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Yerevan is the great place for shopping. Although, the boutiques are still in the development stage, you will find many stores like Boss, Lacoste and other designer shops in the downtown. Armenia is a perfect place for shopping for traditional souvenirs and arts. The best place for the souvenirs is Vernisage fair. It is located in the park, near the Republic Square.
The local craftsmen and resellers
gather thereand bring their artwork as well as other mixed stuff. The
fair is active only on Saturdays and Sundays, and usually opens until
5 pm. We recommend you to buy all your Armenian souvenirs from the Vernisage,
but if you do not have time, the small shops on Abovian Street also
sell same things. The prices in the stores are a bit higher and non
negotiable. When you buy stuff from the Vernisage try to negotiate the
price, in most cases the sellers will give you a good discount. Among
the Armenian traditional artwork are various items like pomegranate
clay vases, pottery, wood carvings, paintings and much more. Armenian jewelers are known for sterling silver and gold craftsmanship. You will find unique designs and ancient traditions in every piece of Armenian jewelry. Do not forget to get the cheap obsidian items. The obsidian is semi-precious rock that found in Armenia in large quantities. Please do not buy key chains or any objects with insects or reptiles frozen in plastic. It is illegal to catch endangered animals and use them for the souvenirs in Armenia. Also, if you are in Garni do not buy fur from the locals. Unfortunately, Armenian Ministry of Ecology does not do a good job in persecuting the poachers. Help us protect Armenia's unique wildlife. If you are interested in paintings, the local artists gather in Sarian Park. They sell paintings and some of them are really interesting. However, you would need a permission from Ministry of Culture to take the paintings outside of the country. Same rules apply to carpets and other artwork. Check with local authorities or customs prior to departure. In case if you want to shop for Swiss watches, designer clothes and apparel, Yerevan has many stores in the downtown. The prices are similar to US, may be a little cheaper for apparel. The last, but not least is the Armenian brandy. We recommend buying brandy from the factory stores. One is located on Amirian Street and the second one is on Mashtots Avenue, across the Nairi movie theater. You can also buy Armenian brandy from the duty-free store in the airport, but they might not arry all the varieties. The prices in duty-free store are a little cheaper than in the downtown. We hope you will find many interesting
souvenirs in Armenia and bring something to remember your trip.
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