Yerevan - A Journey from Vernissage to the Pool Complex

Hello everyone. During our visit to Yerevan we visited many interesting places. First we went to the Vernissage market. We also visited a complex with a pool, saw how a beach holiday can be enjoyed in Yerevan, stopped by a restaurant offering Armenian cuisine and I want to share many other interesting places and memories with you.

Our tour started right in front of the Vernissage market. The market is located in the city center, within walking distance from Republic Square. It’s a very popular tourist spot. You can find everything here: souvenirs, clothes and food. People come here to both explore and shop. You can also find various antiques. I saw a lot of jewelry and paintings.

We entered the market as our starting point. It’s called Vernissage and there are countless stalls where you can buy something. I even saw some old medals, t-shirts, hats and shorts. The first section we visited was the clothing area. The clothes were generally predictable, so we started looking for something more interesting, like souvenirs.

There was a very wide selection of silver rings. You can buy beautiful necklaces and bracelets. I loved the copper coffee pots. I had seen something like this when I was a child and it reminds me of old times. Here you can find both second-hand products and new items. There are also icons and paintings. Honestly, we just entered, but we were already overwhelmed by where to look first. We started picking out things as we walked around.

We saw a section that sold barbecue and skewer sets. There were skewers, knives, flasks and playing cards. There was even a large knife, probably for cutting meat. I think these kinds of souvenir sets would make a perfect gift for a celebration. There were even gold-plated goblets and they looked really beautiful. As we learned these types of sets start from around 200 Euros. Some are cheaper and some are more expensive.

The market also has a huge painting section. Many people who go on vacation like to buy a painting of the country or city they visit to hang up at home. There are paintings of animals, waterfalls, ocean views and Mount Ararat. This would be a perfect option to buy and hang on your wall to remember your trip to Armenia. I also saw some amazing paintings of lakes. We never brought a painting back from our holidays, but I remember there were a lot of paintings in Zanzibar. Yes there were really so many and the paintings make great souvenirs. I even think they could be a gift for someone. There they were painting and selling these on the rocks by the beach. The options were incredible. Here, there are also very colorful paintings of old city views and the quality of the drawings is really high. You can also find maps, plates, souvenir shot glasses and icons. And flasks and shot glasses are sold. There are different pitchers and cups. I think these are for tea or coffee. They are probably used for coffee. It would be so nice to have your morning coffee with such a beautiful cup.

My favorite thing is that all these souvenirs are new. Not second-hand, but brand-new products. There are also interesting bags and backpacks. There are even wallets and these are probably handmade. There was even a carpet-patterned neck pillow for use on a plane.

If you like us, love souvenirs and handmade products, you can spend hours here. Because the options are endless and you can’t decide what to buy.

There are snack areas and restrooms here as well. Overall this place is equipped for you to comfortably spend the whole day. You can buy tea, coffee, ice cream and freshly squeezed fruit juices. Everyone recommends coming here on weekends, but honestly, I think it gets really crowded if you come on the weekends. Of course, more stalls might be open. Even though many stalls look similar, you can still find new original and unique things in most places.

There is a section here dedicated entirely to metal products. I think these are cutlery sets, truly souvenir items. By the way, we collect spoons and we bought something with Armenia written on it. There were also beautiful earrings, necklaces and stone-studded pieces. I saw a traditional Armenian headpiece. It looked beautiful. It looked really great with decorations and embellishments. I would have loved to buy something like this for photoshoots. So stylish, really amazing. There are also traditional clothes available.

We reached the end of the market, but friends, we only explored one row. So, if you want to visit each row individually, you’d need to spend at least two to three hours here. There is a small fountain here. If you walk a little further, you will reach Republic Square. It’s great that this market is right in the center because all the tourists who come to the city center stop by this market to buy nice items and souvenirs.

There’s also another cafe on the way. They sell kvass from a barrel there and there’s ice cream as well. Honestly, it was no surprise that people recommended us to come here. I really liked it.

I saw ceramic products here. They are probably handmade, with cups and teapots. We had seen similar ones before, but here, there’s a whole corner dedicated to these products. Various pitchers, cups and very beautiful patterns. We had walked around so much that we even got a bit lost. I can’t remember where we started, we entered another row. Overall, I think I’ve described what can be bought here. Of course, I didn’t mention everything because there are so many options. But now, we had to move on to the next stop because we had more things on our plan.

We crossed the street opposite the market and here, small parks and fountains continue. There are green areas. The weather was so hot that I was really glad we decided to go to the pool complex today. Well more specifically, the swimming pool complex. Because I think it was at least 35 degrees. It was so hot. It was very humid outside and walking in the sun was a bit difficult. But there are fountains here to cool down. I mentioned before, friends, almost every corner has these fountains and this is a huge advantage for Yerevan, especially in the heat. Yes, it really refreshed me and the water was great.

We wandered a bit more in the center and then we called a taxi because we needed to head towards our place, the area where our house is. I really liked these green areas and the center. Everywhere is lush and green, people are renting scooters and cruising around. They are riding electric bikes and enjoying the beauty, fountains and parks. You really feel comfortable in the center of Yerevan. Also, we were slowly planning to travel to Lake Sevan. We learned that the lake is really huge and we didn’t even know which part to visit. We were told that this is the Armenian Sea and people come here for a beach holiday in the summer.

Also I wanted to try a properly prepared hash. But people said it wasn’t a dish for the summer because it contains garlic and needs to be eaten hot, so it could be really hot. Maybe it would be a better idea to order it when the weather cools down. I was really curious about how it would taste.

Then we went to the Pool complex. The name of this complex is Venis Swimming Pool. It really gives a Venetian atmosphere. We preferred to rent a bungalow. By the way music was playing by the pool and it really had a Beach Club vibe. Here, there’s not just a pool, but it feels like there’s a sea atmosphere as well. Also they told us that this hotel is four stars and will be fully operational in two months. People will stay at the hotel and relax by the pool.

Since there is no sea in Yerevan, this kind of holiday setup is a real lifesaver. Loungers, music, a bar and restaurants... This is a great place for a summer holiday in every way. The place is very spacious and there is enough room for everyone. Even that day, it was half full. Also, it’s very close to the city center. We arrived in just 10 minutes by taxi and shopping malls are nearby. This is a very beautiful place. And the hotel being built here is really right here, so you can even book a hotel for a few days for the weekend and stay here. You can relax by the pool, rest on the sunbeds and definitely have a great vacation.

Music was playing and everyone was having fun. We immediately wanted to order a few drinks. We looked at the cocktail and food menu. There were pizza, burgers, pasta and salads. Since I hadn’t had pizza in a while, I preferred to get a pizza. There’s really a beautiful atmosphere here. The pizza with a lot of cheese and the sandwich made with beef were really appetizing, especially with such a variety of ingredients. The smoothie made with blueberries was the perfect choice for the hot weather, really refreshing and full of vitamins.

We were planning to visit the Armenian restaurant that was recommended to us and it was also somewhere in the center. But we decided to take a walk first, because we needed to do something a bit different before dinner. When we reached Northern Avenue, this is one of my favorite places in Armenia, it really has a peaceful atmosphere and local tourists are walking around here. There are also many musicians who come and play the guitar. There are small shops where you can buy ice cream, tea and coffee.

As for dinner we stopped by a restaurant on Tumanyan Street. The restaurant was very nice and meats were being cooked outside, with a wide variety of flavors on the menu. The dishes were really delicious: Napoleon kebab, meat rolls and even pig’s leg, everything was great. The prices were really reasonable. The food at the restaurant was so delicious that we filled ourselves up and took the leftovers with us.

When the bill came, all these amazing dishes with wine cost a total of 60 euros. Considering the size of the portions and the central location of the place, this price was very reasonable. Then we went into a store, bought some water and headed back home. With that I come to the end of this post. I hope you liked it. See you again soon.

Khash

Be very happy that you didn't try it in the end! It's an interesting food to say the least, but highly likely something you would not have enjoyed in the slightest. Especially from a restaurant where you'd be likely paying a fair price for it. My girlfriend's Armenian and her family were always having get-togethers with it since it's quite a cultural thing to have. So many days of waking up early in the morning to have khash with them, which despite the time would be met with all the men in the family having vodka with it. I'm pretty sure most of my time in Armenia over almost a year was spent somewhat tipsy! But the taste: it's like eating yeast with chicken broth/chunks that have been boiled. And if that wasn't enough, you're meant to crumble dried lavash into it which makes it extra sticky and bread-y. ;^)

We're heading back to Armenia on Friday, I can't wait! I miss all of that stuff so much (less so the khash and vodka mixed together). Yerevan is such a nice city to walk through, so much to see and do within such a small place. I think that Tbilisi's heavy car reliance is something I can't get used to. I miss those days of grabbing coffee somewhere in Yerevan, walking around and going to book shops, art galleries, and museums within the same day.

By the way, did you visit the market on the weekend? On Sundays in particular it becomes incredibly busy with far more things being sold.