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Itinerary map
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Tour Armenia and Northern Iran
Day 1 - Yerevan arrival
Arrival in Yerevan at Zvartnots International Airport, here our representative will meet you at the arrival hall for the transfer to the hotel. Overnight in Yerevan.
Day 2: Yerevan city tour - Garni - Geghard - Yerevan
After breakfast, a guided half-day tour will show you the city of Yerevan. We start with the administrative heart of the city and of the country, Republic Square, overlooked by the government and administrative buildings, where you will visit the Armenian History Museum, which houses a rich collection of archaeological and historical finds of Armenia: from the first prehistoric human settlements until the twentieth century. This is followed by a walk along North Avenue, the shopping avenue of Yerevan, to get to the Opera House. Continue to Cascade, a giant staircase still under construction, which began in 1970 on a project in art nouveau style of the beginning of the XX Century made by Alexander Tamanyan, the architect who planned the urbanization of the city of Yerevan. In 2000, Gerard Cafesjian, an Armenian art collector of the diaspora, contributed financially to finish the work and also donated several sculptures by contemporary artists such as the sculpture of the "fat cat" by Botero. Continuation of visits with Victory Park, from where you can enjoy the best view of the city and, on clear days, also of Mount Ararat. Visit of the Matenadaran, the museum of ancient manuscripts, where are preserved thousands of manuscripts. After lunch departure to the Kotayk region to visit the temple of Garni, a Hellenistic pagan temple of the 1st century AD and the only one to survive after the Christianization of Armenia in the fourth century AD. After visiting the temple and the archaeological excavations which have brought to light also remains of the baths with beautiful mosaics, our tour goes on to Geghard Monastery (UNESCO World Heritage), probably the most beautiful of Armenia, located in a narrow gorge and partially carved out from rocks. Return to Yerevan and visit of the memorial of the Armenian Genocide (on april 24 2015 has been celebrated the 100th anniversary of the start of the Genocide), a moving ensemble dedicated to 1.5 million people killed by Turkish Ottomans, situated on the hill of Tzitzenakaberd, the Fortress of Swallows, with a panoramic view of Yerevan. Return to the hotel and free time for rest or visit of the city on your own. Dinner and overnight in Yerevan
Day 3: Yerevan – Khor Virap - Areni – Noravank – Yerevan
Breakfast at hotel and departure for the Ararat Region, where, in a spectacular location just below the imposing Mount Ararat, there is the monastery of Khor Virap: here, from the terrace, you can enjoy the fantastic views of the two peaks of this magnificent extinct volcano. Inside the courtyard of the monastery there is a deep well (hence the name of the monastery, whose name in Armenian means "Deep well") where St. Gregory the Illuminator was imprisoned by King Tiridates in because of his preaching of Christian Religion. Continue to the village of Areni, famous for its wines, where you will have time for a wine tasting at a local winery. Continue to the village of Aghavnadzor, where you will make a nice lunch in the garden of the house of a local family with the opportunity to try a variety of traditional homemade dishes, taste the homemade wine matured in Karas, the typical clay jars, and to assist to the preparation of lavash, the traditional armenian bread. Continuation to Noravank Monastery, located in a narrow canyon of red rocks, which, due to its location and its architecture, is one of the most beautiful monasteries of Armenia. Return to Yerevan, dinner and overnight.
Day 4: Yerevan - Zvartnots - Echmiadzin - Sardarapat - Amberd - Vanadzor
After breakfast, departure to Vagharshapat with a stop to visit of the ruins of the cathedral of Zvartnots, built in the seventh century and destroyed in the tenth century by an earthquake, once one of the most powerful and beautiful examples of Armenian architecture. Arrival in Vagharshapat and visit of the Cathedral of Echmiadzin, the oldest in the world, home of the "Catholicos" of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Continuation of visits with the churches of St. Gayane and St. Hripsime, the two most venerated saints by the Armenian religious community. Arrival in Sardarapat, the place where in 1918 the armenian army defeated the ottoman army stopping its advance towards Armenia. Visit of the memorial and the museum and continuation towards Amberd, a stronghold of the 7th century, situated on the slopes of Mount Aragats at 2300 m above sea level, which was repeatedly attacked over the centuries but only the hordes of Tamerlane's army managed to capture it. Arrival in Vanadzor for dinner and overnight.
Day 5: Vanadzor - Haghpat - Sanahin - Akhtala - Dilijan
After breakfast, depart for the Lori region to visit the UNESCO-protected monasteries of Sanahin and Haghpat (built in the tenth century), which are the most important examples of medieval Armenian architecture. This were the places where numerous manuscripts written, copied and decorated with miniatures. Proceed to Akhtala, one of the few churches in Armenia with inner walls covered with frescoes, painted between 1205 and 1216, and among the best examples of Byzantine art outside the Empire of Byzantium. Continuation to the region of Tavush to visit Dilijan, a small town and one of the greenest cities in Armenia, with its ancient part made of traditional wooden houses recently restored and where you will have the opportunity to see master craftsmen at work on wood, clay etc. Dinner and overnight in Dilijan.
Day 6: Dilijan - Sevan - Noratus - Selim - Goris
After breakfast, departure to Lake Sevan, the second highest freshwater lake in the world after Lake Titicaca, and visit of the Sevan peninsula with its monastery Sevanavank. Continuation to Noratus, a village famous for its cemetery which hosts hundreds and hundreds of khatchkars, the finely cross-carved stones. Arrival at Selim Pass to visit the ancient Orbelian Caravanserai, an important station along the Silk Road, and continuation to Qarahunj, a series of megaliths in a circle to form an ancient astronomical observatory which is called the "Armenian Stonehenge", that some scholars date about 3000 years before its British counterpart. Arrival in Goris for dinner and overnight.
Day 7: Goris - Tatev - Meghri - Jolfa
After breakfast, departure to Halidzor to board on the "Wings of Tatev", the longest cable car in the world (5.7 km, 11 minutes), to reach another masterpiece of Armenian architecture: the Tatev Monastery, a monastic fortress of the ninth century, once famous for its university. Continuation via Sisian and Kapan to the Iranian border in Meghri. After crossing the border and changing the bus, arrival in Jolfa, a small town at the border between Iran and Azerbaijan, for dinner and overnight.
Day 8: Jolfa - Qareh Kilisa - Tabriz
After breakfast, visit of the UNESCO protected Monastery of St. Stepanos, built in the 9th century and rebuilt in the Safavid era after several earthquakes damaged it. Continuation towards Qareh Kilisa, literally "black church", which is the most important of Iran's World Heritage Ensemble of Historic Armenian Churches. It is said that the original church was founded by the apostle St Thaddeus in AD 43, a more permanent church was built in 371 AD, making it one of the oldest churches in the world. Arrival in Tabriz, dinner and overnight.
Day 9: Tabriz
Entire day to discover Tabriz, the capital of Azerbaijan Province of Iran, inhabited by the ethnic community of Azeris. Visit to the Tomb of Shariar, to the extensive historic bazaar (UNESCO Worls Heritage Site) built in the 15th century, then visit of Masjed-e-Jameh, Kabood (blue) Mosque and Goli Park.
Day 10: Tabriz - Kandovan - Ardabil - Sarein
After breakfast, departure towards the village of Kandovan, famous for its troglodyte dwellings carved into mountain rocks, known as the ‘Cappadoccia’ of Iran. Continuation to Ardabil and visit to the Sheikh Safi’s mausoleum (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), known as Western Iran’s most dazzling Safavid monument, visits will be made also to the Ardabil Museum and to the bazaar. Continuation to Sarein, which has the most famous spa complexes in Iran, and which is 35 km west of Ardabil. Dinner and overnight in Sarein.
Day 11: Sarein - Masuleh - Rasht
Departure from from Sareen towards the Caspian Sea through beautiful fertile country and return into mountainous area to visit the little village of Masuleh, which is a beautiful village with a unique structure where houses are built on top of each other in a terraced way; the roofs of lower houses are used as the pavement of the upper ones. After visiting this village, continuation to Rasht for dinner and overnight.
Day 12: Rasht - Qazvin - Soltanieh - Zanjan
After breakfast, Departure to Qazvin to visit the Chehel Sotun (Forty Columns) Palace built during the reign of Shah Tahmasp I. Continuation towards Soltanieh, a small village near Zanjan, founded by the Mongols in XIII century and whose mane means "Town of the Sultans". Intended to be the new imperial capital, Soltanieh was rapidly built on a grand scale. Visit of Gonbad-e-Soltanieh, the magnificent Mausoleum built by the mongol ruler Oljaitu, whose three storey octagonal structure is covered by the third largest brick made dome in the world after the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul and the Cathedral of Florence. Arrival in Zanjan for dinner and overnight.
Day 13: Zanjan - Takht-e-Suleiman - Takab
After breakfast, visit of Zanjan, the capital of Zanjan Province in northwestern Iran. Visit of the Rakhtshur Khaneh, (traditional laundry house of Qajar era and the Friday Mosque. Departure towards Takht-e-Suleiman (UNESCO World Heritage Site), literally "the Throne of Solomon", an originally fortified site, located on a volcano crater rim, which includes the remains of a Zoroastrian fire temple built during the Sassanid period. This temple housed one of the three "Great Fires" and was one of the major spiritual centres of Zoroastrians in the III century. Arrival in Takab for dinner and overnight.
Day 14: Takab - Sanandaj - Palangan - Kermanshah
After breakfast, departure towards Sanandaj, the capital of Kurdistan Region, with visits to the Kosro-abad Palace, which was once the seat of ardalani Governors, and to the Houses of Kurds, the museum of Kurdish regions, one of the biggest anthropological and ethnic museums in Iran. whose building was first built in safavid period and then completed in Qajar and Pahlavi periods. Continuation to Palangan, a village spread over both sides of a narrow valley. All of the houses are made of stone and, like in Masuleh, the roof of one house is the yard of another house. This village is one of the most beautiful villages of the province not only because of its unique architecture, but also because of the surrounding nature. Arrival in Kermanshah and visit of Taq-e-Bostan (UNESCO World Heritage), a site with a series of large rock relief from the era of Sassanid Empire, located in the heart of the Zagros mountains. Dinner and overnight in Kermanshah.
Day 15: Kermanshah - Bisotun - Ali Sadr Caves - Lalegin - Hamadan
After breakfast, departure to Bisotun (UNESCO World Heritage Site), where, on the flank of a cliff, lies one of the most important historic sites of Iran: here, king Darius I left the Behistun Inscription, a basrelief flanked by a multi-lingual inscription in Old Persian, Elamite and Babylonian languages which was crucial in the deciphrement of cuneiform script. Continuation to Ali Sadr Caves, which will be visited on a boat, and in Lalegin, a town famous for its pottery with plenty of opportunities for shopping. Arrival in Hamadan, which used to be one of the ancient world’s greatest centres, the famous city of Ecbatana, dinner and overnight.
Day 16: Kermanshah - Ganj Nameh - Teheran
After breakfast, the visits start with the tombs of Ester and Mordecai, the excavations of ancient Ecbatana, and the rock carvings from the 4th C. of Ganj Nameh. Departure to Teheran. Time at leisure. Dinner and overnight in Teheran.
Day 17: Teheran
Entire day to discover Teheran. The tour starts with the visit of Golestan Palace, the oldest historic monument of Teheran and seat of the Qajar rulers. Visit of the Bazaar, the widest of whole Iran, then visit of the National Museum of Iran, displaying more than 6000 years of history, then to the Carpet Museum. Head towards Borj-e-Azadi (the freedom tower), built in 1971 for the 2500th anniversary of the Persian empire, and to Saadabad Palace, built by Pahlavi Dinasty, which became a museum after the 1979 revolution. Dinner and overnight in Teheran.
Day 18: Teheran - Departure
Transfer to airport for the return flight.
End of services.
Arrival in Yerevan at Zvartnots International Airport, here our representative will meet you at the arrival hall for the transfer to the hotel. Overnight in Yerevan.
Day 2: Yerevan city tour - Garni - Geghard - Yerevan
After breakfast, a guided half-day tour will show you the city of Yerevan. We start with the administrative heart of the city and of the country, Republic Square, overlooked by the government and administrative buildings, where you will visit the Armenian History Museum, which houses a rich collection of archaeological and historical finds of Armenia: from the first prehistoric human settlements until the twentieth century. This is followed by a walk along North Avenue, the shopping avenue of Yerevan, to get to the Opera House. Continue to Cascade, a giant staircase still under construction, which began in 1970 on a project in art nouveau style of the beginning of the XX Century made by Alexander Tamanyan, the architect who planned the urbanization of the city of Yerevan. In 2000, Gerard Cafesjian, an Armenian art collector of the diaspora, contributed financially to finish the work and also donated several sculptures by contemporary artists such as the sculpture of the "fat cat" by Botero. Continuation of visits with Victory Park, from where you can enjoy the best view of the city and, on clear days, also of Mount Ararat. Visit of the Matenadaran, the museum of ancient manuscripts, where are preserved thousands of manuscripts. After lunch departure to the Kotayk region to visit the temple of Garni, a Hellenistic pagan temple of the 1st century AD and the only one to survive after the Christianization of Armenia in the fourth century AD. After visiting the temple and the archaeological excavations which have brought to light also remains of the baths with beautiful mosaics, our tour goes on to Geghard Monastery (UNESCO World Heritage), probably the most beautiful of Armenia, located in a narrow gorge and partially carved out from rocks. Return to Yerevan and visit of the memorial of the Armenian Genocide (on april 24 2015 has been celebrated the 100th anniversary of the start of the Genocide), a moving ensemble dedicated to 1.5 million people killed by Turkish Ottomans, situated on the hill of Tzitzenakaberd, the Fortress of Swallows, with a panoramic view of Yerevan. Return to the hotel and free time for rest or visit of the city on your own. Dinner and overnight in Yerevan
Day 3: Yerevan – Khor Virap - Areni – Noravank – Yerevan
Breakfast at hotel and departure for the Ararat Region, where, in a spectacular location just below the imposing Mount Ararat, there is the monastery of Khor Virap: here, from the terrace, you can enjoy the fantastic views of the two peaks of this magnificent extinct volcano. Inside the courtyard of the monastery there is a deep well (hence the name of the monastery, whose name in Armenian means "Deep well") where St. Gregory the Illuminator was imprisoned by King Tiridates in because of his preaching of Christian Religion. Continue to the village of Areni, famous for its wines, where you will have time for a wine tasting at a local winery. Continue to the village of Aghavnadzor, where you will make a nice lunch in the garden of the house of a local family with the opportunity to try a variety of traditional homemade dishes, taste the homemade wine matured in Karas, the typical clay jars, and to assist to the preparation of lavash, the traditional armenian bread. Continuation to Noravank Monastery, located in a narrow canyon of red rocks, which, due to its location and its architecture, is one of the most beautiful monasteries of Armenia. Return to Yerevan, dinner and overnight.
Day 4: Yerevan - Zvartnots - Echmiadzin - Sardarapat - Amberd - Vanadzor
After breakfast, departure to Vagharshapat with a stop to visit of the ruins of the cathedral of Zvartnots, built in the seventh century and destroyed in the tenth century by an earthquake, once one of the most powerful and beautiful examples of Armenian architecture. Arrival in Vagharshapat and visit of the Cathedral of Echmiadzin, the oldest in the world, home of the "Catholicos" of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Continuation of visits with the churches of St. Gayane and St. Hripsime, the two most venerated saints by the Armenian religious community. Arrival in Sardarapat, the place where in 1918 the armenian army defeated the ottoman army stopping its advance towards Armenia. Visit of the memorial and the museum and continuation towards Amberd, a stronghold of the 7th century, situated on the slopes of Mount Aragats at 2300 m above sea level, which was repeatedly attacked over the centuries but only the hordes of Tamerlane's army managed to capture it. Arrival in Vanadzor for dinner and overnight.
Day 5: Vanadzor - Haghpat - Sanahin - Akhtala - Dilijan
After breakfast, depart for the Lori region to visit the UNESCO-protected monasteries of Sanahin and Haghpat (built in the tenth century), which are the most important examples of medieval Armenian architecture. This were the places where numerous manuscripts written, copied and decorated with miniatures. Proceed to Akhtala, one of the few churches in Armenia with inner walls covered with frescoes, painted between 1205 and 1216, and among the best examples of Byzantine art outside the Empire of Byzantium. Continuation to the region of Tavush to visit Dilijan, a small town and one of the greenest cities in Armenia, with its ancient part made of traditional wooden houses recently restored and where you will have the opportunity to see master craftsmen at work on wood, clay etc. Dinner and overnight in Dilijan.
Day 6: Dilijan - Sevan - Noratus - Selim - Goris
After breakfast, departure to Lake Sevan, the second highest freshwater lake in the world after Lake Titicaca, and visit of the Sevan peninsula with its monastery Sevanavank. Continuation to Noratus, a village famous for its cemetery which hosts hundreds and hundreds of khatchkars, the finely cross-carved stones. Arrival at Selim Pass to visit the ancient Orbelian Caravanserai, an important station along the Silk Road, and continuation to Qarahunj, a series of megaliths in a circle to form an ancient astronomical observatory which is called the "Armenian Stonehenge", that some scholars date about 3000 years before its British counterpart. Arrival in Goris for dinner and overnight.
Day 7: Goris - Tatev - Meghri - Jolfa
After breakfast, departure to Halidzor to board on the "Wings of Tatev", the longest cable car in the world (5.7 km, 11 minutes), to reach another masterpiece of Armenian architecture: the Tatev Monastery, a monastic fortress of the ninth century, once famous for its university. Continuation via Sisian and Kapan to the Iranian border in Meghri. After crossing the border and changing the bus, arrival in Jolfa, a small town at the border between Iran and Azerbaijan, for dinner and overnight.
Day 8: Jolfa - Qareh Kilisa - Tabriz
After breakfast, visit of the UNESCO protected Monastery of St. Stepanos, built in the 9th century and rebuilt in the Safavid era after several earthquakes damaged it. Continuation towards Qareh Kilisa, literally "black church", which is the most important of Iran's World Heritage Ensemble of Historic Armenian Churches. It is said that the original church was founded by the apostle St Thaddeus in AD 43, a more permanent church was built in 371 AD, making it one of the oldest churches in the world. Arrival in Tabriz, dinner and overnight.
Day 9: Tabriz
Entire day to discover Tabriz, the capital of Azerbaijan Province of Iran, inhabited by the ethnic community of Azeris. Visit to the Tomb of Shariar, to the extensive historic bazaar (UNESCO Worls Heritage Site) built in the 15th century, then visit of Masjed-e-Jameh, Kabood (blue) Mosque and Goli Park.
Day 10: Tabriz - Kandovan - Ardabil - Sarein
After breakfast, departure towards the village of Kandovan, famous for its troglodyte dwellings carved into mountain rocks, known as the ‘Cappadoccia’ of Iran. Continuation to Ardabil and visit to the Sheikh Safi’s mausoleum (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), known as Western Iran’s most dazzling Safavid monument, visits will be made also to the Ardabil Museum and to the bazaar. Continuation to Sarein, which has the most famous spa complexes in Iran, and which is 35 km west of Ardabil. Dinner and overnight in Sarein.
Day 11: Sarein - Masuleh - Rasht
Departure from from Sareen towards the Caspian Sea through beautiful fertile country and return into mountainous area to visit the little village of Masuleh, which is a beautiful village with a unique structure where houses are built on top of each other in a terraced way; the roofs of lower houses are used as the pavement of the upper ones. After visiting this village, continuation to Rasht for dinner and overnight.
Day 12: Rasht - Qazvin - Soltanieh - Zanjan
After breakfast, Departure to Qazvin to visit the Chehel Sotun (Forty Columns) Palace built during the reign of Shah Tahmasp I. Continuation towards Soltanieh, a small village near Zanjan, founded by the Mongols in XIII century and whose mane means "Town of the Sultans". Intended to be the new imperial capital, Soltanieh was rapidly built on a grand scale. Visit of Gonbad-e-Soltanieh, the magnificent Mausoleum built by the mongol ruler Oljaitu, whose three storey octagonal structure is covered by the third largest brick made dome in the world after the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul and the Cathedral of Florence. Arrival in Zanjan for dinner and overnight.
Day 13: Zanjan - Takht-e-Suleiman - Takab
After breakfast, visit of Zanjan, the capital of Zanjan Province in northwestern Iran. Visit of the Rakhtshur Khaneh, (traditional laundry house of Qajar era and the Friday Mosque. Departure towards Takht-e-Suleiman (UNESCO World Heritage Site), literally "the Throne of Solomon", an originally fortified site, located on a volcano crater rim, which includes the remains of a Zoroastrian fire temple built during the Sassanid period. This temple housed one of the three "Great Fires" and was one of the major spiritual centres of Zoroastrians in the III century. Arrival in Takab for dinner and overnight.
Day 14: Takab - Sanandaj - Palangan - Kermanshah
After breakfast, departure towards Sanandaj, the capital of Kurdistan Region, with visits to the Kosro-abad Palace, which was once the seat of ardalani Governors, and to the Houses of Kurds, the museum of Kurdish regions, one of the biggest anthropological and ethnic museums in Iran. whose building was first built in safavid period and then completed in Qajar and Pahlavi periods. Continuation to Palangan, a village spread over both sides of a narrow valley. All of the houses are made of stone and, like in Masuleh, the roof of one house is the yard of another house. This village is one of the most beautiful villages of the province not only because of its unique architecture, but also because of the surrounding nature. Arrival in Kermanshah and visit of Taq-e-Bostan (UNESCO World Heritage), a site with a series of large rock relief from the era of Sassanid Empire, located in the heart of the Zagros mountains. Dinner and overnight in Kermanshah.
Day 15: Kermanshah - Bisotun - Ali Sadr Caves - Lalegin - Hamadan
After breakfast, departure to Bisotun (UNESCO World Heritage Site), where, on the flank of a cliff, lies one of the most important historic sites of Iran: here, king Darius I left the Behistun Inscription, a basrelief flanked by a multi-lingual inscription in Old Persian, Elamite and Babylonian languages which was crucial in the deciphrement of cuneiform script. Continuation to Ali Sadr Caves, which will be visited on a boat, and in Lalegin, a town famous for its pottery with plenty of opportunities for shopping. Arrival in Hamadan, which used to be one of the ancient world’s greatest centres, the famous city of Ecbatana, dinner and overnight.
Day 16: Kermanshah - Ganj Nameh - Teheran
After breakfast, the visits start with the tombs of Ester and Mordecai, the excavations of ancient Ecbatana, and the rock carvings from the 4th C. of Ganj Nameh. Departure to Teheran. Time at leisure. Dinner and overnight in Teheran.
Day 17: Teheran
Entire day to discover Teheran. The tour starts with the visit of Golestan Palace, the oldest historic monument of Teheran and seat of the Qajar rulers. Visit of the Bazaar, the widest of whole Iran, then visit of the National Museum of Iran, displaying more than 6000 years of history, then to the Carpet Museum. Head towards Borj-e-Azadi (the freedom tower), built in 1971 for the 2500th anniversary of the Persian empire, and to Saadabad Palace, built by Pahlavi Dinasty, which became a museum after the 1979 revolution. Dinner and overnight in Teheran.
Day 18: Teheran - Departure
Transfer to airport for the return flight.
End of services.
