Wandering the narrow alleys of Meghri's old quarter is the great pleasure of a visit. The lanes climb the hillside between sand-brown adobe houses with wooden balconies that overhang the streets, blue-painted doors, vines on trellises, pomegranate trees in tiny courtyards. There is almost no traffic — the streets are too narrow for cars — and very little tourism, so a slow ramble brings you into the daily rhythm of a place that feels closer to a small town in Iranian Azerbaijan than to anywhere else in Armenia.
The best route is to climb up from the small bazaar to the Astvatsatsin church, take in the view, then descend by a different lane. Locals are friendly and curious; the older generation often speak Persian as well as Armenian and Russian. Bring a hat — the sun is fierce — and good shoes for the cobbles.