In the summer of 2023, we visited Yerevan, Armenia, coming from Georgia. Yerevan, being the most westernized part of the country, served as our base for a few days to visit the nearby world heritage sites, including Echmiatsin and Zvartnots.

As the name suggests, the site has two principal components:

• Echmiatsin: This is the active religious centre of the Armenian Church. It has some modern structures and is definitely worth a visit if you’re in Yerevan and interested in Armenian identity. While Paul compared it to Rome and Canterbury, those cities have a more developed urban fabric and are generally older.
• Zvartnots: Mostly a ruin, we initially skipped Zvartnots. On our last day due to having some spare time we managed to squeeze it in. We found it enjoyable and recommend a visit. From a World Heritage Site perspective, Zvartnots seemed like the better component.

There are several other minor locations. But those don’t add much to the overall inscription. They don’t require a large detour as all sites align along one road, the highway connecting Yerevan to Echmiatsin. 

Getting There

If you’re staying in Yerevan, the most convenient way to travel is by cab (we used Bolt). The fares were low in 2023, so there was no need to check bus connections. Depending on the location, you might want the cab to wait:

• Echmiatsin: A sizable town with a large site to explore. It’s not useful to have the cab waiting. We had to wait a while to get a cab on Bolt.
• Zvartnots: Located in an isolated corner along the highway. It would be beneficial to discuss with the driver about waiting at this location. Contrary to Zoe’s statement, getting another cab isn’t easy as they would have to come from the airport. Walking is not an option due to the location on the highway.
• The two churches in the middle can be visited quickly, so I would recommend doing those as a stopover with the cab potentially waiting.

Note that Zvartnots is not only the name of the archaeological site but also Yerevan’s international airport, so be specific about your destination.

Generally, getting around in Armenia by taxi is cheap; we didn’t use any public transport.

While You Are There

We weren’t particularly taken by Yerevan itself. You can visit all Armenian World Heritage Sites as day trips if you wish. In comparison, Tbilisi is livelier. When travelling between the two cities, , you can visit the best World Heritage Sites of Armenia, Haghpat, and Sanahin. Plus a few more churches in the valley.

The Armenian Genocide Museum and Memorial is also near the beginning of the highway from Yerevan to Zvartnots and Echmiatsin, so you could combine the visits. However, I felt that the Genocide Museum leaned too heavily towards a specific narrative instead of sticking to the undoubtedly horrendous facts and allowing visitors to process the information independently.