50km to north-east from Yerevan, 1,870m above the sea level you find yourself in the town of mountain skiing and adrenaline, the gorge of flowers on the slope of Mount Teghenis.

No, it is not an artificial platform or an imagined location. It is Tsaghkadzor, the favorite spot of the world’s skiers. The gorge of flowers is how Tsaghkadzor translates from Armenian.

The town’s skiing base was built back in the Soviet era as a training ground for the USSR Olympic team. Now, too, the base is compliant with all requirements of lovers and professionals of mountain skiing. The cable way of the town has been working for over 40 years, and its chair lift will take you to the height of 2,819m in half an hour.

What to see/what to do?

The town has an enormous amount of hotels, resorts and restaurants. Tsaghkadzor’s tourist infrastructure is very rich. However, you need to book your trip beforehand: in the tourist season, you will find no vacant rooms in any rented apartment or hotel.

Tsaghkadzor is a tourist town now, having more tourists than local population in the season, but it was granted the status of town only in 1958.
Although skiing is the main occupation, the town’s intellectual life does not lag behind.

The center of Tsaghkadzor hosts the house-museum of Orbeli brothers – Levon, Ruben and Hovsep. The finest minds of Armenian scientific history were born and raised there.
Hovsep Orbeli was the man who protected the Hermitage Museum and saved the history from the German fascists as he was the director of the Hermitage from 1934 to 1951. We would need a separate article to list all the titles and positions of Levon Orbeli. Here are some of them: assistant to Dr. Pavlov in the Institute of Experimental Medicine, member of the USSR Academy of Sciences (since 1935), Vice President of the Academy of Sciences (in 1942-1946). And finally, Ruben Orbeli – Professor, archaeologist, founder of marine archaeology in the USSR, who taught the humanities.

After a visit to the house-museum, take a walk in Tsaghkadzor and have a look at Kecharis Monastery Complex. Kecharis was a large spiritual center in XII-XIII - century Armenia and had its own college. The main temple of the complex is St. Gregory Church. It is the first structure of the monastery complex, built by Gregory Magistros from Pahlavuni princely family in 1003. The church is of doomed hall type – one of the most characteristic church buildings of the period of advanced feudalism in Armenia.

Tsaghkadzor

50km to north-east from Yerevan, 1,870m above the sea level you find yourself in the town of mountain skiing and adrenaline, the gorge of flowers on the slope of Mount Teghenis.

Tsaghkadzor

Why we love Tsaghkadzor

Tours and tickets

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