Armenia is a country teeming with history and artifacts and one of the best places to uncover this is at a museum. This is a guide to the top ten museums in Yerevan based on popularity and number of visitors.
Don’t forget that by purchasing the Yerevan pass, you will have access to over 40 museums for free! And every single Yerevan museum on this list is included.
Best Museums in Yerevan
One of the best-kept secrets in Yerevan is the sheer number of museums around the city that will give insight into Armenian history, culture, and more.
While every museum may not be meant for every person, there is definitely a museum in Yerevan meant for every person.
These 10 museums in Armenia will all have something unique to offer visitors.
Fortunately, if you are keen to do a little Yerevan sightseeing, you will see that the Yerevan Card has all of these museums included in the cost of the card (which is far more affordable than other city passes… trust us!)
Yerevan City Pass
If you’re looking for amazing discounts at restaurants and cafes, free public transportation, a complimentary taxi ride from Zvartnots Airport to the city center, and free entrance to most of the museums in Yerevan, you will want to most definitely invest in the Yerevan City Pass.
Aram and I both have one and we use them regularly around the Armenian capital city.
All of the museums on this guide are included in the free entrance and you can even get discounted tours to the Temple of Garni and more by purchasing one.
The best part is that you can pick it up directly once you arrive at the airport or right from their office by Republic Square.
>> Click here to purchase the Yerevan Card
Do You Need Travel Insurance for Armenia?
We highly recommend getting travel insurance for your trip to Armenia. We use SafetyWing, a Norwegian company specializing in affordable policies and vast coverage for our travels.
Armenia is really pretty safe but you never know what could happen no matter where you travel.
>> Click here to get an Armenia travel insurance quote
Do You Need a Visa for Armenia?
Armenia is visa-free for so many nationalities, but unfortunately not all. There are many websites online that offer visa services for Armenia but many of them are shady and not reliable.
We recommend getting your Armenia visa sorted via iVisa, a reputable company that offers visa support for many nations around the world.
>> Click here to apply for a visa to Armenia
10 Yerevan Museums Worth Visiting
History Museum of Armenia
Year opened: 1919
Address: Republic Square
Working days and hours: Tuesdays-Saturdays from 1100-1800 and Sundays from 1100-1700
Days closed: Mondays
Entrance ticket: 2000AMD (free with Yerevan Card)
Public transport: 1, 22, 33, 37, 44, 54, 58, 62, 63, 67, 68
This is one of the most famous museums in Armenia simply for its location and incredible collection of artifacts. The museum introduces Armenia and Armenian history and is considered to be of the utmost importance to the capital city.
The History Museum of Armenia houses the national collection of showpieces that are presented at exhibition halls of ethnography, archaeology, contemporary history, and numismatics.
The complex housing the items creates an entire picture of Armenian culture and history, ranging from prehistoric times to the 15th-century.
The cuneiform inscription states that Erebuni (Yerevan) city’s foundation began in 782BC as the world’s oldest shoe was discovered during excavation works in Areni Cave, as well as the uncommon, wooden ornamental door of Saint Arakelots Monastery.
You can find both in the History Museum of Armenia… and much more!
National Gallery of Armenia
Year opened: 1921
Address: Republic Square
Working days and hours: Tuesdays-Saturdays from 1100-1730 and Sundays from 1100-1630
Days closed: Mondays
Entrance ticket: 1500AMD (free with Yerevan Card)
Public transport: 1, 22, 33, 37, 44, 54, 58, 62, 63, 67, 68
The National Gallery of Armenia is the world’s biggest museum containing Armenian fine art and has the second most pieces from Hovhannes Aivazovsky’s collection.
The museum itself has around 40,000 items. Since 2008, the Gallery hosts interactive, educational programs inside.
The museum has 12 branches in Yerevan and in other regions of Armenia.
Inside of its Armenia, Russian, European, and Eastern thematic halls, you can admire the works of Martiros Sarian, Hovhannes Aivazovsky, Vardges Sureniants, Valentin Serov, Vasily Kandinsky, Donatello, August Rodin, Marc Chagall, and other prominent artists.
Matenadaran
Year opened: 1959
Address: 53 Mashtots Ave
Working days and hours: Tuesdays- Sundays from 1000-1700
Days closed: Mondays
Entrance ticket: 1500 AMD (free with Yerevan Card)
Public transport: 7, 16, 18, 23, 24, 27
Matenadaran was named after Mesrop Mashtots and is registered in UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
It consists of 15 demonstration halls that display thousands of artifacts including 20,000 ancient manuscripts, holistic manuscripts and fragments, old books, documents, and samples of precious bindings.
At Matenadaran, you can also find the largest book, Msho Charentir (1200-1202 AD) which weighs 27.5 kilograms in contrast to the smallest one, the Church Calendar from 1434 AD weighing just 19 grams.
“Ararat” Brandy Factory Museum
Year opened: 2000
Address: 2 Admiral Isakov Ave
Working days and hours: Tuesdays – Sundays from 1000-1700
Days closed: Mondays
Entrance ticket: 4500 – 10000 AMD (free with Yerevan Card)
Public transport: 5, 23, 29, 47, 67, 68
The Ararat Museum is situated inside the Yerevan Brandy Company’s factory which was acquired by industrialist Nikolay Shustov.
This is where you can study the process of making cognac as well as trying Armenia’s famous brandy.
To be honest, we really think that trying Ararat brandy is one of the essential things to do in Yerevan and that everyone should partake in the experience of doing so.
Armenia has become symbolic for its brandy production and it is an important part of the history of the country. You can take a tour of the museum and learn a lot about the famous beverage.
Ter-Ghazaryan’s Micro-Art Museum
Year opened: 2018
Address: 8 Abovyan Street
Working days and hours: Tuesdays – Sundays from 1000-1700
Days closed: Mondays
Entrance ticket: 2000 AMD (free with Yerevan Card)
Public transport: 41, 13
Although Ter-Ghazaryan’s Micro-Art museum is one of the most recently opened museums of Yerevan, it has become very popular and famous within the city of Yerevan.
The main exhibition of the museum includes the micro-works of grandfather and grandson Eduard Ter-Ghazaryans which have been placed on specially designed lighting pedestals.
The micro-creations of the elder Eduard Ter-Ghazaryan really showcase the mastermind and genius abilities this grandfather and grandson had.
If you’re looking for something a little different to do and want to still explore one of the newer museums in Yerevan, this is an excellent option.
Sergey Parajanov Museum
Year opened: 1988
Address: Dzoragyugh Ethnographic District, 15/16 House
Working days and hours: daily from 1030 – 1700
Entrance ticket: 1000 AMD (free with Yerevan Card)
Public transport: 5, 23, 26, 33, 47, 62, 67, 68
Sergey Parajanov’s Museum is dedicated to the decorated and well-known Armenian filmmaker, artist, and writer.
The museum is one of the most popular ones in Yerevan and it represents the artistic, literary, multi-layered and diverse heritage of Parajanov.
The collection includes 600 works which include assemblages, flat and three-dimensional collages, dolls, drawings and film sketches, furniture, personal things, and more.
Much of it was transferred from Tbilisi to Yerevan when Sergey was still alive.
Throughout the museum’s existence, a large number of items has been added and at this very moment, the number of items is 1500.
“Erebuni” historical-archeological Museum-Reserve
Year opened: 1968
Address: 38 Erebuni Street
Working days and hours: Tuesdays – Sundays from 1030 – 1630
Days closed: Mondays
Entrance ticket: 1000 AMD (free with Yerevan Card)
Public transport: 1, 16, 37, 39, 41, 46, 58
The Erebuni Museum presents the history of Yereven’s foundation and the archaeological excavations of Arin Berd, Karmir Blur, and Shengavit territories. It was founded in honor of Yerevan’s 2750th birthday.
Currently, the museum has two branches: ‘Shengavit” and “Karmir Blur”. The Yerevan History Museum is considered to be an important Urartuological center.
The building symbolizes the construction of an Urartian Palace and preserves the principle of the people’s houses with external soundproof walls and a smooth roof surrounding and internal yard.
More than 12,000 archaeological artifacts are introduced to the public at the Erebuni Museum. The items have been found in various regions and places in Armenia from pre-Urartian, Urartian, Hellenistic, and even early periods of time.
The most important piece on exhibit is the ‘Birth Certificate of Yerevan’.
Yerevan History Museum
Year opened: 1931
Address: 1/1 Argishti Street
Working days and hours: Mondays – Saturdays from 1100 – 1730
Days closed: Sundays
Entrance ticket: 500 AMD (free with Yerevan Card)
Public transport: 26, 29
The city of Yerevan is the 12th capital of Armenia. Founded in 782 BC by King Argishti and under the name ‘Erebuni’, the city of Yerevan is one of the oldest capitals in the world.
The Yerevan History Museum details the entire history of old and new Yerevan. This is a great museum to hit up if you’re visiting Yerevan in winter.
There are approximately 94,000 items that have been gathered during the city’s existence and it gives us a better understanding of ancient Yerevan as well as how things have transpired and made the city into what it is today.
Among the pieces on show at this museum in Yerevan are archaeological, ethnographic, and numismatic collections of items, art, and photos.
Aram Khachaturyan Museum
Year opened: 1982
Address: 3 Zarobyan Street
Working days and hours: Mondays – Fridays from 1100 – 1700 and Saturdays from 1100 – 1630
Days closed: Sundays
Entrance ticket: 800 AMD (free with Yerevan Card)
Public transport: 1, 8, 13, 16, 18, 35, 37, 45, 47, 57, 58
This museum was named after Aram Khachaturyan, a famous Armenian composer from the 20th-century. There are more than 18,000 valuable items inside that are dedicated to his life and his art.
You will find photographs, letters, books, musical scores, music manuscripts, records, films posters, and personal documents inside of the Yerevan museum.
Inside the showroom, you will get to see interactive displays of his life accompanied by his brilliant music. You can watch movies and listen to records from Khachaturyan.
He was considered to be the mastermind behind the Armenian ballet, symphony, concert, and music scene.
Some of his most famous works include ‘Sabre Dance’ or ‘Suserov Par’ from the ‘Gayane’ ballet performance… which gave him great fame later.
Martiros Sarian House-Museum
Year opened: 1967
Address: 3 Saryan Street
Working days and hours: daily from 1100 – 1800
Days closed: Thursdays
Entrance ticket: 1000 AMD (free with Yerevan Card)
Public transport: 1, 5, 23, 24, 26, 27, 37, 44, 44, 44, 47, 54, 58
The final museum in Yerevan on our list is the Martiros Saryan Museum which celebrates the life and works of the famous Armenian artist. He is considered to be the founder of the Armenian School of Painting. He has more than 300 creative works that are chronologically introduced to visitors at the museum.
His paintings allow us to realize that art is not just a reflection of reality but rather a way to develop imagination.
The interesting fact is that the house museum was created during his lifetime as an artist. The museum sits on Yerevan’s renowned Saryan Street.
Where to Stay in Yerevan
There are many options of where to stay in Yerevan but we tend to stay loyal to our favorites. Our top three picks are good for any type of budget. Here is where we recommend staying in Yerevan:
The Alexander (Splurge): This hotel is the most luxurious in Armenia. They have amazing rooms and amenities and it will make you feel pampered all while being a stone’s throw away from Republic Square.
They have a really nice cigar bar inside that Aram and I have enjoyed before. Click here to check rates and availability.
Daniel Boutique Hotel (Mid-range): If you’re looking for an affordable place with comfort and amazing hospitality, Daniel Boutique Hotel is your best bet.
The Yerevan property exudes charm and has a stellar location for its price. Click here to check rates and availability.
Grand Hostel (Budget): There are many great properties in Yerevan for those on a budget but we really love Grand Hostel because the hostel is spacious, clean, and has private rooms and dorms.
The family that runs it is fantastic and so hospitable. Click here to check rates and availability.
There are some really great museums in Yerevan that are worth visiting on your trip to Armenia’s beautiful capital city. If you have any museum suggestions, please drop them in the comments for us.