The Cascade
A monumental stairway of 572 steps, with Mount Ararat facing you on a clear day.
Duration
1 hr – 2 hrs
Best time
Early morning, for Ararat
Open
Every day
Entry price
Free
The Cascade is a monumental stairway of five hundred and seventy-two steps, begun in the Soviet period in the 1970s and left unfinished after independence. The Armenian-American philanthropist Gerard Cafesjian had it completed and installed his contemporary art collection in it.
Inside, escalators climb through the levels, each of which is a gallery, free of charge. At the top, the terrace looks over Yerevan and, on a clear day, to Mount Ararat — which is in Turkey, visible but out of reach, and which remains the Armenian national symbol.
Getting there
North of the centre, at the end of Tamanyan street. Twenty minutes on foot from Republic Square.
What to bring
- Walking shoes
Rules on site
The internal escalators are free and save the five hundred and seventy-two steps. Ararat is only visible in very clear weather, mostly early in the morning and in winter.