Khor Virap
A small monastery beside the Turkish border with Mount Ararat filling the skyline. About 40 minutes south of Yerevan.
More day trips from Yerevan
Garni, Geghard and the Symphony of Stones are the classic first day trip from Yerevan. If you have more time, three other places come up again and again in tour listings: Khor Virap, Lake Sevan and Dilijan. This section covers each one, using the Armenian tourism committee’s pages and tour operators’ own itineraries.
They fall into two groups, and it helps to think of them that way.
Khor Virap is south of the city, in the Ararat Valley, about 40 minutes by road. It is a short monastery visit with a view of Mount Ararat across the border, so it is a good add-on rather than a day in itself. Operators pair it two ways. One adds it to Garni and Geghard in a day of around eight hours. The other pairs it with Noravank and the wine village of Areni, which makes a 7 to 8 hour southern circuit.
Lake Sevan and Dilijan lie to the north and north-east and are usually sold together. The itineraries we opened run from about 8 to 11 hours, so this is a full day. Sevan is the big lake and its hilltop monastery. Dilijan is forest, a pedestrian old street and the monasteries of Haghartsin and Goshavank. If you only want one, Sevan is about an hour from Yerevan and Dilijan about 1.5 hours.
None of the operator itineraries we opened combines Sevan or Dilijan with Garni in a single day, so budget a separate day for them.
If you are still deciding between the main trips, start with our day tours page, which compares what each tour includes. Our home page explains the Garni, Geghard and Symphony of Stones circuit that these trips are built around. For getting around, see getting there from Yerevan.
Lake Sevan
Armenia's largest lake, about an hour from Yerevan, with a ninth-century monastery on the peninsula. Often paired with Dilijan.
Dilijan
A forested town and national park about 1.5 hours from Yerevan, with Haghartsin and Goshavank monasteries close by. Often paired with Lake Sevan.
Questions people ask
Which day trip pairs best with Garni and Geghard?
Khor Virap is the natural add-on, because operators sell it alongside both. One group tour we opened visits Khor Virap, Geghard, the Symphony of Stones and Garni in about 8 hours, from 09:00 to 17:00.
Can you do Lake Sevan and Garni in one day?
None of the operator itineraries we opened combine them. The Sevan and Dilijan tours alone run from about 8 to 11 hours, so plan Sevan as its own day.
How long do the other day trips from Yerevan take?
Armenia's tourism committee gives about 40 minutes by road to Khor Virap, about one hour to Lake Sevan and about 1.5 hours to Dilijan. Sevan and Dilijan tours together run about 8 to 11 hours.
Compare Garni, Geghard and Symphony of Stones day trips from Yerevan in one place.
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