The GUM Market Yerevan is an absolute must if you’re looking to bring some delicious treats home with you. It’s also the perfect place to sample these homemade treats and get a real taste of local life in Yerevan. The GUM Market is actually one of our favorite places in Yerevan, especially to visit on an empty stomach!
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What is the GUM Market?
The name for the GUM Market comes from the Russian abbreviation for ‘Main Universal Store’. It was a title given to the main department stores in former Soviet Union cities like Yerevan.
Although this is not a ‘department store’ as we’re used to visiting, it is broken down into different departments. The dried and candied goods, the butchershop and fishmongers, the fruits and veggies, the spices, the clothing, and the oddities.
The most delicious section at GUM Market – The dried and candied fruit and nuts
The front part of the GUM Market Armenia is devoted to dried and candied fruits, nuts, spices and, our all-time favorite Armenian snack, sujukh. They also love calling this ‘Armenian Snickers’. It’s a treat made of walnuts that have been dipped in grape jelly. They make for excellent edible Armenian souvenirs to bring home.
We’d be lying if we didn’t admit this was our favorite part of the market. This section is the reason you want to go on an empty stomach. Every vendor here is super passionate about their dried and candied goods. Each one uses a special recipe that makes their goods taste a little different than the next person’s. And they will, almost forcefully, invite you to try their goods. It’s rude to refuse.
But be careful when buying the food. A lot of the items are sold by weight, and they are deceptively heavy. A good tip is to ask the price of the goods before committing to buying them. That being said, we highly recommend you buy the goods that you enjoy
The GUM Market’s butcher and fishmonger section
To get to the back of the GUM Market, you will pass through a hallway lined with butchers, fishmongers and cheesemakers.
Being plant-based, we quickly went through this section as it wasn’t of much interest to us. However, if you are looking for a specific cut of meat, a particular fish or any type of cheese, this is the place to look. You have your choice of vendors here, all ready to sell you their best.
If you’re looking for Armenian meats to try, the sujukh and basturma are local favorites here. Some vendors will allow you to taste the meat before buying, so don’t be shy to ask for a sample, if they don’t offer you one first.
Get your fresh produce and pickles at the GUM Market
The back section of the market is dedicated to your fresh produce and homemade pickles. If you have access to a kitchen in Yerevan, and you want to cook yourself a delicious plant-based meal, go nuts at the GUM Market. You will find some of Yerevan’s freshest produce here.
First, you’ll notice that all the fruits and veggies are so tidely set-up. The vendors manage to create these crazy shapes with their produce, and oddly enough, everything stands up miraculously!
You’ll also realize that everything looks and smells delicious. Some vendors will also allow you to taste their goods. While we were there, we were invited to try out some herbs, as well as citrus of all kinds – Lemons, oranges, grapefruits. How could we refuse?!
Finally, you’ll be amazed by the piles of pickles and slaw. The vibrant
How to get to the GUM Market in Yerevan
The GUM Market Yerevan is located at 35 Movses Khorenatsi Street. It’s south of the main center of town, Republic Square. From there, you can walk straight down Movses Khorenatsi to get to the market. The walk will take you about 15 to 20 minutes. On a nice sunny day, it’s a fun walk.
If you’d rather, you can take the famous Yerevan metro to get to the GUM Market. The closest metro station is Zoravar Andranik, a quick 300m walk to the market.
The GUM Market is open from 11am to 5pm daily. Mornings tend to get busy as locals want the freshest fare available, but it will be bustling no matter what time you go.
If you want to sample fresh Armenian produce or get your hands on some of those delicious candied apricots, take my advice and add the GUM Market to your Yerevan itinerary.
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