Alaverdi

Alaverdi (Armenian: Ալավերդի) is a city in Northern Armenia, and an important commercial and industrial centre in this region.

Understand
Alaverdi is the largest city in the Debed Canyon of Lori, an area rich with historical monuments and natural beauty, and your best bet for refueling, getting supplies or finding other things you'd expect in a town. The town itself has little to offer of historic value, save for the beautiful old foot bridge, since it was built as a mining town, a fact which you won't be able to miss as you go past the massive mining works. The mine once wreaked massive environmental damage, which stopped for a while with the collapse of the USSR, but now it has restarted, albeit on a much smaller scale. You can drive to the Sarahart suburb, which is on top of the canyon cliffs, or you can walk up the ancient foot path which is past the bridge. The funniest, and perhaps most dangerous option though is the cable car, which takes the miners to and from work. Sarahart is adjacent to Sanahin Village, with the famous monastery, and the museum to the Migoyan brothers, with their extraordinary accomplishments of worldwide significance.

Although accommodation options are somewhat limited, making the decision to stay a few nights in the area will allow you to much better appreciate and explore what Armenia has to offer, without sitting in a car all day back and forth from Yerevan.

Alaverdi is surrounded by the following important suburbs and villages, which will also be considered in this article:, , , , and. Alaverdi itself is actually just a transport hub, and you are better off staying on top of the canyon.

By marshrutka


Specific destinations:
 * Marshrutkas between Alaverdi and Vanadzor (1 hr, 500 dram), Stepanavan (2 hr, 700 dram), and Gyumri depart daily. To Vanadzor: 09:00, 10:30, 11:00, and 13:00.
 * Furthermore, almost all transport to and from Tbilisi passes through this town. A bus from Alaverdi to Tbilissi leaves every day at 11:30.
 * Yerevan (3 hr, 1,700 dram). There is one at 11:00.

By train
Train Yerevan-Tbilisi passes through Alaverdi.

By taxi
There are numerous taxis waiting for your negotiations.

By thumb
It is easy to get around and into the Alaverdi canyon.

Get around
The Alaverdi town is built along the Debed River and easily walkable. To reach Sanahin and Sarahart take a taxi (1000 dram), marshrutka (100 dram), or just hitchhike. Everything along the canyon can be managed by hitchhiking, but taxis are abundant.

As of December 2019, the M-6 road around Alaverdi is under construction and in pretty bad shape. Some stretches are passable at max. 10 km/h.

2024: The M-6 road isn't under construnction anymore, the road going up to Sanahin Sarahart is also newly paved and the asphalt is to continue to Akner village within approximately a year.

By marshrutka


Useful marshrutka routes (the last go at 19:00):
 * Marshrutka #5 – from the train station through the entire city along the Debed River.
 * Marshrutka #3 – from the bus and train stations to Sanahin suburb, every 30 min, 100 dram.
 * Marshrutka #063 – between Alaverdi and Haghpat, 200 dram
 * Alaverdi to Haghpat: weekdays 08:15, 09:00, 10:30, 11:30, 13:30, 15:00, 16:30, 17:30, and weekend 09:00, 13:00, 17:00
 * Haghpat to Alaverdi: weekdays 07:30, 08:35, 09:30, 11:00, 13:00, 14:05, 15:30, 17:00, and weekend 08:30, 12:00, 16:00


 * Marshrutka to Akhtala Monastery: 12:00, 300 dram.

By cable car
There is a funicular (even though actually a cable car) between Alaverdi and Sarahart. The cable car operates at the following times: 07:00-10:00, 11:00-13:30, 15:00-19:30, and 23:00-00:30

As of 2019, the cable car is broken and locals are not confident on a timely repair.

By taxi
A taxi to Odzun is officially 1,500 dram, even though it is just 10 km. But it is uphill and often taxi drivers demand 2,000 dram from tourist. Do not fall for 2,000.

Otherwise, the going rate, as always, is 100 dram per kilometre, at least when not climbing up.

Also it's possible to charter a taxi to Haghpat Monastery and Akhtala Monastery together for 5,000 dram. Or to Odzun church and Kobair Monastery together for 5,000 dram. But with the beautiful canyon landscape, you are better off hiking parts of the way. There is always enough taxis around to take one where you finish.

Do

 * Hike, bike, climb, camp, 4x4, photography....

Hiking


There are many trails in the area that link monasteries with each other and with villages. Some have signs and some are marked on OpenStreetMap, others aren’t! The paths are very scenic.

The following are some of the recommended trails:







Buy
The biggest market (shuka) between Vanadzor and Georgia is here, consisting mostly of local produce and cheap imported wares.

Down in Alaverdi there are banks and ATMs, though there are only one or two above in Sanahin.

Eat
There are a couple of places to eat in Alaverdi, plus almost all hotels and B&Bs have their own restaurants.
 * A few cafes near 12th-century bridge of Sanahin serving some simple snacks. Nice views over the river. Cheap: coffee is 200 dram.
 * Barbecue restaurants along the highway.
 * A few cafes near 12th-century bridge of Sanahin serving some simple snacks. Nice views over the river. Cheap: coffee is 200 dram.
 * Barbecue restaurants along the highway.

Drink

 * Sanahin Bridge Hotel has a lounge bar.

Sleep
There are not so many hotels inside the city (just one, Lalvar Hotel) all the rest lie in nearby villages and suburbs. However, getting there is quite easy as there are lots of public marshrutkas plying the area.

Odzun
There are several B&Bs scattered around the village, including:

Stay safe
Hiking trails are frequently packed dirt on a steep incline next to a steep drop-off. There are no guard rails, they are often slippery when wet, and it is possible to walk for hours without seeing anyone outside the villages. Additionally many of the plants here have needles or thorns. So plan ahead!

Connect
Internet can be found in most of the hotels and B&Bs. Otherwise, use mobile 3G which signal is quite good here.

There are 2 mobile operator stores in town, VivaCell MTS and Ucom, both located near the bus station. Beeline SIM cards can be bought from the grocery store nearby.

Go next

 * Khorakert Monastery and Khuchapi Monasteryat the border with Georgia, see Northern Armenia
 * Noyemberyan – NE 52 km.
 * Stepanavan – A town famous mainly because of the ruins of the walled city of Lori nearby, 50 km west.
 * Vanadzor – Armenia's 3rd largest city, 50 km south.


 * Tbilisi, Georgia – The Georgian capital and pleasant gateway into Georgia, 120 km north. You will find many marshrutkas going to the border and beyond. Private taxi to Georgia-Armenia border at Bagratashen is 4,500 dram. Then walk across the border to Georgia. Once in, hitch hike or walk 4 km to the village center of Sadakhlo to find a marshrutka or taxi to take you the rest of the way.