Tsaghkadzor, Lake Sevan & Dilijan

1. 1
   Hotel in YerevanPick-up at your address at the chosen time09:00
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   Tsaghkadzor, Kecharis MonasteryKecharis is a working monastery of the 11th to 13th centuries on the north-western edge of Tsaghkadzor. Three churches stand close together on one site, with a gavit, or narthex, adjoining the main one, and around them lies a cemetery with khachkars from the 11th to 17th centuries. The main church of Saint Gregory dates from the early 11th century, and Katoghike was built in 1203–1214. Some 120 metres to the west stands the small church of Surb Harutyun from 1220 with its own gavit.45 min

   

   

   

   

   

   

   Photo: Alina.Parazyan, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

   Kecharis is a working monastery of the 11th to 13th centuries on the north-western edge of Tsaghkadzor. Three churches stand close together on one site, with a gavit, or narthex, adjoining the main one, and around them lies a cemetery with khachkars from the 11th to 17th centuries. The main church of Saint Gregory dates from the early 11th century, and Katoghike was built in 1203–1214. Some 120 metres to the west stands the small church of Surb Harutyun from 1220 with its own gavit.

   Free entry

3. 3
   Tsaghkadzor ropeway (ticket not included)The Tsaghkadzor Ropeway has been running since 1967. It is a chairlift on the eastern slope of Mount Teghenis: open chairs pass over forest and mountain meadows, and three lifts in a row climb from the lower station at about 1,970 metres to the upper one at 2,819 metres. From the top you look down on the Tsaghkadzor valley and, on a clear day, see Mount Ararat. In winter it serves a ski resort; in the warmer months people ride it for the view.60 min
4. 4
   Sevanavank Monastery and lake viewpointSevanavank is an active monastery on a peninsula off the northwestern shore of Lake Sevan. Two small 9th-century churches of dark basalt stand on the hilltop, their drums topped with conical roofs; their construction is linked to Princess Mariam of the Bagratuni family. Until the 1950s this was an island: the peninsula appeared when the lake level was artificially lowered. A long staircase leads from the car park up to the churches, and the top offers a wide view of the lake and mountains.60 min
5. 5
   Dilijan old town, Sharambeyan streetOld Dilijan occupies the short pedestrian Sharambeyan Street in the town centre. Two-storey houses with stone ground floors, carved wooden balconies and outdoor staircases follow the 19th-century architecture of Dilijan. The ensemble is a restoration: a reserve-museum of folk architecture opened here in 1983 on the initiative of the artist Hovhannes Sharambeyan, and the quarter was rebuilt in the 2000s. Today the street has craft workshops and shops, cafés, a hotel and viewpoints over the town and the mountains.45 min
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   Haghartsin MonasteryHaghartsin is a working monastery of the 10th to 13th centuries on a wooded promontory near Dilijan. Its small site holds three churches, a chapel, narthexes and a refectory from 1248, a long hall whose vaults rest on intersecting arches. The main church, Astvatsatsin, rises to a tall faceted drum, and its east wall bears a carving of two figures with staffs on either side of a church model. A forest trail to the Hidden Waterfall starts at the monastery.60 min
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   Hotel in YerevanReturn to the same or another address in the city≈ 18:00

Driving between stops takes about 4.5 h. You can change the order by telling the driver.