Wine Festival in Armenia

Wine Festival in Armenia usually celebrated on the first Saturday of October.

 1 Day, 3 October (Tuesday): Yerevan — City tour

• Arrival to «Zvartnots» International Airport. Our guide will meet you at the airport. Transfer to the hotel in Yerevan.
• Panoramic tour round Yerevan city — the ancient capital of Armenia, which is 29 years older than Rome. Tour Itinerary: «Mother Armenia» monument offers a nice overview of the whole city, the Opera House, Republic  Square, «Cascade» architectural complex, the Museum of Contemporary Art named Cafesjian, the monument to the hero of «David Sasuntsi» Armenian epos.
• Lunch in Yerevan (Armenian traditional restaurant).
• Visiting «Tsitsernakaberd» Memorial and the Armenian Genocide Museum of 1915.
• Transfer to the hotel. Free time.

2 Day, 4 October (Wednesday): Yerevan — Hripsime — Echmiadzin — Zvartnots — Yerevan

•  Breakfast at the hotel.
• Trip to Echmiadzin town. Visiting the Church of St. Hripsime (7th century). The church was built in 618 on the site of an ancient pagan temple, where Saint Hripsime had been tortured and killed.
• Excursion to Echmiadzin Cathedral (4th century) — the center of Armenian Apostolic Church. This is one of the oldest Christian churches in the world, the residence of the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of all Armenians. (Holy mass is only held on Sunday)
• Lunch in Echmiadzin.
• Visit the beautiful and majestic ruins of Zvartnots Cathedral (9th century) — temple of Vigil Forces, Heavenly Angels Church.
• Return to Yerevan. Visit Eastern market and fair «Vernissage», where you can buy souvenirs, gifts, jewelry and other handmade products from wood, stone, including precious, silver and other materials (full working days Saturday and Sunday).
• Transfer to the hotel. Free time.

3 Day, 5 October (Thursday): Yerevan — Khor Virap — «Bird Cave» — wine tasting in the village «Areni» — Noravank — Goris

• Breakfast at the hotel. Check out from the hotel.
• Tour to Khor Virap monastery (literally translated as «deep dungeon») (7 – 17th centuries). You will see the underground pit where the first Patriarch of Armenian Apostolic Church St. Grigor Lusavorich (Saint Gregory the Illuminator) languished in prison for 13 years. The monastery is located 50 km away from Yerevan on the Armenian – Turkish border. You will enjoy the wonderful view of the Biblical Mount Ararat.
• A trip to the karst caves in Areni, also known as the «Bird’s Cave», where a 5500 year-old leather shoe was found.
• Lunch in the village of Areni, where wines are produced from local grape varieties (wine tasting).
• Trip to Noravank monastery (9 – 13th centuries) is one of the most magnificent medieval monuments of Armenia, located on the ledge of narrow winding gorge with rare red rocks. This is truly a masterpiece of Armenian architecture.
• Trip to Goris. Dinner and overnight.

Day 4, October 6 (Friday): Goris — Khndzoresk — Tatev — Zorats Karer — Jermuk

• Breakfast at the hotel. Check out from the hotel.
• A visit to the village of Khndzoresk, which is famous for its ancient cave dwellings on the hillside. «Dead city» of the living descendants holds many unsolved mysteries. In Khndzoresk there is a winging bridge, which runs across a deep and incredibly beautiful canyon, with its cliffs and caves.
• Tour of Tatev monastery — unique monument of Armenian architecture built in the 9th century. Tatev without exaggeration can be considered one of the most beautiful and amazing places on the Planet. By the monastery there is the longest reverse ropeway in the world (5752 m), ranked in the Guinness Book of Records.
• Lunch in a traditional Armenian restaurant.
• A trip to Zorats Karer, the ancient Observatory (Armenian Karahunj), which is 7000 years old. The phrase «Zorats Karer» is literally translated from Armenian as «an army of stones».  Armenian Karahunj has similarities with English Stonehenge.
• Visiting the town of Jermuk — Spa and climatic resort (2080 m above sea level), which produces the world-famous mineral water «Jermuk».
• Dinner and overnight in Jermuk.

Day 5, October 7 (Saturday): Jermuk — «Wine Festival in Armenia» — Yerevan

•  Breakfast at the hotel. Check out from the hotel.
• Visiting Jermuk waterfall and Galleries of mineral waters, where you can drink warm mineral water. Gallery of mineral water — a business card and symbol of the town, built in the classic style of Armenian architecture.
• A trip to the village of Areni. Participation in the «Wine Festival in Armenia». Every year in the village of Areni a traditional wine festival is held, where the residents of the province are joined by representatives of various regions. «Areni Wine Festival» provides an excellent opportunity to discover Armenia. During Areni wine festival you can taste the best varieties of Armenian wines that are highly appreciated by European consumers. The program of the festival: opening ceremony, public and professional tasting of Armenian national wine, music and dance.
• Return to Yerevan. Transfer to the hotel. Free time.

6 Day, 8 October (Sunday): Yerevan — Garni — Geghard — Sevan — Yerevan

•  Breakfast at the hotel.
• Trip to Garni — Symphony of Armenian architecture. It is the only surviving pagan temple in Armenia. Built in the Hellenistic style in the 1st century by the Armenian King Trdat I and dedicated to the God of the Sun Mithras.
• Visiting the monastery Geghard (12 – 13th centuries). It is a unique monastery complex, where the temple is completely carved in the rock. The name «Geghard» literally «the monastery of the spear» is due to the fact that in this place Christian relic — the spear, which, according to tradition, a Roman soldier had pierced the crucified Jesus with was kept (now kept in the Museum of Echmiadzin).
• Drive to Lake Sevan, which is the pearl of Armenia and the largest freshwater basin in Eurasia and the second largest Alpine lake in the world. Sevan is situated at an altitude of 1900 meters above sea level. Visiting Sevanavank monastery (9th century).
• Lunch in Sevan (tasting fish from the lake).
• Return to Yerevan. Transfer to the hotel. Free time.

Day 7, October 9 (Monday): Transfer to the airport. Departure.
[Duration: 40 minutes / 25 km]

• Breakfast at the hotel. Check out from the hotel (12:00).
• Airport transfer. Departure.

The price is per person on basis of DBL/TWIN occupancy and includes all taxes and duties.