landmark
Geghard Monastery
A UNESCO partially rock-cut medieval monastery with extraordinary acoustics, said to house the spear that pierced Christ's side at the crucifixion.
33 km · about 40 min drive
AsiaArmeniaKotayk
Charentsavan
Kotayk, Armenia · Asia
About Charentsavan
Charentsavan sits on the route: 10 minutes from Argel, 36km from Lake Sevan.
Charentsavan is in Kotayk, Armenia, with about 24,000 people. The nearest town is Argel, about 5 km away.
Charentsavan (Armenian: Չարենցավան), is a town and urban municipal community in the Kotayk Province of Armenia. It was founded in 1947 as Lusavan, and renamed in 1967 after the Armenian poet Yeghishe Charents. According to the 2022 census, Charentsavan had a population of 22,071.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Charentsavan?
Within an hour or so of Charentsavan: Geghard Monastery (33 km), Garni Temple (33 km), Amberd Fortress (35 km), Lake Sevan (36 km).
Are there any good drives near Charentsavan?
The nearest famous roads are Orbelian's Caravanserai (Vardenyats Pass).
Where is Charentsavan?
Charentsavan is in Kotayk, Armenia, about 5 km from Argel.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 24,101
- Continent
- Asia
- Country
- Armenia
- Region
- Kotayk
- Timezone
- Asia/Yerevan
- Coordinates
- 40.4029, 44.6445
Tags
Worth the detour from Charentsavan
8 notable places within an hour's drive.
ancient ruins
Garni Temple
The only standing Greco-Roman colonnaded temple in the former Soviet Union, a 1st-century pagan shrine overlooking the dramatic Azat River gorge.
33 km · about 40 min drive
castle
Amberd Fortress
A 7th-century fortress with an 11th-century church on a triangular spur at 2,300m on the slopes of Mount Aragats, wedged between two river gorges. Ruined by the Mongols in 1236 and never rebuilt.
35 km · about 40 min drive
natural wonder
Lake Sevan
The Jewel of Armenia, one of the largest high-altitude freshwater lakes in the world at 1,900 meters with the medieval Sevanavank Monastery on its peninsula.
36 km · about 40 min drive
ancient ruins
Zvartnots Cathedral
Haunting ring of 7th-century columns from a collapsed circular cathedral, framed by Mount Ararat on the Yerevan–Etchmiadzin road; a UNESCO World Heritage ruin.
38 km · about 45 min drive
national park
Dilijan National Park
Armenia's Little Switzerland, a lush forested national park in the Lesser Caucasus with medieval monasteries hidden among beech and oak forests.
42 km · about 50 min drive
landmark
Haghartsin Monastery
A 10th-13th century monastery of three churches hidden in beech forest above Dilijan, with a vaulted 1248 refectory. The setting, deep in trees on a mountainside, is what sets it apart.
46 km · about 55 min drive
landmark
Khor Virap
An iconic Armenian monastery at the foot of Mount Ararat where Gregory the Illuminator was imprisoned for 13 years, offering the most famous view of Ararat.
59 km · about 70 min drive
Driving roads near Charentsavan
- 71 kmOrbelian's Caravanserai (Vardenyats Pass)Best-preserved caravanserai in Armenia, built in 1332 at the 2,410 m Vardenyats (Selim) Pass on the Silk Road: the hairpin climb between Yeghegnadzor and Lake Sevan is a classic drive.
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