What to see in Armenia: 9 must-sees

Discover the rock-cut monastery where light filters through natural windows, creating an interplay of light and shadow in a sanctuary venerated for 1,600 years. Geghard was founded in 303 by Saint Gregory the Illuminator, who preached in a natural cave that is now the monastery's principal chapel. The main church of the 13th century, carved into the mountain rock, keeps bas-reliefs of crosses, birds and human figures that show the mastery of Armenian craftsmen. The 14th-century refectory, the sacred water spring and the 11th-century rock paintings complete a complex that UNESCO inscribed on the World Heritage list in 2000. Monks bless water at the natural spring that wells out of the mountain, and the acoustics of the rock-hewn church create a resonance that lifts the liturgical chants to a transcendent level.

Peek into the world's first Christian cathedral, raised in 303 by Saint Gregory the Illuminator in Vagharshapat, the spiritual heart of Armenia. Here you will see frescoes, domes and treasures that sum up 1,700 years of Armenian Christianity, from the altar where, according to tradition, Saint Gregory saw the Only Begotten descend. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000, it remains the seat of the Catholicos and an active place of pilgrimage.

Behold the only surviving Hellenistic pagan temple in Armenia, a colonnade of 24 Ionic columns rising above a 100-meter precipice like a witness to pre-Christian Armenia. Built in the 1st century AD by King Tigranes the Great, Garni Temple was destroyed by an earthquake in 1679 and rebuilt between 1969 and 1975 using 3,000 original blocks and 1,500 new ones. The temple, dedicated to the sun god Mithra, is decorated with triglyphs, metopes and a frieze showing hunting scenes. The royal palace of the 3rd century BC, the Roman baths of the 2nd century AD and the caves of Christian monks complete the ensemble. The view from the temple, where the Azat valley opens toward the mountains, is one of the most spectacular in Armenia.

Climb the slope of Mount Aragats to Amberd Fortress, a 10th-century castle in Armenia's Aragatsotn Province. Walk its basalt stone walls, explore the watchtowers and peer into the gorge this defensive stronghold once protected. From its battlements you take in the peaks of Aragats and understand why this monument was pivotal in medieval Armenian military history.

Discover Lake Sevan, the largest in the Caucasus and the world's second-largest alpine lake after Titicaca, set at 1,900 meters above sea level in Gegharkunik. Swim at its beaches in summer, climb the stairway up to Sevanavank monastery and gaze at the mountains ringing the shore. Walk the peninsula's trails, watch waterbirds and try Sevan trout at the waterside restaurants.

Wander Republic Square in Yerevan, Armenia's neoclassical heart, ringed by buildings of pink tuff that light up at dusk. Stop by the dancing fountains, which stage shows of water, light and music on summer nights, then head up to the Cascade complex, where monumental stairways and contemporary art sculptures lead to views of Mount Ararat. Round off the walk at the Opera Theatre, a meeting point for the capital's cultural life.

Stroll through the History Museum of Armenia on Yerevan's Republic Square, where 400,000 archaeological pieces narrate the country's deep past. Admire Urartian sculptures, bronzes from the Erebuni fortress and contemporary art rooms. Compare Neolithic vessels with medieval jewellery and understand how each era left its mark on Armenian identity.