For landlocked Armenians pining for a dose of the sun, sea and sand that’s enjoyed by the rest of the Caucasus during the summer, the city of Sevan is a real gift. It sits just back from the shores of colossal Lake Sevan, where stretches of sun-kissed beaches abut a dramatic setting betwixt precipitous peaks of mountain chains, through which countless rivers and streams carve their way from the region’s icy glaciers down to the water.

Consequently, travellers here can expect the atmosphere around town to ebb and flow with the coming and going of the high season. Summer welcomes huge crowds of domestic travellers flooding the water parks and hotel resorts, all eager to escape the stuffy metropolitan streets of Yerevan for a taste of mountain air. At this time, the busiest spots cluster along the southern cusp of the Sevanavank Peninsula, where the sails of windsurfers glide past al fresco bars touting local beers from the Sevan Brewery, and groups of hikers weave their way into the hills of the nearby national park, while Sevan tour guides unravel the mysteries of the 9^th-century octagonal monasteries that pepper the shores across the bay.