Yerevan gets pretty darn hot during the summer months. Locals are always on the lookout for the perfect spots to cool off.
Pools––usually attached to hotels––have become extremely popular for those trying to escape the heat in recent years, but if I'd have to choose one, it would be the Vahakni Pool and bar, located in the private residential suburb of Vahakni.
The pool area really feels more like a traditional American east-coast country club than a pool in Armenia. The fact that the clientele is primarily composed of expats (many of the embassy residences are located in the neighbourhood), and repatriated Armenians really enforced the area's cosmopolitan feel.
Plus, the pool itself is really beautiful and relaxing; waiters bring cocktails to you right in the pool. So there's that. I like taking my kids there for the day: they get to play in the water and I get to network, so it's a win-win. I'd also recommend the chicken wings at the pool bar: they take a long time to prepare but they're made of real chicken breast and are DELICIOUS.
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It truly is a Soviet masterpiece considering its unique design and build: it is part metro station, part cavern and, once upon a time, part cafe.
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"Ardēan": a center for art, architecture and design that has its gallery shop on Abovyan street in Yerevan. I like how they combine technology & tradition.
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The "Mermaids of the Underground" in Yerevan is a sculpture from 1981. The mermaids wear nothing but their hair, which was quite unusual for its time...
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The "Komitas Museum" in Yerevan is one of my favorite ones in the city. It gets me thinking about what Armenian music really is about...
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"Shengavit" is an impressive 6000-year-old settlement which is preserved even better than Yerevan's old town! It was an accidental discovery in the 1930s.
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"Melancholia" is a statue in Yerevan that truly expresses the feeling that has been increasingly affecting humankind in the last century...
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The "Cross-stone Makers" in Yerevan follow a tradition that goes back to 879 AD. The masters' metal tools on the stone create a meditative sound for me...
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"Calumet Ethnic Lounge Bar": THE place for good music in Yerevan. I don't come as often as I'd like to because of the smoke, but it's a must at least once.
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142 Insider Tips from our local Spotters
Authentic Stories by Real People
Escape the crowd & travel slow 🐌
✓ 142 Insider Tips from our local Spotters