Things to do in Yerevan

Landmark · Kentron

A vast limestone stairway climbing the hillside above the centre, doubling as a sculpture museum, with the city and Ararat laid out below.

Local tip: There are escalators inside the structure if the 570-odd steps are not the plan. Go on a clear morning — Ararat is usually hazed out by afternoon in summer.

Food · Kentron / Movses Khorenatsi

The covered produce market — walls of dried fruit, sujukh, spices, cheeses and pickled everything, with vendors who insist you taste before buying.

Local tip: The tasting is genuine hospitality, not a sales trap, but you will leave with more dried apricot than you planned. Cash or Idram; bargaining is expected.

Landmark · Kentron

The ceremonial heart of the city — pink and cream tuff facades, the History Museum, and musical fountains through the warm months.

Local tip: The fountain shows run on summer evenings and are a genuine local ritual rather than a tourist set-piece. The National Gallery upstairs in the same building is badly underrated.

Culture · Beside Republic Square

The weekend open-air market — carpets, Soviet cameras, khachkar carvings, silver, chess sets and a great deal of amiable haggling.

Local tip: Saturday and Sunday only, and best before noon. The carpet sellers at the far end are where the serious pieces are; ask about the region and the knot count.

Culture · Top of Mashtots Avenue

The repository of Armenian manuscripts — thousands of illuminated codices, some over a thousand years old, in a monumental building at the head of the main avenue.

Local tip: Take the guided tour rather than wandering. It is the single best hour for understanding why Armenians are so attached to their alphabet.

Nature · ~35 km east

A Hellenistic temple on a gorge edge, a monastery carved into the rock, and the basalt 'Symphony of Stones' columns below.

Local tip: Do the gorge walk down to the basalt columns — most tour groups skip it entirely and it is the best part. A driver for the half-day is inexpensive split between three or four.