Garni Temple, Geghard Monastery & Symphony of Stones Day Tour from Yerevan

Upcoming dates

About this tour

Leave Yerevan behind for a morning in the Kotayk highlands, where three of Armenia's best-known sights sit within a few kilometres of each other. We start at Charents Arch for a wide view of Mount Ararat, then continue to Garni Temple, a first-century Hellenistic temple standing on the edge of the Azat River gorge. From there we walk down into the gorge to the Symphony of Stones, a wall of hexagonal basalt columns that looks like a giant pipe organ. The last stop is Geghard Monastery, partly carved straight into the mountain. Its dark stone chambers are famous for their acoustics, and the monastery is listed by UNESCO together with the Upper Azat Valley. On the way back we stop at a village home to watch lavash being baked in a tonir oven and taste it warm with local cheese and herbs. The tour runs in a small group with an English- and Russian-speaking guide, with comfortable transport from and back to central Yerevan.

Itinerary

1. 10:00

   Depart from Republic Square

   Republic Square, Yerevan

   Meet the guide and board the minibus. A short stop at Charents Arch on the way for a view of Mount Ararat.

2. 11:00

   Garni Temple

   Garni, Kotayk Province

   Guided visit to the first-century temple, the royal bath house with its mosaic floor and the viewpoint over the Azat gorge.

3. 12:00

   Symphony of Stones

   Garni Gorge

   An easy walk down into the gorge to stand under the hanging basalt columns. Time for photos by the river.

4. 13:15

   Geghard Monastery

   Geghard, Kotayk Province

   Explore the rock-cut churches and chapels of this UNESCO-listed monastery and hear the acoustics of its carved chambers.

5. 14:30

   Lavash baking and return to Yerevan

   Garni village

   Watch lavash baked in a traditional tonir and taste it warm with cheese and herbs, then drive back to Republic Square for about 15:30.

What's included

Good to know

What to bring

Comfortable walking shoes, A light jacket, the gorge is cooler than the city, A scarf or covered shoulders for the monastery

Fitness level

Easy. About 2 km of walking in total, with some uneven stone steps at the temple and in the gorge.

Cancellation policy

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the tour starts.

Where you'll meet

Meet your guide by the singing fountains in front of the History Museum, 15 minutes before departure.