Yerevan itinerary — 2 days

Completed in 2001 to mark 1,700 years of Christianity as Armenia's state religion, this imposing cathedral is the largest church of the Armenian Apostolic faith in the world. Designed by architect Stepan Kurkchyan, the monumental tufa-stone complex crowns a prominent knoll in Yerevan and can accommodate up to 1,700 worshippers. Inside, the cathedral reverently houses the sacred relics of Saint Gregory the Illuminator, returned from Naples.

This charming cultural oasis on Abovyan Street occupies one of Yerevan's oldest surviving 19th-century buildings. Visitors pass through a handicraft and ceramics shop into a lush courtyard framed by carved wooden balconies. An upstairs art gallery showcases contemporary Armenian painters, while the courtyard restaurant serves local cuisine.

A celebrated Armenian restaurant on Tumanyan Street in the vibrant center of Yerevan. Its defining feature is a bustling open bakery on the ground floor, where bakers skillfully slap dough onto the clay walls of a flaming tonir to bake fresh flatbread. Diners enjoy hearty Armenian breakfasts, fresh cheese brduj wraps, tender khorovats meats, Sevan trout, and traditional layered gata pastries with mountain herbal tea.

The Yerevan Cascade is a monumental limestone stairway and architectural complex linking downtown Yerevan with the hilltop Victory Park. Stepping up the slope, its open-air terraces feature cascading water fountains, landscaped flowerbeds, and whimsical contemporary sculptures by Fernando Botero and Jaume Plensa. Inside, escalators pass through the Cafesjian Center for the Arts, leading to unmatched panoramic views of Mount Ararat.

A park in north-eastern Yerevan best known for the 'Mother Armenia' statue: a figure of a woman with a sword on a tall pedestal, installed in 1962 in place of a monument to Stalin. A branch of the military history museum works inside the pedestal, while around it there are a Ferris wheel, amusement rides, avenues and playgrounds. The upper terraces offer a panorama of the city and, in clear weather, Mount Ararat.

Armenia's sole zoological park, established in 1940, spans 35 scenic hectares across the rugged slopes of the Nork ravine in Yerevan. The zoo is dedicated to preserving the distinctive wildlife of the South Caucasus and Armenian Highland. Its expansive enclosures set against natural rock faces house rare Caucasian leopards, Syrian brown bears, Armenian mouflons, and bezoar goats, alongside elephants, big cats, raptors, and shaded garden paths.