Real places, near the mountain
Dzyun is a virtual resort; Lori is not. Here are seventeen real places around Vanadzor and Shahumyan, with drive times we have not made up and a plain note where we do not know.
None of these places belongs to Dzyun or is run by it. We would sell the road, a driver-guide and your time, never an entry. Entry to the monasteries is free.
Virtual resort. The mountain and Lori are real; lifts, lodges and your stay are a simulation.
Concept visualizationMonasteries and churches belong to the Armenian Apostolic Church. They are active places: no ads, no queues for photos, no stamps inside the walls.
Founded around 976. Part of the UNESCO site together with Sanahin, a centre of learning of the Kyurikid era. Entry is free; donations are welcome.
Founded in the 10th century. Its library of 1063 is described as the oldest Armenian one; about 50 khachkars, a school and a scriptorium. Entry is free. The library is usually closed and opened by the keeper.
A domed basilica dated to the 5th to 7th century, rebuilt under Catholicos Hovhannes Odznetsi (717 to 728), with arched galleries. A 6th-century funerary monument with two stelae stands next to it. Restored in 2012 to 2014.
A Kyurikid fortress on a rock, walls of bluish basalt. Frescoes of 1205 to 1216 mix Armenian, Georgian and Byzantine elements; inscriptions are in Georgian and Greek. We keep that complexity and do not flatten it.
Built in 1171 by the Kyurikids, belfry 1279, main church consecrated 1282, with frescoes. On the edge of a gorge opposite the town of Tumanyan. Partly ruined, under state restoration; it may be closed for works.
Church of St Mark of 1187 and buildings of 1206, on cliffs above the gorge, with caves and khachkars. The cliffs are not safe for small children.
The poet was born here on 19 February 1869. The two-storey house of his priest father, a museum since 1939, about 300 exhibits. Nearby a 7th-century church and a khachkar of 1281. In 1938 to 1969 the village was called Tumanyan, which is not the town of Tumanyan near Kobayr.
A complex of the 10th to 13th century. The way is linked to Tumanyan's story "Gikor". Reached only on foot.
An 11th-century fortress, the centre of the Tashir-Dzoraget kingdom, on a triangular plateau between two gorges. Wall fragments and an arched bridge by the fortress.
Built between the 7th and 12th century where the Dzoraget meets the Gargar, near the village of Kurtan. The state has started restoration and the dome of the main church is rebuilt. The road is poor; on foot is better.
Founded in 1931, 35 ha of pines. Open daily 09:00 to 19:00, entry AMD 200 per a travel site; check before going. Stepanavan lies at about 1,375 m.
Founded in 1974 as a branch of the National Gallery. More than 1,700 works on three floors and a hall of Lori artists. Runs art-therapy workshops. Listed as a regional monument in 2004.
More than 34,000 exhibits: clothing, tableware, jewellery, ritual objects, tools. The exhibition "Historical and cultural heritage of Lori" opened on 16 December 2022 and includes finds from the 2021 to 2022 Sanahin excavations.
The St Mary church (13th century, rebuilt after the 1826 earthquake), Hayk square of the 1950s, the St Gregory of Narek cathedral of 2005, a 19th-century Russian church. Soviet architecture of the 1950s and abandoned industrial buildings give the city its texture.
The 176 km river forms where the Dzoraget and the Pambak meet, and flows on to Georgia. Local operators say they raft all year; we have not checked it. Horse routes run Debed, Dsegh, Odzun, Alaverdi.
Lake Tsover, about 3 km from Dsegh at 1,390 m, roughly 250 m long. A water-lily lake near Urasar, in bloom in July. Forest paths are marked on tourism sites.
About 3,080 m (ArmGeo), on the border of Lori and Kotayk, one of the highest in the Pambak range. The only item here that sits at the project site. The summit is a landmark, not a station or a descent.
Built from the places above, two or three points a day. Each programme keeps days in the valley, because the mountain is the reason to stay and Lori is the reason to leave for a day.
Summer: the longer days (Odzun, Dsegh, Akhtala) need an early start. Opening hours of the sights are not confirmed.
Day 1
Spa, breakfast at Dzyun Table, quiet hours. All proposed and simulated.
Day 2
Two monasteries of one UNESCO site in a day. About 51 and 56 min from Vanadzor, estimate. Entry is free; dress modestly. Stamps are never placed inside the walls.
Places of the day: Sanahin monastery, Haghpat monastery
Day 3
The fortress-town on its plateau, then a bread or ceramics workshop at a partner (example). Dendropark Sochut if there is time.
Places of the day: Lori Berd fortress-town, Sochut dendropark, Stepanavan
Day 1
Spa, breakfast at Dzyun Table, quiet hours. All proposed and simulated.
Day 2
Two monasteries of one UNESCO site in a day. About 51 and 56 min from Vanadzor, estimate. Entry is free; dress modestly. Stamps are never placed inside the walls.
Places of the day: Sanahin monastery, Haghpat monastery
Day 3
The church and its funerary monument, and Horomayr on foot for adults. Estimated 1 to 1.3 h from Vanadzor.
Places of the day: Odzun church, Horomayr monastery, Debed canyon
Day 4
The house museum, then a walk to Lake Tsover or to Bardzrakash, 2 to 3 km. Opening hours are not confirmed.
Places of the day: Dsegh, Hovhannes Tumanyan house museum, Bardzrakash near Dsegh, Lakes and forests of Lori
Day 5
The fortress-town on its plateau, then a bread or ceramics workshop at a partner (example). Dendropark Sochut if there is time.
Places of the day: Lori Berd fortress-town, Sochut dendropark, Stepanavan
Day 1
Spa, breakfast at Dzyun Table, quiet hours. All proposed and simulated.
Day 2
A walk above the valley, with the gondola as a viewpoint depending on the wind. Proposed, simulated.
Places of the day: Dzithanits (Maymekh), the mountain itself
Day 3
Two monasteries of one UNESCO site in a day. About 51 and 56 min from Vanadzor, estimate. Entry is free; dress modestly. Stamps are never placed inside the walls.
Places of the day: Sanahin monastery, Haghpat monastery
Day 4
The church and its funerary monument, and Horomayr on foot for adults. Estimated 1 to 1.3 h from Vanadzor.
Places of the day: Odzun church, Horomayr monastery, Debed canyon
Day 5
The house museum, then a walk to Lake Tsover or to Bardzrakash, 2 to 3 km. Opening hours are not confirmed.
Places of the day: Dsegh, Hovhannes Tumanyan house museum, Bardzrakash near Dsegh, Lakes and forests of Lori
Day 6
A long day with 1.5 to 2 h of driving each way, estimate. Frescoes at Akhtala; Kobayr is a 15 to 20 min climb and may be closed for works.
Places of the day: Akhtala fortress and monastery, Kobayr monastery
Day 7
The fortress-town on its plateau, then a bread or ceramics workshop at a partner (example). Dendropark Sochut if there is time.
Places of the day: Lori Berd fortress-town, Sochut dendropark, Stepanavan
Short and plain, so nobody books something that does not exist.
One car, a driver-guide and a day you plan with them. Add it to your plan to see it next to the valley days.
The price is a partner price plus a separate service line of the showcase. Example, not a price list.
Lori day trip with a driver-guide
Entry to monasteries is free; you pay for transport and time
$120per car