Sharambeyan Street in the city centre, has been preserved and maintained as the heart of Dilijan's old town, complete with craftsman's workshops, a gallery and a museum.

During excavations conducted in the 1870s, many valuable items were found, dating back to the late Bronze and the early Iron ages (between the end of 2000 BC and the beginning of 1000).

Hovk was a favourite forest and a summer resort for the Arsacid kings to show their abilities in hunting.

In the second half of the 19th century, Dilijan became a well-known mountain resort the town began to grow gradually.

By the end of the 19th century, many entertaining centres were opened in the town, and the famous open-air theatre -known as Rotonda- was built in 1900.

The architecture in Dilijan has been characterized with gable tiled roof, wide patterned oriel and whitewashed walls.

During the Battle of Karakilisa in May 1918, Dilijan was the main base of the Armenian military groups, under the commandment of General Tovmas Nazarbekian, assisted by Garegin Nzhdeh and Nikolay Gorganyan.

[5] Following the brief independence of Armenia in 1918-20, Dilijan became part of the newly founded Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic.

Following the independence of Armenia in 1991, Dilijan became part of the newly formed Tavush Province as per the 1995 administrative reforms.

[6] Dilijan lies on the banks of Aghstev River with a length of more than 20 kilometres (12 miles) and at a height of 1,500 metres (4,921 feet) above sea level.

The mountainous areas -mainly the ranges of Bazum and Pambak mountains- are all covered with thick forests occupying a territory of more than 34,000 hectares (84,016 acres).

The national park is also rich in its fauna, including brown bear, wolf, marten, otter, lynx, sylvan cat, Persian squirrel, sylvan dormouse, hedgehog, chamois, European red deer, wild hog, pheasant, quail, partridge, Caspian turkey, culver, white-tailed eagle, lammergeyer, pygmy eagles, golden eagle, hawk and others.

With its montane climate, Dilijan is a town-resort with favorable oxygen regimen, unique landscape features and curative mineral water.

The town is an important connecting point between the capital Yerevan and northeastern Armenia reaching up the border with Azerbaijan.

The town has its own style of carpet design, with many samples shown at the Dilijan museum of traditional art.

[14] In 2009, it was announced by the Armenian government that Dilijan will turn into a developed financial centre for Armenia and the region.

According to government officials, many of the operations and responsibilities of the Central Bank of Armenia will move the northern town-resort of Dilijan, starting from 2013.

The town has a number of high-class hotels and sanatoriums, allowing the visitors the chance to enjoy the beauty of the National Park as well as the historical sites.

With a cost of US$80 million, the Central Bank of Armenia's Educational Center was opened in Dilijan in 2013.

Around 150 employees of the Central Bank moved from Yerevan to Dilijan along with their families on the step towards the transformation of the town into a regional financial center.

[18] In 2017, the Monte Melkonian Military College of the Ministry of Defence of Armenia was moved from the capital Yerevan to Dilijan.

The Dilijan City Stadium was the home venue of the former Armenian Premier League club Impuls FC.