Dilijan City Center - Armenia

Hello friends. We visited the city center of Dilijan in Armenia. In my previous post, I told you about our visit to the nature reserve in Dilijan. Afterwards, we decided to stay in the city center. This place is a bit elevated. You could say it's in the mountains. If you go down, you can reach the main street and supermarkets in about 5-10 minutes. The hotel we stayed at was called Kirovi Tun.

As soon as we arrived at the hotel, we tried to check in, but they told us we needed to wait a bit because we had arrived very early. Meanwhile, we approached the main balcony and started enjoying the beautiful views opening towards the mountains and Dilijan. There are many plum trees in the area. As far as I understand, plums are quite popular here and probably sold everywhere. Wherever you look, everything is beautiful, mountains. We waited a bit and finally, they allowed us to settle in. We stayed on the second floor, room number 10 and the room category was Double Deluxe with a balcony. We went inside, climbed the stairs and saw a fairly spacious room. There were wardrobes, hangers, slippers. Having a room with a pool is a big plus, but it's not really necessary in this area, especially compared to Yerevan since it's cooler here. Such a room costs 70 euros per day and includes free breakfast.

It felt like we were staying in a wooden club. The ceilings were very interestingly designed. And of course, there was a tea machine for tea or coffee service, chairs and generally a flat-screen TV that we didn't turn on. You can drink tea or coffee here early in the morning and connect with nature. I really love it here because it's right in the mountains. So, we're very close to the city center and also surrounded by nature. Additionally, there is a garden, a park, bushes, pots, flowers everywhere. Simply beautiful. Also, there is a comfortable table on the balcony. I can say it's quite a large balcony. You can go out and enjoy watching the view. There is also another restaurant within the complex where you can have your breakfast included, lunch or dinner. I think this place is wonderful. Then we slowly started walking towards the city center.

Before leaving I had the chance to explore the hotel grounds a bit more. The trees are neatly trimmed and there are places where children can play. If I were a little kid, I would happily swing on those swings. Also, there are cats around the hotel grounds, cute cats lying everywhere. Guests pet and stroke them. They made a table from roots and you can sit on the roots. We walked through the pine trees toward the pool and took a look at how the pool appeared. There is also a hammam. Interestingly, all these pine trees are next to the hammam and the pool. So, you can sunbathe, swim, go to the hammam and jump back into the pool. All this is set in a green garden environment. The main building is beautifully decorated, with lanterns and greenery everywhere. Great care is taken in maintaining the grounds.

We successfully reached the center of Dilijan. This is also where our first bus terminal is located. This place seemed very nice at first, but we had hurriedly gone to the nature reserve and didn’t have time to explore. I suppose there’s a lake in the city center. There’s a park area there, mountains and a lakeside restaurant. There’s also a bridge where you can take beautiful photos. Did you know that there are two centers in Dilijan? Some locals consider this the center, while others consider an area near the municipality as the center. People constantly debate about this. One taxi driver told us this is the center, while another said no, it’s a bit higher up. No matter who we talked to, we still couldn’t figure out which one is the real center. When we came here by bus, they told us this was the center.

We walked towards the bridge. Beautiful views open up from there. Also we stopped by the market in front of us to buy some meat. I think this is a nice area and the other center is also beautiful, so people can’t decide. We visited both this and the other center. The only issue was that we needed cash in the upper area and couldn’t find any ATMs. However, corn sales are very common. I don’t know why it’s so widespread here. At every corner, there are stands selling either corn or sunflower seeds. I’m sure they grow somewhere around here because the abundance of corn is surprising.

After walking a bit, we reached a street. I think it’s a touristic street. It’s described as the old city. The street is named after the famous Armenian painter who grew up in Dilijan. Here we can see what Dilijan looked like in the X century. There are places where we can buy bread, the streets are very charming and beautiful. There are shops selling souvenirs and restaurants here. I didn’t know this street was such an interesting and historical one. Not just simple souvenirs, ceramics are also sold. The people doing this pass the knowledge from generation to generation. There are even people who have been doing this work for five generations. We decided to enter a workshop. There are handmade toys, dolls and a workshop called Keram Workshop.

We decided to go in and see what it was like. You can buy things made here – cups, vase sets, all beautifully painted. They are all pomegranate-shaped and I think there are also pitchers for wine. There are also paintings, plates. Many varieties. You can even buy bracelets. You can take them home as beautiful and interesting gifts. All these products are entirely made in this workshop. Completely handmade. It’s interesting, I’ve never seen how such things are made before.

According to what they told us, they work with families and this work has been going on for many years. I think they’ve been doing this job for 20-30 years and some families are in their fifth generation. According to what I read, the oldest ones are in their fifth generation. But I think this information will be further developed and one day it will reach tenth-generation families. I talked to a man, I think he has been doing this job for 20 or 30 years. His father paints pictures. There are also many gift shops here. It’s like a full gift house. These products resemble the souvenirs we saw at the Vernisaj Market. There was a wide selection there too. Here, there are many unique items you can buy as gifts. Bags are also entirely handmade.

We left this street. You can walk here for at least an hour and take photos. Then we came to an amphitheater, more than 70 years old. Natural fruit juices are sold here. Natural juices, 3-liter bottles priced at about 12 euros. There are also different wines. These are fruity, dry wines – sour ones. Their prices range between 5-10 euros. There are cherry, quince and pomegranate wines. Fruit-infused vodka is also very popular. I have never seen anything like this in my life: pomegranate vodka. There are various fruit vodkas. Their prices are around 30 euros for 0.5 liters. There are also liqueurs, sweet ones. They are also priced between 5-10 euros. Surprisingly, they are 52 degrees, meaning quite strong drinks.

We reached the top and it really looks like the center of the city. I think this area resembles a center more than the place we initially arrived at. There are many banks and large supermarkets here. Finally, I was able to withdraw cash because I hadn’t found any ATMs below. Therefore, I think this area can properly be called the center. This is where the municipality is and there is a large supermarket. There is also a food court. Many people suggested we visit the SAS Food Court. We haven’t been there yet, but we passed by it and got water from there. Also, when you walk about 50 meters from the center, you reach an amazing platform with great views. Small houses, mountains. It’s like we’ve come to the most beautiful panoramic platform and this platform is located right in the center, the upper center.

The city of Dilijan is generally very beautiful because wherever you go, you’re greeted only with beautiful landscapes, greenery and nature. There are many places here. As I mentioned in my previous post, there are waterfalls, monasteries, mountains. You can climb the mountains and take various tours. They also suggested safari-type tours. If you come here, you can arrange special routes with a taxi driver and explore all these wonderful places yourself. I didn’t expect Dilijan to be this beautiful. I had seen pictures but didn’t pay much attention. I thought it was an ordinary city. When we arrived, I realized I was wrong. It’s very beautiful. To be honest, it looks good in photos, but when you see it live, you realize it’s several times more beautiful than in the pictures.

We have now descended to the lower part of Dilijan and realized we hadn’t had lunch yet. It was approaching dinner time. So, as usual, my friend found a restaurant based on reviews. The name of the restaurant was ‘Papanino House’ and bread sales were happening on the first floor. We went up to the restaurant and looked around. They said there were beautiful mountain views. This restaurant offers both Armenian and European cuisine. We reviewed the menu and they showed us the dining areas. But I wanted to go upstairs because there were even better views of the mountains from there. You can also sit on the terrace, a place with road views.

We immediately ordered wine. We chose many things, interesting things. There were meat-filled dumplings. I had never tried them before and wanted to taste them. We also ordered bone marrow, served with crackers, pickles and lemon. Pepper bruschetta, a type of appetizer. There was kompot and pork Dilijan style served with onions and potatoes. Our salad was prepared with pears, vegetables and croutons. There was also a dish called Rusalka. It was made from salmon.

I tried the wine. It was semi-sweet, not sour at all and really delicious. Fruit wines are very popular in Armenia. Now we’ve left the restaurant. My God, everything was filling and delicious. Honestly, we shouldn’t have ordered so much. We wanted to try everything, so large portions came. But since we hadn’t had lunch, it was perfectly normal for both lunch and dinner. The total cost of all the dishes was 56 euros. If you’re in Dilijan and want a filling lunch or dinner, definitely visit this restaurant, Papanino House. We’ve now returned to our hotel.

We woke up to a new day and sincerely want to tell you that it was a bit chilly in the morning. On one hand, this was a big advantage because it was very hot in Yerevan, but here it was pleasant weather, the kind I like. Breathing was difficult at 35, almost 40 degrees Celsius. But here, when we woke up in the morning, there was fresh air, mountains behind us and a wonderful view. We went for breakfast and the breakfasts were held in a panoramic-view restaurant.

How beautiful the mountains looked. We couldn’t get enough of this view. Mist and clouds floated between the mountains, creating a delightful sight. Breakfasts were served buffet-style. There were fresh cheeses, yogurt, coffee, jams, boiled eggs, lavash bread and a sweet version of lavash. There were also various vegetables like tomatoes, cucumbers, sausages and pastırma. Yogurts, watermelon and melon were available. Of course, there were fruit juices and ready-made breakfast options for children. You could make tea-coffee here and of course, there were sausages, one of my essentials. Yes, this was definitely something to try.

Finally, we sat inside and took our seats by the window. Magnificent panoramic views opened up towards the mountains from the windows. I can’t get tired of repeating, because it was beautiful in every way. Traditionally I made the same choice again. I guess you already know our secret. There’s always a pile of sausages at our breakfasts. I also got an omelet. I considered getting boiled eggs, but here they were prepared with vegetables and greens, which I thought was more suitable. I also got lavash bread and a green cheese and there were tomatoes. Later, we were going to get tea-coffee.

We successfully and satisfyingly finished our breakfast. We noticed there was another path below the restaurant and we wondered where it led. There was an immense table, as if you could sit with the whole family and eat. A private corner where you could be completely alone with nature. No one was around, a complete forest atmosphere. Again, we saw plenty of plum trees.

We took a walk in the garden of our hotel and took photos. Also, we heard that there was a restaurant in Dilijan with a fairy-tale atmosphere. There were Hobbit houses around. We had seen the photos and it looked like a valuable place. So, we decided to call a taxi.

We reached our destination. The name of this complex was Cozy House and it was designed as if it had jumped out of a fairy tale. The Hobbit houses were also painted in vibrant colors. We were in a place like a child’s dream. An area covered with green spaces and beautiful cabins. We specifically wanted to go to the restaurant to experience and enjoy this atmosphere. There was also a separate bar and an area where a fire was lit. Of course, there were hobbit-style rooms designed for accommodation.

The cabins here looked as if they were built underground. If you look around the complex, everywhere is very beautiful and extremely relaxing. It reminded me of Disneyland, everything was specially designed to enchant children. Apple trees, pine trees, everything was like a fairy tale. In front of us was the reception and an open Hobbit house. We peeked inside a bit to see how it looked. The Hobbit house was genuinely very stylized and fun in design. Of course, this place particularly attracts children with its design.

We went up to the second section, where there was a restaurant. A two-story restaurant and a very green area. We chose a nice spot, right where we could watch the view of these cabins. There were quite a few options on the menu. Fish in fish was definitely a must-try dish.

And there were interesting paintings on the walls of this restaurant. Pictures made from real pasta, these pictures were made by the person who built the complex. One artwork caught my interest the most. Even the woman’s hair was made from pasta. It was amazing craftsmanship. And a tortoise shell was made to look like an antique pot, with a dried egg hanging. Being someone who likes eggs, I really liked this painting.

We ordered ratatouille, roasted vegetables in the oven. There were Armenian cheeses, chopped, matsoni salad. I wanted to try this dish, fish in fish, which looked interesting. Then beet carpaccio with medium-rare beef, pancarlı carpaccio and goulash in bread. It was really an original idea to put it in bread. There was some kind of soup and meat inside. Everything was very delicious and we loved the atmosphere of these cabins. If you want to surprise your kids or come here for yourself, you can come here. We immortalized our memories by taking many photos. If you come to Dilijan, you must visit. All our meals, including dessert and tea, totaled 60 euros. I think it was a reasonable price for that amount of food.

We left Dilijan early in the morning and returned to our home in Yerevan. See you soon.