# Old Dilijan: Sharambeyan Street > Old Dilijan is a single cobbled lane — Sharambeyan Street — lined with stone houses, red-tiled roofs and carved wooden balconies in 19th-century style. It is **free and always open**; 30–45 minutes is enough to walk it. It sits about a 5-minute walk from the Mimino statue in the centre. Craft shops, the small museum and the restaurant keep daytime hours of their own. Web page: https://yesgo.io/armenia/dilijan/old-dilijan - City: [Dilijan](https://yesgo.io/armenia/dilijan), Armenia - YesGo score: 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 45 min - Opening hours: The street is open 24/7; workshops, museum and restaurant keep their own daytime hours - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry: Free — it's a public street - Time needed: 30–45 min; 1.5–2 h with the museum and lunch - Craft shops: Daytime; each keeps its own hours - House museum: Paid; unofficial prices differ — check on the spot - Restaurant: Old Dilijan Restaurant and Bakery — Western Armenian cuisine - Address: Sharambeyan St, Dilijan, Tavush Province - Getting there: ≈ 5 min walk from the Mimino statue in the centre - Payment: Visa and Mastercard at the hotel and restaurant; cash dram for small shops and minibuses - Coordinates: 40.73950, 44.86900 - Facts checked: 30.10.2026 ## Key facts - **Free** — to walk the street — no ticket, no gate (source: Tufenkian Old Dilijan official website; OpenStreetMap — public street) - **19th century** — the look of the houses: two storeys, tiled roofs, carved wooden balconies (source: Tufenkian Old Dilijan official website; armland.am) - **2004** — the Tufenkian Foundation began restoring the Sharambeyan Street quarter (source: Tufenkian Old Dilijan official website; Armenian Explorer) - **≈ 5 min** — on foot from the Mimino statue in central Dilijan (source: YesGo measurement on OpenStreetMap) - **≈ 200 m** — length of the restored stretch of street (source: YesGo measurement on OpenStreetMap) - **Hovhannes Sharambeyan** — the artist the street is named after (source: armland.am; Wikivoyage) - **1979** — Sharambeyan founded a Dilijan branch of the Museum of Folk Art (source: PanArmenian; Armenia.travel) - **18 rooms** — in the Tufenkian Old Dilijan Complex hotel on the street (source: Tufenkian Old Dilijan official website; Armenian Explorer) - **≈ 100 km** — from Yerevan on the M-4 via Lake Sevan (source: armland.am; Tripster (96 km); English Wikipedia — M-4 motorway) ## Is Old Dilijan worth visiting? Yes, if you are already in Dilijan — it is five minutes from the centre and the most photogenic spot in town. No, if you are thinking of a day trip from Yerevan just for this street. It is one lane of about 200 metres, carefully restored and partly rebuilt, so it feels more like a tidy showpiece than a lived-in old town. The real draw of Dilijan is the forest, the mountains and the monasteries around it. Treat Sharambeyan Street as a pleasant half-hour at the start or end of a day spent at [Haghartsin](https://yesgo.io/armenia/dilijan/haghartsin-monastery), [Goshavank](https://yesgo.io/armenia/dilijan/goshavank) or [Lake Parz](https://yesgo.io/armenia/dilijan/lake-parz). > **It's one street, not an old town** Search for Dilijan's old town and you'll find this: a single 200-metre lane. Don't plan a whole morning around it. Pair it with the local museum next door and a monastery in the hills. ## Things to do on Sharambeyan Street - **Look up at the balconies** — the carved wooden fretwork on stone houses is the whole point, best seen from mid-street. - **Browse the craft workshops** — woodwork, ceramics and jewellery; some makers will set up a short class if you ask. - **Step into the small house museum** — a 19th-century home with period furniture, carpets and crockery. - **Have coffee or lunch** at Old Dilijan Restaurant and Bakery, which serves Western Armenian dishes. - **Take photos** — the cobbles, old-style shop signs and tiled roofs make an easy backdrop. - **Watch the hills** above the rooftops — in autumn the forested slopes turn gold. ## What is Old Dilijan? In the 1800s Dilijan was a mountain resort for well-off holidaymakers from across the region, and its merchants built two-storey stone houses with fine woodwork. Sharambeyan Street preserves that look: mansard roofs, red tiles and **carved wooden balconies**. The street is named after **Hovhannes Sharambeyan**, an Armenian artist and folk-art collector. It was first laid out as a showcase in Soviet times — sources give both 1970 and 1979, so we leave the year open. In 2004 the Tufenkian Foundation began restoring the quarter, and today it holds workshops, a small museum, an 18-room hotel and a restaurant with a bakery. ## How to get to Old Dilijan 1. Start at the **Mimino statue** on the central roundabout — this is where minibuses from Yerevan drop off and taxis wait. 2. Walk east along Myasnikyan Street, gently downhill, for about 300 metres. 3. Turn into cobbled **Sharambeyan Street** — you'll spot it by the wooden balconies. The whole walk takes about 5 minutes. 4. Stroll to the far end and back; it's short and impossible to get lost. 5. Then head back towards the centre and on to the [Dilijan local history museum](https://yesgo.io/armenia/dilijan/dilijan-museum) on Myasnikyan Street. ## Getting from Yerevan to Dilijan Dilijan is about **100 km** from Yerevan on the M-4, via Lake Sevan. Minibuses (marshrutkas) leave from Yerevan's **Northern Bus Station** several times a day and take about 1.5–2 hours; unofficially the fare is around 1,000 dram, paid in cash. They stop at the Mimino roundabout, five minutes' walk from Sharambeyan Street. A taxi or hire car takes about an hour and a half — stop at [Sevanavank](https://yesgo.io/armenia/dilijan/sevanavank) on the lake on the way. The GG and Yandex Go ride-hailing apps work in Armenia and show the fare upfront. ## Money and payment Visa and Mastercard are accepted at the hotel and the restaurant, but outside Yerevan Armenia runs largely on cash. Carry Armenian dram in small notes for the craft stalls, the museum and minibus fares. There are ATMs in town. ## Before you go: checklist - [ ] Going in daytime, when the workshops and museum are open - [ ] Some cash dram for the craft stalls - [ ] Comfortable shoes — the cobbles are uneven - [ ] Allowed 30–45 minutes, or up to two hours with lunch - [ ] Know what's next: the museum, a monastery or the lake ## Old Dilijan, the museum or the Mimino statue? | | Old Dilijan | Local history museum | Mimino statue | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | What it is | Street of 19th-century-style houses | Museum and art gallery | Sculpture of the film's heroes | | Where | Sharambeyan Street | 28 Myasnikyan Street | Central roundabout | | Entry | Free | Paid, own ticket | Free | | When | Any time; shops by day | Daytime, own hours | Any time | All three are within a 5–10 minute walk of each other. With time for only one, choose Sharambeyan Street. ## Historic sights in Dilijan compared Every historic sight in and around Dilijan rated by YesGo. - [Mimino statue](https://yesgo.io/armenia/dilijan/dilijan-mimino-statue) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 15 min · Free - [Old Dilijan (Sharambeyan Street)](https://yesgo.io/armenia/dilijan/old-dilijan) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Free - [Jukhtakvank Monastery](https://yesgo.io/armenia/dilijan/jukhtakvank) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Free - [Matosavank Monastery](https://yesgo.io/armenia/dilijan/matosavank) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free - [Dilijan Local Lore Museum and Art Gallery](https://yesgo.io/armenia/dilijan/dilijan-museum) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · 4,000 AMD; one section 2,000 AMD - [Haghartsin Monastery](https://yesgo.io/armenia/dilijan/haghartsin-monastery) — YesGo score 37/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free - [Goshavank](https://yesgo.io/armenia/dilijan/goshavank) — YesGo score 31/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Free - [Sevanavank](https://yesgo.io/armenia/dilijan/sevanavank) — YesGo score 29/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free ## Central Dilijan and Haghartsin in half a day The Mimino statue, the old street, the local museum, then the monastery in the forest. Add them to your route — YesGo fits in the timing and transfers. 1. [Mimino statue](https://yesgo.io/armenia/dilijan/dilijan-mimino-statue) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 15 min · Free 2. [Old Dilijan (Sharambeyan Street)](https://yesgo.io/armenia/dilijan/old-dilijan) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Free 3. [Dilijan Local Lore Museum and Art Gallery](https://yesgo.io/armenia/dilijan/dilijan-museum) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · 4,000 AMD; one section 2,000 AMD 4. [Haghartsin Monastery](https://yesgo.io/armenia/dilijan/haghartsin-monastery) — YesGo score 37/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free > **Come in the morning or on a cloudy day** The lane is narrow, and at midday the balconies sit in hard shadow. Morning light or soft overcast shows the carving best, and there are fewer tour groups. ## Good to know Tufenkian Old Dilijan Complex is the hotel and restaurant on the street, not the street itself — you don't need a booking to walk it. The Sharambeyan Museum of Folk Art is a separate building in Dilijan, not the small house museum on the lane. ## Tips - Walk the street early, before day-trip groups from Yerevan arrive. - Buy wood and ceramic souvenirs straight from the makers in their workshops. - Afterwards, walk up to the [Mimino statue](https://yesgo.io/armenia/dilijan/dilijan-mimino-statue) — there's a drinking fountain beside it. - Save the afternoon for Haghartsin or Lake Parz — forests and monasteries are why people come to Dilijan. - The cobbles are uneven and slippery after rain; keep a pushchair to the edge of the lane. ## Questions ### What is Old Dilijan? A restored lane — Sharambeyan Street — in central Dilijan, with stone houses, tiled roofs and carved wooden balconies in 19th-century style, plus craft workshops, a small museum, a hotel and a restaurant. ### Is Old Dilijan worth visiting? Worth half an hour if you're already in Dilijan. Not worth a trip from Yerevan on its own — it's a single short street. ### Is there an entrance fee for Sharambeyan Street? No. The street is free and always open; you pay only for the museum, classes, souvenirs and food. ### How long do you need in Old Dilijan? 30–45 minutes for the street and workshops; 1.5–2 hours with the museum and lunch. ### Where is Old Dilijan? In the centre of town, on Sharambeyan Street — about a 5-minute walk east of the Mimino statue on the roundabout. ### How do I get from Yerevan to Dilijan? By minibus from Yerevan's Northern Bus Station, about 1.5–2 hours, or by taxi in about an hour and a half. It's around 100 km via Lake Sevan. ### Who was Sharambeyan? Hovhannes Sharambeyan was an Armenian artist and folk-art collector. In 1979 he founded a Dilijan branch of the Museum of Folk Art. ### Can I pay by card in Old Dilijan? At the hotel and restaurant, yes. Bring cash dram for the craft stalls, the museum and minibuses. ### What else is there to do near Old Dilijan? The local history museum and the Mimino statue are a few minutes away; Haghartsin, Goshavank and Lake Parz are short drives into the hills. ## How we checked The address, restoration history and restaurant come from the official Tufenkian Old Dilijan website. Other facts are checked against at least two sources. Sources disagree on when the street was first laid out in Soviet times (1970 or 1979), so we give no year. The restoration date also differs: Tufenkian and Armenian Explorer say 2004, Wikivoyage 2005 (when the site was leased); we show 2004 from the official site. Two guides quote different prices for the house museum, so we give none. YesGo measured the street length and the walk from the Mimino statue on OpenStreetMap coordinates. The minibus fare and payment details are unofficial and marked “verifying”. ## Sources - Tufenkian Old Dilijan Complex official website (Tufenkian Heritage Hotels): history of the quarter, address, Old Dilijan Restaurant and Bakery, 18 rooms, 30.10.2026 - Armenian Explorer: Tufenkian Old Dilijan Complex - armland.am: Top 10 must-see places in Dilijan - Wikivoyage: Dilijan — the street, workshops, museum, minibuses from Yerevan - Tripster: What to see in Dilijan - English Wikipedia: Dilijan - PanArmenian (February 2026) and Armenia.travel — the Sharambeyan Museum of Folk Art in Dilijan - Backpack Moments: Money in Armenia — cards in Yerevan, cash in the regions - OpenStreetMap — coordinates of Sharambeyan Street and the Mimino statue --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.