Fly from Nice to Yerevan

Half of all Armenians live in or around Yerevan. Such a concentrated population means that the city is buzzing with life and enjoys an incredibly rich culture. Yet the Armenian capital is still small enough to explore by foot, with plenty of sights to take in during a leisurely stroll, parks where you can play a game of chess with a local champion, and café terraces where you watch the world go by with your partner or the family.

The picturesque ancient city (founded twenty-eight centuries ago, if you please!) is a delight to visit, with thousands of charming and touching details, from the last wooden houses with peach-pink façades of the official buildings, not forgetting the craft shops and colourful markets. Yet, you cannot visit Yerevan without leaving the city, just long enough to discover the surrounding nature, to catch a glimpse of the eternal snows of Mount Ararat, to discover old monasteries and a Greek temple, to sit by a lake where the waters reflect the surrounding mountains. Both magnificent and magical!

• Start in Republic Square, the very centre of the city. What to see: beautiful buildings in pink and ochre tones, the Museum of Armenian History and large pools with 2,750 fountains. A magical experience after dusk has fallen.
• Take a stroll around Liberty Square. The Yerevan Opera House overlooks a huge esplanade, a lush park where many painters have held exhibitions, a number of cafés and Swan Lake, a large artificial pool frequented in fine weather by a few web-footed birds.
• Admire the Cascade complex without fear of getting wet. It's the city's most famous landmark: a monumental garden (572 steps) and a complex of four buildings housing a modern art centre. A lively, original place with magnificent views of Mount Ararat.
• Visit Tsitsernakaberd Park ("Swallow fort") to pay homage to the victims at the Armenian Genocide Memorial. After paying your respects at the twelve stela of the memorial and the two arrows symbolising the renaissance of the Armenian people, don't miss the museum to understand how and why, in 1915, the Ottoman empire massacred almost 1.5 million Armenians.
• Take a guided tour of the Matenadaran, the Institute of Ancient Manuscripts. The venue is home to a cultural treasure trove of 20,000 manuscripts and incunabula. This journey back in time is made all the more fascinating by the explanations given by an English-speaking guide.
• Visit two of the city's iconic places of worship. Firstly, Saint Gregory's Cathedral, dedicated to the Armenian evangelist: modern, austere, but impressive in its volumes. Then, the Blue Mosque, the last in the city, and its peaceful garden.
• Head out of Yerevan and, some thirty kilometres away, discover the Geghard monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Magnificent landscapes, medieval churches, cave tombs and a unique atmosphere await you.
• Swim, relax, sail or paddle on Lake Sevan, the second largest mountain lake in the world. "A piece of sky that fell to earth among the mountains” according to Maxime Gorki. Take the opportunity to visit the monasteries of Sevanavank or Hayravank.
• Step back two thousand years in time by visiting the Greek temple of Garni, the most flamboyant vestige of Armenian antiquity. As an added bonus, enjoy magnificent views over the mountains and gorges of the Khosrov forest.
• Taste Armenian cuisine and its specialities: mezzés that rival those of the Greeks, distinctive mountain cold meats, fish and shellfish from Lake Sevan, minced or grilled meats, local cheeses and honey pastries, all washed down with an excellent Armenian wine, pomegranate wine, fruit liqueur or craft beer. A true feast!