice of sweet gata and you have the perfect combo! Gata is a local Armenian sweet cake/bread that has a filling made from sugar and butter. The best gata is from the local bakeries, and sometimes they’re decorated like this one!

14. Take a Soviet Overnight Train between Tbilisi and Yerevan

Tbilisi and Yerevan are connected by an overnight train that runs back and forth each evening. This means that it leaves from Yerevan every other night because on the ‘in-between’ nights it’s leaving from Tbilisi. You can book several different style cabins with everything from a fully open carriage with bunks to a private cabin with a door. It’s definitely an experience.

When we took this journey, we were the only foreigners in our carriage; this is a proper local thing to do. Everyone brought snacks and drinks, notably litre bottles of vodka that were finished off by the end of the journey!

Book your ticket in advance particularly if you’re travelling over the summer. You can actually book it up in advance online, either through the Georgian/Armenian official websites or through 12Go which is a more well-known platform.

This is a brand new way to do it! Back in the olden days (I mean like 2025), it had to be booked in person at the platform! Find all the latest goings on with our full guide here.

Planning Your Itinerary

The two city bases we’d recommend to cover our favourite things to do in Armenia would be Yerevan in the north and Goris in the south. You can see a lot of the country from these two spots if you are short on time.

If you do have the time, staying in some more remote areas like Gyumri, Sevan, Areni, etc. will give you a better feel for the country. Because there is much more to Armenia than Yerevan and churches!

• Travel Tips for Armenia: 11 Actually Useful Things to Know
• Tbilisi to Yerevan Train Guide with Exciting 2026 Updates
• How to Get Around Armenia: The Complete Transport Guide
• Vegetarian Armenian Food: 18 Things to Eat (plus drinks!)
• 24 Fascinating Things to Do in Yerevan: the Complete Guide
• 7 Best Restaurants in Yerevan for Vegetarians (plus bars & cafes)
• Top 6 Day Trips from Yerevan That You’ll Love!
• Easy Day Trip from Yerevan: Vagharshapat (Etchmiadzin)
• Garni and Geghard: the Best Day Trip from Yerevan
• 5 Things to Do in Gyumri
• How to Get to Tatev Monastery, Armenia

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