ARMENIA

Armenia is ancient. It is one of the oldest countries in the world, and its capital, Yerevan, is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities. After its founding as a kingdom, Armenia changed hands between empires, from the Persians and Romans to the Ottomans and Soviets – the latter leaving a legacy of brutalist architecture with a local twist: the use of volcanic, pink tuff rock. It was also the first country to adopt Christianity as its state religion – converted from Zoroastrianism by Gregory the Illuminator in 301 AD – and its romantic, remote churches and monasteries continue to draw pilgrims and sightseers.

Nature here is its own draw. Armenia occupies the highlands surrounding soaring, snow-capped Mount Ararat – featured on the national coat of arms – and much of the country undulates wildly and scenically. Though landlocked and thus without a coastline, the country’s centre is punctuated by vast Lake Sevan, a popular spot for boating and water sports and home to the ninth-century monastery of Sevanavank.