Armenia's third-largest city sits in a valley where three rivers meet, surrounded by the forested mountains of Lori province. Vanadzor itself is a quiet Soviet-era city without major sights of its own, but it is a terrific base for exploring one of Armenia's most beautiful regions — pristine forests, deep gorges, and long-forgotten Bronze Age, Byzantine, and medieval ruins scattered through the hills.
The train from Gyumri or from the Georgian border passes through some of the most dramatic terrain in the country. From Vanadzor you can reach the forest monasteries of the Debed Canyon — Haghpat, Sanahin, and Odzun — via Alaverdi. Head east into Tavush province for the most pristine wilderness in northern Armenia, a region rarely visited by tourists, with good bases at Ijevan and Dilijan. Or go north to Stepanavan, where the last wild population of Armenian water lilies survives in a small lake.
In the city itself, start with Hayk Square and the colonnaded Hovhannes Tumanyan State Drama Theatre, then walk over to the 19th-century Church of the Holy Mother of God and the small Vanadzor Fine Arts Museum. The hilltop Battle of Karakilisa Monument and the Black River Gorge east of town are both worth an hour or two on foot.