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Geotour

Lake Sevan

Armenia · Nature

Getting there
About 65 km (1 h) from Yerevan on a good highway
Best time
June–September
Recommended stay
2–3 hours

About Lake Sevan

Lake Sevan is Armenia's great mountain lake, about 1,900 m above sea level and roughly 65 km north-east of Yerevan; at about 1,240 km² it is the largest lake in the Caucasus. The classic stop is Sevanavank, a 9th-century monastery on a peninsula above the water, reached by a flight of steps. Stay for lunch of Sevan fish at a lakeside restaurant, and in July and August you can swim from the beaches, although the water stays cool.

Tours Including Lake Sevan

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Must-See Attractions

  • Sevanavank

    Two 9th-century churches on the peninsula, with carved khachkars (cross-stones) and wide views over the lake.

  • Noratus cemetery

    A field of hundreds of medieval khachkars on the western shore near Gavar, about 30 km south.

  • Hayravank

    Small 9th-century monastery on a rocky promontory above the western shore.

  • Beaches

    Pebbly beaches around the town of Sevan for a summer swim.

Nearby

  • Dilijan

    Forested resort town with a restored old street and nearby Haghartsin and Goshavank monasteries, about 35 km north (40 min).

  • Yerevan

    Armenia's capital, about 65 km (1 h).

  • Tsaghkadzor

    Mountain resort with a cable car, about 30 km (35 min).

Location

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Good to know

Getting there

About 65 km (1 h) from Yerevan on a good highway; from Tbilisi about 250 km (5–6 h including the border) via Dilijan.

Best time

June–September

Best time

Summer brings warm days and swimming in July–August, while late spring and September are quieter; from November to March the lake shore is cold and windy and many lakeside businesses close.

Recommended stay

2–3 hours

Border

Lake Sevan is in Armenia; bring your passport for the Georgia–Armenia border crossing.

Currency

Armenia uses the dram (AMD); the Georgian lari is not accepted, so change money or use cards and ATMs in Sevan town or Dilijan.

Speaking

Armenian is the local language; Russian is widely understood.

Fees

Sevanavank is free.

What to bring

A warm layer; at 1,900 m it is windy and several degrees cooler than Yerevan.

Swimming

The season is short (July–August) and the water stays cool.

History & culture

Culture

Lake Sevan is Armenia's summer holiday coast: families from Yerevan fill the beaches and lakeside cafés in July and August. On the peninsula stands the Soviet-modernist Writers' Resort, built in the 1930s and a well-known example of Armenian architecture of that era.

History

Sevanavank was founded in 874 by Princess Mariam, daughter of King Ashot I, on what was then an island; its two surviving churches, Surb Arakelots and Surb Astvatsatsin, date from that time. In the Soviet period water from the lake was drawn off for irrigation and hydropower, and the level fell by about 20 m, joining the island to the shore as a peninsula. Since the 2000s efforts have been made to raise the level again.

Local Cuisine

Lakeside restaurants serve fried or grilled sig (whitefish) and crayfish from the lake; the native Sevan trout, ishkhan, is now endangered and what you are served is usually farmed. Armenian lavash and barbecue (khorovats) are standard.

Accommodation

Lakeside resort hotels and holiday complexes around the town of Sevan and along the north-western shore, mostly busy in summer; many travellers stay in Dilijan or Yerevan instead.

Nearby destinations

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