Armenia

Armenia adopted Christianity in 301, earlier than anywhere, and has been carving churches into cliffs ever since. Yerevan is built from pink volcanic stone, low and full of cafés, with Mount Ararat on the horizon whenever the haze lifts. Within an hour of it you can stand in a monastery cut out of rock, a Roman-looking temple to a sun god, or beside a lake sitting 1,900 metres up. One trip, four nights, all of them in the same hotel.