Echmiadzin

Echmiadzin (Էջմիածին), in Central Armenia, is Armenia's fourth-largest city. It was officially renamed Vagharshapat (Վաղարշապատ) in 1995, but the old name is still in common use colloquially and in some official contexts.

Understand
Echmiadzin is the seat of the Armenian Catholicos, head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It's usually visited as a day-trip from Yerevan, along with nearby Zvartnots.

Get in
Marshrutkas to Echmiadzin (line 203) start from the central (Kilikiya) bus station in Yerevan, at least every 30 mins, more often in busy periods, and take 20-30 mins. It is a fare of 250-300 dram, even if you get off early at the Zvartnots ruins. The end of the line in Echmiadzin is on the corner of Movses Khorenatsi street and Baghramyan street, near the Cathedral complex.

Get around
The tourist sights of Echmiadzin are easily accessible by foot. Zvartnots is 5 km east, back towards Yerevan: take a marshrutka (several alternatives to the 203 for this short hop) or taxi.

See
The following 5 monuments are listed as World Heritage Sights by UNESCO.

Buy
The Echmiadzin compound and the Hripsime cathedral area have bookstores/souvenir stores inside, with collections of religious gifts, icons, books, DVDs, crosses, jewelry, art, crafts, shirts, and other things. Worth popping in for a look.

Eat
Echmiadzin Kufte is beef ground to a fine paste, rolled into a big ball, and boiled; then it's soaked in melting butter. The town market ("shuka") is one of several places serving it.

Go next
You'll probably need to back-track to Yerevan to reach anywhere else.