from 7 reviews
5 hours
Daily Tour
Armenian, English, Russian
The Garni, Geghard and Symphony of Stones tour is the most popular day trip from Yerevan and for good reason. In five hours you move through three completely different experiences: a pagan temple older than Armenian Christianity itself, a geological wonder that looks like nature built a cathedral organ from stone, and a medieval monastery carved directly into the face of a cliff. All three sites sit within 40 km of Yerevan., which makes this the easiest way to go from the capital to something that genuinely stops you in your tracks.
This is a private tour, which means the vehicle, the guide, and the schedule are yours alone. If you want to spend an extra twenty minutes at the Symphony of Stones or skip down to the riverbank, you can. No group waiting, no fixed pace.
1.Our first stop is the Arch of Charents, also known as the Arch of Ararat. This is a unique sightseeing spot from where one can have a breathtaking view of the biblical Mount Ararat.
2. The second stop is the Garni Pagan Temple. Garni is the only preserved pagan temple in Armenia. It was built in the 1st century AD and later served as a summer residence for the Armenian kings after the country adopted Christianity. The temple is surrounded on three sides by a deep canyon, and nearby you can witness the stunning geological formation known as the “Symphony of Stones” — columnar basalts created by ancient volcanic activity.
The tour also includes a walk down to these majestic natural formations, where you’ll find the Azat River and enjoy the surrounding beauty of the landscape. The monument consists of huge symmetric hexagon and pentagon basalt columns (about 50 meters high). These stones hanging against the gravity resemble an organ, which explains why it is also referred to as “Basalt Organ Pipes”.
3. Our final stop is the Geghard Monastery, a partly cave-carved monastery dating back to the 13th century. “Geghard” means “spear” – a reference to the spear that pierced the body of Jesus during the crucifixion. The monastery was named after this sacred relic, which was once kept here. Today, the spear is preserved in the religious center of Armenia, the Holy See of Etchmiadzin.
Geghard is set among dramatic cliffs and rivers, and its uniqueness lies in its architecture – a large portion of the complex is carved directly into the rock. Thanks to this, the acoustics inside are remarkable, and you might be lucky enough to hear traditional Armenian spiritual songs performed in the monastery.
The Garni Geghard route is one of those combinations that works for almost every kind of traveler. History lovers get two millennia of Armenian civilization in one morning. Nature lovers get the gorge, the river, and the basalt columns. And anyone who has ever wondered what it feels like to stand inside a church that was not built but cut from the mountain – the UNESCO-listed Geghard Monastery answers that question in a way no photograph really prepares you for. Entrance to Garni Temple costs 1,500 AMD. The Symphony of Stones has a small entry fee of 300 AMD. Geghard Monastery is free to enter. Lunch can be added to your tour for 6,500 AMD.
All private tours can be changed upon request.
“If you’d like to add a lavash baking masterclass to this route, see our Garni, Geghard & Lavash Baking tour.”
Garni Temple is 28 km from central Yerevan, about 40 minutes by car. Geghard Monastery is another 7 km up the gorge from Garni.
Yes, Geghard has no entrance fee. Garni Temple costs 1,500 AMD and the Symphony of Stones costs 300 AMD — both can be added as extras when booking your tour.
Yes. The tour runs approximately 5 hours, making it a comfortable morning trip from Yerevan. You will be back in the city by early afternoon.
Wear comfortable shoes — the path to the Symphony of Stones involves a downhill walk on uneven ground. Women are asked to cover their shoulders and knees inside the monastery. Scarves are usually available at the entrance.
A natural formation of hexagonal basalt columns up to 50 meters tall, formed by slowly cooling volcanic lava. So geometrically regular they look man-made — locals call it the Basaltic Organ. It sits at the bottom of the Azat River gorge, a short walk below Garni Temple.
Your private driver and guide meet you at your hotel in Yerevan. Garni is just 28 km from the city — one of the closest great half-day trips available from any capital in the region.
First stop at the most iconic pagan monument in Armenia — the only surviving Hellenistic colonnaded temple in the entire former Soviet Union. Built in the 1st century AD by King Trdat I, dedicated to Mihr the sun god, and funded in part by the Roman Emperor Nero. Destroyed by earthquake in 1679 and meticulously reconstructed between 1969 and 1975. Inside the complex you can also see the royal bathhouse with its extraordinary mosaic floor made from 30,000 individual stones — including one of the only surviving inscriptions in Armenian that reads: we worked and got nothing, believed to be the complaint of the craftsmen who built it. Views from the cliff edge across the Azat River gorge are spectacular.
Walk down into the Azat River gorge to the Symphony of Stones — a dramatic natural formation of thousands of hexagonal and pentagonal basalt columns up to 50 meters tall, created by slowly cooling lava flows millions of years ago. The columns are so geometrically perfect they look like the pipes of a giant cathedral organ, rising from the riverbed. One of the most photogenic natural phenomena in Armenia and one of the most striking geological sites in the entire Caucasus.
Drive 7 km up the gorge to Geghard — one of Armenia's most extraordinary monuments and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Part of the monastery is carved directly into the living rock of the cliff face — chambers, chapels and khachkars cut from the stone itself. Founded in the 4th century and rebuilt in the 13th century, Geghard once held the spear that pierced Christ's side at the crucifixion, brought here by the Apostle Thaddeus — giving the monastery its name Geghardavank, Monastery of the Spear. The acoustics inside the rock-cut chambers are extraordinary.
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