Ashtarak

Ashtarak is a small city in Central Armenia 20 km northwest of Yerevan. It features the best-preserved Armenian church of the 7th century, Karmravor.

Understand
Ashtarak is located at the intersection of roads leading to Gyumri and Yerevan. Due to such a convenient location the settlement appeared here long time ago. However, it didn't play any significant role until the second half of the twentieth century, when Ashtarak acquired the status of a city and started to host Institute of physics of Armenian Academy of Sciences. The name of the city means "a tower" in Armenian.

Ashtarak does not look like the regional center nowadays: it's a sleepy town, where it's easier to meet a chicken rather than a car. A trip here is a good opportunity to escape a rush of Yerevan for a few hours.

Get in
Public transport is the cheapest option and provides good connections.

By bus


From specific destinations:
 * Yerevan – There are minibuses #502, #503 departing from Yerevan's Kilikia Bus Station. The price is 250 dram (2019). Ask the driver to stop at Ashtaraki Hraparak (the main square), otherwise you'll be dropped out at the not so centrally located bus station.

By taxi
Taxi drivers will be happy to drive you from Yerevan to Ashtarak or anywhere else. Approximate price range from the center of Yerevan is 2,200-2,500 dram.

By car
The road from Yerevan to Ashtarak is M1 motorway (4-lane road in a good condition). There is another quite OK road from Echmiadzin (17 km), which is convenient if you want to visit Echmiadzin and Ashtarak on the same day from Yerevan.

Get around
Everything is within walking distance.

Sleep
There is only one very average hotel in Ashtarak, but Yerevan with plenty of sleeping options is half an hour's drive away.

Go next

 * Echmiadzin – There are bus services leaving from the bus station. The journey only takes ½ hr.
 * Oshakan Village – A little down the river. Here the creator of the Armenian alphabet, Mesrob Mashtots, is buried in the village church.
 * Mughni – Just north along the river (and highway), with an interesting church where alternating colors of stone form black and red bands around the cupola.
 * Hovhannavank Monastery – Further north in Ohanavan village. This restored monastery is perched atop the cliffs and has a great view of Mt. Ara.
 * Saghmosavank Monastery – Just east of Artashavan village shares the same great views of the gorge and Mt. Ara. You can hike from one to the other in the gorge. Great architecture, carvings, details.
 * Aparan – Much further north is this town, whose inhabitants are the butt of jokes which pin them as not the brightest folk. The very ancient, black Kasagh basilica church, just a few meters from the main highway is worth dropping into on your way to Lori Marz.