Places

Dilijan: a town and hub for Haghartsin, Parz and Goshavank

Dilijan is a town in Tavush Province inside Dilijan National Park, 97 km and about an hour and a half by road from the centre of Yerevan; the 2022 census counted 15.9 thousand residents. For a tourist it works as a hub: from the old town on Sharambeyan Street it is 10.6 km to the deer centre, 13.7 km to Haghartsin Monastery, 14.3 km to Parz Lake and 22.4 km to Goshavank Monastery — 12–24 minutes by car without traffic. In July the average here is 19.2 °C, 6.4 °C cooler than in Yerevan. The trip “Dilijan, Parz Lake, Haghartsin & Goshavank” takes 9 hours and costs 45,000 AMD for a sedan and 63,000 AMD for a minivan, for the whole car.

Published · Facts checked · 11 min read · Mikayel Melkumyan
Sharambeyan Street in Old Dilijan: flagstone paving, stone houses with an outdoor wooden staircase and a balcony of cut-out carving, a gable with a cross ahead, trees on the right and a white dog© BarevTrip

At a glance

Region
Dilijan town, Tavush Province
Tickets
No ticket needed
Season
On average 6.4–6.6 °C cooler than Yerevan in July and August and about twice as wet over the year (646.6 mm against 340.6 mm); the most rain falls in May and June. From December to March snow and ice are possible, and one source says the road to Parz Lake may not be cleared from November to March: check before a winter trip
Restrictions
Wheelchair access has not been surveyed at any of the places around the town; ask the dispatcher before booking

checked November 6, 2026

Contents
  1. What it is and where it stands
  2. History by date
  3. What to see: Sharambeyan Street and four places around
  4. Hours and tickets
  5. How to get there from Yerevan and how long it takes
  6. When to go
  7. What to combine in one day
  8. By tradition
  9. What to check on site

What it is and where it stands

The town lies at 1,256 m above sea level and is noticeably wetter than Yerevan. Around it is a national park of 33.8 thousand ha at altitudes of 1,070–2,400 m, with 23 signposted walking routes and one cycling route. The town as a whole is not a monument: the state list includes individual 19th-century houses and the museum-reserve of folk architecture between Myasnikyan and Sharambeyan streets.

Value

Name
Dilijan (Դիլիջան, Дилижан)
Province
Tavush
Population
town — 15.9 thousand people (2022 census; 17.7 thousand in 2011); Dilijan community with surrounding villages — 22.6 thousand
From central Yerevan
97.2 km, 93 minutes without traffic — about 1.5 hours
Surroundings
Dilijan National Park: 33.8 thousand ha, altitudes 1,070–2,400 m, 23 walking and 1 cycling route
Protection
state list entry 10.3/148 — museum-reserve of folk architecture, republican significance; the town as a whole is not a monument
Nickname
“Armenian Switzerland” — unofficial, but well established

History by date

What

1870s · 1895–1897 · late 19th century
the house of the Aslanov merchants (Myasnikyan St, 38), the tsarist court building (Myasnikyan, 50), the “Dallak house” (Myasnikyan, 54) — state list entries
late 19th century
the house at 5 Kalinin St — the former summer villa of Princess Maryam Tumanyan; since 1979 the Dilijan branch of the folk art museum
Soviet era
rest homes, sanatoria and a creative retreat of the USSR unions of composers, artists and filmmakers
1958 · 2002
state reserve; in 2002 Dilijan National Park was created on its site
1983
the museum-reserve of folk architecture opened on the initiative of Hovhannes Sharambeyan
2004 · 2005–2007
restoration of the historic quarter on Sharambeyan Street
2013 · 2018 · 2022–2025
programme to return the Caucasian red deer (Ministry of Environment and WWF-Armenia); in 2018 14 deer were brought from Iran; 3 (2022), 10 (2024) and 9 (2025) released into the forest
2014
the UWC Dilijan international college opened
2026-02-07
after restoration the folk art museum branch reopened as the Armenian Textile Museum

What to see: Sharambeyan Street and four places around

In town. Sharambeyan Street is pedestrian, paved with cobblestones: a restored ensemble with workshops and a museum, not an untouched old quarter. The traditional buildings are stone houses with wooden balconies. Nearby, at 5 Kalinin St, is the Armenian Textile Museum: Armenia’s first specialised textile museum, opened in February 2026.

Around. The four places people come to Dilijan for from Yerevan lie 11–22 km from the old town. Distances and times are between car parks, without traffic.

What it is

Haghartsin Monastery
a working monastery of the 10th–13th centuries at about 1,430 m; the main church, Astvatsatsin, is the present building of 1281, the refectory dates from 1248, the Church of St Gregory from the 10th–11th centuries
Parz Lake
a forest lake in the park, its Armenian name means “clear”; the trail around the lake is 1.9–3.1 km, about 1 h 15 min; a restaurant, boats and a zipline; swimming is not allowed
Wild deer nursery
the red deer breeding centre: an enclosure of the programme to return the Caucasian red deer, a rare species; 21 fawns have been born at the centre
Goshavank Monastery
a complex of the 12th–13th centuries in the village of Gosh, founded by Mkhitar Gosh; Astvatsatsin 1191–1196, gavit 1197–1203, Church of St Gregory 1231, library-belfry before 1241

From old Dilijan

Haghartsin Monastery
13.7 km · 16 min
Parz Lake
14.3 km · 17 min
Wild deer nursery
10.6 km · 12 min
Goshavank Monastery
22.4 km · 24 min

Stop on the trip

Haghartsin Monastery
60 min
Parz Lake
40 min
Wild deer nursery
45 min, only in Lake Sevan, Dilijan & Parz Lake
Goshavank Monastery
45 min

The places are close to each other too: the nursery and Parz are 3.7 km (5 minutes) apart, Haghartsin and Goshavank 20.1 km (23 minutes), Parz and Goshavank 24.7 km (28 minutes). Outside the catalogue, through your own route: the Jukhtak and Matosavank monasteries (a trail of 2.3–3.8 km, from 1 h 15 min to 1 h 45 min), the Hidden Waterfall from Haghartsin (2.0–3.3 km round trip, about 1 h 30 min) and Gosh Lake from Goshavank (1.38–2.23 km one way, about 1 h 15 min).

Stone-paved lane in Old Dilijan with stone houses and wooden balconies, a wrought-iron bracket holding a carved sign, and green mountains under a partly cloudy sky© BarevTrip
Haghartsin Monastery from the air in summer: the Astvatsatsin church with its tall conical dome, smaller domed churches, the narthex and ruined arches, set against the forested slopes of Dilijan National Park© BarevTrip
Parz Lake on a sunny summer day: calm green water mirrors the dense forest of both shores, a rope park and café umbrellas stand among the trees on the left bank, and grassy ridges with patches of snow rise under a blue sky with small clouds.© BarevTrip
Goshavank in Gosh village near Dilijan: medieval stone churches with conical domes and a tall central drum crown a green hill with juniper trees, a rocky slope behind them, under a deep blue sky with small white clouds© BarevTrip

Hours and tickets

The sums below are the institutions’ prices, paid on site, not a BarevTrip price. Entrance tickets are not included in the trip price — they are bought on site, separately; it is safer to have cash drams.

Hours

Sharambeyan Street
pedestrian street; shops and museums have their own hours
Armenian Textile Museum (branch of the folk art museum, 5 Kalinin St)
Tuesday–Sunday, 10:00–18:00
Haghartsin Monastery
no official hours; it is best to come in daylight
Parz Lake
an open area of the park
Wild deer nursery
sunrise to sunset
Goshavank Monastery
no official hours; it is best to come in daylight

Entry

Sharambeyan Street
free
Armenian Textile Museum (branch of the folk art museum, 5 Kalinin St)
1,500 AMD; student 750 AMD; children under 12 free; photo and video allowed
Haghartsin Monastery
free, no ticket office
Parz Lake
the car park is paid
Wild deer nursery
foreigners over 7 — 1,000 AMD, citizens of Armenia over 7 — 500 AMD, children under 7 free; ticket on site
Goshavank Monastery
free; liturgy on Saturdays and Sundays

What else is paid

Sharambeyan Street
—
Armenian Textile Museum (branch of the folk art museum, 5 Kalinin St)
—
Haghartsin Monastery
the toilet is paid; at the gate there is a car park, a bakery and a shop
Parz Lake
boats and zipline — separately, seasonal
Wild deer nursery
—
Goshavank Monastery
souvenir stalls at the entrance

In the monasteries it is customary to cover shoulders and knees.

How to get there from Yerevan and how long it takes

From central Yerevan to old Dilijan it is 97.2 km and 93 minutes without traffic. No public transport runs to Haghartsin, Parz or Goshavank. For the road itself, departure and traffic, see the article From Yerevan to Dilijan by car: the road, Sevan, the price.

The order of stops on the trip “Dilijan, Parz Lake, Haghartsin & Goshavank” is old Dilijan, Haghartsin, Parz, Goshavank, Yerevan — 269.6 km and about 4 h 30 min of pure driving (the catalogue says 260 km). The stops take 175 minutes, about 7.5 hours with the road; the rest of the nine hours is a reserve for lunch and traffic. You give the pickup time in the request: 09:00 by default, and for this route we advise 8:00.

Where the driver waits

Old Dilijan
free car park at the start of Sharambeyan Street
Haghartsin
car park at the gate
Parz Lake
paid gravel car park by the northern shore
Nursery
car park by the ticket office; cars are not allowed to the enclosure
Goshavank
car park by the complex

From the car to the site

Old Dilijan
next to it; then an uphill walk on asphalt and cobblestones
Haghartsin
about 60 m
Parz Lake
about 100 m
Nursery
about 300 m on a dirt track
Goshavank
about 55 m; to the tomb of Mkhitar Gosh — a climb of about 15 minutes

Time to see it

Old Dilijan
30 min (40–45 on two other trips); the museum is not included in this time
Haghartsin
60 min; the trail to the waterfall is another 1 h 30 min or so, not in the catalogue
Parz Lake
40 min; a full loop of the park trail (1.9–3.1 km, about 1 h 15 min) does not fit into the stop
Nursery
45 min
Goshavank
45 min

Distances from the car are approximate. Wheelchair access has not been surveyed at any of the places — ask the dispatcher before booking.

When to go

WMO climate normals for 1991–2020, Dilijan station:

Mean temperature, °C

December–February
−0.9 to 0.6
March–April
3.8 · 8.1
May–June
12.4 · 16.5
July–August
19.2 · 19.1
September–October
15.1 · 10.1
November
4.3

Precipitation, mm per month

December–February
21–28
March–April
48.5 · 74.3
May–June
102.4 · 95.3 — the maximum of the year
July–August
75.1 · 51.8
September–October
45.6 · 48.6
November
33.2

Frost days

December–February
24.5–27.5
March–April
19.5 · 5.5
May–June
0.6 · 0
July–August
0
September–October
0.1 · 2.0
November
14.9

What it means for the trip

December–February
snow and ice on the approaches are possible; check the road to Parz before leaving
March–April
there are still frosts in March; late April is already suitable for Haghartsin
May–June
the most rainy days of the year — 15.8 and 12.6: bring a raincoat
July–August
6.4–6.6 °C cooler than Yerevan (25.6 and 25.7 °C), 4.4 times more summer rain: take something warm
September–October
autumn is the foliage season; September is especially good for Haghartsin
November
frosts return; check the road to Parz

Over a year Dilijan gets 646.6 mm of precipitation against 340.6 mm in Yerevan, and 1,856.7 hours of sunshine. For winter trips from Yerevan in general, see the answer to the question “Where can you go from Yerevan for a day in winter?”.

What to combine in one day

Three options from the catalogue, the price is for the whole car:

What is inside

Dilijan, Parz Lake, Haghartsin & Goshavank
old Dilijan, Haghartsin, Parz, Goshavank
Lake Sevan, Dilijan & Parz Lake
Sevanavank, Haghartsin, Parz, wild deer nursery, old Dilijan; Goshavank — optional, for an extra charge at a rate known before booking
Yerevan → Dilijan
only the transfer to your address in Dilijan, a stop at Sevan is optional

Hours, km

Dilijan, Parz Lake, Haghartsin & Goshavank
9 h, 260 km
Lake Sevan, Dilijan & Parz Lake
8 h, 250 km
Yerevan → Dilijan
1.5 h, 100 km

Sedan / minivan

Dilijan, Parz Lake, Haghartsin & Goshavank
45,000 / 63,000 AMD
Lake Sevan, Dilijan & Parz Lake
47,000 / 67,000 AMD
Yerevan → Dilijan
25,000 / 35,000 AMD

There is one more: Tsaghkadzor, Lake Sevan & Dilijan, 9 hours and 270 km; from Dilijan it includes only the old town and Haghartsin, with no Parz or deer. The price is on the trip page.

Sevan and Dilijan in one day — in the answer to the question “Lake Sevan and Dilijan in one day from Yerevan”; about the lake itself — in the article on Lake Sevan. The nursery and Parz are 5 minutes apart by road and 15–20 minutes from Haghartsin, so in your own route it is convenient to put them one after the other. Places outside the catalogue are put together through your own route: an estimate within two hours, around the clock; it is a request for an estimate, not a booking, and nothing is charged. All routes are in the trip catalogue, the order of booking and payment is on the how it works page. For the choice between a private driver, a group tour and a rental car, see the answer to the question; with children, the answer on trips with children.

By tradition

Two traditions that are told about these places.

  • Haghartsin — “the playing eagle”. According to tradition, an eagle soared over the dome of the main church during the consecration of the monastery; the name Հաղարծին is linked to it. This is a folk etymology.
  • Goshavank — the “gush” basket. According to tradition, a coming drought was revealed to Mkhitar Gosh in a dream, he stocked up grain and handed it out in a large basket called a “gush” — hence the nickname Gosh.

What to check on site

  • The walk around Parz. A short walk takes about 30 minutes, the full loop of the park trail about 1 h 15 min. If the full loop matters to you, allow more time.
  • Payment at Parz. The car park is paid; boats, the zipline and the restaurant are paid separately, on site.
  • The road to Parz in winter. From November to March the road may not be cleared: before a winter trip ask the dispatcher.
  • Hours of the monasteries and the nursery. There is no official schedule — come in daylight.
  • Travel time. We count from the centre of Yerevan without traffic; from your hotel and at rush hour the road takes longer.

Photos

Stone-paved Sharambeyan Street in Old Dilijan on a sunny summer day: wooden houses with carved balconies, a cafe pavilion, flower beds and forested mountains© BarevTrip
Long stone building on Sharambeyan Street in Old Dilijan with two tiers of carved wooden galleries above brick pillars, a stone-paved street running past houses with balconies, and green shrubs in the foreground© BarevTrip
The main church of Haghartsin Monastery, Astvatsatsin, with its tall faceted drum and a carved cross on the facade, set against a hillside of red, orange and gold autumn forest; a gnarled old tree trunk stands by the path beside it.© BarevTrip
Refectory of Haghartsin Monastery with intersecting stone arches, a skylight in the vault, long wooden tables with benches and sunlight falling through a side window© BarevTrip
A bend of Parz Lake in autumn: orange and golden forest on the slopes is reflected in still dark water along with white clouds, with dry reeds and green leaves in the left foreground© BarevTrip
Aerial view of Parz Lake in summer: the lake winds through dense green forest, with a wooden pier lined with pedal boats, a boat leaving a wake, a zipline cable across the water, and a café and parking on the shore.© BarevTrip
Goshavank with its conical domes among green forested hills, seen from the hillside cemetery above Gosh village; in the foreground a carved medieval tombstone with arched ornaments and a cross stands among wildflowers.© BarevTrip
Close-up of lace-like openwork carving on a khachkar at Goshavank: a large rosette of interlaced stone mesh with floral motifs, framed by eight-pointed stars.© BarevTrip

Questions about this trip

Can you fit Haghartsin, Parz and Goshavank into one day?
Yes, if you set out in the morning: the trip “Dilijan, Parz Lake, Haghartsin & Goshavank” takes 9 hours. The four catalogue stops add up to 175 minutes and the road is about 4 h 30 min without traffic by our estimate; the rest is a reserve for lunch and traffic. A full loop of the trail around Parz and the trail to the waterfall from Haghartsin do not fit in this time: plan them separately.
Will the driver tell us about Haghartsin and Goshavank?
No. Under Armenia’s law “On Tourism”, telling the history and culture of a place is a guide’s job. Trips with Dilijan have an option of a qualified guide for a fixed extra charge, shown on the trip page.
Do we need a child seat for the trip to Dilijan?
A seat is mandatory for children under 7. It is free on request, and the seat type comes with the booking confirmation. Children count as passengers when the car is chosen.
Do we need cash?
Entrance tickets are not included in the trip price: they are bought on site, separately, and it is safer to have cash drams. The trip itself is paid by card via a link after confirmation, or in cash to the driver after the trip, in drams, dollars, euros or roubles.
Can we cancel or reschedule if the forecast promises rain?
Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before pickup, and up to the same deadline you get one free reschedule to another date. There are no prepayments or non-refundable deposits, and you pay nothing before confirmation.

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Routes from this article

Haghartsin Monastery from above: the tall dome of Astvatsatsin Church, the arches of its ruined narthex and two smaller church domes, with tiled roofs in the foreground and a forested mountain wrapped in low cloud behind
Dilijan, Parz Lake, Haghartsin & Goshavank
9 h · 260 km
from 45,000 AMDper car
Sevanavank Monastery from above: a dark tuff church with a tall conical dome in front and a smaller church behind, with old foundations and paths between them, and Lake Sevan, green hills and mountains beyond under heavy grey clouds
Lake Sevan, Dilijan & Parz Lake
8 h · 250 km
from 47,000 AMDper car
Old stone house on Sharambeyan Street in Old Dilijan with carved wooden balconies, an outdoor wooden staircase and a paved lane running along the facade
Yerevan → Dilijan
1.5 h · 100 km
from 25,000 AMDper car

Sources and date of check

More articles

Old stone house on Sharambeyan Street in Old Dilijan with carved wooden balconies, an outdoor wooden staircase and a paved lane running along the facade
Day tripsFrom Yerevan to Dilijan by car: the road, Sevan, the priceDilijan is the nearest forest and mountains to Yerevan: 100 km, an hour and a half on the road, and Lake Sevan along the way.November 6, 2026 · 5 min read · Mikayel Melkumyan
Aerial view of Sevanavank Monastery on the Sevan Peninsula: two dark stone churches with ruins around them, autumn hillsides, deep blue Lake Sevan and a band of low clouds over the mountains.
PlacesLake Sevan: Sevanavank, swimming and winter — what to knowA lake at about 1,900 m, 68 km from Yerevan, about an hour away. Sevanavank: two 9th-century churches, free entry. August 2025 water: 21.7 °C.November 11, 2026 · 11 min read · Mikayel Melkumyan

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