Solenoid

Northern Armenia


The sign says it's a refrigerator shop and you have to ring the doorbell to get in (tell them Lonely Planet sent you), but there's a good reason for that – Vanadzor's reputation for homophobia and sexism means its coolest speakeasy needs to be selective. Owned by the lead singer of a local rock band, Solenoid serves beer, wine and booze.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Northern Armenia attractions

1. Russian Orthodox Church

0.23 MILES

Formally known as the Church of the Nativity of Blessed Virgin Mary, this gold-domed church dates from 1895 and serves the city's small Russian Orthodox…

2. Shuka

0.34 MILES

Vanadzor's market is the largest in the Lori region and includes fresh produce, dried fruit, cheeses, flowers, nuts and spices.

3. Vanadzor Museum of Fine Arts

0.73 MILES

There are nearly 2000 works of art on display at this three-floor branch of the National Gallery of Armenia, including paintings, sculptures, drawings,…

4. Stepanavan Dendropark

8.72 MILES

This cool and tranquil 35-hectare arboretum 11km south of Stepanavan was established in the 1930s and has a vast array of conifers and deciduous trees. It…

5. Hnevank

11.07 MILES

Travelling between Stepanavan and the Debed Canyon, one of two possible routes passes the monastery of Hnevank, located on a winding road 7km from Kurtan…

6. Hovhannes Tumanyan House Museum

13.51 MILES

Those who have already visited the Hovhannes Tumanyan Museum in Yerevan will find this timber house where he grew up interesting, but those unfamiliar…

7. Lori Berd

13.58 MILES

On a promontory between the gorges of the Dzoragets and Miskhana Rivers, this ruined fortress has huge towers and massive stone blocks along its exposed…

8. Stepan Shahumian Museum

14.62 MILES

This Soviet-era edifice was constructed in 1978 on the site of the modest timber home of Stepan Shahumian and his wife Ekaterina Ter-Grigoryan, and the…