Vernissage Market

About

Vernissage is an open-air market-exhibition in central Yerevan, running along Hanrapetutyan Street from near the Republic Square metro station toward the Vardan Mamikonyan monument. It began in the 1980s as a spot where artists exhibited work near the Yerevan Opera House, and gradually grew as woodcarvers, jewelers, and sellers of antiques, carpets, and ceramics joined in; after the 1988 earthquake, it became an important source of income and a symbol of resilience for local craftspeople. Its name comes from the French "vernissage" (the preview of an art exhibition). It's busiest on weekends, when the largest number of artisans set up, but is open daily.
What you can do there: browse and buy handmade Armenian crafts — ceramics, wood carving, small khachkars, lace and needlework, traditional dolls, paintings, jewelry (including Armenian-alphabet pendants and mythological symbols like the tree of life and pomegranate), carpets, backgammon/chess sets, folk clothing, books, and antiques (including old Soviet-era telephones, radios, and household items)