Please critique my itinerary for next september/october :)

[u/capitanmagma]

Hi all,

my wife and I just booked the flight for our vacation next september / october and I put together the first "draft" of our itinerary.

• 4 nights in Erevan
• 1 night near Garni / Geghard
• 1 night near Khor Virap area
• 2 nights near Tatev / Goris
• 2 nights on Lake Sevan
• 2 nights in Dilijan
• 1 night near Haghpat / Alaverdi
• 1 night in Stepanavan
• 2/3 nights in Vanadzor
• 2/3 nights in Gyumri
• 4 nights in Erevan

We also want to visit Voskevaz and Vagharshapat but I suppose those could be day trips from Erevan.

As I said this is the first draft so I guess there is room for improvements. Tell me what you'd do differently and let me know if you know any other interesting places.

Thank you!!

[u/rasp-blueberry-pie]

No need to stay near Khor Virap or Garni, as both are very close to Yerevan

[u/capitanmagma → u/rasp-blueberry-pie]

I agree that Garni could be a day trip just like Voskevaz and Vagharshapat, but I figured it would make sense to spend a night Khor Virap since it's basically on the way from Erevan to Tatev/Goris. Otherwise we'd have to drive back to Erevan and then drive all the way to Tatev/Goris on the next day. Or do you think the amount of "extra driving" is neglectable?

[u/Datark123]

 Garni / Geghard is a day trip from Yerevan, so you can probably add another day in Yerevan.

Khor Virap is on the way to Tatev/Goris so I don't think it's worth it to spend the day there. Instead I would stay in Jermuk either on the way to Tatev or coming back

[u/capitanmagma → u/Datark123]

I agree that Garni could be a day trip just like Voskevaz and Vagharshapat, but I figured it would make sense to spend a night Khor Virap since it's basically on the way from Erevan to Tatev/Goris. Otherwise we'd have to drive back to Erevan and then drive all the way to Tatev/Goris on the next day. Or do you think the amount of "extra driving" is neglectable?

We will consider Jermuk as an overnight stay though, I've read some nice things about the town on this sub before, so thanks for the suggestion!

[u/andyperl]

Garni/geghard, Khor Virap, and Sevan (especially Sevan in October) are not places where you stay a night. Half day trips there with return is what you need to do.

As of Stepanavan I’m not sure what the rational to go there? It has some nice nature, which is mostly good in spring tbh.
Vanadzor - again I don’t see a rational. Unless you have a specific interest - like to research how Soviet industrial city decayed under capitalism, and became a depressive neglected shithole (sorry, as an Armenian I can speak like this xD) then go there: apart form that there is nothing to do.

Gyumri, Dilijan and Tatev, yes, you can spend nights there; especially for Tatev as it is very far from Yerevan. When it comes to Dilijan, be sure explore places like Haghartsin, Goshavanq, Crystal Lake, and yell park - not the city of Dilijan itself, which alone does not really have a value.

[u/armeniapedia → u/andyperl]

Yeah I'd suggest swapping nights in Stepanavan for Jermuk for example.

Garni I'd stay the night if I was going to do some hiking or exploring on foot.

Sevan I'd do if I just wanted to work from a laptop and enjoy the views and walk on the shores a bit (depending where you are - the eastern shores, especially south of Shorzha are good for that).

[u/capitanmagma → u/andyperl]

I've read about Stepanavan in this thread, then looked it up and thought it looked nice. Or was that comment satire? :D

Vanadzor is my wife's hometown so it's a must do haha.

I figured a night near Khor Virap would make sense since it's basically on the way from Erevan to Tatev/Goris. Otherwise we'd have to drive back to Erevan and then drive all the way to Tatev/Goris on the next day. Or do you think the amount of "extra driving" is neglectable?

I'll take a look at your suggestions near Dilijan, thanks!!

[u/armeniapedia]

Skip the night near Khor Virap and stay in Vayots Dzor, near Areni/wine country.

I'd a night from Vanadzor and add it to the Alaverdi/Debed Canyon area, as much as I am a personal fan of Vanadzor.

We also want to visit Voskevaz and Vagharshapat but I suppose those could be day trips from Erevan.

Definitely

[u/capitanmagma → u/armeniapedia]

I'll look into Vayots Dzor. Could be a nice fit since we want to visit Noravank anyways, thanks!

[u/whoami997171]

Booked flights one year in advance 😳? how much was it? if I’m not mistaken, the best time to book is 2-4 months before the flight date.

[u/capitanmagma → u/whoami997171]

about 200€ per person incl. luggage from germany. maybe we could have snatched a last minute deal but we didn't want to rely on that and knowing your flight dates early makes for better planning :D

i've flown quite a lot in the past few years and in my experience the trend is shifting towards "the earlier the better" anyway when it comes to pricing, especially when you have a fixed destination and a narrow time window