# Northern Avenue, Yerevan > Northern Avenue is a car-free boulevard in central Yerevan, about 450 m long, running from Abovyan Street by Republic Square to Freedom Square and the Opera House. It is free and open around the clock; the walk takes 7–10 minutes, or half an hour with coffee. Treat it as the link to the Cascade, not a sight on its own. Web page: https://yesgo.io/armenia/yerevan/yerevan-northern-avenue - City: [Yerevan](https://yesgo.io/armenia/yerevan), Armenia - YesGo score: 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 30 min - Opening hours: Open 24/7 as a public street; shops and cafés keep their own hours - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry: Free - 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 - 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 - Coordinates: 40.18222, 44.51472 - Facts checked: 30.10.2026 ## Key facts - **≈ 450 m** — long and 27 m wide, fully pedestrian (source: English and Russian Wikipedia; Armeniapedia) - **1924** — first drawn into Yerevan's master plan by architect Alexander Tamanian (source: English and Russian Wikipedia: Northern Avenue, Yerevan) - **16 November 2007** — official opening of the avenue (source: PanARMENIAN.Net; English and Russian Wikipedia) - **Narek Sargsyan** — chief architect who reworked Tamanian's idea (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **11 buildings** — averaging 9 floors — flats, offices, hotels and shops (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **4 squares** — small plazas strung along the avenue (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **Tuff** — the main facing stone, with basalt, granite and travertine (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **2016** — Tashir Street underground mall opened beneath the avenue (source: English Wikipedia; Tashir Group) - **2019** — a section renamed Europe Square for the Council of Europe's 70th anniversary (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **Hyusisayin poghota** — the Armenian name — Հյուսիսային պողոտա (source: English Wikipedia; Wikidata Q2874203) ## Is Northern Avenue worth visiting? Worth walking, not worth a special trip. Northern Avenue is a handsome, car-free shortcut between [Republic Square](https://yesgo.io/armenia/yerevan/yerevan-republic-square) and the Opera House, and you will almost certainly use it anyway on your way to the [Cascade](https://yesgo.io/armenia/yerevan/yerevan-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 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](https://yesgo.io/armenia/yerevan/yerevan-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. > **Walk it south to north, in the evening** Start at Republic Square and head towards the Opera so the theatre stays ahead of you. After dark the avenue is lit, musicians play, and in season the singing fountains on Republic Square start up — then keep going to the Cascade. ## Before you go - [ ] Route: Republic Square → avenue → Opera → Cascade - [ ] Half an hour allowed, coffee included - [ ] Some dram cash for small places - [ ] Evening plan: Republic Square fountains in season - [ ] Next stop picked: Cascade or Matenadaran ## Northern Avenue vs Republic Square vs the Cascade | | Northern Avenue | Republic Square | Cascade | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | What it is | 2000s pedestrian boulevard | Yerevan's main Soviet-era square | Giant stairway with city views | | Entry | Free | Free | Steps free | | Time needed | 10–30 min | 20–40 min | 40–90 min | | Best time | Evening | Evening, fountains in season | Sunset | | Worth a special trip | No — on the way | Yes | Yes | 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. - [Yerevan Cascade](https://yesgo.io/armenia/yerevan/yerevan-cascade) — YesGo score 58/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h · Free - [Republic Square](https://yesgo.io/armenia/yerevan/yerevan-republic-square) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free - [Northern Avenue](https://yesgo.io/armenia/yerevan/yerevan-northern-avenue) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free ## 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 Vernissage](https://yesgo.io/armenia/yerevan/yerevan-vernissage) — YesGo score 50/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h · Free entry 2. [Republic Square](https://yesgo.io/armenia/yerevan/yerevan-republic-square) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free 3. [Northern Avenue](https://yesgo.io/armenia/yerevan/yerevan-northern-avenue) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free 4. [Yerevan Cascade](https://yesgo.io/armenia/yerevan/yerevan-cascade) — YesGo score 58/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h · Free 5. [Matenadaran](https://yesgo.io/armenia/yerevan/matenadaran) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · 2,000 AMD, under 6 free ## Good to know Locals may call it Hyusisayin poghota. Staying on or next to the avenue puts the whole centre within walking distance, but evenings are loud — ask for a room facing the courtyard. ## Tips - 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](https://yesgo.io/armenia/yerevan/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. ## How we checked Length, 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. ## Sources - 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 --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.