Gyumri: a first-timer's guide to Armenia's second city

Why go

Gyumri has the best surviving collection of nineteenth century architecture in Armenia, built when it was the Russian garrison town of Alexandropol. Walking its streets, you see carved stone facades, wooden balconies and courtyards that feel a world away from Soviet era Yerevan. It is also a city of craftspeople, artists and storytellers, and Armenians love its jokes and its dialect.

Top things to do

Start in the **Kumayri historic district**, the heart of the old town, where hundreds of historic buildings line the streets around **Vardanants Square**. On the square stand the **Holy Saviour's Church**, rebuilt after earthquake damage, and the **Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God**, known locally as Yot Verk, the Seven Wounds.

The **Dzitoghtsyan Museum of Social Life and National Architecture** is set in a fine merchant's house and gives a vivid picture of the city's past. Art lovers should visit the house museum of the sculptor **Sergey Merkurov** and the museum of the painters **Mariam and Eranuhi Aslamazyan**. On the hill above the city, the circular **Black Fortress** is a nineteenth century Russian fort, and nearby the Mother Armenia statue looks over Gyumri.

Walk the streets around **Rustaveli Street** and **Abovyan Street** to find workshops of potters, blacksmiths and woodcarvers, many of them happy for visitors to look in. The central market is good for cheese, dried fruit and bread.

Day trips

The tenth century **Marmashen Monastery**, in a quiet river valley north west of the city, is one of the loveliest in Armenia and usually empty of crowds. **Harichavank**, a little to the south, has fine carvings and views. Mount Aragats, Armenia's highest peak, rises south east of Gyumri.

Eating

Gyumri has its own food culture, with hearty dishes such as khash in winter and a love of fish from the gorge restaurants. **Cherkezi Dzor** in a gorge on the edge of town is a long running fish restaurant with its own trout ponds, and the old style tavern **Poloz Mukuch** is popular for local dishes and beer. Local bakeries turn out excellent pastries.

Getting there and where to stay

Gyumri is about two hours from Yerevan by road, with regular marshrutkas, or by train on the South Caucasus Railway line. Shirak International Airport has some direct international flights, which can make Gyumri a convenient first or last stop. The city has small boutique hotels in historic buildings, guesthouses and hostels.

Practical tips

Gyumri sits at around 1,500 metres and is colder than Yerevan, with snowy winters. Some historic buildings are still damaged from the earthquake, so look but do not climb. The land border with Turkey near Gyumri has long been closed; check current official information if you hope to cross.

Suggested plan

Arrive mid morning, walk the old streets and Vardanants Square, visit the Dzitoghtsyan Museum, lunch at a local tavern, then take a taxi to the Black Fortress and Mother Armenia for views. Next morning, drive out to Marmashen before heading back to Yerevan. If you have more time, combine Gyumri with a drive over the mountains to Lori province. Winter visitors can join locals for a morning bowl of khash, a Gyumri tradition. Bring a warm hat if you come in the cold months.