Regions and Resorts of Armenia
There are 48 large and small cities in Armenia with architectural and historical monuments of different eras, one ski resort famous throughout the Caucasus and several balneological ones.
Cities of Armenia
Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, is a very ancient and beautiful city. Most of the buildings here are built of pink tuff, which is why it is called the “Pink City”. Yerevan is very compact, you can easily get around it on foot. The ruins of an ancient Roman fortress, a 16th-century Turkish fort, and numerous churches have been preserved here.
Note: according to allcitypopulation, the population of Armenia is 2.968 million (2021).
The second largest Armenian city is Gyumri. It is located almost on the very border with Turkey and is known for its military history. The “Black Fortress” of 1837, which defended the city during the Russian-Turkish war, has been preserved there, and not far from it is the picturesque Aparan reservoir. The city itself is very beautiful and green, there are quarters-reserves in which nothing has changed since the 19th century.
The third largest city in Armenia, Vanadzor, is located in a basin between the Pambak and Bazum ranges. In Vanadzor, it is very convenient to combine cultural recreation with health benefits: there are medieval monasteries, as well as mineral springs, around which clinics specializing in mud and hydrotherapy are built. All the details about the cities and resorts of Armenia are on the page “Subtleties of tourism”.
Therapeutic and balneological resorts
Armenian health resorts are, first of all, mineral springs and clean mountain air.
Dilijan is not only a beautiful city with ancient architecture and houses with carved balconies, but also a famous mountain climatic and balneological resort. There are mineral water springs here, and since 1947 the Dilijan Mineral Water Plant has been operating. More than 20 rest houses, boarding houses and sanatoriums have been built around these springs, including one anti-tuberculosis one.
Another resort with mineral springs – Jermuk – is located high in the mountains, at an altitude of more than 2000 m. Near the forest, rocks, the Arpa River and waterfalls. Hot and cold mineral springs flow here, and the first baths appeared in this area as early as the 1st century BC. e. By the way, this resort is considered one of the most inexpensive in Armenia.
Alpine Lake Sevan is one of the most beautiful places in the country, where there are also sources of healing mineral waters. It is located in a mountain bowl, at an altitude of almost 2000 m above sea level. Treatment here can be combined with a beach holiday, water tourism and fishing.
Ski resort Tsaghkadzor
The most famous ski resort in Armenia – Tsaghkadzor – is located 40 km from Yerevan in the Marmarik valley. This is about 12 km of trails for any level of difficulty: there are for children and beginners, there are extreme ones with elevation changes up to 350 m. Not far from the slopes is the ancient Kecharis monastery complex of the 12th-13th centuries, and in sunny weather a very beautiful view of Sevan opens from the mountains and Ararat.
Armenian beaches
The most popular beaches in Armenia are located in the mountains near Lake Sevan. The northern coast is occupied by boarding houses and hotels, therefore it is ennobled, the rest of the beaches are considered wild.
The coast is mostly pebbly and rocky, but in some places sand is also found. The main pride of the resort is crystal clear water, by the way, quite cool. Even in the summer season, its temperature does not rise above +20 °C. The beaches at the hotels will offer sun loungers, umbrellas and various water activities for an additional fee.
Keep in mind that this is a high-altitude lake, so despite the coolness, it is very easy to burn out here quickly. Use the most powerful sunscreen.
Climate
Armenia has a continental mountain climate: summers are hot and dry; winter, though short, but very severe. A characteristic feature is a strongly pronounced altitudinal zonality with significant temperature differences even between closely spaced settlements. Within Yerevan, there is often a difference of a couple of degrees between the northern and southern outskirts. It rains mainly in spring and early summer.
In the Ararat Valley and Yerevan, the average temperature in July is +26…+28 °C, the maximum temperature is +42 °C, in January -4 °C. In the foothills in summer the thermometer shows +24…+26 °C, in winter – about +5 °C. Mountainous areas can boast of cool summer months – from +10 to +20 °C, depending on the height, but in winter they get quite cold – down to -14 °C. The thickness of the snow cover ranges from 30 to 100 cm, the snow lies for a long time. In the area of Lake Sevan, it is about +20 °C in summer and -12 °C in winter months.
In general, the best time to visit the country for sightseeing purposes is autumn with its warm weather, bright colors and an abundance of fruits. In winter, skiers are waiting for the first-class slopes of Tsaghkadzor, and in summer – a beach holiday in Sevan. See also the current weather forecast in the most popular cities and resorts of Armenia for 10 days.