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Northern Avenue, Yerevan

Pedestrian Northern Avenue in Yerevan with tuff-clad buildings, flower beds, passers-by and the Opera House at the far end
Photo: Armineaghayan, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

The essentials in 10 seconds

Entry
Free
Hours
Open 24/7 as a public street; shops and cafés keep their own hours
Time on site
A typical visit without queueing. In high season add 15–30 minutes.
30 min
With kids
Fine with kids
Open
24/7
Length
≈ 450 m — a 7–10 minute walk
From / to
Abovyan Street by Republic Square → Freedom Square and the Opera
Nearest metro
Hanrapetutyan Hraparak (Republic Square), then 3–5 min on foot
verifyingFrom reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go.
Underneath
Tashir Street underground mall and car park
Time to allow
30 minutes with a coffee
Paying
Visa and Mastercard widely accepted; carry some dram cash
verifyingFrom reliable travel sources; we are still checking it against an official one. Double-check before you go.
Coordinates
40.18222, 44.51472YesGo MapGoogleApple

Key facts

≈ 450 mlong and 27 m wide, fully pedestrian
2 sourcesEnglish and Russian WikipediaArmeniapedia
1924first drawn into Yerevan's master plan by architect Alexander Tamanian
SourceEnglish and Russian Wikipedia: Northern Avenue, Yerevan
16 November 2007official opening of the avenue
2 sourcesPanARMENIAN.NetEnglish and Russian Wikipedia
Narek Sargsyanchief architect who reworked Tamanian's idea
SourceEnglish and Russian Wikipedia
11 buildingsaveraging 9 floors — flats, offices, hotels and shops
SourceEnglish and Russian Wikipedia
4 squaressmall plazas strung along the avenue
SourceEnglish and Russian Wikipedia
Tuffthe main facing stone, with basalt, granite and travertine
SourceEnglish and Russian Wikipedia
2016Tashir Street underground mall opened beneath the avenue
2 sourcesEnglish WikipediaTashir Group
2019a section renamed Europe Square for the Council of Europe's 70th anniversary
SourceEnglish and Russian Wikipedia
Hyusisayin poghotathe Armenian name — Հյուսիսային պողոտա
2 sourcesEnglish WikipediaWikidata Q2874203

Is Northern Avenue worth visiting?

Worth walking, not worth a special trip. Northern Avenue is a handsome, car-free shortcut between Republic Square and the Opera House, and you will almost certainly use it anyway on your way to the Cascade. Ten minutes on foot is enough; give it longer only in the evening, when it fills up.

What you get: wide paving, pink and grey tuff façades, café terraces, international shop windows and a framed view of the Opera at the end. What you don't get: history you can touch — every building here dates from the 2000s.

How to get to Northern Avenue

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on footdestinationStreet view

Where are you starting from?

We’ll draw it on the map on foot and by taxi; metro and buses open in your maps app. Your location isn’t stored.

On foot

  • Republic Square is about 10 min away on foot.
  • Yerevan Vernissage is about 13 min away on foot.
  • Yerevan Cascade is about 16 min away on foot.

More tips

  1. Head for Republic Square: metro to Hanrapetutyan Hraparak (Republic Square) station, or a Yandex Go or GG taxi to the square.
  2. Walk to the square's north-east corner, where Abovyan Street begins beside the History Museum and National Gallery building.
  3. A couple of minutes up Abovyan Street, the wide pedestrian avenue opens on your left, with the Opera House in the distance.
  4. Walk the full length — about 450 m, 7–10 minutes — to Freedom Square and the Opera.
  5. Carry on across Tamanyan Street: the foot of the Cascade is about 10 minutes further.
  6. From Zvartnots airport (EVN) the centre is about 25 minutes by taxi; express bus 201 also runs to the centre (unofficial, checking).

Things to do on Northern Avenue

  • Frame the Opera House — from the southern end Tamanian's opera sits dead centre at the end of the avenue. This is the photo.
  • Look at the stone — the same volcanic tuff as old Yerevan, here on 9–12-storey blocks; compare it with the 1920s–50s buildings on Republic Square.
  • Europe Square — a stretch of the avenue named in 2019; Europe Day concerts and stalls usually take place here between May and June.
  • Freedom Square at the top — the Opera, statues of the poet Hovhannes Tumanyan and composer Alexander Spendiaryan, and Swan Lake next door.
  • Street musicians and portrait artists — most evenings, especially in summer.
  • Tashir Street — the underground mall; escalators lead down from the avenue, useful on a hot or rainy day.

A short history of Northern Avenue

The avenue was first drawn by Alexander Tamanian, the architect of Yerevan's 1924 master plan. He saw it as part of a north–south axis tying the government buildings on today's Republic Square to the Opera. The Soviet city never built it, and the route stayed a patch of old one-storey houses.

Construction started in the early 2000s to a design led by Narek Sargsyan, and the avenue opened on 16 November 2007. It was privately financed: the city bought up the small plots and auctioned them to developers. Residents protested over evictions and compensation at the time — worth knowing as you look at the polished façades.

Shopping and Tashir Street

Ground floors hold international fashion and sports brands, coffee chains, restaurants and a few bars. Prices are above the city average — this is a shop-window street, not a market. For souvenirs and Armenian crafts, walk to the Vernissage instead.

Tashir Street, opened in 2016, sits under the avenue on two levels: a shopping mall above, parking below. It is handy for air conditioning and everyday shopping, but not a reason to come.

Paying in Yerevan

The avenue itself is free; you'll only pay in cafés and shops. Visa and Mastercard work almost everywhere in central Yerevan, often contactless, but keep some Armenian dram in cash for small kiosks. UnionPay and JCB are of little use here.

Yerevan's metro and buses no longer take cash: use a contactless bank card, Apple Pay or Google Pay, or a QR ticket (checking which foreign cards the validators accept). Taxi apps such as Yandex Go and GG take cards in the app.

Before you go

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Northern Avenue vs Republic Square vs the Cascade

Northern Avenueyou are here2000s pedestrian boulevardFree10–30 minEveningNo — on the way
Republic SquareYerevan's main Soviet-era squareFree20–40 minEvening, fountains in seasonYes
CascadeGiant stairway with city viewsSteps free40–90 minSunsetYes

Northern Avenue is the corridor between the other two. Short on time? Walk straight through and save your stops for the square and the Cascade.

Yerevan after dark: compare and choose

Places in Yerevan that are best in the evening. Tap a column heading to sort.

Yerevan Cascade581 hFree18 min walk
Republic Square4530 minFree10 min walk
Northern Avenueyou are here4430 minFree—

Central Yerevan on foot in half a day

Vernissage, Republic Square, Northern Avenue, the Cascade and the Matenadaran in one line from south to north. Add them to your route and YesGo fits in the timing and walks.

  1. Yerevan Vernissage1 h · Free entry
  2. 9 min walk from the previous stopRepublic Square30 min · Free
  3. 10 min walk from the previous stopNorthern Avenueyou are here30 min · Free
  4. 18 min walk from the previous stopYerevan Cascade1 h · Free
  5. 8 min walk from the previous stopMatenadaran1 h 15 min · 2,000 AMD, under 6 free

5 places · about 5 h with walks · 45 min on foot in total

Go · my route

Nearby — add to your day

Republic Square

Yerevan, Armenia

30 min · Free · 10 min walk

Yerevan Vernissage

Yerevan, Armenia

1 h · Free entry · 14 min walk

Yerevan Cascade

Yerevan, Armenia

1 h · Free · 18 min walk

Matenadaran

Yerevan, Armenia

1 h 15 min · 2,000 AMD, under 6 free · 21 min walk

How to do it right

  • Walk from Republic Square towards the Opera, not the other way — the view is the point.
  • Evenings are best: lights, music and, in season, the singing fountains on Republic Square.
  • Skip the boutiques for souvenirs and go to the Vernissage, a 5–10-minute walk from Republic Square.
  • On a hot afternoon, duck into Tashir Street under the avenue to cool down.
  • Don't turn back at the Opera — continue to the Cascade for sunset and, the next morning, the Matenadaran.

Questions

Where is Northern Avenue in Yerevan?

In the Kentron district, between Abovyan Street by Republic Square and Freedom Square by the Opera House.

How long is Northern Avenue?

About 450 metres — a 7–10 minute walk end to end, or half an hour with a coffee.

Is Northern Avenue free?

Yes. It is a public pedestrian street, free and open 24 hours a day.

Is Northern Avenue worth visiting?

Worth walking as part of a centre stroll, not worth a special trip. Combine it with Republic Square and the Cascade.

How do I walk from Republic Square to the Opera?

Take Abovyan Street from the square's north-east corner, then turn left onto Northern Avenue and follow it to Freedom Square — about 10 minutes.

What is Tashir Street?

An underground shopping mall beneath Northern Avenue, opened in 2016, with a car park on the level below.

Is Northern Avenue good at night?

Yes — it is lit, busy and has street musicians most evenings. It feels like the city's main promenade after dark.

Who designed Northern Avenue?

Alexander Tamanian planned it in 1924; the avenue built in the 2000s was designed by a team led by Narek Sargsyan.

Can I pay by card on Northern Avenue?

Visa and Mastercard are accepted almost everywhere in central Yerevan; keep some dram in cash for small kiosks.

Have you been? Was it worth your time?

1 — no, 5 — absolutely

Your vote counts towards the YesGo score.

Sources and fact-check

  • English Wikipedia: Northern Avenue, Yerevan
  • Russian Wikipedia: Северный проспект (Ереван); Wikidata Q2874203
  • PanARMENIAN.Net, 16.11.2007 — opening of Northern Avenue
  • Armeniapedia: Northern Avenue
  • Tashir Group, 2016 — opening of the Tashir Street gallery
  • Tripster Journal: practical tips for Armenia, updated 07.09.2026 — card payments
  • ARKA and JAMnews — Yerevan's switch to cashless public transport fares
YesGo editorial team · facts checked 30.10.2026 ·
How we checkedLength, width, number of buildings and squares, the architect, and the dates of Tamanian's plan, the opening and the Europe Square renaming are checked against English and Russian Wikipedia and PanARMENIAN.Net. The start of construction is described differently — English Wikipedia gives 26 March 2002 as the start of building, Russian Wikipedia as the date the design was approved, with preparatory works in 2001 — so we say “the early 2000s”. Walking times and the route from the metro are from the map and marked “checking”. Airport bus 201 and transport payment rules are unofficial. Guidebooks place a “Walking Man” sculpture at the start of the avenue; we could not confirm its exact location, so we leave it out.

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