"Sweet, hilly Dilijan" Dilijan by Marywhotravels

I spent the months of May and June 2008 backpacking through Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia. Dilijan was, surprisingly, one of the highlights of my trip, since my Bradt book even recommended against going there at all.

But it really is a cute little town. There are a dozen B&Bs to stay at, all very traditional Georgian houses with homemade, traditional cuisine. Everyone was very friendly and thrilled to encounter a tourist. They really are eager to get their tourist industry going again (a lot of Russians used to come here during Soviet times, but since the 1990's tourism has all but dried up). Not much English is spoken though, so if you know any Armenian or Russian, it helps a lot.

An older woman getting water from a very pretty fountain on Myanikov Street. After I took the photo, she looked surprised and asked me what I was doing. I explained that I was just a tourist taking photos of her pretty town, and she beamed with pride and thanked me for taking the picture!

• Pros:beautiful setting, friendly people
• Cons:a bit hard to get to, no bus station, undeveloped infrastructure