It is attractive for its fresh air, waterfall, artificial lakes, walking trails, the surrounding forests and mineral water pools.

[4] The name of the town is derived from the Armenian word jermuk (ջերմուկ), meaning 'warm mineral spring', first mentioned in the 13th century by historian Stepanos Orbelian in his work History of the Sisakan Province.

[5] Jermuk occupies an area which was historically part of the Vayots Dzor canton of the Syunik province of Greater Armenia.

The remains of an ancient cyclopean fortress and the ruins of an 8th-century basilica testify that the region around the fountains of Jermuk had been settled long before the 13th century.

[6] The area of Jermuk was ruled by the Siunia dynasty between the 10th and 13th centuries, when Vayots Dzor was part of the Kingdom of Syunik.

The princes of Syunik regarded the mineral springs of Jermuk as healing and built several pools filled with it, thereby making the little town their holiday destination.

In the 1860s, a pool in Jermuk built by the Orbelian princes of Syunik was renovated by pristav (police chief) Gevorg Khanagyan, following a resolution by the Russian government.

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, and as a result of the post-independence economic crisis of Armenia, the population has drastically declined to less than 5,000 during the first decade of the 21st century.

Many new hotels and health centers were opened, many sanatoriums were rehabilitated, and the first phase of the cableway of the ski resort was entirely renovated.

[10] At a UN Security Council meeting, Armenia's permanent representative Mher Margaryan condemned Azerbaijan's attack on Jermuk saying: "The shelling of the resort town of Jermuk, which has absolutely no military targets is nothing short of war crime, and so are the strikes against the Kechut water reservoir, with potentially catastrophic human toll and environmental impact".

[11] Following the ceasefire, the heads of diplomatic missions and international organizations accredited in Armenia arrived in Jermuk to get acquainted with the consequences of the shelling.

[12] The town is located at a height of 2,080 meters above sea level, within the mountains of Vayots Dzor, among thick forests, on a plateau divided into two parts by the gorge of Arpa River, 170 km (110 mi) south-east of Yerevan.

The forests of Jermuk are rich with oak and hornbeam trees, as well as with dog rose, wild pear, plum and juniper plants.

It is home to many paintings and sculptures, mainly composed by several Soviet Armenian artists such as Haroutiun Galentz, Martiros Saryan and others.

In 2004, a statue of the 17th-century Armenian activist Israel Ori by sculptor Gagik Stepanyan was erected in the centre of Jermuk.

Visitors come for the natural environment of Jermuk and the mountains of Vayots Dzor (3000 meters), the waterfalls, the curing water pools, hotels and health spas, sanatoriums, the cableway and alpine sports facilities.

Jermuk is one of the three towns of Armenia that are allowed to accommodate gambling houses and activities (along with Tsaghkadzor and Sevan).

Each year during the summer, the town hosts the FIDE Grand Prix Jermuk chess tournament.