Yeghegnadzor is the capital of Vayots Dzor, Armenia's least populated province, sitting in a sun-baked valley along the main highway that runs south from Yerevan toward the Iranian border. The town itself is modest — Soviet-era apartment blocks, a central park, a few shops and cafes — but its location makes it the natural base for exploring one of Armenia's most rewarding regions.
The real attractions are all within day-trip range. Noravank monastery, about 25 minutes south, sits at the end of a dramatic red-rock gorge and is one of the most photogenic buildings in the country. The Areni wine region is just down the road, and the Areni-1 cave complex nearby yielded the world's oldest known leather shoe, dating back over 5,500 years, along with evidence of the earliest known winemaking — a discovery that gave Armenian winemakers considerable bragging rights.
Yeghegnadzor has a few simple restaurants serving khorovats and other Armenian staples, and the town makes a good overnight stop if you are driving between Yerevan and the south. The Selim Caravanserai, a beautifully preserved 14th-century Silk Road waystation on the mountain pass to the north, is another worthwhile stop. The Yeghegnadzor Regional Museum in town provides context on the archaeological finds of the region. The Gladzor University site, just north of town, marks where one of medieval Armenia's great centres of learning operated from 1280 to 1340.