Visit Dilijan Town; It's billed as the 'Switzerland of Armenia', and although that may be a bit of a stretch, alpine Dilijan has undeniably attractive scenery and an extremely pleasant climate. During Soviet times this was the peaceful retreat for cinematographers, composers, artists and writers to come and be creative; today it's a centre for tourism with a number of fine hotels. There is certainly enough natural beauty to inspire creative thought: the lush oak and hornbeam forests surround the town with snowcapped peaks in the distance. In summer the villagers herd cattle down from the mountain pastures through the town, and people gather mushrooms and mountain herbs from the rich deciduous forests. The local architecture features a lot of steep tiled roofs and wooden beams, along with some cute gingerbread-style structures. Even the local Soviet monuments have a touch flair. 

 Visit Lake Parz; it is a small lake located in the Dilijan National Park east of Dilijan. The lake was formed by natural climatic changes. "Parz" in Armenian means clear. In 2017 the TransCaucasion Trail was created to connect Parz Lake with the town of Dilijan and in the opposite direction with Gosh Village and Gosh Lake. In 2018 Trails For Change NGO has built a new trail that loops around the lake. At the lake, you find a restaurant, bar, paddle boats, ropes course and zip lines.

Visit Art Gallery and Museum of Dilijan; Housing an eclectic collection of European and Armenian art from the 16th to 20th centuries, this gallery is housed in a grandiose building on the road to the upper town and is Dilijan's major cultural institution. Some of the older works from Italian and Frech artists had been housed in museums in Moscow and St Petersburg but were moved to Dilijan during WWII for safekeeping. The stand-out Armenian work is Arpenik Nalbandyan's Cezanne-like Children from Khndzoresk.

Visit Haghartsin; Hidden in a verdant valley 13km northeast of Dilijan, Haghartsin ('Dance of the Eagles') was built between the 10th and 13th centuries and has three churches: one named for Gregory the Illuminator; another for the Virgin Mary (Surp Astvatsatsin); and the third for St Stephen (Stepanos). There are stunning khachkars (don't miss the one on the southern wall of Surp Astvatsatsin), a sundial on the wall of St Gregory, a ruined gavit and a refectory with the stunning arched ceiling. The monastery was built by order of two brothers, prices of the Bagratuni kingdom and their family seal can be seen o the back of St Stepanos. A recent restoration of the site funded by the Sheikh of Sharjah in the UAE has seen the church buildings lose their historic patina, and many visitors find their bright and shiny appearance disconcerting. No doubt they will blend back into their surrounds in the future.

Visit Sanahin; Home to one of Armenia's World Heritage-listed medieval monasteries, this village is cut into the canyon wall above Alaverdi and is the essential stop for all visitors to the Debed Canyon. Taking the cable car from Alaverdi is an enjoyable start to any visit here, and it also saves the fuss of finding a park near the monastery, which can be very busy on weekends in the high season.

Visit Sanahin Monastery; Sanahin is packed with ancient graves, darkened chapels and medieval study halls. The inner sanctum of the cross-shaped Surp Astvatsatsin Church (Holy Mother of God Chruch) is the oldest structure, dating back to 934. Its adjoining gavit is one of the later buildings, built in 1181. In its heyday, the monastery was renowned for its school of illuminators and calligraphers and also for its medical school. Its name means 'older than that one', referring to nearby Haghpat Monastery. Sanahin's large library (scriptorium) was built in 1063. Square in plan and vaulted, it has 10 niches of varying sizes in which codices and books were stored. At the southeastern corner of the library is a small church dedicated to St Gregory the Illuminator. The 111th-century Academy of Gregory Magistros is located between the two main churches. The cemetery, located to the southeast of the main buildings, contains a 12th-century mausoleum housing the Zakarian princes.

Visit Mikoyan Museum; This Soviet-era museum is a shrine to brothers Anastas and Artyom Mikoyan. Anastas survived 60 years in the Politburo, outlasting even Stalin- we reckon he deserves a museum. Artyom was the designer of the USSR's first jet fighter in WWII, the MiG. There's an early MiG jet outside the museum (no climbing allowed!) and plenty of photos, medals, uniforms and aircraft plans and drawings inside. 

Visit Haghpat; The second of the Debed Canyon's World Heritage-listed monastery complexes are found in this picturesque village east of Alaverdi. Occupying a commanding position over-looking the gorge, this monastery has an atmosphere and architectural splendour in spades. Founded around 966 by Queen Khosrvanuch, who funded construction of the domed Surp Nishan (Church of the Holy Cross) at the centre of the complex, it saw a building boom in the 12th and 13th centuries. Surp Nishan's frescoes and the porch, gavit, bell tower, library and chapter house were added at this time. The monastery's name means "huge wall', acknowledging its hefty fortifications. Other buildings in the complex include two 11th-century churches and a freestanding 13th-century gavit at the rear of the site. This has glorious acoustics and frames a magnificent view over the landscape. An inscription enters through its door and prostrates yourself before the Cross, in your prayers remember us and our royal ancestor, who rest at the door of the holy cathedral, in Jesus Christ'.