From the airport to the city centre Armenia
Subjected since 1993 to a double land blockade by Azerbaijan and Turkey (the gradual lifting of which is under discussion since Armenia's defeat by Azerbaijan in the Karabakh war in the autumn of 2020), Armenia is accessible mainly by air, and more easily and cheaply since the opening of its skies to competition in 2013, and the arrival of low-cost flights in 2020. The main gateway is the brand new Zvartnotz airport, 20 minutes from the centre of Yerevan, via a system of regular bus shuttles (60 cents), buses (stop on Abovian Street), taxis (€5) - well regulated -, and often shuttles offered by hotels, pending the extension of the metro to the airport. Much less frequented, the Shirak International Airport serves the country'ssecond largest city, Gyumri, with links to Russia, and a taxi service to the nearby centre. Finally Stepanakert also has its own airport, brand new, but still not in service, due to threats from Azerbaijan.
Arrival by train Armenia
A poor relative of Armenia's transport system, the railway system is being rehabilitated at the initiative of a major Russian company. Because of the blockade, which has condemned the old railway line linking Yerevan to Turkey and Azerbaijan (these two allied countries preferred to bypass Armenia by building a new railway line via Georgia), the only international railway line links Tbilisi to the Sassounsti Tavit station in the centre of Yerevan. This line is mainly used by Armenians travelling in summer to the beaches of Batoum, in Adjaria (Georgia), for about 20 hours and 15 €. In addition, a modern electric train was inaugurated in 2018 linking Gyumri to Yerevan in less than two hours, for 2,500 AMD (€6). As for the Yerevan-Sevan line, it is still uncertain and is mainly used by freight trains.
Public transport Armenia
Yerevan has a metro, whose few stations on the single line display Soviet monumental luxury, but only partially serve the centre of the capital from 06:00 to 23:00. Although it is inexpensive (50 AMD, or 10 cents) and air-conditioned, it is not very busy, as the inhabitants prefer the numerous and now modern buses, less electric trolley buses, but remain attached to the minibuses (marchrutka) with fixed routes and frequent stops, which are even cheaper, but do not respect safety standards and are regularly threatened with bans by the authorities. Instead of rarely air-conditioned buses, residents of the capital often prefer the numerous taxis, even though they face the same problems of traffic congestion. They also serve as public transport, since 4 passengers can share a single taxi, and the prices are very attractive. At this price, it is always possible to hire a taxi to get away from the capital and to crawl in the mountains. Gyumri has bus, minibus and taxi lines, but in the other localities the means of transport are limited. From Yerevan, buses and minibuses serve all localities at low prices, to Tbilisi (6 hours drive for 17 €) and beyond.
A sesame to Yerevan. Since 2018, Yerevan has been equipped with a pass system, the Yerevan Card, which allows free access to public transport and the metro, as well as to 40 museums, and even discounts on certain hotels depending on the duration and the formula chosen (see the practical sheet To see / To do)
Bike, scooters & co Armenia
Two-wheeled vehicles, whether motorized or not, are not very popular in Armenia. After 70 years of Soviet rule, the car, preferably with a large engine, is more dreamy, and the mountainous topography has not given rise to "climbers" on the little queen. In Yerevan, measures are being taken to encourage residents to use bicycles, but despite the bicycle paths, which are admittedly rare, only 0.79% of the capital's inhabitants used this vehicle in 2019 (0.2% for mopeds or motorcycles!). Mimo Bike Sharing, the new application for cycling in Yerevan, is a highly visible, yellow bicycle, which is an incentive in Yerevan, with a rental rate of 9.99 AMD per minute during the week and 7.99 AMD at weekends, provided that you download the application, enter your credit card details and scan the "QR" code on the bike and leave it where you want it, but in a visible place. A scooter service has been set up in Yerevan, youdrive lite, but enthusiasts are rare. Outside Yerevan, you will have to rely on some hotels to rent bikes.
With a driver Armenia
The local equivalent of Uber, the "GG" application, easily downloadable on the smartphone, is increasingly used in Yerevan for its more attentive drivers and its more competitive prices (600 AMD for a trip, 100 AMD per km) than taxis. But taxis are affordable enough to be hired outside the capital. There is a basic package, which can be negotiated with the driver and divided if you share the taxi with other passengers, plus the rate per km. In addition, many local travel agencies offer chauffeur-driven car services to travel around the country. The practice was widespread, if not the only one, before the advent of car rental agencies.
By car Armenia
Due to the Turkish-Azerian blockade, Armenia is only connected to the rest of the world by land via Georgia and Iran. Since the Russian-Armenian-Azeri ceasefire agreement of 9 November 2020, there has been talk of a transit corridor supposed to link the Azeri enclave of Nakhchivan to the rest of Azerbaijan via Meghri and southern Armenia, in exchange for the Russian-controlled Latchine corridor linking Armenia to Karabakh; this is a very sensitive issue, and the fluidity of the disputed borders between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the lifting of the blockade are still uncertain. In the meantime, in Armenia, the main roads have been rebuilt, including to Nagorno-Karabakh (which is now accessible only by the Goris-Latchine road, the other two major roads built by the Armenians after 1994 having fallen under Azeri control since the 2020 war), and are under repair in the border areas of Azerbaijan in the south, and the car remains the best way to circulate and visit the country, where the road signs are generally trilingual (Armenian, Russian and Latin letters). But driving in Armenia requires a good knowledge of the environment... and of local driving practices, between phlegm and nervousness. In Yerevan, the car fleet has grown a lot, which causes traffic jams, and it is better to rely on public transport and taxis; you should also know that if you drive on the right side, many imported vehicles (less expensive) still have the steering wheel on the right. Armenia is a mountainous country, which lengthens the distances (never much though, the improvement of the road network allowing to connect in 5-6 hours Yerevan to the most distant localities, Stepanakert in Karabagh for example) and requires a good control of the driving. Car rental agencies are now numerous in Yerevan, where you should preferably rent a 4x4, given the state of some mountain roads, but unless you are a good driver, it is better to hire the services of a driver, often friendly and knowledgeable about the country, by revising the budget upwards.
Hitchhiking. In the open country, you have every chance of being taken in charge by a charitable soul.
Accessibility Armenia
While at Yerevan's Zvartnotz airport, the total refurbishment has taken into account people with reduced mobility, who are taken care of upon arrival, much remains to be done to welcome the disabled in the country. More and more hotels and sites are equipping themselves with wheelchair ramps, but the topography of Yerevan, and more generally the mountainous terrain of Armenia, does not make it easy to adapt to these standards, to which Armenians are nevertheless sensitive, since the 1988 earthquake and the Karabagh war caused many disabilities.
Tourist traps Armenia
Armenians, and Caucasians in general, have the reputation - especially among Russians - of being tricksters and braggarts, whose word has little credence, but in general, scams are rare. Concerned about their image and cultivating their tradition of hospitality, Armenians spare tourists, and sometimes do too much, by promising the moon, as is the case almost everywhere in the East! Taxis, once unreliable, have now been brought up to standard, as have the road police, who had a reputation for "racketeering" motorists, but who are still very fussy about driving and are happy to issue tickets, using the many radars.
