A 2,800-year-old city of pink tuff stone at the foot of Mount Ararat: Republic Square, the Cascade, the ancient manuscripts of the Matenadaran, Armenian brandy. Day trips reach Garni Temple, Geghard Monastery (UNESCO), Khor Virap, Lake Sevan and Etchmiadzin. Great food, low prices, and Russian is understood almost everywhere. No direct flights from Ulaanbaatar — connect via Astana, Almaty or Istanbul. Mongolian citizens need an online e-visa.
🛂 Visa: e-Visa · 21 days✈ Flight: 13h☀ Best months: May, June, September, October
#culture#history#monasteries#food and wine#mountains#e-visa
Orange — daytime average, blue — night, grey bars — rainfall, green — sea temperature. Best months: May, June, September, October.
Things to see (12)
🧸 for kids
Republic Square★ 4.7 (20,000)
CityFree24 hours (singing fountains on warm-season evenings)
The central square framed by pink tuff government buildings; on summer evenings the fountains dance to music. The History Museum of Armenia on the square (2,500 AMD, under-12s free, closed Mondays) holds Urartian and Bronze Age finds.
Cascade and Cafesjian Center for the Arts★ 4.7 (25,000)
CultureFree
Travel guide
Like a well-travelled friend for a first-timer: before you go, landing, SIM, transport, money, food, safety, manners, apps, leaving — step by step.
🧳Before you goMongolian citizens need an Armenian e-visa and there is no direct flight — get the visa first, then plan the connection.+
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Visa: online e-visa (evisa.mfa.am)
Mongolian ordinary passport holders need a visa for Armenia (the visa-free agreement covers diplomatic and official passports only). Apply for an e-visa on Armenia's MFA site: 21-day single entry 3,000 AMD (~$8), 120-day 15,000 AMD (~$41), decision within 3 working days. Attach a colour scan of the passport page and a 35×45 mm photo on a white background; the passport must be valid for more than 3 months beyond departure.
Tip: With a valid Schengen, US, UK, Japanese or Korean visa you can get a visa on arrival — but the e-visa is the safest option.
The shortest routes are via Astana (SCAT) or Almaty (Hunnu Air + FlyOne Armenia). If the flight days don't line up, stay a night in Kazakhstan — visa-free for Mongolian citizens. On two separate tickets, leave time to re-check your bags.
Travel insurance is advisable. Drams are hard to find in Ulaanbaatar, so carry US dollars or euros in cash and exchange them in Yerevan, or withdraw drams from an ATM. Cards work in most places in the city; villages, monasteries and markets need cash.
🛬Landing and getting to the cityZvartnots Airport is ~12 km west of the centre; most flights land at night or early morning.+
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Ride-hailing app — the easy way
Use the free airport Wi-Fi to call GG or Yandex Go: 2,000–3,500 AMD to the centre, 20–30 minutes. There is a Yandex desk in arrivals. The official airport taxi desk charges 4,000–6,000 AMD.
Tip: Say no to drivers offering 'taxi?' at the exit and book through the app.
The Airport Express bus 100 runs every 30 minutes by day and hourly at night via France Square and Mashtots Avenue to the centre: ~40 minutes, 300–500 AMD. The cheapest choice if you travel light and alone.
Arrivals has counters for Viva, Ucom and Team; with your passport it takes 5–10 minutes. An unlimited-data tourist bundle costs 2,500–3,000 AMD (~$7–8). Viva has the widest coverage in the countryside and mountains.
Tip: Heading to Tatev or Sevan? Download Armenia in Google Maps for offline use so you are never without directions.
If your phone supports eSIM, install one from Airalo, Yesim or similar before the flight and you are online the moment you land. Easiest if you only need data, not a local number.
🚇Getting aroundThe centre is compact and mostly walkable; taxis are cheap for longer hops.+
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Metro and buses
Metro, buses and trolleybuses share one ticket: a single ride costs 150 AMD. Tap a bank card, buy a QR ticket in the Telcell app or at a machine, or use a Telcell transport card. The metro is a single line running through the centre.
GG and Yandex Go show the price upfront and are very cheap within the city. If you hail a cab on the street, agree the fare first — booking through the app is more reliable.
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Trips out of town
Marshrutkas (minibuses) run to Garni–Geghard, Khor Virap, Sevan and Etchmiadzin, but schedules are irregular. A group day tour or a taxi with a driver is the most convenient; Tatev is far, so leave early.
The currency is the Armenian dram (AMD). The centre has plenty of exchange offices with good rates and no commission; dollars, euros and roubles are all exchanged. Bank ATMs work 24 hours. You need cash drams for markets, marshrutkas and monastery candles.
Visa and Mastercard work in restaurants, shops and hotels. Restaurants often add a service charge to the bill — check it, and if it is not included leave a small tip.
🍜FoodArmenian food — grilled meat, fresh herbs, lavash, dairy and fruit; a treat for meat-loving Mongolians.+
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What to eat
Khorovats — meat grilled over charcoal; tolma — meat wrapped in vine leaves; khash — a hot winter soup; lahmajo — thin flatbread with minced meat; gata — sweet pastry. Lavash (thin bread on UNESCO's list) comes with every meal. Ishkhan trout at Sevan.
Tip: Armenian brandy and wine are famous; with children try fresh apricots, watermelon and pomegranate juice.
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Where to eat
Cheap cafés and lavash bakeries in the centre are good for lunch; Yerevan's popular khorovats restaurants suit a family dinner. The GUM market (Malatia) sells dried fruit, spices and churchkhela.
🛡️Safety and health+
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Emergency numbers
The unified emergency number is 911 (also 112) — free, 24 hours; police 102, ambulance 103. Most operators speak Russian and English.
Yerevan and the main sights are safe. The UK FCDO advises against travel within 5 km of the eastern border with Azerbaijan and on the Ijevan–Noyemberyan M16/H26 road. A peace agreement was initialled in Washington on 8 August 2025 but has not been formally signed — check the news before heading to southern Armenia (Goris, Kapan).
Summer (July–August) midday is very hot and dry: water, a hat and shade. People drink from Yerevan's many little drinking fountains (pulpulak). Private hospitals (Izmirlian, Nairi) have English- and Russian-speaking doctors; call your insurer's assistance line first.
🙏Manners+
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In churches and monasteries
Cover shoulders and knees; women do well to carry a headscarf. Keep quiet inside, no photos during services, and leave a donation where you light a candle.
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Sensitive history
The Genocide, Karabakh, Azerbaijan and Turkey are very sensitive topics for Armenians. Be quiet and respectful at Tsitsernakaberd and don't start political arguments.
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Hospitality
Armenians are very hospitable: invitations home, toasts and repeated offers of food are normal. Toasting (kenats) is a custom — if you decline, explain politely.
📱Useful apps+
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Taxis and transport
GG and Yandex Go are the two main taxi apps. Telcell Wallet — QR tickets for the metro and buses. Google Maps is good for walking routes and monastery locations.
The Armenian alphabet is unique, so Google Translate's camera mode is very useful for menus and signs; download Armenian for offline use. If you speak Russian you rarely need translation.
20–30 minutes by taxi from the centre; plan to be at the airport 3 hours before an international flight. Most connecting flights leave at night, so book the taxi in the app in advance.
Ararat brandy and wine can't go in your hand luggage — wrap them well in checked bags, or buy them in the airport duty-free in a sealed bag. Transiting Kazakhstan? Check the transit country's alcohol allowance.
A giant white stairway of 572 steps: the city and, on a clear day, Mount Ararat from the top. At its foot a sculpture garden with Botero and Chadwick; inside, escalators lined with art galleries make the climb easy with children.
Matenadaran (Museum of Ancient Manuscripts)★ 4.8 (8,000)
Culture2,000 AMD (ages 6–18 1,000; English guide 5,000)Tue–Sat 10:00–17:50; closed Sun and Mon
One of the world's richest manuscript collections: over 23,000 manuscripts, illuminated Gospels, and the Armenian alphabet created by Mesrop Mashtots. An English-speaking guide makes it far more meaningful.
Armenian Genocide Memorial (Tsitsernakaberd)★ 4.8 (10,000)
CultureFree (donations)Museum Tue–Sat 10:00–17:00 (winter 11:00–16:45), Sun 11:00–15:00; closed Mon
A hilltop memorial to the victims of the 1915 Armenian Genocide, with an eternal flame, a 44 m stele and a museum. A place for quiet respect; on 24 April many thousands lay flowers.
Food4,500–12,000 AMD (depends on the tasting)By advance booking
The famous Armenian brandy maker since 1887: old cellars with historic barrels, the Churchill story, a guided tour and a tasting of 2–3 brandies. Tastings for adults only.
KidsPark and military museum free; rides extraMuseum Tue–Fri 10:00–17:00, Sat–Sun 10:00–15:00
A 22 m statue holding a sword on the hill above the city, with a military history museum and old tanks beneath it. The park next door has children's rides, a pond and shade — good for a family evening walk.
CultureGarni 1,500 AMD; Geghard freeGarni ≈9:00–22:00 (shorter in winter); Geghard during daylight
About 30 km out: the 1st-century Greco-Roman Garni Temple (the only pagan temple left in the former USSR) and the hexagonal basalt columns of the 'Symphony of Stones' in the gorge below. 10 km further, Geghard Monastery is carved into the rock — UNESCO. Usually seen together in one day.
About 45 km south: the monastery with the pit where St Gregory was imprisoned for 13 years, with Mount Ararat rising right behind — Armenia's most famous view. Sharpest in early morning or evening light.
A blue mountain lake at 1,900 m (~65 km, 1 hour), with the 9th-century Sevanavank monastery on top of the peninsula. In summer it is the escape from Yerevan's heat: beaches, fish (ishkhan) dishes and swimming.
CultureFree (treasury museum extra)Daily, during daylight
About 20 km out: the seat of the Armenian Apostolic Church, built in 301 and among the oldest cathedrals in the world — UNESCO. Sunday morning liturgy with the choir is moving; stop at the Zvartnots ruins on the way.
Tatev Monastery and the Wings of Tatev ropeway★ 4.8 (10,000)
NatureReturn 9,000 AMD (Dec–Feb 5,500); children up to 140 cm 1,000Tue–Sun 10:00–18:00 (to 19:00 May–Sep); closed Mon
One of the world's longest reversible ropeways (5.7 km) glides over a deep gorge to the 9th-century Tatev Monastery. About 4 hours by car from Yerevan, so it is a long day trip or an overnight in Goris. It stops in bad weather.
