Exploring any city on your own as a traveler is exciting, but having seen it from a locals eyes is adventurous and knowledgeable. So I always look out for any free walking tours that a city might offer, and luckily, Yerevan Free Walking Tours offers many walking tours throughout a day. Check their website for all the options. I decided to go for the morning tour that starts at 10:30am from the Republic Square and lasts about 2.5-3 hours.
After breakfast at the hostel, I walked over to the post office to get a stamp in Postal Stamp Travelogue book. And it was about 15 mins walk from the post office to the entrance of History Museum on Republic Square, which was the meeting place for the morning tour.
Nushik was our tour guide for the day. Not all the places we visited are mentioned here because we feel that everyone should experience the walking tour. So here are some of the pictures from the tour:
[Government Building on Republic Square]
[Former government building that’s up for sale & unused]
[Entrance of History Museum in Republic Square]
[Drinking fountains everywhere in Armenia providing safe, clean drinking water]
[The small building in the center is former Iran Embassy, now unused]
[Republic Square Metro Station]
[Street art in an alleyway in Yerevan]
[Fountain at Charles Aznavour Square]
[Spider Art at Charles Aznavour Square]
[Saint Astvatsatsin Church]
[Armenian Opera Theater]
[Armenian Opera Theater]
[Intersection in Yerevan with Mother Armenia statue]
[Artists alley Yerevan]
[Lion art made out of tires]
[Art inside the Cascade building]
[Cascade Complex]
[Cascade Complex]
[Cascade Complex]
[Cascade Complex]
[Cascade Complex]
[Cascade Complex]
[Paintings of artist Harut Hovsepyan]
Our tour lasted more than the usual 2.5 hours and ended at the Cascade around 2pm. I walked back to the hostel with a stop at the local supermarket to pick up some salad & chips for lunch. It was a really hot & clear day, so I stayed in the hostel after lunch until about 5pm.
Stepped put of the hostel to walk around on Abovyan Street, which is home to very few remaining Belle Époque period structures of Republican Armenia. Art galleries across the street are beautiful and have everything from souvenir shops to modern galleries.
As the sun went down, walking along Northern Avenue was a delight. This pedestrian avenue was just opened in 2008 connecting Opera with Republic Square, the two hubs of central Yerevan.
[Abovyan Street]
[North Avenue, Yerevan]
Dinner was at the hostel with some fellow travelers who had prepared meals for them and me!
Costs
Note: All values in USD, unless otherwise mentioned, are approximate and based on the exchange rate of USD 1 = AMD 480 at the time of publishing. Each cost is for one adult.
| What | Cost | Notes |
| Tip to Walking Tour guide | $10.42 | AMD 5000 with Yerevan Free Walking Tours. |
| Postal Stamp | $1.18 | AMD 870 from main post office. |
| Lunch & snacks | $6.90 | AMD 3315. Salad, chips & coffee packs form SAS Store. |
| Total Daily Costs | $18.50 | Per person |
| Overall Costs | $190.33 | Per person |