Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory
Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory
4.5
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
What is Travelers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Top ways to experience Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory and nearby attractions
Are you currently on your trip?
Help us find experiences available for you.
The area
Reach out directly
Best nearby
Restaurants
6 within 3 miles
Attractions
34 within 6 miles
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
4.5
21 reviews
Excellent
11
Very good
7
Average
2
Poor
0
Terrible
1
These reviews have been automatically translated from their original language.
This service may contain translations provided by Google. Google disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to translations, including any warranties of accuracy, reliability, and any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and freedom from forgery.
PatrickM_Travels
Almaty, Kazakhstan1,786 contributions
Sep 2015 • Friends
I was part of a group of 15 people who visited in September 2015. We made a reservation in advance. Upon arrival we were promptly greeted by an astronomer who took us down a a number of unlit pathways to a building housing two telescopes of different sizes. We had to climb up a steep staircase and emerge through a small hole in the ceiling to reach the telescopes. The moon was setting, so he quickly aligned the telescopes to the moon. Through the small telescope you can see the moon pretty good, and through the large telescope you can see the moon well enough to see individual craters. He then proceeded to align the telescopes to three different clusters of stars. Two of the three clusters are not visible with the naked eye, so it was a treat to see them so clearly. For each cluster, he allowed each visitor to look through both the large and small telescopes, and he told a story about what we were looking at. In order to look through the bigger telescope, you have to stand on a slightly-wobbly wooden stool about 4-5 feet off the ground. The entire tour was just over 1 hour in length. The cost was 1500 dram (about $3) per person, which I thought was a bit expensive, considering we had 15 people and that's nearly $50 for a 1 hour tour. But it was worth it. The astronomer was kind, patient, and informative. Unfortunately did not visit the largest telescope in the biggest dome -- which I had wanted to see. I'm not sure why they didn't take us there, but I assume it is out of commission, or perhaps too difficult to operate for large groups. I wish that in addition to the scientist himself, they would have assigned us another staff who could have given us more details of the purpose and history of the whole facility. Remember, this is Armenia, and there aren't very many institutions like this left in this country. This is not an advanced 21st century observatory -- it is a 40+ year old Soviet-era observatory with technology that's been maintained but not upgraded. Don't expect computers and LED screens, but do enjoy the nostalgia.
Written September 21, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Դանիել Բ
Yerevan, Armenia2 contributions
Jan 2018 • Friends
During the tour we learned a lot of very interesting things about stars and space and details about research process. At night we enjoyed awesome observation of moon, stars and planets by telescope.
Written February 5, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Arman
Yerevan, Armenia170 contributions
Dec 2018 • Couples
Byuakan observatory located on the slope of mount Aragats, in the village Byrakan. That is huge complex from soviet era.
Written December 16, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Taron G
1 contribution
Aug 2023 • Friends
Never come. The most terrible place, nothing is visible, money is wasted. If you want to come here with someone and have fun, then after visiting your mood will become 20 times worse, you will become depressed and most likely want to burn this place down. Here they will show you at most 2 stars and 1 planet, and then in terrible quality. It’s better to use this money to go to a restaurant or any other adequate place. And please don't come to this terrible place.

Written August 15, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Erdna S
Koggala, Sri Lanka19 contributions
Jun 2016
Nice lcoation if you have interest in Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory. You can see how science works.
Written July 29, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mirko Spino
Ravenna, Italy356 contributions
Aug 2017
So lucky. I've been hosted a couple of days in an astronomic space observatory from the soviet era, on the slope of Mt Aragats. Still working but half abandoned, it's a gorgeous mix of Kubrick's Shining views, Sci Fi suggestions, and ostalgic XFiles. In 1971 it hosted the 1st congress devoted to problem of extraterrestrial civilization and communication with them. It was all great, except the behavior of the astronomist, prig and unpleasant
Written August 10, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Aram K
Yerevan, Armenia914 contributions
Jun 2016 • Family
The Byurakan observatory during the Sovied times was the home of the second larger telescope with 2.6 diameter lens. The observatory still holds 2 Schmidt telescope with 1m and 0,5m diameter lens, as well as number of minor ones 30-40 cm. The observatory was founded by academician and world-famous astronomer Victor Hambardzumyan in 1946. Since 1946 numerous scientific meetings were held in Byurakan. Right now the observatory is still active, however is has no major ongoing scientific projects.
Written September 18, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Мария
Moscow, Russia2 contributions
Aug 2024 • Family
Wonderful tour, Guide Asmik interested everyone, adults and teenager and a very active 7-year-old girl. Thank you!
Automatically translated
Written August 21, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
OLA_PENZA
Penza, Russia
Как записаться на экскурсию? Группа 4 чел из России. Интересуют даты 2,3,4 или 5 августа 2018г.
Written July 25, 2018
БЮРАКАНСКАЯ АСТРОФИЗИЧЕСКАЯ ОБСЕРВАТОРИЯ ИМЕНИ В. АМБАРЦУМЯНА государственная некоммерческая организация (ГНКО) (НАЦИОНАЛЬНАЯ АКАДЕМИЯ НАУК АРМЕНИИ)
Пн Вт Ср Чт Пт (10:00-17:00)
• приемная: +374-91-195901 (моб.)
• заказ экскурсий: +374-91-195903 (моб.)
director@bao.sci.am
observ@bao.sci.am
Written July 26, 2018
Showing results 1-1 of 1
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing