Yerevan packs an extraordinary amount into a compact, walkable centre. The pink-tufa Republic Square is the obvious starting point — from there the city radiates out through Soviet-era boulevards, the Cascade's sweeping stairway, and the leafy streets of Kentron. Beyond the centre, the Erebuni hill holds the 2,800-year-old Urartian fortress that gives the city its name, while the Genocide Memorial on the western ridge offers a sobering counterpoint and a fine view of Mount Ararat.
The city's museums are unusually strong for its size. The Matenadaran holds one of the world's great collections of medieval manuscripts; the Cafesjian Center for the Arts turns the Cascade into a vast modern sculpture gallery; and a clutch of small house-museums preserve the studios of Armenia's leading painters and filmmakers.