Yerevan, Armenia: Our Honest Impressions and Tips for First-Timers
While Armenia might not be at the top of everyone’s bucket list, this country straddling the border between Europe and Asia is nevertheless a destination that we’d been dreaming of visiting for a while.
From its incredible but tragic history, to its underrated cuisine and stunning nature, we knew we were in for an unforgettable trip.
Our journey started in Armenia’s capital, Yerevan, and here’s what our experience there was like, including our pros and cons and some useful tips to help you plan your visit to this gem of the Caucasus.
Let’s get started!
Flying to Yerevan can be a little expensive
Armenia receives the majority of its tourists from Russia, as well as from neighbouring Georgia and Iran.
As such, flights to Yerevan, even from mainland Europe, can sometimes be a little expensive.
While planning our trip, we found that the most affordable connections to Yerevan in Europe were airports that operated with Wizz Air, the only European low-cost airline to offer direct flights to Armenia.
Among those airports are Milan, Rome and Venice in Italy, as well as Vienna in Austria, Prague in the Czech Republic and Budapest in Hungary. Alternatively, you can catch a flight with Pegasus, a Turkish low-cost, but their flights will generally include a layover in Istanbul and will be slightly more expensive than Wizz Air.
Finally, if you plan on visiting both Georgia and Armenia, you can always check if it is cheaper to fly to Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital, from which you can take a direct night train or a shared taxi to Yerevan.
Republic Square in Yerevan, Armenia.
Yerevan is not an all-year destination
While Armenia does not suffer from seasonal over-tourism, you’ll have to take the weather into account when planning your trip.
The weather in Yerevan ranges from uncomfortably cold and sometimes snowy in winter to suffocatingly hot during the summer. During our visit in mid-May the sun had already started to beat down hard, and the humidity was often high even at night.
Fortunately, there are many drinking fountains spread around the city centre, especially inside parks. The water is super fresh, and perfect to cool off on a hot day.
If you want to enjoy Yerevan with mild weather and clear, sunny skies, then the best times to visit are from March to the end of May, and from September to the end of October.
Grab a sim card at the airport
The retailers operating in Yerevan’s Zvartnots Airport offer SIM cards (both physical and eSIMS) at the same price as in the city, so you might as well grab one on the way.
We bought two physical SIM cards from Ucom for 2500 AMD each ($6.50), with no calls or texts but unlimited data for 15 days. At the time of our visit, all SIM card operators at the airport had little to no difference between their prices, and offered packages for 15 and 30 days.
Getting a SIM card before leaving the airport is also essential if you wish to use car-sharing apps such as Yandex and GG to easily and affordably reach the city. We recommend setting up these apps on your phone and pair them with your debit or credit cards before arriving in Armenia, since we’ve heard from some travellers that they couldn’t do it after they landed.
Otherwise, you’ll have to rely on the famously expensive and scammy taxis, or you’ll have to catch the very slow public bus.
In our case, we arrived at Yerevan Zvartnots Airport late at night, when the bus was no longer operating, and used GG to order a ride to our hostel: this cost us 2800 AMD or $7.20.
Yerevan is chaotic, messy and amazingly full of life
If you’re looking for a calm and quiet destination, then Yerevan might not be for you.
The traffic roaring up and down the streets and avenues is near constant, no matter if it’s day or night. People speed and drive in a pretty wild manner, and we also found it funny how wearing a seatbelt seems to be a foreign concept in Armenia.
What’s more, many cars seem to be dating back all the way to Soviet times, and definitely contribute to the strong pollution that can be felt throughout the city.
People enjoying the Dancing Fountains show at the Republic Square in Yerevan, Armenia.
Overall, it’s fairly a hectic city, even though there are small, quiet streets, as well as parks and large building courtyards where you can escape the chaos.
With that said, Yerevan is also one of the most lively and charming places we’ve ever visited. One thing that we loved was seeing how many people and families would be out at night, going out for dinner, on walks or just hanging out with friends.
The city centre was packed every evening of our stay, be it the weekend or a work day. It’s also an extremely safe and family-friendly city with a very good vibe, and we never felt uncomfortable or in danger at any point during our stay.
Explore the city’s sights, as well as the remnants of its Soviet past
Yerevan is not a big city, but it’s packed with unique locations, museums and monuments that offer a fascinating insight into Armenia’s history and culture.
We especially enjoyed visiting the History Museum of Armenia on Republic Square, which contains a huge collection of artworks from the country’s most beloved artists, as well as ancient artefacts that date back thousands of years to Armenia’s origins.
A highlight we had not expected is the fountain located right in front of the museum: From May to September, usually between 20h30 and 21h00, the fountain will light up for a musical show that includes classical music, pop and even rock songs. The water jets even move according to the music, and it all makes for a fun and charming spectacle. It’s also incredibly popular with locals, and at night the square around the fountain is always completely filled with both tourists and Armenians.
View of Mount Ararat seen from the Cascade Complex in Yerevan, Armenia.
One of Yerevan’s most famous landmarks is the Cascade. This monumental complex is located on the northern part of the city centre, and is made of several terraces and gardens connected by massive staircases. Inside you’ll also find the Cafesjian Museum of Art, which houses an interesting collection of contemporary art.
The Cascade is also one of the best spots in the city to admire the spectacular view of Mount Ararat, Armenia’s national symbol.
From the Cascade, continue climbing (easier said than done on a hot day) and you’ll eventually reach Victory Park. Visiting this location, which opened in 1950, literally feels like stepping back in time: The long avenues and the various structures (which include a small amusement park and even a dinosaur exhibition) feel straight out of the Soviet Union.
Within the park you’ll also find a statue of Mother Armenia, whose base contains a small museum with artefacts and information about both the Soviet war effort during WW2 and the more recent Armenian conflicts. The museum is small but worth checking out; it’s also free, although you are expected to leave a small donation, so have some small change with you if you plan on visiting.
Another important landmark that you should consider visiting during your trip in Yerevan is the Armenian Genocide Memorial, a heartbreaking reminder of the horror the Armenian people endured.
The entire complex is free to visit, and the museum below the memorial monument contains the chronological history of the genocide, as well as artefacts and photos that date back to the time, all of which makes for a particularly powerful and intense visit.
The Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex is located a bit far from the city centre and is not connected with the metro, so the best way to reach it is by calling a car with GG or Yandex.
The Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex in Yerevan, Armenia.
Yerevan is a great jumping point to visit the rest of Armenia
Armenia is not a very large country, but its roads and railways are not super well developed, which can sometimes make it difficult to get around on your own.
That’s why Yerevan, with its central location and tourist infrastructure, is a great home base from which you can explore the rest of the country.
Numerous agencies in Yerevan organise day-trips to Armenia’s most famous locations, such as the beautiful Lake Sevan, as well as to the various villages, monasteries and ruins scattered across the mountains and countryside. Guides in most tours are bilingual, and will share interesting information in both Russian and English.
The beautiful Haghartsin Monastery Complex that we visited during our stay in Yerevan, Armenia.
We used both GetYourGuide and Hyur Service to book our trips while in Yerevan and found their services to be top notch. Another alternative that we looked into was One Way Tour, which has also been recommended to us as a reliable tour company in the country.
All in all, we really recommend going on a tour or two while you’re in Yerevan. They are a great opportunity to see parts of Armenia that would otherwise be too much of a hassle to reach on your own, and a great way to learn more about the country’s turbulent history.
If you wish to skip the tours and drive yourself, you can easily rent a car in Yerevan. However, keep in mind that Armenians can be reckless drivers and that some roads (especially in the mountains) are not in great shape, so take to the road at your own risk. Also, if your driver’s license in not written in Latin alphabet or you’re from a country that is not a signatory of the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic you’ll need an IDP (International Driving Permit).
Don’t forget to enjoy some traditional Armenian cuisine
Armenian restaurants are not very common in our area, and we had never gotten the chance to try some typical dishes before our trip.
Well, we can definitely say that Armenian cuisine is one of the most delicious we’ve tried during our travels!
The dishes are very varied, and are an interesting blend of Mediterranean, Eastern European and Middle-Eastern cuisine, with an emphasis on flavourful spices, herbs and fruits.
A few specialities you absolutely need to try are Lahmajun, a pizza-style dish common in the middle-east, as well as dolma, wrapped vine leaves stuffed with mince meat, rice and veggies. Armenians are also very fond of khinkali, Georgian steamed dumplings filled with mince meat. Finally, everything is of course accompanied by lavash, the classic Armenian flat bread.
When it comes to restaurant prices, they can vary depending on the location and type of cuisine. Local food is usually priced a bit below average European standards, while international cuisine can be as expensive as tourist hotspots in mainland Europe.
During our trip to Yerevan, there were a few restaurants that stood out to us the most and that we absolutely loved:
Tavern Yerevan (next to the Republic Square), a traditional Armenian restaurant with delicious food for a very good price, especially given its location (we spent 12,000AMD or around $31 for a two person’s meal).
Lahmajun Gaidz, a small family run restaurant with delicious pizza-style dishes and simple food (we went twice and spent about 5,500AMD or $14 for each visit).
Beer Academy, a nice chill spot in a park close to the Cascade. We loved relaxing there while sheltering from the heat while enjoying a beer and some snacks. While food is slightly above average in terms of price, the craft beers are fairly affordable at around 1500AMD or $4 for a 0.5ml.
Mind the dogs
Armenia, like the rest of the Caucasus, has a large population of stray dogs.
While they are generally very friendly and tend to mind their own business, they are everywhere, so take that into consideration if dogs make you in any way nervous.
There is also a system in place to determine whether a dog is friendly: Most dogs have a tag on their ear, indicating they have been captured, neutered and released. The colour of the tag indicates the friendliness of the dog, with green meaning friendly, orange and yellow unpredictable and red being dangerous. No tag means the dog belongs to someone or hasn’t been treated yet.
With that said, the system is not always accurate; we were approached by some extremely friendly puppers who were delighted to be getting some pets and attention, only for us to realise after that they had a red tag.
All in all, especially since rabies exists in Armenia (even if infections have been recorded in years), it’s best if you don’t approach any you come across and let them make the first move.
Yerevan really surprised us
We had been wanting to visit Armenia for so long, and our expectations were definitely high.
Turns out, we loved Yerevan even more than what we had expected.
From the incredibly friendly people, to the delicious food and the unique sights and locations, this hectic and vibrant city really stole our hearts.
Sure, the noise, chaos and pollution might be a bit much for some, and it’s definitely worth learning a few basic words in both Armenian and Russian to help with you communication, but if you were in doubt about whether or not Yerevan and Armenia are worth visiting, let us tell you right now, absolutely yes!
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