Yeghegnadzor

As wines from Yeghegnadzor, and particularly Areni Village make their way into shops around the world, people from all over the world are making their way to Yeghegnadzor. The surrounding area is one of the richest in the variety and quality of sites and activities it offers. Within a half an hour drive from Yeghegnadzor are the beautiful monasteries of Noravank, Tsakhatskar, Tanahati, and a number of smaller churches and monasteries as well. There are also the wineries, which are just learning the touristic aspects of wine making. Areni winery just off the highway offers wine tasting in their cellar. The caves and caverns of this area are a spelological delight, with spelunkers having their choice of 3 large caverns to go spelunking in. Magili Caverns, just off the road on the way to Noravank are easy to find and enter, but are a labrynth of narrow corridors and tunnels 1.7 km in length should be done only by the very experienced or with a guide due to the possibility of getting lost. There are some plain stalactites, although most have been broken off, and a bat colony as well. The more impressive caverns of Arjer Cave and Mozrov Cave are much harder to reach and enter due to a number of reasons. For both, a local guide from Yeghegnadzor must be found unless you are extremely experienced.

To get to Yeghegnadzor, you can take a bus from the Yerevan bus station. Every bus going to Southern Armenia, or north from Southern Armenia must pass Yeghegnadzor which is on the only north-south highway. There is a nice bed and breakfast in town, with very comfortable beds and delicious food.

Some 150 meters E past the main turnoff into downtown Yeghegnazdor (bus station, statue), a paved road goes S toward Agarakadzor, just across the Arpa. This good road will leave to a cold and carbonated mineral spring with delicious sweet water. The water used to be a toasty 28 degrees celcius, but has gone cold in the past few years. The remnants of pools and tubs remain as the water bubbles out and flows into the nearby stream. To reach it just continue through and past the town on the main road which then heads up the stream. Eventually on the right you will see the large empty pool, and some concrete and metal remnants just before reaching a nice bridge in the road. This is where you should hop out to drink the mineral waters and fill up some bottles with it.

The 13th century Yeghegnadzor bridge was built in the Middle Ages, this bridge over the river Arpa consists of a single arch 16 meters in span. Unlike other medieval bridges of Armenia, its arch is ogival which appreciably increases the height of the bridge roadway in the middle. [Paragraph Source: Monuments of Armenia]

Attractions in the Yeghegnadzor general area include:

• Noravank Monastery
• Tanahati Monastery/Gladzor University
• Zorats Church
• Spitakavor Church
• Tsakhats Kar Monastery
• Smbataberd Fortress
• Yeghegis Village Jewish Cemetery
• Arates Monastery
• Boloraberd Fortress
• Arkazi Church
• Shativank Monastery
• Areni Church/Wineries
• Magili Caverns
• Arjer Cave
• Mozrov Cave

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