Everything a tourist needs to know before traveling to Armenia

Before offering you a tour to Armenia, we will share useful information about the country, which will ensure the usefulness of your tour and vacation.

The Republic of Armenia is a small country of Transcaucasia, which is located in the north of Western Asia. The country has gone through many stages in its history, during which it was proclaimed one of the powerful empires of the Middle East. Today, secluded Armenia is a sunny island of tranquility and a magnet for tourists interested in history, culture and natural attractions. The country attracts guests with good nature and hospitality, the warmth and comfort of its cities, the smiling people, and their willingness to provide their roof over the house to all guests and comers. After the country lures you here, it will keep you for a long time with its delicious and healthy cuisine, unusually rich nature and safety, and a reliable environment.

Geographical data of Armenia

Armenia is located in the north of Western Asia, it is a link between Europe and Asia. The neighbors of Armenia are:

Georgia from the north
Iran is from the south
Azerbaijan from the northeast
Turkey is from the southwest

The capital of Armenia

The capital of Armenia is Yerevan – one of the oldest cities in the world. However, visiting it today, you will not have a feeling of the old age of the city: Yerevan is changing from day to day and becoming a modern Art Nouveau capital with notes of national traditions and features. Changes in the city are gaining momentum and scale, transforming the city into something that organically combines the well-known ancient and intriguingly new.

How to get to Armenia?

You can fly to Armenia by plane. There are two airports in Armenia: the main one is Zvartnots, located about 12 km away from the center of Yerevan, and the second is in Gyumri – Shirak Airport. Airplanes from more than 50 cities in the world fly to Yerevan. You can also get on land roads through Iran and Georgia.

Climate in Armenia

In Armenia, sunny days are the most dominant. It has hot summers: the temperature ranges from +22 ° C to +36 ° C. Winters are mostly cold, on average from -15 ° C to -1 ° C. The tops of the high mountains are covered with eternal snow, while their hills are like alpine meadows. The best time to visit Armenia is spring, autumn, and the beginning of summer. In spring and early summer you can visit sunny Yerevan, and in the middle of summer, when it is hot and hot, the Jermuk hydrotherapy resort, Tsakhkadzor ski resort, and, of course, the blue-eyed Lake Sevan. All 3 seasons you will have endless opportunities to enjoy delicious food, the beauty of the mountains and the expanses, and the warmest communication with the locals.

Armenia time zone

+4 GMT.

Visa to Armenia

Russian and Georgian tourists do not need a visa to cross the border with Armenia. All you need is a passport, at the expiration of which at least 3 months are left. For CIS countries, a visa is also not needed to cross the border (except for the Baltic countries). Representatives of other countries can get a visa right at the border crossing.

Children

If you are going to travel to Armenia with children, then you need to bring:

Birth certificate
Passport (or the child must be entered in the passport of the parent)
If one of the parents is absent – issue a power of attorney in the name of the second parent

Holidays in Armenia

In Armenia, both secular and church holidays are celebrated. Shops, markets, cafes, malls, and restaurants are usually open during the holidays. You can consider yourself lucky if you got to celebrate some holidays in this country because holidays are an important part of Armenian culture and traditions. These are the holidays are of particular interest of tourists:

International Children’s Day – June 1
Yerevan City Day – October 13
National wine festival in Armenia – November 7
Armenian Independence Day – September 21
Easter
Vardavar. Water Festival – The first Sunday after the vernal equinox, and the full moon

Language

The official language is Armenian, but most of the population also speaks Russian and English. Thanks to this, tourists feel quite comfortable, because if you have questions, you can turn to the first person you come across and they will understand you.

Armenian currency

The national currency of Armenia is the Armenian dram. There are paper bills worth 1,000, 5,000, 20,000, 50,000, 100,000 drams, as well as pennies, worth 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 drams. Currency exchange points can be found everywhere: on the streets, in supermarkets, and, of course, in banks.

Food in Armenia

The city is full of cafes and restaurants with the highest level of quality of service. There are so many of them that in the center within a radius of 10 meters you will definitely find a place where you can eat and taste national dishes. On the outskirts of the city, this radius reaches 100 meters. Prices for tourists are affordable and reasonable, according to the tourists themselves.

Water

Armenia is called the country of free water since pure mountain water can be drunk both from the tap and in the streets from small fountains one meter high. You can also buy bottled water at all grocery stores.

Transport

In Yerevan, you can catch a taxi everywhere: both on the street, and with the help of apps such as Yandex taxi, Ggtaxi. In the city center, the average price is from 600 to 1200 drams. There are a lot of minibusses and buses, the fare is about 100 drams. So you can easily get to all interesting places in Armenia.

Safety

Yerevan, and indeed Armenia as a whole, can be safely called one of the safest places in the world. Here you can safely go for a walk both late in the evening, which is natural and even necessary in Yerevan, and late at night. Also, thanks to the maps and good-natured passers-by, you will definitely not get lost here, even if you came here for the first time and are not familiar with anyone.

We tried to gather all useful information about Armenia in this article and we hope you found it helpful. In case if you want to learn more about Armenia, here are other articles about this wonderful country.

Armenia: Tourist Memo.