It’s absolutely delicious.
I have so much to say about Armenia! First of all – this beautiful place is definitely one of the world’s hidden gems when it comes to just about everything. If you’re looking for the quick bits to get you by you’ll find those first. If you’re stuck at the airport or in a boring meeting, keep scrolling for more detail. Just so you know, I am from the United States and this travel guide is to help fellow English speakers out primarily, because I had sort of a difficult time as an English speaker. The country is mainly set up for the Russian and Armenian languages. (Yes! Armenia has it’s very own language AND alphabet. No, it’s not Russian or Latin based. It’s entirely it’s own!)
Quick Guide
- Transportation (Planes, Trains, Buses and Cars)
- Planes / Air Travel
- OVERVIEW: Half our group flew from St. Louis, MO and the other half from Dulles, VA. The St. Louis crowd had a connecting flight to get onto the trans-Atlantic plane but the Dulles group did not. Mind you, we traveled in 2021 right after the pandemic. Flights were scarce.
- CONNECTIONS: The trans-atlantic flights from the US typically go through two places. Either Moscow or Qatar. We all went through Qatar.
- DUTY FREE: Quick note about Qatar – if you buy Alcohol in either the US Duty Free or the Armenia Duty Free the nice people of Qatar WILL make you throw it out. Qatar has special customs and they do not allow alcohol of any kind. So, if you buy that bottle of Armenian Brandy put it in your checked bag before you arrive at the Yerevan airport.
- COST: Ticket prices will range anywhere from $700-$2000 for economy.
- TIME FRAME: The flight will be about 14 to 16 hours long to Qatar and then you’ll have about 3 hours to Yerevan, the capitol city of Armenia.
- COMFORT: The planes are pretty nice now and usually have plenty of leg room and recline pretty far. They feed you three times on the big plane and once on the small plane. Qatar has exceptional service and they magically load a few hundred passengers late and somehow leave on time. It’s truly a marvel. I am pretty tall and long-torso-ed so I actually put the travel pillow they give you behind my back and I find it is much more comfortable to sleep that way.
- SECURITY: At the Qatar airport we were screened by security an additional 2 times after deplaning from Yerevan on the way back to the US. Be aware that, that could happen to you.
- BONUS TIP: Another unique thing about the Qatar airport is that the boarding process involves you going to a special loading zone that does not have any bathrooms. So, don’t be late for boarding, but also make sure you go to the bathroom, first. They will remind you.
- Trains
- There are apparently trains in Armenia, but we did not use them at all. Your main modes of transportation will be via Taxi, Ride shares, Private Car, or Walking.
- Buses
- There are buses for public transit in the capitol city, Yerevan, however we did not use them because we had the benefit of a private car or taxis. The buses are packed full of people similar to what you would see in India or similar countries. They are affordable, but as a tourist or just as someone who doesn’t speak the language getting on and off the bus as the right place might be difficult.
- Cars
- GENERAL: We were so fortunate to be visiting family who had two cars and we had some friends we visited who also had some cars. The driving there is pretty atrocious, nobody wears seat belts, lanes are really just guidelines, and speeding is popular.
- FUEL: Many of the cars are outfitted for propane fuel instead of gasoline fuel so if you go to a propane station you’ll need to completely exit the vehicle just in case of…well, you know…explosions. There are regular gasoline cars as well, but someone still pumps the gas for you.
- PERSONAL DRIVERS: Many of the airbnbs offer a driver for the duration of your stay so read the listings carefully. I definitely recommend a driver especially if you want to go to other places outside of Yerevan. Some places can be a 3-4 hour drive.
- TOUR COMPANY: There are also some tour companies you might want to look into if you don’t have family or friends in the city and don’t want to take taxis.
- TAXIS: If you’re going to take taxis make sure you bring small bills or coins or hook your card up to the app. They don’t use Uber there. They use Yandex or GG. They’re both very similar to Uber/Lyft but make sure your START location is actually where you are…mine didn’t update once and the driver went to the wrong place. Oops! Getting a SIM card for your phone is pretty affordable and I highly recommend it so you can keep in contact with friends/family over popular apps like Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and Whatsapp. Use the ride share apps or else they may “raise the price” of the ride fare suddenly. It’s just safer and cheaper.
- BONUS TIP: Watch out for scammers. Typically as of 2021 the rate is about 100 dram per mile there. You can ask them how much (inch kan?) to take you to a certain place and if you’ve already google mapped it and it says 3 miles don’t let them take advantage of you!
- Walking
- Bring your BEST pair of walking shoes because you’re going to need them. Armenians are amazing and probably used to their climate, but I was marveling at the ladies who were walking all day on the stone paths in what I would call “dressy shoes” out in the sun in their all-black outfits. Of course not everyone was dressed like this, but another popular outfit for women was dresses with tennis-shoes (sneakers/trainers).
- It’s very easy to walk most of the popular sites in downtown Yerevan and whatever other cultural sites you go to you’ll basically park and walk around there.
- Personally, walking is my favorite way to see new cities or towns. The city is high above sea level and so the sun is pretty close to you. Wear sunscreen and take advantage of the pure water fountains around the cities and towns. This was the only country I have been to with potable water ready for you everywhere you go.
- Planes / Air Travel
- Packing List
- Clothes
- Walking Shoes
- Sun hat or brimmed hat (if you’re pale like me)
- Polarized Sunglasses (you’re at very high altitude, it is SUPER sunny!)
- If you’re visiting in the Summer bring clothes to keep you cool.
- If you’re going to be staying out past 5PM bring a light jacket or sweater it gets very windy after 5pm every evening.
- Dressy clothes because you might want to go to the popular Jazz clubs, Opera, or you may find yourself attending a wedding or baptism or other big party!
- Toiletries
- Sunscreen
- Shampoo/Conditioner/Soap (You can buy these at the grocery stores, too but you most likely won’t find your typical products)
- Lotion – the air is very, very dry here. Make sure to lube up after your showers!
- Toothbrush/Toothpaste
- Contacts/Glasses & Supplies
- Electronics/Apps
- Download the Google Map for your area BEFORE leaving your home country
- Yandex Go App (Taxi Service) Apple & Android
- GG (Taxi Service) Apple & Android
- Phone/Chargers (If you have an international phone you can get a sim card for pretty cheap and all social medias are unlimited!)
- An app you can check in with your family/friends back home (Whatsapp, Viber, FaceTime, Instagram Messages, Facebook Messenger, Discord.
- External batteries to charge your phone
- International power converters for your chargers.
- Google Translate App – you can use the photo feature to look at Russian menus and it will translate the menus for you live. THIS IS SO COOL. I used this to figure out the laundry machine and many menus!
- Vaccines
- COVID – check the Airline website, the country you’re departing from and the Armenian websites to see whether you need to be vaccinated or get a PCR test or both. As of 2021 you can travel to Armenia with a vaccine but to travel back to the US we had to get a PCR test. PCR tests can be taken at testing centers around the city and are about $50 or less.
- Others – Check the national health website of the country you’re traveling from to see what they recommend. We only had our Tetanus updated but otherwise we did not need to get any additional vaccines.
- Money / Currency
- WHERE TO EXCHANGE: If you’re going to exchange money you can do this at the airport but we waited until we got into the city. Almost everyone will also accept US dollars as well so you can get by with that in a pinch. There are banks everywhere that can help you or you might be able to find a grocery store that does it or an automated machine similar to an ATM. You most likely won’t be able to exchange your bills for Armenian dram in your home country.
- IMPORTANT NOTE: Make sure when you bring cash to exchange at either a bank or an exchange machine that the dollars are in excellent condition. They will charge you a fee if there is even one tiny tear in the bill. YES. I am serious. It’s one of the weird things about Armenia but now you know. So check your bills before you go. This goes for any currency you trade in.
- Clothes
Welcome to Armenia
Yerevan is the capitol city of Armenia. Here you’ll most likely fly into their airport and begin your journey. It will be very overwhelming as when you exit the airport there are traveler’s entire families there to greet them. It’s just how it is. Everyone is so excited to greet their traveler so they all come to the airport. Flights usually arrive late at night, but don’t be surprised if they still offer you a cup of coffee even if it’s after bedtime. The Armenians love to drink coffee for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The climate, at least in the summer is hot and dry. It’s very arid similar to southern California in the United States, but around 5-7PM every night gusting winds arrive in the city to cool everything down. It’s magical and so are the sunrises.
Just about an hour’s drive north you’ll find Lake Sevan. It’s one of the highest fresh water lakes in the world. Armenia is literally in the Caucasus mountains so there’s a lot of rock to filter the rain water. This causes a lot of the springs running off the mountain or underground to be mineral water springs. All of the bottled water in Armenia comes from Armenia and you can find this natural, delicious water all over the cities in continuously running fountains. It’s absolutely wonderful. It’s the first place I’ve been where I haven’t used my LifeStraw water bottle and sensitive tummy-me did NOT get sick. It was absolutely wonderful. On top of Lake Sevan’s peninsula there is an ancient monastery that is still holding services. We saw a wedding while we were there!
Sevanank is the monastery at Lake Sevan, which deserves it’s very own shout out because it was built in the 7th century! YES, that’s correct, in the years 600! Each church or monastery in Armenia will have a similar style but unique look to it as the colors of the stone that they use to build these edifices changes throughout the country. Yerevan is often called the “Pink” city because the stone in that area mostly has a pink hue to it. This area is used to English speakers and you’ll be able to at least get around the peninsula pretty well. There is an open air market on the way to the monastery and here’s a special TIP: It’s 100 dram to use the public bathroom! So make sure you have change to pay the nice lady who will end up cleaning the bathroom for everyone to use.
Lastly, let’s take a look at the food. CAUTION: The following images WILL make you hungry! Everything is prepared fresh in Armenia. You can find prepackaged meals at the grocery store, yes, but the majority of the food you’ll be eating at restaurants and at your host’s house (if you have one) will be home made. The traditional family dinner is called khorovats or barbecue. This involves grilled vegetable salad, various grilled meats (and if you hang out by the grill you’ll get to have a piece of the heart! Armenians use every part of the animal out of great respect for the food of which they are given), and flat bread called lavash. You’ll experience other foods at these dinners as well, but these are the main ingredients. One thing I’ll say about Armenia is it is very difficult to eat Vegetarian and especially Vegan. Make sure you read the menus carefully (using your Google Translate app) or try your best to communicate your needs. You’ll have a lot of fruits and vegetables to eat and they fry most things in olive oil, but most dumplings are meat, omelets include meat, etc. Pictures in the gallery left to right are:
- “Khorovats” dinner with fresh greens and tomatoes.
- Ice cream cone called “mariogne” in Russian
- Bread or “hatz”. Just YUM.
- Fried potatoes and ribs.
- “Lamaju” – this is my FAVORITE. It’s their version of a pizza and it’s thin and amazing.
- Avocado toasts in various styles and a different style of lamaju. They also drink a yogurt drink called “Tan” with a long “a”.
- Fish “Zuk” barbecue. Most of the fish is freshwater and local to Armenia and fished that day.
- “Khinkali” is their version of dumplings and they’re hand made, flavorful and delicious,
There are so many more places in Armenia that I could write about, but for now I’ll just give you a list of place to go to!
- Temple of Garni (the only surviving pagan temple left) Very English-speaking friendly.
- Village of Gyurmi (very cute town where you can sign up to get your picture taken in traditional armenian dress)
- Waterfall Jermuk (Fresh fish for dinner and delicious, fresh spring water!)
- Village of Tatev (Old village with interesting monestary that you NEED to learn the history of. There’s also some caves you can climb down to below Devil’s Bridge and the longest 2-way cable car in the world!)
- Church/village of Areni (This church has two sets of stairs leading up to it and is just such a unique find.)
One Day Education 