Tsaghkadzor (also spelled Tzakhadzor) is Armenia's main ski resort, located about 60km northeast of Yerevan in the Kotayk highlands. The name means "valley of flowers" in Armenian — apt for a place that is buried in snow in winter and carpeted in wildflowers by June.
The ski resort climbs Teghenis Mountain from around 1,950m to the 2,819m summit, with a gondola that runs year-round. In winter it pulls in skiers and snowboarders from Yerevan on day trips and weekends; in summer the same gondola delivers hikers and mountain-bikers to the upper slopes, with views across to Lake Sevan on a clear day. The Tsaghkadzor Olympic Sports Complex on the lower slopes is a reminder that this mountain has been serious training territory since Soviet times.
The medieval Kecharis Monastery, a 11th–13th century complex of tufa-stone churches and a gavit, sits at the edge of town and is worth an hour whatever the season. The Writers' Union Resort, a striking piece of Soviet modernist architecture above the town, offers an unexpected counterpoint: a creative retreat for Soviet-era artists now operating quietly as a hotel, its interiors largely unchanged.
Buses and marshrutkas from Yerevan run regularly and the journey takes about 1.5 hours. Many guesthouses and small hotels operate year-round, with prices rising steeply during the ski season.