Tsaghkadzor in Armenia

Tsaghkadzor

Region: Kotayk Province

Tsaghkadzor, which means «valley of flowers», is a small and cozy city located in the Armenian province Kotayk on 1,800 meters above sea level. The town is situated on the southeastern slope of Mount Teghenis and it is surrounded by picturesque nature and forests.

As a settlement, Tsaghkadzor is known from ancient times. Founded in the 3rd century AC, the economic and cultural life began to rise during the Zaqariants' reign during the 13th and 14th centuries. During the Soviet times, Tsaghkadzor has been developed as an important spa town, ski and health resort. The Soviets built the ski lifts and some other sporting facilities to prepare their athletes for the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary.

Tsaghkadzor is the biggest ski resort in Armenia.

12 years later, Armenia began to modernize the city and its ski lifts. A lot of luxurious hotels and sanatoriums have been built and the ski lifts from the Soviet times have been replaced with modern ones.

Stopover on the way to Lake Sevan

During the summer Tsaghkadzor is mainly visited by locals, who escape from the heat of the capital Yerevan. The local people like nature and the fresh air in this region. The international tourists visit Tsaghkadzor because it is a good base for a stopover before visiting Lake Sevan which is only 25 km away.

Armenia's biggest ski resort

In winter the city is quite crowded with skiers. Opened during the Soviet times and modernized after the year 2000, Tsaghkadzor is quite a modern ski resort today. On the slopes of Mount Teghenis, there are five ski lifts starting at an altitude of 1,966 meters. The highest lift ends close to the mountain's peak at 2,918 meters above sea level. Skiing in Tsaghkadzor is cheap: A one-day-pass costs 11,000 AMD which is less than 23 USD. It is possible to rent the whole ski equipment for 5,000 AMD per day (10 USD) or to book a ski instructor for 7,000 AMD (13 USD) per hour.

In Tsaghkadzor you will find more than 80 hotels and apartments. There is also the General Sports Complex offering accommodations and other facilities such as a swimming pool (50 m), a professional gym, four boxing rings, cross-country ski trails, and an indoor sports hall for mini-football and basketball. 

The winter sports season in Tsaghkadzor normally starts in mid-December and stretches well into March. Depending on the weather and the amount of snow it is often possible to ski in April, too.

Kecharis Monastery

Tsaghkadzor's religious and cultural center is the Kecharis Monastery, which was completely reconstructed in 2001. It is a medieval Armenian monastery complex which was originally built in the year 1003. After the Seljuqs destroyed the monastery, the Armenians reconstructed and expanded it. They added the Surb Haruthjun chapel and built a third church in the 13th century.

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