Looking for a refreshingly different summer holiday destination?
Mount Ararat, alpine Lake Sevan and the UNESCO-listed Geghard Monastery await, as direct flights are launching from London to the Armenian capital of Yerevan. From 12 June 2026, Bulgarian budget airline Wizz Air will operate the flights from London Luton Airport (LTN) to Zvartnots International Airport (EVN).
Combined with visa-free entry for Brits, the news is sweeter than Armenian gata pastry for adventurous travellers with a yen for the Caucasus range.
The five-and-a-half-hour flight will initially depart Luton at 2.25pm and Zvartnots at 11.10pm every Monday and Wednesday. The three- or four-hour time difference means nocturnal arrivals at both ends: 10.35pm to Yerevan and 1.35am to London.
It’s currently possible to book a return flight in July through the Wizz Air website for less than £250.
Carriers including Lufthansa, Air France and Austrian Airlines already served the route, but the indirect flights take around 10 hours.
Pencil in the following five highlights of this richly cultural and historical Central Asian neighbour of Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Iran.
Feast on dolma in Yerevan
Dominated by snow-capped Mount Ararat, the lively Pink City spans out from the neoclassical tuff buildings ringing Republic Square to boulevards worthy of Paris and brutal Soviet high rises. Get your historical bearings at the History Museum of Armenia, home to a decapitated Lenin statue, and enjoy stuffed dolma, gata, Caucasian dishes and Armenian wines at a city tavern.
Ride a cable car to an ancient monastery
Armenia offers two aerial trips in the incredible Wings of Tatev, the world’s longest reversible cableway, and the alpine Tsaghkadzor Ropeway. The former climbs 5.75km through the mountains from southern Halidzor to Tatev Monastery, a 9th-century centre of spirituality and learning, while the Tsaghkadzor Ropeway whisks you up Mount Teghenis (2,851m) for skiing or hiking.
Enjoy the views across vast Lake Sevan
Ringed by snowy mountainsides, this 1,240 sqkm lake is the largest in the Caucasus, beloved for a relaxing outing to its seafood restaurants and teahouses. Don’t miss the
scenic ruins of 9th-century monastery Sevanavank and the Brutalist masterpiece Sevan Writers’ House, both on Sevan Island (now a peninsula).
Step into medieval history at a mountaintop ruin
Armenia was the first country to adopt Christianity as its state religion in 301 AD, leaving 4,000 sacred ruins dotting the ‘land of churches’. Start your exploration of these atmospheric sites at Geghard Monastery, carved into the cliffs of the rugged Upper Azat Valley from the 4th century onwards, and Khor Virap Monastery, a pilgrimage site overlooking Mount Ararat and the Turkish steppe.
Hike into Dilijan National Park
The northern park is known locally as ‘little Switzerland’ for its soaring mountains and forested valleys, which provide a dramatic backdrop for hikes to mystic monasteries. Base yourself in the bucolic spa town of Dilijan, a destination for artists during the Soviet era, and tackle day walks or a section of the Transcaucasian Trail that stretches from Georgia’s Black Sea coast to southern Armenia.
