How to Visit Geghard Monastery & Garni Temple on a Day Trip From Yerevan

Visiting Geghard Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and Garni temple is a popular and easy day trip from Yerevan. Here is everything you need to know on how to do it yourself.

Why Visit Geghard and Garni Independently on a Day Trip?

We always recommend doing things on your own rather than taking a tour. By doing this you determine your own schedule and you don’t have to stop at a craft shop or cultural village along the way. You don’t have to wear a name tag or follow Tracy the tour leader carrying her cute teddy bear on a stick. If that’s your thing though, rock on!

Geghard monastery is located only 40 km outside of Yerevan and you’ll pass Garni temple on the way. So it makes perfect sense to combine the two on an easy day trip from Yerevan.

The drive to Geghard takes about an hour through stunning scenery and having your own driver you can stop for photos whenever you want. We organized a driver who came to pick us up at our Airbnb at 8:00 and we were back in Yerevan just after 13:00.

While you can also do this independently by public transport we value the convenience of having a driver, especially since we were short on time.

Where to Find a Driver to Go to Geghard

Many drivers are offering their services in Republic Square. These drivers will have banners displaying popular destinations on their cars, but they will take you anywhere. We walked from car to car, and after asking about a day trip to Geghard and Garni, we found out that they all asked the same price. The fixed price seems to be 15 000 dram for this kind of trip.

In the end, we decided to go with someone who gave us good vibes. He had limited English (maybe we should learn Armenian next time 😝) but was very friendly, and we arranged for him to pick us up from our apartment the next day.

Unfortunately, we forgot his name. We did ask, but the Armenian was tough on our foreign ears, so I saved his name as Geghard Taxi on my phone. So the number for Geghard Taxi is +374 98 565 104. You can also contact him on WhatsApp or Viber. Like most of the other drivers at Republic Square, he also offers multi-day transport to places such as Tatev, Noravank, and even Artsakh.

If this sounds too complicated, this tour follows pretty much our exact itinerary.

Should I Visit Garni or Geghard First on my Day Trip?

We left our Airbnb just off Republic Square at 8:00 sharp. We stopped for photos twice before reaching Garni Temple, which was still closed when we arrived. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise. So we decided to continue towards Geghard and visit Garni on our way back to Yerevan.

When we arrived at Geghard Monastery, we were the only visitors there and had the whole church complex to ourselves for more than an hour. After about an hour, a few Armenian churchgoers showed up, adding another dimension to the empty church we have enjoyed so far. The priest held a service, swung his incense burner around and cloaked the whole church in incense. We felt privileged to be the only visitors to have seen this intimate ceremony.

About two hours after arriving, the first tour buses showed up, which was our cue to leave. Most of the people on these buses might actually be foreign Armenians or locals, so we are sure it won’t be Disneyland.

It seems that the tour buses all visit Garni first and then move on to Geghard.

Geghard Monastery

Hours: 08:00-20:00
Entrance: Free
Time: Around 2 hours

Armenia was the first country to adopt Christianity in 301 AD, and age-old monasteries are scattered throughout the country. We chose to visit Geghard, one of the main monasteries and very easy to reach from Yerevan.

Gegardavank (Monastery of the Spear) was founded in the 4th century, and the main chapel was built in the 13th century. Previously known as the Cave Monastery, it changed its name after the spear that pierced Jesus on the cross was brought here. The spear was kept here for about 500 years before it was moved to the Etchmiadzin Cathedral in Vagharshapat.

The setting is spectacular. As you approach the monastery in the upper Azat Valley, the scenery changes from dry and yellow to lush and green. The mountains hug the road more closely, and then the road ends at Geghard.

At first sight, it seems as if the monastery is a part of nature. Constructed from the same rock as, and even hewn from the surrounding mountains, Geghard might as well have been here since the beginning of time.

Katoghike

Katoghike is the main church and probably the first point of your visit. Other than some very intricate carvings on the outside, it is plain and the same colour as the surrounding mountains.

Entering the Katoghike you’ll step into the dim main hall of the church. Bare and monotone, this is medieval Armenian architecture at its best. The pillars support a spectacularly carved dome with an oculus that lets natural light in.

Venturing deeper into the church, you’ll find the Avazan rock-cut chamber and holy spring. Apart from the Katoghike, most of the complex is hewn out of rock. This reminded me very much of the Lalibela churches I’ve seen in Ethiopia. Some historians suggest that Armenian pilgrims carved the churches in Ethiopia.

The acoustics in these rock-cut chambers are out of this world. Before our visit, we saw videos online of choirs singing in these chambers and decided to try for ourselves—without the choir part, though. Respect and all that, you know.

So we hummed. Starting with a low hum, it soon felt as if the whole chamber was vibrating. And soon after, it felt as if we were vibrating on the inside. Absolutely amazing.

Also, make sure to explore the outside area of the monastery. Steps outside the church lead to more rock-cut chambers and some fine Armenian crosses carved into stone. Behind the church, towards the mountain, is a small bridge crossing the stream. Here, you’ll see masses of fabric pieces, handkerchiefs, socks, ribbons, string, and what else is tied to the tree branches. We don’t know what that means, though.

As we were leaving Geghard to continue to Garni, vendors were setting their stalls in the parking area. Here you can buy some snacks and souvenirs if you want.

Read more:
Perfect 2-day itinerary for Yerevan
Caucasus Itinerary
What Does Armenia Smell Like?

Garni Temple

Hours: 09:00-22:00
Entrance: 1000 Dram
Time: Less than 1 hour

The small Greco-Roman temple of Garni from the 1st century looks like it teleported from Greece and landed here on the edge of a canyon. After Armenia adopted Christianity as a state religion, all the pagan temples were destroyed.

For some reason, only the Garni temple survived the cull. The temple was mostly destroyed in an earthquake but was restored in the 1960s using the original stones. While the temple is small and empty inside, the setting is outstanding. Set on the edge of a ravine, it overlooks the Azat River valley and mountains.

By the time we got to Garni, it was already pretty busy (by Armenian standards), and we were glad that we had decided to go to Geghard first. No doubt all the other visitors were heading up to Geghard after finishing with Garni.

Back to Yerevan

Our driver offered to take us to Lake Sevan as well, but we had to be back in Yerevan at 13:00 for the Ararat Brandy tour. Doing a day trip to Geghard and Garni is easy and enjoyable, and anyone with more than 2 days in Yerevan and a pulse should consider it.