Armenia: 1 Day Soviet gems, UNESCO + Family lunch (Small group)
Description
Most tours just stick to the churches, but we want you to see the full picture. This trip mixes the ancient frescoes of Akhtala with the gritty, industrial history of the Soviet era. We visit Akhtala Fortress for its rare murals and the UNESCO World Heritage sites of Haghpat and Sanahin. But we also dive into the recent past in Alaverdi, a copper mining town that feels like a movie set. You will see the massive, abandoned Soviet factory and cable cars set against the green canyon walls, a view you won't find on standard postcards. For lunch, we skip the tourist restaurants. We are hosted by the family that takes care of the Haghpat complex. You’ll eat in their home, where the caretaker's wife prepares a spread of honest, homemade Armenian dishes (BBQ, salads, dolma) just for our small group.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Meet your guide at 8:45 at the Big Bicycle monument at Rose Revolution square
First stop is the fortified monastery of Akhtala with its incredible and unique frescoes and an interesting history of Georgian and Armenian influence.
The UNESCO world heritage site Haghpat is located deep in the rocky mountains of Lori province and holds many interesting relics and legends
The ancient bridge and the monastery of Sanahin set on top of a hill, offering stunning views and some old examples of Soviet architecture.
Visit a local family for authentic Armenian food prepared with love
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Please check if you need a visa and if so, please apply for the e-visa if possible. Visa on arrival is available only for private tours, not for group tours.
Reviews(70)
Wonderful day, spectacular scenery, amazing Monastery! Yasha as guide and driver was a 10/10. Great tour! Perfect trip.
The tour was absolutely amazing. The beauty of the country, the amazingly old buildings and the delicious food was something I have never experienced in my life. I will never forget this experience - Thank you so much!
It was a great day with a very knowledgeable and funny guide. I enjoyed every minute. Thank you for a great day!
Temo is a wonderful tour guide, a true professional, and an incredibly kind person. We were impressed by this young man’s vast erudition. He told us many fascinating things about the history of Armenia, about each monastery, and about the origins of Christianity in Armenia and Georgia. With him, we felt transported several centuries back in time. We wandered among the ruins of a medieval fortress, admired 15th–16th-century frescoes, and marveled at the architecture of Armenian monasteries while listening to sacred chants. We were deeply impressed by the skill of Armenian stone carvers who created stunningly beautiful khachkars (carved cross-stones). Temo was able to answer all of our questions. We were also pleasantly surprised by the breadth of his interests. Temo introduced us to his Armenian friends, and we got to taste delicious Armenian dishes. He treated us to ice cream and gave us invaluable recommendations on where to find the best restaurants in Georgia. I suppose I should also mention that Temo showed us places connected with the Soviet past — but we had lived through that era ourselves. I also want to note that Temo started the tour in excellent English, but as soon as he found out that our native language was Russian, he immediately switched to fluent Russian. Temo also gave us helpful advice for crossing the border between Georgia and Armenia. And he is a great driver, which is so important! Thank you so much, Temo — it was an unforgettable day together.
Giorgi was an amazing guide for our trip to Armenia! Very knowledgeable about all the sites we visited! Beautiful lunch setting with a local family was provided. It is a full day trip but with enough stops to make it not seem so long. Definitely recommend!
Thank you very much for the 5-star review. We're delighted to hear you enjoyed the day with Giorgi and appreciated the stops along the way, especially the lunch with the local family. Your recommendation means a lot!
The tour guide Irakli is very professional and knowledgeable to the tour spots. It was amazing. Trip was smooth, dinner was nice!
Absolutely beautiful tour, very knowledgable guide and at the lunch everything except 2 dishes were vegan friendly. Would highly recommend!
We enjoyed the small group tour to Armenia there were only six guests on our trip and the vehicle was a Toyota Landcruiser vehicle which was perfect for the trip, we visited a couple of heritage sites, enjoyed a delicious village lunch and the tour guide was very knowledgeable and helpful !
Great tour around the beautiful monasteries Armenia had to offer! Our tour guide was super knowledgeable and gave great insights about Georgia, Armenia and the history behind the monuments
PROS: It was an awesome tour, everything was well organized. The tour guide was very knowledgeable on the subject and was also extremely respectful and caring, which I really value. The places we visited were very beautiful and interesting. CONS: - The food that the Armenian family prepared was not that great and if you're vegan, the options are very limited and the things that we vegans can eat there, are not so tasty. - The driver smoked in the car during the return trip. It was really awful and it made me feel dizzy and sick. Despite the cons, the tour was good. It was a great experience overall.
