Yerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia, a rose-tuff city of about 1.1 million people set at roughly 900-1,300 m above sea level on the Hrazdan River, with snow-capped Mount Ararat visible across the Turkish border on clear days. Founded as the fortress of Erebuni in 782 BC, it combines Soviet-era neoclassical planning around Republic Square, the Cascade arts complex, the Matenadaran manuscript library, the Tsitsernakaberd Genocide Memorial, outdoor cafes, brandy cellars and a growing wine-bar scene. Visitors come for Armenian food and hospitality, very low prices by European standards, and easy day trips to Garni, Geghard, Khor Virap, Echmiadzin and Lake Sevan.
Best souvenirs
Authentic items worth bringing home.
Dried fruit, candied walnuts and sujukh
Dried apricots, candied fruit and walnut sujukh sold by weight with free samples
Price: 1,000-3,000 AMD per bag (approx USD 2.8-8.3)
Where: GUM Market, 35 Movses Khorenatsi St
Armenian brandy
Buy sealed bottles from the Yerevan Brandy Company shop or SAS and Yerevan City supermarkets; ornate souvenir bottles at Vernissage are frequently counterfeit
Price: About 10,666 AMD for one Yerevan Brandy Company bottle in an older listing (approx USD 29)
Where: Yerevan Brandy Company shop; SAS and Yerevan City supermarkets
Duduk
Armenian apricot-wood reed instrument; decorative models for gifts, better instruments from workshop masters
Price: Decorative USD 20-30 (approx 7,300-10,900 AMD); beginner USD 50-100 (approx 18,200-36,300 AMD); professional USD 200-500 and above (approx 72,600-181,500 AMD)
Where: Vernissage; music shops
Carpets and kilims
Small kilim or carpet souvenirs; large antique pieces cost far more and are heavy to carry
Price: From a few thousand AMD for small pieces to several hundred USD for large antique carpets
Where: Vernissage
Silver jewellery
Silver rings and pendants with Armenian motifs
Price: Rings about USD 10-30 (approx 3,600-10,900 AMD)
Where: Vernissage; Cascade Complex shops
Soviet-era memorabilia and old books
Medals, badges, cameras, coins and records sold at weekend stalls
Where: Vernissage
Traditional markets
Where locals shop and travellers find treasures.
Vernissage Market
Souvenirs, silver, carpets, paintings, wood carvings and Soviet antiques
Where: Kentron, behind Republic Square
Hours: Daily about 10AM-6PM (largest at weekends; shorter in winter)
GUM Market
Dried fruit, nuts, sujukh, spices, pickles and lavash
Where: Behind St Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral
Hours: Daily 11AM-5PM
Malatia Market
Produce, clothing, footwear and household goods
Where: Malatia-Sebastia district, west Yerevan
Hours: Daily about 8AM-6:15PM (one source lists 9AM-7PM)
Dalma Garden Mall
International fashion brands, food court and cinema
Where: Near the Tsitsernakaberd memorial
Hours: Daily 10AM-10PM
Yerevan Mall
Fashion and electronics stores, supermarket and entertainment
Where: Shengavit, south of the centre
Hours: Daily 10AM-10PM (not confirmed by the mall)
Rossia Mall
Central mall with international brands, cafes and a cinema
Where: Central Yerevan, Tigran Mets Avenue
Hours: Daily 10AM-10PM
Cascade Complex and Cafesjian Center for the Arts
Museum store with art books, design and gifts; Escalator Gallery inside
Where: Foot of the Cascade stairs
Hours: Escalator Gallery daily 8AM-8PM; galleries and Museum Store Friday-Sunday 10AM-8PM