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Armenia
Photo: Raffi Kojian, http://www.armeniapedia.org, CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Northern Armenia includes the 3 northernmost provinces of Armenia. The western part of this region is arid, while the central and eastern parts are often lush and green, with much of Armenia's forests. The Debed river canyon of Lori Province is particularly beautiful and rich in monuments, along with the rolling hills of the remote Shamshadin, centered around Berd, and Dilijan-Ijevan.
Each of the three Marzes has a main highway from Yerevan. One goes to Gyumri, one to Vanadzor-Alaverdi-Georgia, and the third to Dilijan-Noyemberyan-Georgia (via Lake Sevan).
Read in the guideIf you get to each of these cities by public transportation, you can negotiate with taxis for getting to the regional sites, though be prepared for tough negotiations.
Read in the guideChoose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.
Yerevan · International · EVN
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Armenia's 2nd largest city which once dwarfed Yerevan. Small old town area still shows earthquake damage from 1988.
Armenia's 3rd largest city with Soviet Armenian architecture, and vast industrial sections which have been largely left to disintegrate.
This industrial mining town doesn't have a lot to offer, but there several beautiful monasteries in the vicinity of it: Sanahin Monastery, Haghpat Monastery.
The surrounding region is a hiker's and biker's paradise, waiting for someone to mark and publish the old trails that weave across the rolling hills, valleys and mountains.
The center of Armenia's "Little Switzerland" area, and very popular place for locals to get away from the city.
A village in Northern Armenia, which is especially famous thanks to its beautiful natural surroundings
With Makaravank Monastery nearby.
Small town near the border with Georgia, featuring 2 small nearby monasteries.
The site of the USSR’s largest mine of pumice, and has 2 monasteries.
Spitak is a town on the shores of Pambak River in Northern Armenia, surrounded by mountains, between Gyumri and Vanadzor. The town was the epicenter of the Spitak earthquake, the results of which are still visible throughout town.
Known for the ruins of nearby Lori Fortress, and to a lesser extent for the house-museum of namesake Stepan Shahumyan.
A cute little town with a nice town square which has stunning views of the Debed Gorge's cliffs.
Debed Canyon is in Northern Armenia. There are two cities along the river at the bottom of the canyon, and a good number of villages that are mainly on the plain that is atop the canyon walls.
Articles and travel topics about Northern Armenia and Armenia.
Travel tipsThe Armenian Genocide was a campaign of deportation, forced marches, and mass murder during World War I, carried out by the Ottoman Empire against ethnic Armenians.
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ItinerariesA good way to trace through the history of Armenia, the Armenia Heritage Trail is a suggested itinerary of places which takes you on an approximate chronological tour of the long and rich history of Armenia.
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Travel tipsThe Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) (Russian: Союз Советских Социалистических Республик (СССР)), or Soviet Union, emerged as the successor state to the Russian Empire in 1917, and was dissolved in 1991.
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Culture & historyThe Mongols came to rule much of Asia and Europe during the 13th century, becoming the largest contiguous land empire ever, and second only to the British Empire in total land area.
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