24 hours in Yerevan: what to see

Republic Square sets a good start to the day: the heart of the city, surrounded by buildings in pink tufa characteristic of Armenian architecture, hosts dancing fountains that light up with music and light games in the evening.

A few steps away is the Vernissage, the weekend open-air market where artisans sell carpets, hand-carved musical instruments, and objects made of local volcanic stone.

Continuing you reach the Matenadaran, the institute that houses one of the world's most important collections of ancient manuscripts, testimony to the long tradition of Armenian literature.

For lunch, the restaurants around Republic Square offer khorovats and the other dishes of Armenian roasted meat, often accompanied by local brandy.

For the final part of the day, the Cascade, the monumental staircase in limestone that connects the center to the hillside neighborhoods, dotted with sculptures of contemporary art and conceived also as an open-air museum.

On the hill of Tsitsernakaberd, the Armenian Genocide Museum rigorously reconstructs the history of 1915, in a memorial that has become a place of national pilgrimage.

As evening falls, heading back to the center, the restaurants around Republic Square remain the most convenient option for dinner, with illuminated fountains providing the backdrop.

Republic Square, Vernissage, and Matenadaran already compose Yerevan's cultural identity, while an afternoon choice between the Cascade and the genocide memorial brings the contemporary artistic or historical side.

Khor Virap monastery, with Mount Ararat in the background, remains an almost obligatory chapter for a second journey. Watching Mount Ararat snow-capped at the horizon from the top of the Cascade condenses Yerevan into a single scene.