Goris

In town there's a church, a market, the Axel Bakunts Museum and some other minor sites. On the edges of town are some great rock formations which are attractive to photographers.

• • Aksel Bakunts museum — Aksel Bakunts was a famous Armenian writer. The house museum is worthy of a visit regardless whether you are a fan of his writing, as it's an interesting example of what a traditional home would have looked like in his time. The surrounding neighbourhood sports plenty of 19th century houses. The museum also organizes traditional Samovar tea drinking workshops where they show how to use a samovar and tell about its origins and uses. — Address: 41 Mashtots Str. — Website: https://www.gatmuseum.am/en/branches/bakunc
• • Goris Local Lore Museum — The museum has an impressive collection of over 5,000 ethnographic and archaeological objects that tell the story of the region's rich cultural heritage, history, and traditions. One of the most prominent pieces is a five-faced idol that dates back to the 2nd millennium BCE. — Address: Mashtots St, 5 Building — Directions: inside a former church building
• • St. Grigor Lusavorich Church — This church is dedicated to Gregory the Illuminator, the patron saint of Armenia. Built in 1897-1904, it was consecrated in 1903 by Catholicos Khrimian Hayrik and opened the following year without a dome or altar. The coming of the Soviets resulted in it being closed in 1926. Until the 1960s, the church was used to store grain and as a geological museum. In December 1989, the church was reopened, still in an unfinished state. Between 1984 and 1997, the dome and a holy altar were completed, and after being blessed on 20 December 1997, it's fully operational today. Before the dome was added, the church was 12 metres high, but today, with dome and the cross, it is 28 metres high. — Address: corner of Grigor Tatevatsi and Mesrop Mashtots

Nearby: To go there by bus, you can take a bus that leaves Goris from the 14 Mashtots street, and goes to the village of Khndzoresk. At the terminus, start walking down to the old village (ask the driver if you are not sure about the direction to walk to as by bus you arrive on the other side of the valley, and not on the side where usually tourists arrive). From the bus stop, you can go down to the swinging bridge visit and old house (free) and then come back to take the next bus. You need less than 2 hours to do it and you will probably be alone as a really few tourists walk in the old village. During weekdays, buses leave at 7:50, 9:00, 11:00, 13:30, 15:00 and 17:00. On weekends at 9:00, 11:00, 13:30, 17:00. It takes 30 minutes to go to the site and the bus goes back directly to Goris which means buses leave Khndzoresk during weekdays at 8:20, 9:30, 11:30, 14:15, 15:30 and 17:30. On weekends the leave Khndzoresk at 9:30, 11:30, 14:15 and 17:30. The cost is 300 dram (November 2023).

• • Old Khndzoresk Cave Village — Until the 1950s, people lived in those caves still, and this was an active cave village, so be careful who you call a caveman around here! — Directions: a couple of villages east of Goris is the village of Khdzoresk, and under it, in a gorge pocked with caves is Old Khndoresk
• • Bgheno-Noravank Monastery — A couple of kilometres off the main highway is the little known and less visited monastery of Bgheno Noravank. Easy to miss the turnoff, and just consisting of a couple of chambers, it's a good spot for a break if you're on a long drive. — Directions: 16 km south of Goris

• • Goris Wildlife Sanctuary — At a height of 1,400-2,800 m above sea level with an area of 18.5 km². Caucasian grouse, roe deer and brown bear are among the notable animals in the sanctuary. With the closeness of the sanctuary to Azerbaijan and actually spreading across the border, get up to date information of border safety when heading there. — Directions: at the southeast of the town
• • Take cooking and other classes at Yeghevnut Hotel — Besides being a hotel, Yeghevnut also organizes various cooking classes on traditional Armenian dishes both savory and sweet. The recipes are mostly the ones inherited from the hotel owner's grandmother. They also have an old tradition of beekeeping and organize beekeeping and beeswax handcream making workshops. You can take your cream with you or possible buy one from them if not planning on taking the class. — Address: 7 Yerevan Hwy — Phone: +37493309369 — Email: info@hotelyeghevnut.com — Website: https://hotelyeghevnut.com
• • Learn to make Goris tolma with a cooking class at Loby Goris — Loby Goris is a family owned cozy restaurant. The house itself is almost 100 years old and is adjacent to Goris. They serve many dishes that you can pre-order and a special one named Goris tolma that you can also take a class to learn to prepare. While common tolma in Armenia is wrapped in wine leaves, in Goris it can also be wrapped in bean leaves (Goris is famous for its beans). The meat recipe is also different. All-in-all, you need to try it for yourself. — Address: 1st St #96, Verishen — Phone: +374041232120 — Email: ashkhenmash@gmail.com — Website: https://www.facebook.com/LOBYGORIS
• • Take cooking classes at Mirhav Hotel — Mirhav is a stylish hotel located downtown. It has some nice archeological finds displayed in its halls. The hotel also organizes traditional cooking classes such as pakhlava in Goris style (sweet pastry with honey and walnuts) and vodka distillation demos. — Address: Mashtots St 100 — Phone: +37498284402 — Email: reservationmirhav@gmail.com — Website: https://hotelmirhav.am/en
• • Learn about wool processing and carpet making at Goris Wool to Carpet workshop — There is a cool workshop that can show you the whole process of carpet making right from the sheep shearing moment until making everything into a fine carpet with local patterns. The also have excellent wool products like blankets, covers, laptop bags and other things for sale. — Address: Verishen — Directions: in front of an old church — Phone: +37477060699 — Email: goriswomen@gmail.com — Website: https://www.facebook.com/wooltocarpet
• • Take guided hiking tours with Khndzoresk Revival Foundation — The Foundation is run by the Mina Hotel owners. They organize various tours from New Khndzoresk to Old Khndzoresk and around the Old Khndzoresk cave-city itself. — Address: 169 Mashtots St — Phone: +37428424880
• • Attend Mulberry Festival — You can participate in mulberry gathering, see the full process of vodka-making and taste various dishes and drinks. The festival takes place around the end of June-beginning of July. — Address: Karahunj village — Directions: south of Goris

There are a few restaurant/cafes in town, and a few barbecue joints on the highway on the edge of town. There is also Loby Goris family restaurant that at the moment requires to make in advance reservations.

Where there is food, there is drink. Goris area is particularly famous for its mulberry vodka.

• • Samovar seller — There is a roadside stand with a large collection of antique samovars for sale that are beautiful to look at, whether or not you intend to purchase one.
• • Goris beans — Goris is famous for the tastiest beans in Armenia.
• • Goris Handmade — Goris Handmade makes excellent wool products and fun crochet toys.

• • Aregak B&B — Lovely B&B close to the centre of Goris, in a separate apartment to the host. Great breakfasts, tea and coffee. The apartment has two triple rooms and one double, kitchen, TV, and fridge. Host can arrange transport to Tatev and onwards. — Address: 4/16 Getapnya — Price: 5,000 dram — Phone: +374 937 66525 — Email: Aregak.bb@gmail.com
• • Khachik B&B — A B&B that's been a fixture for visitors for many years. Friendly owners that brew wine in their own home. You can have pre-ordered meals as well; dinner per person is 4,000 dram. Trying the wine is also extra. The hosts can arrange a taxi to go to the cable car to Tatev and wait at Devil's Bridge while you walk down from the monastery, 8,000 dram round trip (10,000 dram if you want the cab to go all the way to the monastery). — Address: 13 Davit-Bek St. — Phone: +374 284 21098, +374 91 204012 — Email: mirakyanbb@hotmail.com — Website: https://www.khachikbb.com
• • Mirhav — Fantastic design/decor, very "Armenian" while still being comfortable and modern. Excellent staff, beautiful garden, good food. — Address: 100 Mashtots Str. — Price: 18-33,000 dram — Phone: +374 284 24612 — Email: hotelmirhav@yahoo.com

Within Goris, it is quite easy to get around on foot.

Marshrutkas to nearby villages operate from the market on Syuniki street.

The city was possibly the first built in a grid layout in Armenia, with a very quaint regional style of stone architecture.

It's quite difficult to get to Kapan or Meghri, and thus Iran without passing through Goris, making this the gateway of the South.

Though Goris or Tatev can be crammed into a day trip from Yerevan, it's much better to spend a few nights in the area, and along the way.