Our family has lived in the same house in Old Nork since 1850. Every weekend guests ask us what to do beyond the Cascade and Republic Square. This is the list we give them. We checked every entry in October 2026.
By the family at Norq Garden Gallery · Old Nork, Yerevan · Updated
The passage to our cellar, Old Nork
The short answer
For an unusual Yerevan, walk the old lanes of Kond, climb down into Levon's Divine Underground, a cave one man dug by hand for 23 years, see the collages at the Parajanov Museum, and stand on the walls of Erebuni, founded in 782 BC. Watch carpets being woven at Megerian. Hear the organ at the Komitas Chamber Music Hall or late jazz at Ulikhanyan. For wine, history and niche music, from Armenian jazz to Japanese city pop, come to Norq Garden Gallery in Old Nork, a family estate with a vaulted cellar more than 170 years old. That one is ours.
A note on how we chose. We left out what every list already has: the Cascade steps, the fountains, the Vernissage on its own. They are worth seeing and you will find them without us. Everything here is somewhere we would take a friend. Opening hours change in Yerevan, so call ahead where we say so.
No. 01 · Old Yerevan
Walk the lanes of Kond
Where A hill just west of the centre, 5 to 10 minutes on foot from Republic Square When Daylight, any day
Kond is the oldest surviving quarter of Yerevan, with written records going back to the 17th century. Sixteen hectares of narrow lanes, stone houses, courtyards and murals, on a hill right next to the Soviet grid of the centre. It feels like a village because it is one.
People live here. Walk quietly, ask before you photograph anyone, and do not go into courtyards uninvited. The city discussed a plan to redevelop Kond in 2026, so it may not stay this way for long.
No. 02 · Just outside the city
Go underground at Levon's Divine Underground
Where Arinj village, a short taxi ride north of Yerevan When Usually daytime, but this is a private home. Call ahead Cost By donation
In 1985 Levon Arakelyan began digging a potato cellar for his wife Tosya. He did not stop. For about 23 years, alone and by hand, he carved a cave of chambers, stairways and niches some 21 metres deep. You go down about 80 steps to reach the first room. His tools and clothes are still there.
His family shows visitors around. They speak little English, which does not matter much. The place explains itself.
No. 03 · Art
See the collages at the Sergei Parajanov Museum
Where Dzoragyugh, on the edge of the Hrazdan Gorge When Daily, 10:00 to 17:30 according to the museum
The film director of The Colour of Pomegranates also made collages, assemblages, dolls and hats out of whatever he had, including during his years in Soviet prison. The museum was founded in 1988 and shows around 700 of his works in a house above the gorge that was built for him, though he died before he could move in. Afterwards, walk along the edge of the Hrazdan Gorge below. Parts of it are being redeveloped, so expect some construction.
No. 04 · 782 BC
Stand on the walls of Erebuni
Where 38 Erebuni Street, in the southeast of the city When Tuesday to Sunday, roughly 10:30 to 16:30
The Urartian king Argishti I founded the fortress of Erebuni in 782 BC and left a cuneiform inscription saying so. That stone is why Yerevan counts its age from that year, 29 years before the traditional founding of Rome. You can walk the hilltop ruins and visit the museum below, which opened in 1968. Few people come, which is a shame and also the reason to go. Parts of the museum were under renovation in 2025.
No. 05 · Our own
Go down into a 170-year-old family wine cellar in Old Nork
Where Norq Garden Gallery, 94 Sero Khanzadyan Street, Old Nork, 15 minutes by car from Republic Square When Cafe and wine bar Friday and Saturday 10:00 to 23:00, Sunday 10:00 to 21:00. Museum Wednesday and Thursday 11:00 to 18:00, Friday to Sunday 12:00 to 21:00 Booking Heritage Tour, tasting and cooking class by reservation, +374 55 210 048
This is our house, so take this entry with that in mind. It has stood in Old Nork, the village quarter on the hill above Yerevan, for more than 170 years. The vaulted brick cellar belonged to Hovhannes Derdzakyan, and the men of the neighbourhood gathered in it for generations. Five generations of the family have lived here through genocide, revolution and war.
You can walk through the family museum on your own: the cellar, documents from the 1800s, photographs of five generations. Or book the Heritage Tour and Tasting, a private 90 minutes with the grandmother of the family that ends with five boutique Armenian wines in the cellar. Or simply sit in the garden. Coffee under the apricot tree by day. By evening, wine, candles and the music we love, from Armenian jazz to Japanese city pop. There is no sign on the street. Read how to find us.
The garden by day
No. 06 · Craft
Watch carpets being woven at Megerian
Where 9 Madoyan Street. Hard to find, so use a map app When Monday to Friday 10:00 to 17:00, Saturday 10:00 to 16:00, closed Sunday
A family carpet workshop with a museum, open since 2014. Weavers work at the looms in front of you, knot by knot, and a guide explains the patterns and dyes. You can eat at the restaurant on site.
No. 07 · Architecture
Sit in the courtyard of the Blue Mosque
Where 12 Mashtots Avenue, in the centre When Usually 10:00 to 13:00 and 15:00 to 18:00. Free. Dress modestly
Built in 1765 and 1766, when Yerevan was ruled from Persia, and today the only active mosque in Armenia. Behind the gate is a quiet garden courtyard with tiled arches and a 24-metre minaret. Most people walk past it on Mashtots Avenue without knowing it is there.
No. 08 · Brandy
Tour a brandy cellar, and pick the less obvious one
Where Ararat at 2 Admiral Isakov Avenue. Noy across the Hrazdan River from it When Book ahead. Noy opens only on Saturday at weekends
Everyone goes to Ararat, the Yerevan Brandy Company, founded in 1887 and owned by Pernod Ricard since 1998. The tour covers the museum, the ageing cellars with the sealed Peace Barrel, and a tasting. It is good. Fewer people go to Noy, Armenian owned, on the site of the old Erivan fortress, with historic cellars, a giant barrel and clay jars. Tastings at both have started from a few thousand dram. Check current prices when you book.
No. 09 · Food
Taste your way through the GUM market
Where 35 Movses Khorenatsi Street, near Zoravar Andranik metro When Mornings are best
The front hall is dried apricots, figs, candied fruit, spices and sujukh, strings of walnuts dipped in thickened grape juice. Traders will hand you samples whether you ask or not. Walk to the back for vegetables, pickles, cheese and lavash. It is the best way to understand what Armenians cook at home.
No. 10 · Music
Hear the organ at the Komitas Chamber Music Hall
Where Isahakyan Street, near the Cascade Cost Tickets usually 2,000 to 8,000 dram
A 300-seat hall opened in 1977, with a Dutch-built organ of about 4,000 pipes. Check the programme for organ evenings and chamber concerts. It is one of the best rooms in the city to hear music, and tickets are cheap.
No. 11 · Late
Stay out late for jazz at Ulikhanyan
Where 7 Sayat-Nova Avenue, in the centre When Every night, usually 19:00 to 02:00
A basement jazz club where local bands and musicians from the Conservatory play most nights, and visiting singers sometimes join them. The sets move between jazz, funk and rock. When Yerevan celebrated International Jazz Day in 2025, the night ended here after the concert at the Cascade. That tells you who the regulars are.
No. 12 · Quiet
Walk through the Komitas Pantheon
Where Arshakunyats Avenue, south of the centre Cost Free, open air
A small, shaded park, created in 1936, where Armenia buries the people it is proudest of. The composer Komitas, Aram Khachaturian, Sergei Parajanov and William Saroyan all rest here. Come in the late afternoon, when it is quiet.
No. 13 · Sixth century
Find the oldest church in Yerevan, in Avan
Where Avan district, northeast Yerevan, not far from Old Nork
Avan Cathedral, also called Tsiranavor, was built around 591 to 602, which makes it the oldest surviving church in the city. It is partly ruined, stands among the houses of Avan, and has an unusual four-lobed plan. Almost no visitors. Combine it with Levon's cave in Arinj and our garden in Old Nork for a half day in the northeast.
No. 14 · Soviet Yerevan
Ride the metro and look at the buildings
Where Sasuntsi Davit station, and the Rossiya cinema on Tigran Mets Avenue
The Yerevan metro opened in 1981. Get off at Sasuntsi Davit for the carved red tuff reliefs of the epic hero David of Sasun. Then go and look at the Rossiya cinema of 1975, whose two concrete halls rise like the two peaks of Ararat. The old circular terminal of Zvartnots airport is closed and may be demolished, so see it from outside while it stands.
No. 15 · Memory
Spend an hour at Tsitsernakaberd
Where Tsitsernakaberd hill, west of the centre When Tuesday to Saturday 10:00 to 17:00 (shorter in winter), Sunday 11:00 to 15:00, closed Monday. Free
The Armenian Genocide Memorial and Museum is not unusual. It is on every list, and it should be. We include it because our family's story, like that of almost every Armenian family, runs through 1915. You will understand Yerevan, and the people you meet in it, better after you have been.
What other guides still get wrong
Many lists of things to do in Yerevan were written years ago and never updated. As of October 2026:
The Yerevan Children's Railway is closed. It opened in 1937 and stopped running in July 2024. Some sites still say it runs in summer. It does not.
The Mirzoyan Library, the photography library and cafe in an old courtyard, is listed as permanently closed on map apps.
The Ferris wheel in Victory Park is not reliably running. Go for Mother Armenia and the view, not the rides.
The Yerevan Botanical Garden is not in Nork. It is in Avan.
Saryan Street is still called the wine street, but most of its wine bars have closed. In Vino remains. See our wine guide.
Questions guests ask us
What are some unusual things to do in Yerevan?
Walk the old lanes of Kond, visit Levon's Divine Underground in Arinj, see the Parajanov Museum, climb Erebuni Fortress, watch carpet weaving at Megerian, hear the organ at the Komitas Chamber Music Hall, stay out for late jazz at Ulikhanyan, and come to Norq Garden Gallery in Old Nork for wine in a 170-year-old family cellar and niche music in the garden, from Armenian jazz to Japanese city pop.
Is the Yerevan Children's Railway still open?
No. It stopped running in July 2024 and was closed as of October 2026.
Where can I see old Yerevan?
In Kond, the oldest surviving quarter, a short walk from Republic Square, and in Old Nork, the former village on the hill to the northeast, where many houses still have vaulted wine cellars.
Are Yerevan museums open on Monday?
Many are not. The Genocide Museum and Erebuni close on Monday, and the Matenadaran is open Tuesday to Saturday only. Plan museums for midweek and the weekend.
