Planning to journey to Armenia from Georgia?
It’s an amazing (if difficult) concept!
Right here’s why:
For those who’re already visiting Georgia, Armenia is so shut that it makes a number of sense to tack it on to your Georgia journey.
And though journey to Armenia from Georgia isn’t as simple appropriately, it’s a small nation – so you may pretty get a style of it in simply three or 4 days.
On this put up, I’ll offer you a fast Three day Armenia itinerary to plan your journey to Armenia.
Additionally, should you’re headed to Georgia, you should definitely bookmark the next super-helpful guides we’ve put collectively that will help you uncover the very best of my favourite nation:
Okay, let’s dive into planning your Armenia journey!
Ought to You Add Armenia to Your Georgia Itinerary?
For those who’re already headed to Georgia, tacking on a fast go to to Armenia makes a number of sense.
You’ll get to see a brand new nation (which, even should you’re not a country-counter, is fairly cool!).
Plus, Armenia may be very completely different than Georgia regardless of their proximity and a few shared cultural historical past. I all the time suppose that visiting two neighboring locations can actually assist illuminate what every has to supply.
Within the case of Armenia, you may anticipate finding hospitable and welcoming individuals, stunning arid landscapes, and a vibrant and distinctive tradition.
Armenia can be the primary Christian nation on the planet, which suggests it’s loaded with historical past and tons of beautiful historic monasteries. Even should you’re not Christian your self, you may’t assist however be fascinated by all the traditional historical past right here.
All advised, regardless of the annoyingly restricted choices for touring to Armenia from Georgia (extra on that later), Armenia makes an amazing add-on to your Georgia journey so long as you’re prepared to bear by means of the difficulty of getting there.
[disclosure: links in this post may provide an affiliate commission to help me travel (thank you!)]
Journey to Armenia from Georgia – A Three Day Itinerary
Whereas it’s all the time good to have longer to spend in a rustic, I visited Armenia for Three days and three nights in the summertime of 2019, and I felt that was period of time to get a style for Armenia.
That will help you plan your journey to Armenia, right here’s a pattern Three Day / Three Night time Itinerary:
Day 1: Tbilisi to Yerevan
A lot of your first day goes to be spent on the 5-6 hour journey from Tbilisi to Yerevan (particulars on how to do this beneath).
Get an early begin on the journey so to arrive in Yerevan in time to climb the well-known Yerevan Cascades (principally, an enormous big staircase that runs up the facet of a hill overlooking town heart).
Do like an area and discover a spot on the steps to easily sit and luxuriate in a sundown view of town’s skyline.
Then, after sundown, meander on over to Republic Sq. to benefit from the Dancing Fountains – a spectacular gentle and water present placed on each night time from 9 PM to 11 PM.
Urged Lodging in Yerevan:
Day 2: Touring Armenia’s Countryside
Whereas Yerevan is a superb metropolis, for my part essentially the most fascinating components of Armenia lie in its arid countryside.
The excellent news?
From Yerevan, it’s potential to go to lots of the finest websites as a part of a day tour.
>>Click on right here to take a look at a few of the many excursions on provide from Yerevan.
Urged stops to think about embrace:
- Khor Virap – Most likely essentially the most iconic web site in Armenia, this monastery has an necessary place in Christian historical past. And it’s set towards the backdrop of the imposing Mount Ararat (a mountain which is simply over the border in Turkey and likewise the supposed resting place of Noah’s Ark).
- The Temple of Garni – a Greco-Roman period pagan temple positioned simply an hour exterior of town, and one of the crucial well-known vacationer websites in Armenia.
- Geghard Monastery – a medieval monastery carved out of the facet of a mountain, and surrounded by dramatic cliffs. It’s only a brief distance previous Garni, making it simple to mix the 2.
Again in Yerevan for the night, get pleasure from conventional Armenian delicacies at Tavern Yerevan (5 Amiryan St, reservations advised).
Day 3: Round Yerevan (Or a Second Day Journey)
On the third day of your journey in Armenia, you have got a selection of what to do:
First, you can elect to do one other day tour, checking off any of the sights you didn’t hit on the day before today of this Armenia itinerary.
Or you may elect to discover town of Yerevan itself.
Regardless of which selection you make to your third day, you must discover time to go to one of the crucial somber however necessary websites in Armenia: the Tsitsernakaberd Armenian Genocide Memorial and Museum.
Studying about this horrifying occasion is a tough however necessary a part of understanding Armenia’s tragic historical past, and the memorial and museum are very well-presented and straightforward to go to for an hour or two.
For those who stick round Yerevan, you may also go to the picturesque Blue Mosque, or taking the Yerevan Free Strolling Tour that leaves day-after-day at 5 PM from in entrance of the Historical past Museum on Republic Sq. (the tour normally ends with an non-compulsory group dinner should you’re all for assembly different vacationers).
The best way to Journey to Armenia from Georgia
Probably the most tough a part of touring from Georgia to Armenia?
Properly, sadly it’s getting there.
Regardless of the proximity of the 2 international locations, the transportation hyperlinks between Georgia and Armenia frankly simply aren’t excellent.
You principally have the selection of shelling out for a personal driver (or much more for a flight), or else getting caught in an uncomfortable and weirdly-long minibus or practice.
Right here’s a drone picture I took that exhibits why the journey is so lengthy and uncomfortable (it’s a must to cross over a number of mountain passes):
Assuming you’re touring from Tbilisi to Yerevan as most vacationers do, right here’s a fast breakdown of your choices:
Choice 1: Fly from Tbilisi to Yerevan (1 Hour)
Yep, there are flights from Tbilisi to Yerevan.
However, even should you used my tips for locating low cost worldwide flights, it’s prone to price $250+ round-trip.
Choice 2: The In a single day Practice (10.5 Hours)
Another choice is to take the in a single day practice leaving Tbilisi and arriving in Yerevan the subsequent morning.
The draw back?
It takes a whopping 10 and a half hours. And it’s not like you may sleep by means of the night time, as it’s a must to get up for the border crossing in the midst of it!
For extra particulars on how you can journey to Armenia by practice take a look at this text.
Choice 3: Take a Minibus or Marshrutka (6 Hours)
One possibility is to journey like an area and take a “marshrutka,” shared rides that depart from Ortachala Bus Station in Tbilisi.
However marshrutka rides are sometimes crowded and you could have to attend for them to refill, so I counsel as a substitute shelling out the 40 Lari it prices to take one of many shared minibuses from Avlabari.
I did this on my approach from Tbilisi to Yerevan with my buddy Patrick and, whereas it was tolerable, should you’re used to touring in consolation it’s possible you’ll not like this feature (a German couple who was presupposed to be on our minibus actually took one take a look at it, stated “nein,” and walked away!).
Be aware that each types of transportation will cease on the border and look ahead to the riders to cross from Georgia to Armenia.
Try my buddy Megan Starr’s article on the topic for far more detailed data on how you can make the journey this fashion.
Choice 4: Non-public Switch from Georgia to Armenia (5-6 Hours)
If not one of the above choices sound attractive, you would possibly contemplate hiring a personal driver that will help you journey to Armenia from Georgia.
Although costlier, the associated fee could make sense should you’re splitting it with pals. Plus, you may ask the driving force to make some scenic stops alongside the best way to interrupt up the lengthy journey.
I did the journey again from Yerevan to Tbilisi in an excellent snug personal minivan supplied courtesy of Kiwi Taxi.
Click on right here to cost out a personal switch on Kiwi Taxi.
Or use the beneath widget to make your reserving (FYI: they supply a beneficiant cancellation coverage, so you may lock in a automotive now and alter your thoughts later):
I personally actually loved the personal switch, and particularly liked the truth that they allow us to take a cease at Armenia’s attractive Lake Sevan, the place I snagged the superior drone picture above.
Ideas for Journey to Armenia
Regardless of the issue of the journey in, and the shortage of established vacationer infrastructure, Armenia continues to be a fairly simple nation for vacationers.
Nonetheless, right here’s a number of tricks to make your journey go extra easily:
1. Get Journey Insurance coverage for Armenia
Although Armenia is a comparatively protected nation for journey, I nonetheless selected to purchase journey insurance coverage for my journey to Armenia.
The roads within the nation specifically are an actual threat (in reality, we even ended up stranded on the facet of the street on my day journey to Garni from Yerevan as a result of our tour firm forgot to place gasoline within the automotive!).
Anyway, here’s a actually nice search engine for shortly evaluating completely different journey insurance coverage choices.
2. Use Y Taxi to Get Round in Yerevan
Yerevan is a small metropolis and far of it’s walkable, however should you want wheels to get round, you may simply organize them by means of the Y Taxi app.
It’s basically the Russian model of Uber, and it’s extensively accessible inside Yerevan.
3. Construct in Additional Time for Every thing
Matters simply appears to run on their very own tempo in Armenia.
So it’s a sensible concept to construct your Armenia journey itinerary in a approach that enables for additional time for the sudden (particularly on the subject of transport).
4. Entry to Armenia is Fairly Straightforward
Although you must all the time test the particular rules that apply to your private home nation, many nationalities are permitted to enter Armenia with no visa (Canada and India being among the many main exceptions).
5. You Can’t Journey Onward to Turkey or Azerbaijan from Armenia
For those who have been simply a map, you would possibly suppose that it is smart to increase your journey to Armenia on to both Turkey or Azerbaijan, each of that are very shut.
However beware that the borders with each international locations are closed as Armenia doesn’t have nice relations with them.
All of which signifies that most vacationers might want to return to Georgia from Armenia the identical approach they got here.
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That’s it for this fast Three day itinerary and information to journey to Armenia from Georgia.
Earlier than you go, you should definitely take a look at our different articles that will help you plan your go to to the Caucasus:
Oh and do you want a backpack to your Europe journey? Or serving to deciding on the finest journey pillow? Then click on these hyperlinks to take a look at our detailed opinions the place we examined out a number of merchandise!
And, after all, you probably have any questions on journey to Armenia, scroll down and go away a remark!
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