April 23 National Sovereignty and Children's Day Special Full Day Ermenistan - Exclusive Program/All-Inclusive Boutique Accommodation and Transportation, All Tours and Meals Included - Easy Visa 4 Nights/5 Days

1. Day Istanbul - Yerevan **20:30** We recommend that you be at Sabiha Gökçen Airport at this time. **23:25** We depart for the capital of Armenia, Yerevan, with Pegasus Airlines flight PC 550. **Note:** Due to your flight time, an early arrival at the hotel is expected. Therefore, your accommodation reservation has been started from today so that you can check into your room without any issues. 2. Day Yerevan (Breakfast, Dinner) **02:30** Arrival in Yerevan. After the necessary procedures, transfer to our hotel and check-in to the rooms. Overnight at our hotel. Breakfast at the hotel. Due to your late arrival, free time to rest. In the afternoon, we begin our **Yerevan City Tour**. Armenia, one of the oldest settlements in the South Caucasus, has hosted many civilizations throughout its history. With its mild spring, sunny summer, rainy autumn, and snowy winter, Armenia is beautiful in every season; in addition to its deep historical heritage, it offers visitors a unique experience with its magnificent natural wonders, rich cultural features, hospitable people, and refined cuisine full of wonderful flavors. One of the cities where the modern and the classic, the old and the new blend most beautifully is Yerevan. During our tour in this beautiful city, we will see the **Republic Square**, decorated with neo-classical buildings; the **National Opera and Ballet Theatre** from the 19th century; the **Cascade Complex** with its magnificent **Mount Ararat** view and modern artworks; the **Cafesjian Center for the Arts and Sculpture Garden**; **Victory Park**, where you can see the **Mother Armenia Monument** and enjoy magnificent city views; the city’s landmark **Parliament Building**; **Buzandi Street, Aram Street, and Abovyan Street**, which preserve the city’s older structures; **Vernissage Market**, where you can buy souvenirs for your loved ones; and the ever-lively **Pushkin Street and Parpetsi Street** with their street artists and many venues. At the end of our city tour, we will have our **dinner** at a local restaurant famous for its delicious flavors and folkloric shows, serving the best examples of Armenian cuisine. (Dinner is included, drinks are extra.) After dinner, transfer to our hotel. **Restaurant to be used (Folkloric Show Dinner) Tavern Yerevan Riverside (Summer Months)** https://www.yeremyanprojects.com/en/restaurants/tavern-yerevan-riverside **Restaurant to be used (Folkloric Show Dinner) Tavern Yerevan (Winter Months)** https://www.yeremyanprojects.com/en/restaurants/tavern-yerevan 3. Day Yerevan (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) (Voghjabert, Geghard, Garni, Khor Virap, Echmiadzin) After breakfast, we leave our hotel for a day full of magnificent sights. Our first stop is the **Charents Arch** (Ararat Arch) that we will see in **Voghjabert Village**. This structure is designed in the form of an opening toward Mount Ararat. **(Approximately 15 km)** According to the Bible, **Noah’s Ark** ran aground in this region. We then go to **Geghard Monastery**, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. **(Approximately 25 km)** Located in the shadows of magnificent hills in the Azat Valley, the monastery was carved into the rocks from the 4th to the 13th century and is one of the important Christian sanctuaries in the world. The spear that wounded Jesus is kept in the monastery’s treasury. Next, we head to **Garni Village**, where we will have our **lunch**. In our authentic restaurant serving local Armenian delicacies, you can even bake lavash bread together with village women during lunch. Afterward, we visit the natural formations called **“The Symphony of Stones,”** which have been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List as a natural wonder. **(Approximately 10 km)** Over thousands of years, rain and wind carved these rocks into a symmetrical hexagonal form, spreading throughout the valley and taking on the appearance of a **“basalt organ.”** Then we proceed to **Garni Temple**, the only pagan temple that has survived to the present day, built in the 1st century AD. **(Approximately 10 km)** This structure, from which we can trace traces of pre-Christian Caucasian religious life, was built in honor of the Sun God Mithra. Afterward, we visit **Khor Virap Monastery**, located very close to the Turkish border at the foot of Mount Ararat. **(Approximately 50 km)** In 301, Armenia was declared the world’s first **“Christian nation.”** First built as a chapel in 642 and expanded in 1662, Khor Virap Monastery is one of the country’s most important religious structures. Finally, we go to the city of **Etchmiadzin (Vagharshapat)** in Armenia’s Armavir Province, which is the center of the Armenian Apostolic Church. **(Approximately 50 km)** The city is home to **Etchmiadzin Cathedral**, built after Christianity was accepted as the state religion in 301 and still active today. The cathedral is considered the oldest cathedral in the world and today holds the titles of center and throne of the Armenian Church. For dinner, we will take you to a very special venue that we believe you will enjoy both for its delicious menu and its cultural and artistic activities. At the end of our tour, transfer to Yerevan. **(Approximately 25 km)** **Restaurant to be used (Lunch) (Sergei Mot)** https://www.instagram.com/sergeysplace/ **Restaurant to be used (Dinner) (Machanents House)** https://machanents.com/en/about-us/machanents-house/ 4. Day Yerevan - Tsaghadzor - Lake Sevan - Goshavank - Dilijan - Yerevan (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) After breakfast and check-out, we depart from our hotel. Our first route is **Tsaghadzor**, a beautiful mountain town and a ski resort in winter, **(Approximately 60 km)**. During the break we will have here, you can freely explore and have something to drink in the cafes in this wonderful village covered with snow except in the summer months. Then we continue toward **Lake Sevan**, known as the **“Blue Pearl,”** the largest lake in the Caucasus by surface area and one of the highest of its size in the world (Altitude: 1900 meters). **(Approximately 90 km)** Referred to as **“Gokcha Sea”** in the Book of Dede Korkut, the lake was officially called **“Gokcha Lake”** in official documents until 1930. On this journey, the breathtaking natural scenery will impress you. Our first stop in the lake region is the **Sevan Cemetery**, which has the world’s largest collection of khachkars. After visiting this cemetery with its mysterious appearance, we visit **Sevanavank Monastery**. Built by monks in the 8th century, the monastery is still actively used today. After having our **lunch in Sevan Village** at one of the local restaurants with a seafood menu, we then head to **Gosh Village** to visit **Goshavank Monastery**, which was originally built in the 12th century as a monastery of the Caucasian Albanians and later served as a place of worship and school for Armenians who migrated from the Ottoman and Iranian regions in the 19th century. **(Approximately 65 km)** Then we go to **Dilijan**, one of the most important tourist attractions in the Caucasus, and one of the best-preserved medieval settlements to the present day with its historical buildings and natural beauty. **(Approximately 25 km)** On our tour here, we see the city center and historical structures. After visiting here as well, our day, during which we have learned in detail about the historical and cultural characteristics of Armenia and the Caucasus region, ends with dinner made up of local delicacies in **Dilijan**, after which we transfer to Yerevan. **(Approximately 100 km)** Overnight at our hotel. **Restaurant to be used (Lunch) (Yasaman Sevan)** https://www.yasaman.am/en/sevan **Restaurant to be used (Dinner) (Old Dilijan Restaurant)** https://olddilijan.am/menu/20 5. Day Yerevan - Istanbul Transfer to Yerevan Airport at the time determined by our guide. **06:30** We depart for Istanbul on Pegasus Airlines flight PC 551. **08:00** Arrival in Istanbul.