As soon as we set foot in Yerevan, Armenia, we knew something was different from the working city of Tbilisi we had just left. So here is an honest review of the luxury vs local life in Yerevan.
Known as the ‘Pink City’ due to its buildings made from pink tuff, Yerevan is a striking blend of modern style and ancient tradition. Its dramatic backdrop of Mount Ararat only heightens to the sense of wonder.
Not only do these elements add to the city’s allure (and highlight the contrast we noticed), but so do its people. Yerevan is filled with youthful energy and some seriously fashionable people. We spotted hundreds of people donning street fashion worthy of a catwalk or simply being head-to-toe in premium brands. The city centre is very much a fashion editor’s dream. Dare I say the Kardashians may have left their mark here.
This elegant city offers plenty of variety: luxury dining and shopping strips, modern-design attractions and beautifully intricate street art.
However, after a 35-minute walk to find our accommodation (adding to the terrible luck we’d been having), we quickly escaped the glitz and glamour. Wandering through the ‘real’ Yerevan, we met friendly locals, passed vegetable stalls, and saw plenty of banged-up vehicles. A stark contrast to the polished centre lined with electric cars and selfie sticks.
The glamour versus the everyday Yerevan
As we wondered the centre, we couldn’t help but be enamoured by the city’s grandeur.
We visited Republic Square, the Cascade Complex, Vernissage Market and happened to stumble upon the National Opera and Ballet Theatre.
The Cascade Complex stood out as the most impressive. Home to an arts centre, it’s a striking series of steps layered with fountains, gardens and modern art installations. Being competitive, Connor and I raced to the top, taking in the view of the city at night.
With our accommodation based on the out-skirts, we could sneak peak more on how locals experience daily life. Bakeries were frequent with a delicious variety at extremely low prices. We fast found that these were the best places to get a hold of some great sweet snacks, with paklava being our top hit.
Walking the Armenian Market was also a good experience. A big warehouse housed market stalls filled with sweets, fruits, meats and varying jars of honey. Each vendor eagerly trying to pull in custom.
With fruits and vegetables widely grown across Armenia, weirdly enough the prices seemed quite expensive for locals. Majority of vendors would sells these per kilogram, so any large items would easily put someone out of pocket.
On the hunt for x2 single apples, I was quoted on two different occassions 2,000 AMD, which equated to £3.88! For two apples, how ludicrous. My 30+ plants a week challenge definitely took a hit whilst visiting Armenia.
We were chatting to a restaurant worker and whilst she said Yerevn was a nice city, it is much to expensive to live in. We certainly felt this when walking through both the luxury areas and then the everyday areas.
A beautiful monastery on the outskirts
We visited a beautiful monastery called Khor Virap on the outskirts of Yerevan, in the Ararat region.
Set against the majestic backdrop of Mount Ararat, the monastery fast became a key highlight of our trip to Yerevan and ultimately Armenia itself.
Khor Virap has a fascinating history too. Beneath the church lies a small stone-lined prison that once held a key figure in Armenian history: Saint Gregory the Illuminator, held there for 13 years.
The easiest way to reach Khor Virap is by private taxi. A round trip cost us 8,000 AMD from Sasuntsi David bus station. You can easily find the bus station if you walk through the underpass from the Sasuntsi David metro station.
Alternatively, you could also take a minibus from the same location (lines #453 or #454) for significantly less AMD (I think 250 AMD). Though these are infrequent (departures approx. 09:00, 14:00, and 18:00) and won’t take you all the way. You would have to get off at the village of Pokr Vedi which is 4km away from the monastery.
We planned to take the bus originally, but were then thankful we chose a taxi as it was far more convenient and saved us walking.
Our out-take
Overall, we only spent two days in Yerevan, with one of those days a trip to Khor Virap. Perhaps we didn’t stay long enough to understand the city better, but we unanimously found it disjointed, nuclear and somewhat superficial, despite the glamour.
Disjointed in the sense that the luxury isn’t reflective of the everyday citizen, with the city too expensive for locals. Nuclear as all core attractions were very close to each other meaning you could be ‘done’ site-seeing in a couple hours of walking. Finally, somewhat superficial, because everywhere you look a person would have their head buried in their smartphone or taking selfies. Indeed the luxury vs local life in Yerevan, seemed not to marry up very well.
Disclaimer, Khor Virap is not included in the above criticism.
