Vanadzor's reason to exist as a traveller's base is the country around it. Within an hour or two by road you can reach the UNESCO-listed monasteries of Haghpat and Sanahin above the Debed Canyon, the great basilica of Odzun on its plateau, and the copper-mining town of Alaverdi at the bottom of the gorge. South into Tavush province, the wooded valleys and resort town of Dilijan are a contrast in landscape and pace.
If you have a car, the village of Dsegh — Hovhannes Tumanyan's birthplace, with a small house-museum — and the spa town of Stepanavan with its arboretum are both worth half a day each.
