Very often we want to go on an easy relaxing ride or there is a beginner in the group and we need to make it a relatively painless first trip. But it just happened so that Yerevan is surrounded by mountains on most of its ends with only 1/4th of the circle around the city being flat. So here are a few easy to medium routes that you can take from Yerevan.
To the South
Cycling to the south from Yerevan is the easiest thing to do. It’s both flat and there is both a highway with a wide shoulder and a secondary road parallel to the highway. So depending what is more comfortable for you and your companions you can choose to combine those two. I always recommend to take the highway going out and the secondary road on the way back.
You can cycle as far as you want however I recommend those three destinations:
Khor Virap Monastery
Relatively long ride to the Khor Virap Monastery where the famous Gregory the Illuminator was imprisoned. Great views of Ararat Mountain.
Round Trip: 87km | Elevation Up: 270m
Read more about Khor Virap Monastery trip here.
Artashat
While ancient Artashat used to be a powerful city and the capital of Armenia from 185 BC until 120 AD, modern Artashat can only boast about its ancient name. It’s located 13km away from Khor Virap (where the ancient Artashat was located) by the road. It’s a relatively big town where you can refresh & lunch.
Round Trip: 61km | Elevation Up: 240m
Dvin
If you are a history or an archaeology fan, you can visit the ruins of ancient Dvin. I recommend to read about it before the trip, otherwise you might just find yourself on a hill with nothing in sight to shed light on what you are looking at.
Round Trip: 69km | Elevation Up: 270m
Tips:
1. In Marmarashen along the secondary road there is a nice garden by the church where you can stop for rest.
2. In Artashat there is a nice newly opened cafe called Cafe the Avenue near the Church
3. There are many ‘tonirs’ where they bake fresh lavash along the secondary road. When you will smell it, stop and get some.
To the West
Vagharshapat or Ejmiatsin is home to the Cathedral and is the seat of the Armenian Catholicos. Several other churches are located here making the “spiritual capital” of Armenia. Skip the busy highway and take a secondary road going through the south-west of the city and heading for the town of Hayanist.
Round Trip: 56km | Elevation Up: 240m
To the North and North-West
Going to the north and north-west requires you to make more climbs but also offers more vegetation and diversity of the landscapes compared to the Ararat valley in the west and south. There are three main roads you can take in those directions.
Oshakan
You can cycle to Oshakan almost entirely avoiding any big roads. There is an old, almost abandoned road that can take you there. However, be warned that first you will have to pass some old factories and construction waste dumping sites, and then it will get you to a nice unpaved road. The last step before Oshakan is a beautiful canyon. The place is famous for being the burial ground of Saint Mesrop Mashtots who created the Armenian alphabet in 405.
Round Trip: 56km | Elevation Up: 570m
Ashtarak
To get to Ashtarak you just need to ride along the highway with good-to-ok shoulder. There is nothing spectacular along the road, however you can take time to explore the legend of 3+1 churches (when you know the legend, you will know why 3+1), an old 17th-century bridge as well as take rest and have lunch.
Round Trip: 42km | Elevation Up: 500m
Yeghvard
You will hardly find Yeghvard among tourist destinations however it has been inhabited from the very old times and there is a bunch of old settlements, ruins and standing monuments across the town. It’s also famous for its shoe factory built in Soviet times.
Round Trip: 38km | Elevation Up: 410m
Tips:
1. In Ashtarak you can stop at an outdoor cafe Pascal & Diodato, Old Ashtarak restaurant, Ashtarakats Maran
2. In Oshakan take an extra loop around the hill. In April-May it’s full of poppies. There are also old chapels and tombstones around the hill.
To the East
And finally to the East. While this could be a good 600m climb trip, with a trolleybus you can easily turn it into a light 200m climb trip to the Jrvezh Forest Park. Read the details here.
Round Trip: 18km | Elevation Up: 200m