Fresh mountain air, forests, dramatic river gorges and a ruined medieval fortress just down the road… Stepanavan feels different from the dry landscapes around Yerevan!
GENERAL STEPANAVAN INFO
📍 LOCATION: Lori Province, Northern Armenia
🏘️ TYPE: Small town & mountain resort
🌲 KNOWN FOR: Forests, fresh air & gorgeous scenery
🏰 NEARBY: Lori Fortress & Stepanavan Dendropark
🚗 FROM YEREVAN: Around 2 hours by car
⛰️ ELEVATION: Around 1,375 metres
🌿 VIBE: Quiet, green & VERY laid-back!
🇦🇲 REGION: Lori, Armenia
The town was originally called Jalologhli and in 1923 was renamed Stepanavan after the Armenian Bolshevik revoluntionary Stepan Shahumyan and his former house is now the “Stepan Shahumyan House-Museum” located in the town centre
LOCATION
From Yerevan, its 2hrs by car
WHERE TO STAY IN STEPANAVAN
| 💰💰💰 Tesaran Stepanavan Guest House / Apart Hotel | An upmarket option with mountain & forest views – 9.7/10 | Check out this property |
| 💰💰 Arevaham Boutique Hotel | Cosy boutiquw-style with a garden, terrace, restaurant, bar – 9.4/10 | Check out this property |
| 💰 SunHome Stepanavan Guest House | Simple, friendly and good reviews! – 9.6/10 | Check out this property |
Modern Stepanavan was founded in 1810 but archaeological evidence shows that the surrounding area was inhabited thousands of years earlier
The remains of the ancient Lori Fortress dates back to 3rd bc.
Driving into Stepanavan, it was cooler and cloudier than the hot and summery Yerevan we had just left
The main roundabout monument in Stepanavan… looks like 2 people dancing
We came here for the BBQ Festival and decided to stay the night
I think everyone thought the same because the towns water supply ran out at around midnight due to too many ppl lol
The map of the town with our accommodations and where the BBQ Festival was located
The old school houses on Million street
Its still very much a typical Armenian village as you can see when you venture out to the smaller streets and there are still pot holed roads and old farm houses and no footpaths, it reminds me of what Yerevan used to be like in some of the side streets…
The town has a quiet, slightly old fashioned feel
With wide streets, leafy squares and a mixture of soviet-era civi buildings, traditional stone houses and some newer shops and cafes
There is a main through-fare where cars park where they want, drive where they want and the people do what they want lol – shops everywhere
It really isnt a polished tourist town, and tbh thats part of its charm!
Stepanavan Culture house – a local cultural centre for the community
The Stepan Shahumyan House-Museum – This museum is a soviet style build with red tuff stone, its a beautiful building that caught my eye instantly
And it actually houses inside it the home of Stephan!
Memorial of Stepan Shahumyan – A prominent monument in central Stepanavan dedicated to Stepan Shahumyan, the Armenian revolutionary after whom the town was renamed in 1923
The Town Hall
Near the museum there was a fountain park lined with water features and rose bushes
They have the same benches Yerevan used to have (or they still have a few scattered around) but with “Stepanavan” written on it
Walking through the town and into the memorial gardens
Soviet style theme park in the middle of the village – packed full of kids having fun!
At the Stepanavan public park… the adults were having fun as well! lol who doesnt want to play dodgem cars!?
BBQ FESTIVAL
1st August there was the Khorovats (BBQ) festival, held in Stepanavan after a 4 year break
They chose this village to showcase the potential for the Lori Province
There were around 50 stalls lined up in the local park showcasing the traditonal meats and vegetables with local produce, handy crafts and heaps of music and entertainment!
Basically, a very Armenian day involving smoke, mountains and a lot of meat!
OUR ACCOMMODATIONS
The Majors House Hotel – I stayed here while in Stepanavan and really loved my time here, more like a eco-resort and plenty of space around the property to sit and lounge around and have some wine
Breakfast included and was so fresh and lovely! I really enjoyed it…
Ecolife Lodge – where Elena and the family stayed (there was no room for me when I tried to book)
1AUG26
