My family visited Yerevan, Armenia on our latest trip and while I had my own suppositions about the city before I encountered it, I was so terribly wrong. Don’t sleep on Yerevan, Armenia.
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Lack of Expectation
For a travel writer, I failed my first objective before I even stepped off the plane in Armenia – I did nearly no research. I looked up the map for the capital city, but this was mostly just to find my hotel in Yerevan. Admittedly, I knew little to nothing of what to expect prior to my arrival.
What a wonderful surprise.
There was a state of growth, energy, and excitement, but a reflection on what came before as well. As a former state in the USSR, Russian elements remain in places, but Armenia is an altogether different place with its own identity. Lending some flavor from its northern neighbor, Georgia, a celebration of middle eastern neighbors Iran, Iraq, Syria, and to the west Turkey, all contribute to the aroma, style, and personality of the city and her people.
If I’m honest, I may have punted on the research of the city because I was there for work. My marketing agency opened an office there to support employees in the region. It was also at the end of a long trip filled with stops in Barcelona (we canceled this segment), Manchester (our former home for three years), and Athens (a place we hadn’t visited in more than a decade and a first for our seven-year-old daughter.)
But my lack of research made every delicious meal a delight.
The Caucasus
This was my first visit to – where again? Is it Europe? No. Is it Asia? I mean, not really. Can we say Eurasia? Sure, but that’s not really it either. The caucuses are such an interesting mix and Armenia is right in the middle of them. It’s a culture all its own.
The food was interesting and tasty. It borrows traditions from other regions and makes it something new, something original. Dumplings in the region have a feel of xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) and a similar approach but it would be news to Armenians that this dish might have been copied from China. The region has beautiful, stringy, salty cheese that sometimes graces the dumplings as well showing that rather than simply borrowing from China, they (dare I say?) improved the dish. Turkish pide gets its own alteration as Kachipuri (Georgian but available nearly everywhere) and a cracker-like pizza but with seasoned meat and often without cheese call lamajo.
Streets and sidewalks harken modern European design with slabs of stone rather than concrete. Building construction appears soviet, as do the police uniforms. Across the Caspian sea, Khazakstan is going through turmoil. Turkey and Syria continue to face their own trouble and Iran is ever a point of contention as is Iraq to the south. After a recent war with neighboring Azerbaijan, a contested territory in the hills and mountains (Nagorno-Karabakh) is still contested to this day with Russian peacekeeping troops stationed in the area. Yet despite what others might consider potential cause for concern, we felt safe and comfortable in the city throughout our stay.
The Armenian people are proud of their culture and their city and for good reason. It was a wonderful introduction to the Caucasus for myself and my family.
Armenia, Colombia?
Recently, Spirit Airlines began flying to Armenia, Colombia – the coffee home of one of the most prolific coffee producers in the world. One could be forgiven for confusing Armenia, Colombia, with Armenia the country, if based solely on the number of coffee shops. It’s said that there is a coffee shop or kiosk every 100 meters in the city and that somehow seems like an underestimate. There are coffee shops next to coffee shops across from coffee shops and, thankfully, almost every one of them is amazing. I haven’t seen coffee kiosks out in public – break rooms, yes, sidewalks, no – in years. The ones we found around the city (though I did not opt to try them) were busy as well.
Matthew has reviewed great coffee in cities around the world, just search this blog. Despite discussing this destination in advance, he never mentioned this aspect and I am starting to wonder if there is a deeper reason why. Maybe my days on LiveAndLetsFly are coming to an end, much to the chagrin of a select group of commenters. Then again, maybe he was just busy.
Nevertheless, I have had great coffee all over the world. This might be the best city globally for coffee shops and if you’re an enthusiast, add it to your list.
Remnants of the Old, Signs of the New
Vestiges of rule under the Soviet Union remain but there is something different, new, and exciting developing in Armenia. A busy pedestrian mall (both above ground and underground) on Tashir Plaza reflect the past with a beautiful opera house at the end of the plaza. Friends of ours celebrated the opera and ballet which was showcasing the Nutcracker at the time; it seemed to be that classic view of a Russian state.
We happened to be in Yerevan for Armenian Christmas (different than Orthodox or Catholic/protestant dates) and this allowed us the opportunity to visit the oldest church in the city, in the oldest Christian country in the world.
The city show signs of new growth everywhere. We were based at Republic Square, a huge, traditional circle monolith filled with people and traffic and a reflection of the past. The History Museum of Armenia is at the center. But just blocks away we found modern restaurants and smart urban planning that mixes new construction with refurbishments.
The Armenian Genocide museum sits atop a hill over the city with beautiful views of Mount Aragats, reflecting on a dark part of Armenia’s history but demonstrating progress (the US just recognized this genocide by the Turkish committed in 1915.) The Cafesjian Center for the Arts at the Cascade offers a mix of traditional Armenian artistry with new takes both indoors and outdoors. A towering statue of Alexander Tamanyan, the modern architect of Yerevan, leans over a drafting table at the Cascade’s base.
The Republic of Armenia and Yerevan state, in particular, are focused on the future without abandoning the past, creating an incredible medley for those who visit.
Conclusion
Yerevan was a wonderful surprise for myself and my family. Remnants of Armenia’s past remain, while progress forward is shaping the city for its residents. Our (read: my) lack of preparation for the trip added to the joy we found there and we look forward to many trips in the future. Reception from friends and family with news of our trip was frosty but that comes from the same ignorance I had prior to my visit – don’t sleep on Yerevan, Armenia; but if you do, there will be coffee waiting for you in the morning.
What do you think? Have you been to Yerevan, Armenia? How was your experience? What were your expectations?
The Ottoman Turks committed the genocide against the Armenians, not the Lebanese.
Yeah, I was wondering the same thing. That’s more than just a typo.
Perhaps well-intentioned and favorable travel article, but the errors are elementary and should have been caught before posting.
@Rhys – Thanks for catching this. Obviously, I had a bad source that confused where some Armenians had escaped to, as opposed to the perpetrators of the genocide. As this is my first trip to Armenia, I wasn’t widely versed and included the detail as it was news to me – even though it was false.
Lebanese Armenians are typically very proud of being Lebanese and Armenian, and Lebanon was a place of escape for Armenians trying to avoid the genocidal campaign conducted by the Sick Man of Europe that was Ottoman Turkey at that time.
Many a summer of good times has happened in Lebanon when the Armenian diaspora with Lebanese connections would return for the summers of fun when Lebanon has had some passing breaks from troublesome political strife.
1. It’s “Caucasus.”
2. Mt. Ararat is in Turkey. Mt. Aragats is in Armenia.
3. The genocide was committed by the Ottoman Turks, as noted by Rhys.
4. Khachapuri is a Georgian cheese bread, not a “cracker pizza.” The “cracker pizza” is lahmajoun.
But the name Khatch (cross) and puri (oven) are Armenian. Hence Khatchapuri. It’s basically a cheese beorek with a cross shape in the Middle of i’m not mistaken.
“genocide by the Lebanese committed in 1915” ? I find this surprising, since I’m 1915 there was no Lebanon and no Lebanese.
Well done. I think for some misses pointed out by others you are doing what a travel blogger is supposed to do.
Travel and blog about street life and destination. Many “travel bloggers” on our parent website write only about credit cards and mile deals.
Indeed. Was going to comment, until I saw yours. Sad reflection on either:
a) poor knowledge of history
b) sloppy fact-checking
C) both
The same for crusty-pizza khachapuri.
Next time if you strike a conversation with a local and are found to be a mensch,an invitation to the making of khorovat may follow. Eating tolmas while waiting.
I was in Armenia last month and had the opposite reaction – options for inbound and outbound flights were limited, people were generally not friendly, transportation was challenging and prone to scams, there was extremely poor Internet bandwidth even with the T-Mobile international pass, covid was not taken seriously, food was decent by post-Soviet standards but not as good as Turkey and not as cheap as other countries in that part of the world, weather was constantly grey and depressing, and the tourist attractions in and close to Yerevan were not that interesting (though I’ve perhaps traveled too much to be impressed by another cathedral…). In fairness, I did enjoy the coffee scene there. I get the impression that a lot of the glowing testimonials to Armenia are written by people with ancestry there, and I fully understand and respect their love of their homeland. However, I feel like I can have a full and complete life without visiting Yerevan again…
It sounds like all that travel you’re doing isn’t changing your negative and pressed attitude.. should’ve stayed in Armenia for longer!
Nice article. Would be keen to visit
I feel very lucky to have lived in Yerevan twice – 1999 to 2002 and again from 2014 to 2015. In the time from the first to the second the city lost most of the shashlik barbecue restaurants on Proshyan, to be replaced with burger and shawarma cafes, but also lots of other restaurants around town, with good, fresh, local food, mostly organic and always delicious. There’s also lots of small, friendly bars and pubs, great jazz clubs, and live music venues.
And tremendous history; I guess you visited Katoghike church in Yerevan but I hope you were able to go to Etchmiadzin, the world’s oldest working cathedral (founded in 304AD) and Gerghard Monastery carved into the rock? There’s also the Matenadaran manuscript museum and of course the National Museum that you mentioned.
You’ve summed up the feel of the city quite nicely and brought back some very happy memories, thank you!
“US just recognized this genocide by the Lebanese committed in 1915”
Yeah, I think you’ve been slammed enough in the comments section for this one. Oof. Big miss.
I’m not going to comment other than this comment. Cool.
I was gonna ask if the dumplings are really closer to xiao long bao than they are to Georgian khinkali, but then oof that Lebanon line.
Also, were they really referring to those as khachapuri? The “khacha” part of khachapuri literally refers to the cheese, so I’m surprised to hear they make non-cheese ones.
Yeah that reference to Xing Long Bao threw me too, as the only dumplings that I’ve experienced there were basically khinkali. I guess if someone has never experienced khinkali, or Kazakh/Turkish manti, then Chinese dumplings are a possible comparison.
The khachapuri look like thin Imerelian khachapuri (or maybe they actually were pizzas!) It’s a shame he didn’t try the Adjarian (the boat shaped ones with egg), which are very popular, or the Penovani (square, flakier ones) which are (or were) often available from kiosks, both delicious and different.
@Dougie – On at least two occasions we encountered fried dumplings filled with meat that tasted and seemed to be pork with a vegetable mixture and they were eaten by first poking the membrane, slurping out the soup, then eating the dumpling. That feels a lot like xiaolongbao to me. There were also cheese-filled dumplings as well, these were not those. I did try the Adjarian though only once as I tried to order again throughout my visit but preparation time seemed to be prohibitive.
@Kyle It sounds like khinkali, originally from Georgia. A boiled pasta sack with a knot at the top where the sides are crimped together, filled with minced meat and herbs. You eat it by holding the knot, taking a small bite, drinking the juices from inside then eating it. A little messy but delicious.
The cheese filled dumplings were probably pierogi, or vareniki, fairly similar. The other main type are pelmeni which are stuffed with meat or veg and often served with smetana, a sour cream.
All very tasty and I do miss that good food.
I’m not too familiar with types of Chinese dumpling but having just googled xiaolongbao I can see that they do look quite a lot like khinkali, but without the large knot at the top.
I won’t sleep on Yerevan, but is it ok to sleep in Yerevan?
@Mitch – Yes, but maybe not at the Hyatt Place… review to come.
I’m curious how Armenia and the Caucasus are “not really in Asia” but Belarus is a Central Asian country per your article in May?
Two weeks spent in Armenia three years ago was surprising and magical. Everywhere, food was great and dirt cheap (fantastic lunch for 6 people, total: $16 USD). National history museum has human artifacts going back 1.8 million years (no joke!). Time of year was great….early autumn. Perfect weather. Amazing historic sites. Friendly people. And yes, great coffee…even from the sidewalk vending machines (.25 !).