Ashtarak is a small historic town built along the Kasagh river gorge, about 20 kilometres northwest of Yerevan. It is the only real urban centre in Aragatsotn Marz and makes a natural base for exploring the region's monasteries and the slopes of Mount Aragats.
The town itself is worth an afternoon for its cluster of churches. Karmravor is the star — a tiny 7th-century chapel with a tiled dome roof that somehow looks like a watercolour painting in every photograph. St. Mariane is an older church with a modern addition. On the edge of the Kasagh gorge stand Tsiranavor and Spitakavor, both half-ruined and with confusingly swapped names: Tsiranavor ("apricot-coloured") is white, while Spitakavor ("white-coloured") is light orange.
The old stone houses, the natural backdrop of the gorge, and the quiet pace of life make Ashtarak a pleasant contrast to the bustle of Yerevan. The nearby monastery of Saint Gevork at Mughni and the dramatic Hovhannavank monastery further up the gorge are both within easy reach. For dinner, the Ashtaraki Dzor restaurant complex just outside town has been popular with locals for years — go at night for the atmosphere and entertainment.