New York Times 52 Reiseziele im Jahr 2026: Armenien

**20. Armenia**

Wolves, wine and thousand-year-old monasteries

Set in the rugged Caucasus, Armenia has quietly drawn hikers and nature enthusiasts for decades. But tourism numbers have recently surged, with a record-breaking first eight months of 2025 and a new high for monthly arrivals set in August. Against this backdrop, the [Concours Mondial de Bruxelles](https://concoursmondial.com/fr/), one of the world’s top wine competitions, comes to the capital, Yerevan, in May. Armenia, whose winemaking tradition [dates back over 6,000 years](https://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/11/science/11wine.html), offers aficionados [four main wine regions](https://www.wineenthusiast.com/basics/region-rundown/armenia-wine-guide-grapes-regions/?srsltid=AfmBOopixjICCr3rjRqLIHrFQ1DiSNgEN57v8lxelgDrlcztMhDUWUT0) to tour. Along the way, you can also visit [Lake Sevan](https://www.britannica.com/place/Lake-Sevan), a mountain-ringed volcanic lake whose shores are dotted with thousand-year-old monasteries. A short drive away, [Dilijan National Park](https://www.caucasus-naturefund.org/park/dilijan-national-park/) encompasses several mountain ranges, with its alpine meadows, vast forests and medicinal springs all connected by a network of hiking trails. The park features rare and endangered plant species as well as brown bears, wolves and European wildcats.