Which one to choose in Yerevan
Two churches in Yerevan. Etchmiadzin Cathedral has 1 ticket or tour to book; Kecharis Monastery has 1 ticket or tour to book. The table and the two notes below put them side by side; the full pages have what to see, the ticket and the timing for each.
Yerevan, Armenia
Entry to the cathedral and the grounds is free. The treasury museum, which holds the Holy Lance, a fragment said to be from Noah's Ark and relics of the apostles, charges a small ticket and is worth it. Etchmiadzin, officially Vagharshapat, lies twenty kilometres west of Yerevan, half an hour by marshrutka from the Kilikia terminal for a fraction of a dollar or by taxi for a few thousand dram.
Yerevan, Armenia
Kecharis Monastery stands in the ski resort town of Tsaghkadzor, in central Armenia, about an hour's drive north of Yerevan, on the slopes of Mount Teghenis, and entry is free. It is one of the most important medieval monasteries in Armenia, set among pine forests. Tsaghkadzor, whose name means valley of flowers, is a popular resort for skiing in winter and hiking in summer, and visitors often combine the monastery with a cable car ride up the mountain and with Lake Sevan, about half an hour away.
| Etchmiadzin Cathedral | Kecharis Monastery | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Cathedral | Monastery & Abbey |
| Height | 27 m | — |
| Opened | 303 | 1001 |
| Tickets and tours on GetYourGuide | 1 | 1 |
| Official website | yes | — |