Q By car to Georgia and Armenia, or to the Crimea? Oh, what a difficult choice!
A controversial situation, without the LJ community, we can no longer figure it out.
It began with the fact that for the first time in my life last year I went by car to Armenia. (Several posts of reports wrote about this. Links and a few random photos from last year's trip below.)
I liked it, I decided to go this autumn too. In Armenia, there are relatives, classmates, classmates, and the Motherland. Among other things, there is something to see: historical and natural sights, places where you can relax comfortably, have a delicious meal, and you can bring anything with you, a full trunk to Russia ..
He told me, showed the photo to my friend from Yekaterinburg.
The friend became very interested, and also decided to go. But he really wants to beat in Georgia. He loves Georgian films, has read a lot of reports from many bloggers ..
After lengthy reasoning and compromises, we decided to travel with their wives in two comfortable cars to Georgia and then Armenia in September-October.
A friend promises that after Georgia he also beats in Armenia, for a few days, possibly longer.
A Friend studied and planned everything in Georgia.
In Armenia, where and how, I am "on command" ...
For our format and desire, in principle, the post-Soviet space is better and a suitable place for recreation and it seems that you cannot find.
So our auto travel was expected to be like a super dream that has been awaited for years ...
But however, what happened happened. Nobody expected this, not my friend and I, not millions of people in the world.
Post Russian space appeared another resting place, the Crimean peninsula.
Oh this Crimea, the subject of disputes between countries, nationalities, people ...
It seemed to us that people living in the Urals, far from the disputed peninsula, had nothing to do with Crimea.
But no, he touched us too.
Since a question suddenly appeared.
Or maybe we need to go to Crimea?
We have been arguing for several months, and we cannot figure it out. Of course, it's easier for me to go to Armenia by one car. Although Armenia is a territorially small country on the world map, you can see and drive many times without getting bored. However, in the winter, we set the conditions with the Friend, agreed, and gave them a hand.
We go to rest together, the same place. If not, then otherwise this year no one is going anywhere in cars.
That's it .. Soon we need to decide, but we have not figured it out yet ..
I offered a friend an open topic in LJ.
He does not like to communicate on the Internet, although he reads a lot. He looked at my blog and agreed. Only on condition that the original text be put into the discussion, after it has been moderated. So he did, the text was coordinated with him. Everything is fair ..
These are our main desires, factors, the subject of disagreement and controversy.
The initial data are as follows.
We will eat in two comfortable jeep cars, from September 20th to October 5-10th.
Overnight in the main hotels and holiday homes. Several times in tents, in special cases (2-3 times).
We will eat in cafes, often in nature, "weekend by the fire" ..
We take with us (tents, an armchair, tables, sleeping bags ..)
Happy travel, rest in the evening.
There is a desire to reinforce general health procedures for a week, and perhaps more, in some sanatorium.
Prices are also important to us.
1. In favor of Crimea are influenced by factors: a new sense of patriotism, treatment, free communication in Russian, the beauty of nature, history and architecture, food, freshness, beach holidays ... and ...
Factors not in favor of Crimea are: poor amenities, long roads, bribery in the Crimea itself, a ferry crossing, ..and .. little mountains .. and so on.
2. Factors in favor of Georgia: wine, fruits, nature, mountains, water, historical architecture, pick up chacha, wine (cheap), and of course the opportunity to visit Armenia is important, ... and so on.
Factors not in favor of Georgia: unpleasant aftertaste of crossing the border into Upper Lars, (either the queue is closed, then avalanches ..) language barrier, NATO membership (hence again the feeling of patriotism), inconsistency of blogging praise of Georgian sights, ... and ..
So try to figure out where to go?
Help !, so that my friend and I come to an agreement ...
When in November we were faced with the question of what we were going to do for the January holidays, quite unexpectedly for ourselves, we decided to go to Armenia. And because I have never been there, and because visas are not needed there, and because I have always been visually interested in the architecture of Armenian churches. In addition, tours to Armenia were offered by a company with which we once traveled about Estonia and we really liked the excursions themselves and the general organization.
Actually, here you can see a description of the original tour, which were subsequently amended.
Just like once with the tour to Petra, the group did not fill up and we had two options - to refuse the tour altogether or to slightly adjust it and even pay extra. As a result, all lunches and dinners were thrown out of the program, and instead of a trip and a hotel in Tsaghkadzor, they arranged a free day in Yerevan. But on the other hand, personalized service has its own big pluses- the guide was focused only on us and our interests, we planned the time ourselves, well, we ourselves chose when and what we want to eat.
Looking ahead, I will say right away that we liked Armenia. So there is something to see, there is definitely beautiful nature and very hospitable people. A Russian tourist is still comfortable there, and because almost everyone knows Russian, it is still included in the compulsory school curriculum from the second grade. The tour had only one minus - but a big one. Just like we do in Armenia, the big New Year and Christmas holidays fall on January 1-6, and during this period practically everything that is possible in terms of museums, shops, etc. closed. So, unfortunately, this is the Christmas tour that I strongly do not recommend to you.
Well, now a little photo story. Our plane was at night, so in the middle of the night we arrived in Yerevan, were met by our chauffeur Rubik and checked into the Aviatrans hotel, in the very center of the city on Abovyan street. The room is spacious, but somewhat obtusely furnished. The restaurant worked only for breakfasts, which, of course, was not very convenient - although there were plenty of restaurants and cafes of different levels nearby, sometimes I went out in the evening, and I didn't even want to go out into the cold. The only plus of the holidays was that the equipment under the windows of our room did not work - apparently, the center of Yerevan is being actively rebuilt right now.
In the morning we met our guide - a very pleasant girl Laura, fluent in three languages, got into the car and drove to Khor Virap, a 17th century monastery complex built on the site of the pit in which Saint Gregory the Illuminator sat, the man thanks to whom Armenia adopted Christianity.
Above the pit in which Gregory the Illuminator sat, the Church of St. Gevork was built. The pit is six meters deep, into it you can go down a metal staircase of 25 steps, most of them standing vertically. To be honest, it's a little scary and not very comfortable to go down there. Especially in a coat and with a camera around his neck. :)
Khor Virap is also famous for its views of Ararat. But ... that's all we saw. By the way, this is also a view of the border with Turkey. I did not suspect that the borders of Armenia with Turkey and Azerbaijan are still guarded by our border guards ...
Then we returned to the city for sightseeing tour in Yerevan. We went up to the monument to Mother Armenia and took pictures of the views of the city.
As you can see, there is fog over the city ...
We drove up to Matenadaran, which, of course, was closed. A monument to Mesrop Mashtots, the inventor of the Armenian writing, is erected in front of it. By the way, he also invented the Georgian script, but then the Georgians abandoned it in favor of another. A large collection of khachkars is exhibited at the Matenadaran building. But khachkars are a separate topic that can be shown and shown - there are a huge number of them in Armenia and they are unique everywhere.
And this is the government building on Republic Square.
After all the excursions and a hearty lunch, we went for a walk in search of a supermarket and found such a wonderful bull.
And here is a snapshot of our huge number. I must say that it was cold at first. It turned out that there was a plug in the batteries, and only when it was blown out did it become warm in the room.
The next morning, we nevertheless briefly saw one of the two Ararats. Not everyone knows, by the way, that Ararat, the symbol of Armenia, does not belong to her. A huge territory of historical Armenia is located in Turkey. They say that when the Turks made claims to the Armenians, why did you put Ararat on your coat of arms? - after all, it does not belong to you, the Armenians answered - why did you put the moon on your flag and coat of arms? - does it belong to you? :)
Be that as it may, the last attempt of the Armenians to get Ararat back was under Stalin and was never successful.
They say that the apostles who came to Armenia brought with them an icon and a spear of Longinus. The cult of the icon never took root, and this monastery was built to store the spear. Here is a picture of a spear on the door of the temple. Now the spear and a piece of Noah's ark are kept in the museum in Etchmiadzin, but ... we never managed to see them.
The stone decoration of the monastery deserves a separate story, but for now I will show with great difficulty a fragment of the coat of arms of the Proshyan princes in the vestibule of the prince's burial vault.
And these are khachkars carved into the rock.
Our next stop was the complex in Garni.
A restored pagan temple from the 1st century AD, against the backdrop of a solar eclipse.
Then we returned to Yerevan to visit the Sergei Parajanov Museum. As it turned out, our guide works in this museum, so she gave us a tour of it herself.
For me, this museum was a discovery, because knowing Parajanov as a filmmaker, I knew nothing about his hobby - creating installations. The museum makes a tremendous impression, but we didn’t shoot anything in it - we thought that we would hardly manage to shoot in such a way as to convey the impression. By the way, it was possible to buy an album there, but in spite of the very not sickly cost - 2 thousand for our money - a lot of photos turned out to be completely flat ...
And this is one of the sculptures in the courtyard.
The next day we went to Sardarapat - on the site of the Sardarapat battle
The Ethnographic Museum of Armenia, located there, was closed, but in front of it stands a perfectly preserved vishap (dragon), dating back to the pre-Urartian period.
And also a lovely animal arranged a photo session for me there. Who is this? Weasel?
Then we went to Zvartnots - where the remains of the greatest temple of early medieval Armenian architecture - the 7th century - are located. AD
It is said that the temple was destroyed during an earthquake. But our guide doubts this, citing the well-preserved eagles and the perfectly preserved Armenian sundial as an example.
The next item on our program was Echmiadzin.
Main Cathedral(IV-VII centuries) we visited, but the museum and the treasury - no. It was on this day that the Armenians celebrated Christmas, and the museum was closed on this occasion - the clergy on such days use it as a utility room.
The church of St. Hripsime (7th century) located on the outskirts of the city is simply amazing.
In a sense, it was thanks to Repsime that the Armenian king Trdat III, who executed her, was then baptized, baptized his people and proclaimed Christianity as the state religion in Armenia.
Here is the tombstone of St. Hripsime
And this is a view of a church erected on the site of another Christian woman tortured by Trdat.
I decided to write an online travel guide for Armenia based on my trip. Useful information there is never too much.
Below you will find answers to planning questions, where to live, how much money do you need, whether you need a visa and how to get around, as well as the route in Armenia that we traveled. Based on it, you can make your own or use ours.
I am often asked: “Why go to Armenia, what to see there and is it worth spending time and vacation in this country at all”. And now I answer without hesitation: "Of course it's worth it!"
I'll tell you a banal fact, but Armenia is the country that first adopted Christianity. Therefore, there will be no shortage of historical and architectural sights here, even for tourists who are sophisticated in travel.
Moreover, it is a stunning and varied nature. The greenery of the north and the colorful mountains in the south are worth coming here not for a weekend to see Yerevan, but for a full-fledged voyage around this country.
But nature and ancient monasteries are only half of the values of Armenia. People, ordinary Armenians who stayed in their own country, and did not leave for other countries, that is why it is also worth coming here for. I am not afraid of these pretentious statements, but the word "hospitality" was rediscovered for me.
And finally, Armenia is not yet as crowded with tourists as neighboring Georgia or Azerbaijan. It is absolutely real to be somewhere in general alone, in the silence of the mountains or monastery walls. Fortunately or unfortunately, the main tourists in Armenia are ethnic Armenians who came to see their homeland, and Chinese tourists who are just everywhere. But the Armenians do everything to make the guests comfortable and they come and come back again and again. And it is true.
Well, the prices here are not high, for Russian salaries. You can afford a little more, and this is good news.
When is the best time to go to Armenia
If you want to see the whole country in one trip, then the best time for a trip to Armenia this summer, starting in June and ending in September. Juicy Armenian fruits, a lot of cheap vegetables have ripened, the snow in the mountains and on the passes has melted and does not create obstacles for inspection and travel.
You can just come for a walk around Yerevan as early as March 8th. It's already warm enough, but you can still eat Armenian khash and warm up.
If you are interested in skiing, then you need to go to the Tsakhnadzor resort from December to February / March.
Going to Armenia in August is almost perfect. But during the day in Yerevan and in the open area in the vicinity of Garni, Eribuni or Zvartnots, it will be quite hot, but tolerable.
Documents, visa and whether you need a passport to Armenia
Fortunately, the Armenians are our brothers, our army guards the border between Armenia and Turkey, and the Russians do not need a visa to Armenia. And a foreign passport to Armenia is no longer needed either. It's a pity, however. After all, a beautiful stamp was put on him upon arrival with Big and Small Ararat.
Apart from Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians, Georgians and other residents of the CIS, a visa to Armenia is also not required. The stay must not exceed 180 days.
And the rest is set upon arrival and costs 3000 AMD for 21 days or 15000 AMD for 120 days.
It is possible to cross the border of Armenia by land in Georgia and Iran, and by plane you can fly from any city with which there is air communication (except for Turkey and Azerbaijan).
Language in Armenia "And they will understand me"
Armenia has recently ceased to be one country with us, therefore, the Russian language there, though not the second state, but the second, after the Armenian. It is compulsory at school, the older generation jokes about “I also died in a Russian school” and knows and speaks simply by the fact, as well as many Armenians go to work in large Russian cities. But I still can't answer unequivocally that they will understand you. In Yerevan, in a cafe in the center not far from the fountains, the young waiters understood us only in English. But in general there were no problems with understanding. Still, as the Armenians themselves say: “Putin is our president,” that's why they learn Russian, one way or another.
The Armenian alphabet is very beautiful and revered by the inhabitants.
Religion in Armenia
In Armenia, the Christian Apostolic Church. Yes, they are Christians, but they have their own customs, which are somewhat different from our understanding of religion. For example "matah".
In churches and monasteries, in principle, you can come in shorts and a T-shirt. I have never seen that someone was not allowed in or that they made a remark. The Armenians themselves do not give the impression of being very pious and believers, but they often enter the church, even if they walk or drive past and there is time, why not stop by and light a candle.
Armenians are Christians, but not like us In temples, there is usually one place where candles are placed. There is no difference, what kind of health is here, and what kind of rest is in another place. You just put it, and God will figure it out, something like that. Do not put candles next to different icons, again. But they are not. They try to leave churches so as not to turn their backs on the icons.
Armenians are baptized as Catholics, from left to right, but this is due to the language and pronunciation of the words "In the name of the father, son and holy spirit." The fact is that the Trinity must each get to his place when you are baptized. Father on the forehead, son on the belly, and the word spirit on the left shoulder. When this prayer is recited in Armenian, the word order is slightly different. They say, not "Holy Spirit", but "Holy Spirit". It turns out that the word "spirit" falls on the left shoulder, you need to be baptized in reverse direction.
I described my observations of life in the country in this article, it also contains a little about religion.
Money, what currency to go with
The currency in Armenia is Armenian dram and all payments are made only in local money. In addition to the souvenir market in Yerevan, you can pay here in rubles, and even at a mutually beneficial bank rate.
You can travel with rubles, euros or dollars, but you should not change rubles for them before the trip. You will lose more when exchanging back and forth. You can change money in exchange offices, in Yerevan, or in banks in other cities.
You can also easily withdraw local dramas from a ruble card at ATMs, I did just that. Regular bank commission, you can check with your bank.
It is better to have cash everywhere, but sometimes, in stores, it is quite possible to pay with a card. Rarely, but possible.
If you rent a car, then at each parking lot you will be asked for 200 AMD, buy fruit, a kebab or lavash to eat, pay for the entrance to the museum or for travel in transport, everywhere you will need cash.
Food prices, how much money to take to Armenia
As I said, Armenia is still not so popular among tourists (but everything will change soon), so the prices are very, very attractive and encourage you to spend more.
I will write a separate article on prices for more details, but in general, count on this order:
Housing in Armenia can be found in different ways. It all depends on what you choose, a hostel in Yerevan and a guest house in the province, or good hotel in Yerevan and a sanatorium in Jermuk. On average, the price tag for accommodation in a hostel / not expensive, but decent hotel is 10,000 AMD for 3 people. We took beds in dorms in hostels, but in hotels the price tag is the same regardless of two or four. There will be a separate article about the hotels where we lived. I will write about the good ones and those that turned out to be unsuccessful.
Eating traditional Armenian food in a cafe costs from $ 5. We often bought groceries and ate in apartments we rented or in hostels, where there is always a kitchen. The cost of living in a hostel almost always includes breakfast, sometimes very hearty, such as pasta with sausages, fruit and coffee.
For example, eating a kebab with baked vegetables, lavash, cheese, drinking it all with tan okroshka and beer, which we bought to take away and ate by the river, cost 700 rubles for 4 people and still had left for breakfast. We also bought food in a store in Jermuk for dinner, vegetables, cheese, matsun, basturma, sweet gata and churchkhela, spending 700 rubles and again there was still a hearty dinner left. In the supermarket in Goris, we also bought food for 500 rubles for 4 people, and again it was enough for dinner and breakfast. If you eat in restaurants, then the prices will be from $ 5 and more per person.
Calculate transport costs based on the mode of transport. Rent a car with a driver AMD 20,000, without - from AMD 15,000. The cost of minibuses depends on the distance. You can get to everything that is farther from the outskirts of Yerevan for 1500-2000 AMD from bus stations and minibus parking places.
Food in Armenia
Armenian cuisine is great! If we take into account the fact that everything is prepared from seasonal and fresh products, then you can evaluate the taste even in absentia.
Vegetarians will find it harder than meat eaters. But it's more difficult in terms of refusing and explaining why you don't eat meat. But the argument that you just feel sorry for the poor animals works, proven. And so during the season from the end of May to September, the amount of vegetables and fruits will satisfy even the needs of raw foodists!
Armenian fruits Housing in Armenia
Of course, in order to get a good price / quality option, you need to have a clear trip plan and not deviate from it. We had a route, but after we left Yerevan, it was not always possible to follow it, although we tried. Book on the go, especially in high season, is difficult if you're on a budget. There are good and cheap ones (around 10 thousand AMD for 2-3 people), but if you book in advance, the chances are higher. If we realized that we did not have time to arrive where it was already booked, then we simply opened the booking and booked from what was. For not arriving at an already booked hotel, no fines were taken, although it seemed like a cancellation per day was already with a penalty of 1 night.
The choice of housing is great and varied only in Yerevan. Here you will find both hostels and apartments, you can find good and not expensive ones on airbnb, if you book in advance, and even more so hotels. But the price tags in the capital are decent. We preferred to stay overnight in hostels.
In the provinces, the choice of housing is not large, but it is there. In Jermuk, in general, I had to use the theory of 6 handshakes and through our driver and calls to look for housing within 10,000 AMD (this was our ceiling for housing, 500 rubles per person).
Communication in Armenia
You can choose different cellular operators, which you trust more. There are Beeline and MTS and Orange.
Do I need insurance in Armenia
There is no such obligation for a trip to Armenia as insurance. Nobody will ask you for it at the border. However, it will not hurt to have insurance if you plan to actively spend time in the country. Insurance is not expensive and it is better to have it if something happens.
I'm not talking about conquering the peaks now, but even a simple trekking in the Dilijan national park or climbing rocks in the gorges near Garni can have consequences.
I buy insurance online before every trip. About insurances for active rest wrote in this article.
How to get to Armenia
Most convenient way to get to Armenia is of course a plane. You can fly to Yerevan or Gyumri from Russia and Georgia. All flights from the most high prices I collected in this article... There you will also find a calendar of flights to Armenia for a year in advance. It is very convenient to search for cheap tickets on it. Click on a month and it opens with the prices of flights by day.
You can also get to Armenia by car, through Georgia or Iran. But in winter, there may be difficulties in moving along the Georgian Military Highway through the passes, they are covered with snow. However, I considered the budget of such a trip from St. Petersburg, and if there are 3-4 people, then you can get there on a budget, cheaper than by plane, if you do not catch a cheap flight.
Route in Armenia
I can suggest our itinerary in Armenia. Except for visiting friends, it took us 7 days to see the maximum. It is possible to see everything at once in 10-14 days in the country, but Armenia is not the country that you need to “run through”. All the same, the eastern leisurely reign here and you need to make stops along the way.
Important note. In my opinion, to see the maximum in the country in a short time is possible only by car. Yes, public transport yes, it works, there is also a hitchhiking. But when you are limited in time, the car is the best solution. If you do not drive yourself, then it is possible here to take a car with a driver.
You can start from Yerevan, or, if you come to Armenia from Georgia, then from the north from Alaverdi.
There is a separate detailed article for each place from the guide. Follow the turquoise link buttons if you want to learn more.
1 day
For the first 2 nights, feel free to book accommodation in Yerevan. Because the most visited places in the country are located near the capital and it is easier to return to the same place for the night. We lived in the Rafael hostel in the very center, not far from the Vernissage and the singing fountains.
What to see in Yerevan in one day?
If you are limited in time, then you can see the capital of Armenia in one day, if quickly and in passing. We arrived in the afternoon and in half a day just walking around Yerevan managed to visit Gregory temple, got to Republic Square, walked around Northern Avenue, climbed Cascade, looked at night Yerevan and statue of mother Armenia in Victory Park.
In addition, the very next day, having also spent half a day, we visited Armenian Genocide Monument, visited the souvenir market Vernissage, watched the evening singing fountain show on Republic Square. Here on the square there is history museums of Armenia and an art gallery. We didn't make it to the collection of manuscripts Matenadaran, but I will definitely go on my next visit. You can also visit Ararat Brandy Factory, if interesting.
You can walk around Yerevan for 3-4 days and it is worth a separate trip for a short weekend of holidays. There are a lot of places in Yerevan that you can and should see. I personally recommend taking a guide and a personal tour. Then they will immediately introduce you to the course, explain the peculiarities and local customs, and just tell you a lot of interesting things.
2nd day
Around Yerevan
In general, if there is not a lot of time for a trip to Armenia, even moving by public transport around Yerevan you can see a lot. And although most of it has been reconstructed, which many do not like, nevertheless you can see monuments and temples that are many hundreds of years old.
Pagan Garni temple is located 30 km from Yerevan, and Geghard monastery a little further, 40 km. If you rent a car, you have the opportunity to make a stop on the way to these monasteries near arches of Charents... According to this Armenian poet (whom you can see on the 100 dram note), from here best view to Mount Ararat. If you are lucky and there will be no haze.
We were unlucky enough to see Masis, but the views are worth a stop anyway.
Although the Garni temple is considered a remake, it is not so. And this is the most unusual temple in all of Armenia.
The monastery in the rock of Geghard, despite the crowds of people, is impressive. It definitely cannot be excluded from the route through Armenia.
Former capital Armenia Erebuni definitely worth a visit, especially if you are interested in the history of Armenia. A trip to Echmiadzin, the Armenian Vatican is worth visiting if you want to learn about the history of religion and understand Armenia. If I hadn't had a lot of time on my first visit, I would not have come here. But having a week in stock and a car for rent, be sure to come. For Armenians, these places are the most real, authentic and important.
And I advise you to end the day in the temple of the vigilant forces Zvartnots... Ararat can also be seen from here if the circumstances are right.
Day 3
Going South
You can visit the monastery in one daylight Khor Virap and see the most famous symbol of Armenia - Mount Ararat, which the Armenians call Masis. Find out that in Armenia there is not only brandy, but also make delicious wine... And before bed to drink mineral water to Jermuk straight out of the waterfall.
If for some reason you do not want to rent a car even with a driver, then you will not be able to see everything in one day ( read about rent and transport here). However, you can buy an excursion in Yerevan and see everything except Jermuk, because the bus will return to Yerevan again.
4th day
You can see everything from our list for this day only by car. But for the first time, you can choose the most-most.
Armenian Stonehenge Carahunge and Tatev monastery available without a rented car. First, you can get to Karahunj by bus next to Sisian () or Goris, and then take a taxi or a ride to Tatev. It is convenient to spend the night in Goris, there is selection of inexpensive hotels, we stayed at the Nar Var hotel, it is more of a guest house. The owners provided a kettle and dishes. If you do not have time in the evening, then inspect stone forest in Goris it is possible in the morning the next day.
Vorotan pass 
Karahunj - Armenian stonehenge 
Caravanserai Katratz 
Stone forest in Goris
Day 5
Through the pass to Lake Sevan
See cave city Khndzoresk , which ceased to exist only half a century ago and into which you can get on the suspension bridge and communicate with its inhabitants. And then, having rest in Caravanserai standing on the Great Silk Road, through the Vardenyats pass to leave the scorched south.
See the largest cluster of ancient Armenian cross-stones of khachkars near the city Noratuz just absolutely necessary. Khachkar is one of the symbols of Armenia.
And after such a long day, find yourself by the Armenian sea- Lake Sevan will be just a gift. If you have time and money, stay here a little longer. but hotels on lake Sevan need to book very early if you want to save some money. Rest on Lake Sevan is very popular with the locals, still, the only place where, if you are lucky with the weather, you can swim and eat Sevan crayfish. If you do not find a suitable hotel for the price, feel free to leave for the night in Dilijan.
Suspension bridge and cave city Khndzoresk 
Orbelianov caravanserai on the Vardenyats pass (formerly Selim) 
Khachkar cemetery in Noratuz 
Hayravank monastery on Lake Sevan
6th day
Walking on national park and mountain resort
Dilijan, or rather the nature of this area, this is what I want to return here for. Simple trekking through forests and mountains, with access to monasteries is not suitable for everyone, but just walking in the park and breathing fresh cool air after a week spent among stone monasteries will definitely appeal to many. If you have not watched the film "Mimino", then I advise you to do it before the trip, you will find out why Dilijan is called "sunny".
Old Dilijan
Just exploring the city will take time until lunchtime, after which boldly head north to the city of Alaverdi, where it is convenient to make yourself a “base” for spending the night and visiting monasteries in northern Armenia, because there is 7 days here. It was created not so long ago, but is popular with locals and tourists.
If time remains, then turn deeper into the mountains and look at the most high mountain in Armenia - Mount Aragats and also visit fortress Amberd... If you have a desire, you can make a one-day ascent to the mountain. Although there is snow in summer, there is not much of it. However, it is desirable to have at least minimum tour equipment for this. If you feel like it, but it's scary, you can take a guide.
On this last day, we visited only the monument to the Armenian alphabet, and in the evening we walked around Vernissage in Yerevan. Early in the morning there was already a plane home. And although we saw a lot on this trip to Armenia, there are still enough blank spots where we want to go. And that's great.
Route map in Armenia
This is how our entire route in Armenia looks like for 7 days. If you open the map in full screen (the rightmost icon at the top), you can turn off layers and choose movement for each specific day.
Transport in Armenia, how to get around
I will list all the ways of travel in Armenia available for a tourist:
Metro in Yerevan.
There is a place to be. Sometimes it is convenient if you are limited in time to get to a certain landmark of Yerevan. But as the locals say, sometimes it is more convenient to take a taxi, it is not at all expensive in the capital.
Rented car... Convenient, comfortable, fast. You are in complete control of your time.
Rental prices start from $ 30 for a mechanic booking in advance (for a rental day, booking on the eve of the trip, the price tag may already be $ 50). Renting a car with an automatic transmission starts at a price of $ 40, but on the eve of the trip you can fly, economy models are disassembled in advance. For an SUV, you will have to pay $ 50-70 per day, depending on the type of transmission.
It is convenient to rent in, then you know exactly what you are taking. There are also local rental offices on site, but how lucky you are.
Car with driver... The price can be even cheaper than renting a car with an automatic transmission, especially if you book on the eve of the trip, and not much in advance. And that's how it worked out for us. Conveniently, you can take a driver not for the entire period, but only for those days when you plan to travel around the country.
Almost all local cars run on gas, and you get savings on fuel, gas is much cheaper than gasoline, and all cars for rent are on gasoline. This service costs 20000-25000 AMD for the whole day. You can bargain if you take for many days. The driver himself finds where he will spend the night on the way and will help you find accommodation if you do not book in advance.
Public transport... I have a long detailed article on transport in Armenia.
If you have a lot of time and do not have a goal to see the country in one visit, you have no rights, or you just want to save this is your way.
There are 5 places in Yerevan from where buses, minibuses and private transport leave in different directions. But the number of flights per day to other major cities can be 1-2. It is difficult to build a route with many points in one day. Some attractions do not have public transport routes at all.
Hitch-hiking... It works, the Armenians are very disposed in this regard and hospitably can give you a lift not only along the way, but also a little further. However, it works well only for short distances and getting to places like Noravank or Caravan Saray is quite difficult, relying only on hitchhiking.
Our rented car What souvenirs to bring from Armenia
The main souvenir market Vernissage is located in Yerevan. It is difficult to guess who to bring which souvenir without knowing the person, but various Armenian motives are very popular among tourists.
A mill for spices and coffee, the coffee itself in Armenia is also good, fine grinding is ideal for brewing in a Turk, and I also brought it to lovers. And it would be my wish, I would bring copper dishes!
The letters of the Armenian alphabet. The best ones were in Dilijan, at the Vernissage I did not find them later, but there were others.
All kinds of ceramics with symbols of Armenia, Ararat and pomegranate.
Duduk, also a symbol of Armenia, will be an excellent gift for a lover of musical instruments.
Chess! In Armenia, chess is taught at school as an ordinary subject from the 1st grade.
Sweets! Churchkhela and sweet gata.
Of course, cognac "Ararat" and "Noy". They are in duty-free and you can not skip them separately in the city. True, the airport only has a large volume of bottles.
If you have money and interest, then you can buy a carpet or a small rug, both on the floor and on the table. Armenian motives in the knitting of carpets are as unique as the designs on the khachkars.
This guide is copyrighted and does not pretend to be ideal. However, I have gone through everything that is mentioned in the article personally and I assure you that everything is more than possible and accessible. If for some reason you copy it to your site, ask me for permission.
The guide will be updated as it becomes available new information... I have not yet told everything about Armenia from what I know. Come back!
December 23rd, 2013It was decided to get to Armenia by plane. At Sheremetyevo airport, I met with my friend Dima, with whom we were planning to visit the country.
Our trip did not go well from the very beginning. It started snowing in Armenia a couple of days before our arrival. It all started with the fact that our flight was delayed and the departure was promised at 8 am instead of 1-45. Then they began to puzzle over what to do. While we were thinking, a message appeared about the departure at 2-45. There were no more announcements. By chance at 2-30 in the on-line scoreboard on the phone I saw that the registration was over and the boarding was in progress. Then we started to panic. It's good that we registered via the Internet. Control passed instantly and ran to the plane. The flight was delayed for another 15 minutes due to a drunk passenger.
At the airport in Armenia, a rental car was waiting for us - Kia Rio, booked from the CaraVan company. Not the most the best way, as practice has shown.
The roads were in a terrible state - with a crust of ice and snow. The ride was completely uncomfortable - the average speed was 50 km / h.
Sometimes there was such a thing.
The views along the road are fantastic!
In the mountains, the weather can change dramatically - from cloudy and cold to sunny and warm.
The first point of our route was the devil's bridge. He made no impression on me. What I saw in the photo was shot very beautifully from a different angle. But there was no desire to go down to her, to break her arms and legs.
Then we drove to the Tatev monastery. In one place, several kilometers before the monastery, we could not climb the hill. We suffered for a long time trying to call in. But we realized that we would not get to Rio, and did not dare to leave the car on the road, thereby blocking it. Somehow we turned around and went to Yerevan. On the way, I saw a monastery. But the telephoto lens was in the trunk, and it was pretty scary to stop, since there was a chance not to climb the hill.
In Yerevan we stayed at the Capital hotel.
We lived in a four-bed room for 1310 rubles a day.
The room has everything. The only negative is that there is no parking, the car just stood on the road.
In the morning at 10 in the morning, by agreement with the rental, we are changing Kia to Niva because of this, the schedule has shifted.
The first point of our route was the Saghmosavank monastery.
The time was 14-40, and to the next place 126 km. It was decided not to go, since 126 km could stretch for 3-4 hours. We decided to drive up to the fortress by another road, but 14 km before it the clean road ended, and it was somehow scary to go 14 km in the snow.
We go to the hotel, leave the car and walk to the center of Yerevan. We got there by metro. The price of the trip is 8 rubles.
Taught by bitter experience, we replayed the route and drove immediately to the farthest point of our route. On the way, we decided to stop by Lake Sevan.
On the coast of the lake is the Sevanavank monastery. The place is tourist, even souvenirs are sold here and tourists meet.
We decided not to go according to the original plan, but to visit the sights along the way, since the road was not pleasing. Further, the Haghartsin Monastery Complex.
Not far from Haghartsin there is the Goshavank monastery ensemble. The scaffolding on the temple was very upset.
Ptgavank monastery-fortress Akhtala. It was very upsetting that the mountains were blocking the sun, which made the whole complex look gloomy.
This day was planned walking tour in Yerevan. The weather was terrible. In addition to the cold weather and gray skies, there was also fog, which terribly spoiled the views. Most of all I liked the city in the evening and exclusively on weekends. On weekdays, it’s a living hell, it’s still half a step to Moscow. I had to stand for half an hour in a traffic jam, in the morning and in the evening there is very heavy traffic.
Another observation is that there are a lot of paid parking lots in the city; only by Moscow standards, the price is adequate. Paid parking from 9 to 24 hours and costs 8 rubles per hour, 40 - a day, 80 - a day, 165 - a month and 990 - a year. I've heard a lot about driving and all this is so. If a pedestrian's green light is on, this does not mean that, like here in Moscow, he can walk boldly, here you need to make sure that the car is not rushing. Even if you go to green, they will signal you. Two solid, overtaking under signs, etc. here in full range.
Having put Dima in a taxi, who had to fly to St. Petersburg, I went on for a walk around Yerevan.
On this day, two more trips were planned: to Vagharshapat - a small one and interesting city... And to Zvartnots. But not only was it dark enough, but the doors were also closed.
After collecting my things, I went towards the Geghard Monastery. The first point of my train was the Garni Fortress.
Geghard monastery. Of all my trip, I liked it the most. The monastery is not large, but very unusual, entering the temple, you can feel the centuries-old history. I was the only tourist.
The last point of my trip was Zvartnots - a temple of early medieval Armenian architecture, which I did not have time to visit the previous day.
So my trip to Armenia ended. There were many mistakes and mistakes in the trip. First, it is better not to travel in winter to countries where most of the attractions are located in the mountains. Due to a sudden snowfall, my route was cut in half. After changing the car, a problem arose - my tablet charger did not fit the Niva's cigarette lighter. I had to run around Yerevan and look for a new exercise. It's another story about leaving a passport in an MTS communications store. Summing up, I will note that the country is interesting, very kind and hospitable people everywhere, both in Yerevan and in the far wilderness. I had the honor to meet with the police officers, they are also good guys, you can even bargain. What I liked was Armenian bread, pastries and Armenian food, which, surprisingly, my sick stomach moved with a bang. Another surprise in the city of Yerevan was the huge number of KFCs (formerly Rostix) and the absence of McDonald's.
There are no normal network filling stations with a single design in Armenia, as in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus or Estonia. I would never refuel my car on these, but there is no choice here. 95 gasoline costs about 41 rubles; what it is in the euro class is very difficult to say. Roads are bumpy, bearable, but not perfect. Probably you can say, like ours.
I plan to return to Armenia in autumn in September and visit what was not possible on this trip.
Let's sum up the trip:
Flight: 15304.00
Car rental 9840,00
Gasoline 5640,00
Hotel 5270,00
Meals (on me): 1000.00
Taxi: 200.00
Parking: 110,00
Museums: 222.00
Hello friends! Today we have an article with a purely practical information... We will tell you how to travel to Armenia on your own: what documents are needed, whether you need a passport, how to get there, what to eat, where to live, where to go, and so on.
Planning a trip to Armenia? Read our comprehensive guide!
Documents and visa
Citizens of the Russian Federation, CIS and Georgia do not need a visa to Armenia, and you can stay in the country for as much as 180 days in half a year. Do I need a passport to travel to Armenia? No, quite usual: on January 24, 2017, an agreement was signed allowing citizens of the Russian Federation to enter Armenia with a civil passport. They promise that from the summer of 2017 the new rules will come into effect, but for now you can go with a passport that is valid for the duration of the trip.
If you have a foreign citizenship then a visa will be required. It can be issued either at the consulates of Armenia, or upon arrival at the Zvartnots airport, or upon entering through the land borders with Georgia. The cost of such a visa is AMD 3000 (for 21 days).
Entry to the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR)
Citizens of Russia need to obtain accreditation, which can be done at the NKR representation in Yerevan (Zaryan st., 17 a), or in Stepanakert itself. In any case, upon arrival, be sure to register at the consular service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Stepanakert (28 Azatamartikneri St.). Entry is carried out according to a passport, and no marks should be placed on it.
After visiting Karabakh, you may have problems with entering Azerbaijan, you should be allowed in, but a long conversation at the border cannot be avoided. However, Russian citizens are not stamped in their passports when they visit NKR, keep an eye on this.
Foreign citizens need to apply for a visa to Karabakh in Yerevan in advance, its cost is only 3000 AMD (for 21 days). A regular visa is made within 5 working days, you can make an urgent visa by paying the same amount.
Documents for a trip to Armenia with children
- passport for a child, and if the child is less than 14 years old, then it must be entered in your passport
- birth certificate
- if the child is traveling with one of the parents, then a notarized permission from the other parent is required.
How to get to Armenia?
By plane
The most convenient way to get to Armenia from Russia is by air. Direct flights are operated by Pobeda, Aeroflot, S7, UTAir, Ural Airlines, VIM, Georgian Airways from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Krasnodar, Sochi and others major cities Russia.
You can get tickets from Moscow to Gyumri from Pobeda for 999 rubles one way and 2000 rubles there and back - this is the cheapest and most convenient way to get to Armenia. You can take 10 kg of luggage with you. Of course, in summer prices are higher, but still cheaper than others.
With other airlines, the cost of tickets from Moscow to Armenia in winter and summer differs little, in low season can be found for 8000 rubles round trip, and in summer tickets cost about 11 thousand rubles.
There are also direct flights from Belarus, Ukraine, Kazakhstan.
Find cheap flights to Armenia:
By train
It is impossible to get from Russia to Armenia by train. At the time of the union, a branch through Adler-Abkhazia-Georgia worked, but now, due to the Abkhaz conflict, this line does not function throughout.
It is possible to get to Armenia by train from Georgia: Yerevan and Tbilisi are connected by one train, it travels for a long time, but at night, so you can use it. V summer time there is a flight from Yerevan to the Georgian Batumi.
By car or bus
Land borders are open only with Georgia and Iran. Armenia's relations with Azerbaijan and Turkey are not very good, to put it mildly, therefore all checkpoints are closed. The only way to Armenia from Russia is through Georgia.
There are three crossings between these countries, if you are traveling from Tbilisi to Yerevan, use the Sadakhlo / Bagratashen checkpoint, and if from Akhaltsikhe to Gyumri, then the Ninotsminda-Bavra checkpoint.
To enter Armenia by car, you will need the following documents:
- rights
- technical passport
- lease agreement if the car is rented
- upon entry and exit, a customs fee of 2000 AMD is levied.
From many cities in the south of Russia and Moscow there are buses to Yerevan, theoretically you can get by them, but physically it is difficult: the journey from Moscow takes about 40 hours.
A trip to Armenia - where and when to go?
You can go to Armenia at any time of the year, depending on your goals. Temples and cultural heritage can be visited at any time of the year. In winter, you can have a great rest on ski resort Tsaghkadzor, and in summer go for excellent trekking in the mountains or climb the highest mountain in the country - Aragats.
Still, the best time to visit is mid-spring and autumn. In spring it is already warm, but not yet hot, nature blooms with bright colors, the slopes turn green and are covered with flowers. Delicious peaches ripen in autumn. plums, grapes and other fruits, in the markets at this time they are very cheap. In addition, it is not so hot in the fall.
Armenia is a small country, so the route consists of the following combinations:
Yerevan and its surroundings (, Echmiadzin,) - 3-5 days.
Travel south (, Sisian,) - 3-5 days.
If you wish, you can also go to the northern part:, Ijevan, Gyumri, Stepanavan.
Thus, 10-12 days will be quite enough to leisurely enjoy your travel in Armenia.
Read also:
Domestic transport
Many interesting places removed from civilization, and public transport does not go there, so the best option is to come by your own car or take a taxi. Moreover, the cost of a taxi in Armenia is low - calculate about 120-150 AMD per km for the whole car.
You can easily rent a car - it costs about $ 40 per day, and an all-wheel drive one can be rented for $ 50. Recently, international car rental services have appeared in Armenia. Distributed and public taxis, for example, there are those from Yerevan to Karabakh.
Public transport has degraded, mostly minibuses run between cities, but they are cheap.
The railway line connects Yerevan and Tbilisi, passing through Gyumri and Vanadzor, in the summer there are electric trains to Lake Sevan. The train is an almost useless way to travel around Armenia.
Hitchhiking is very good, although there are some questions, but we never stood for a long time. Metro, buses, trolleybuses and minibuses operate from the city transport in Yerevan, and travel around the city costs 100 AMD.
Housing in Armenia
In general, the tourist infrastructure is not very developed, and there is a large selection of hotels / hostels only in Yerevan. There is room for choice: very cheap hostels for 3000 AMD per night, modest hotels and hotels for 7000 AMD per room, there are also more comfortable options.
You can rent a whole apartment in the capital - this will be the most comfortable option for families and large companies. Read more about 10 good options.
In other cities, housing is mainly represented by old Soviet hotels and guest houses. Here in the guesthouses I warmly recommend staying! So you will have the opportunity to plunge into local life and customs. I stayed in a guesthouse in Tatev (near the monastery) - it turned out that the owner had lived in Omsk for 15 years! We talked all evening, the hosts treated me to delicious Armenian food, it was fun ;-) Locals can invite you to spend the night with them for free, with a certain level of your sociability.
Find cheap hotels in Armenia:
Money, cards
The currency of Armenia is called dram, and all transactions in the country are made only in drams. It is most convenient to carry cash, although there are also ATMs in Yerevan and other cities, you can withdraw there. Regardless of the currency of your account, the ATM will issue the amount in AMD. Now they give 7.5 drams for one ruble, but check the actual rates before traveling to Armenia.
Prices for groceries and food in a cafe
Armenia is very inexpensive country, here everything is cheaper than in Russia, except for goods brought from the Russian Federation. The hostel in Yerevan cost us $ 5 per person per day, including breakfast. City transport costs 100 drams (13 rubles), in Russia there have been no such prices for ten years. Intercity minibuses cost about 1.5 rubles per kilometer, that is, almost twice as cheap as ours. It is easy to eat a hearty meal for two in a cafe for 3000 AMD, we bought fruits and vegetables at the market and their cost at the end of summer was also very low, but how delicious they are! By the way, in cafes and restaurants, a tip of 10% is always included in the bill.
Communication and Internet
Making or receiving calls while roaming is quite ruinous, so buy a local SIM card right away. Now there are three mobile operators in Armenia: MTS VivaCell, Beeline, Orange. MTS and Beeline have approximately the same packages, and the quality of coverage, as I understand it, is better at MTS. We took a SIM card for 1500 AMD (1500 minutes within the network, 1 GB of Internet, 150 SMS) and were satisfied. This is quite enough not only to get into the mail and social networks, but also to do a little work. Wi-Fi is available in almost all hotels / hostels around the country, as well as in some cafes in large cities... In general, there were no problems with this.
Food
For the sake of cuisine alone, it is worth going on a trip to Armenia! It will appeal to meat-eaters, vegetarians, and sweet lovers. It goes without saying that you must go to the “Ararat” factory and taste the cognac (you can also buy it there), as well as go to Areni and taste the local wine. It is hard to imagine Armenian cuisine without khorovats (barbecue), lavash, cheese, dairy products, various snacks, such as peppercorns. I recommend trying dolma and zhengyalov hats.
What to bring as a gift from Armenia?
First of all, everyone carries the famous Ararat, Noy cognac (there are other brands) and wine. Armenian craftsmen are famous for their silverware, precious stones, ceramics. If the budget allows, then you can buy a real handmade carpet. Homemade halva Armenian sweets, boiled fruit juice - doshab, sujukh (analogue of churchkhela), dried fruits will be a good souvenir. From the products you can also take cheese and dried herbs and spices.
We are often asked how Russians are treated in a particular country? Well, we answer: Russians are loved and respected in Armenia. Many fondly recall the years they spent in Russia, or indicate that their brother / husband / son is now working with us. Though official language Armenian, some speak Russian and certainly understand almost everything. From communication with Armenians, we have the most pleasant memories, these people are famous for their hospitality, and our trip to Armenia independently confirmed this!
The locals are quite religious, but they calmly relate to the observance of certain rituals. Women have equal rights with men, and it seemed to us that they feel quite free.
They will rarely try to deceive you, it was surprising for us, especially considering the general standard of living. They may call a taxi fare overpriced, but bargaining is possible and necessary. Sometimes there are power outages; we had no light all evening in Dilijan. Houses generally do not have central heating. The roads in Armenia leave much to be desired: if the Yerevan-Sevan-Dilijan highway is of good quality, then the road to the south towards the Iranian border is narrow and potholed. The road to Georgia from Vanadzor to the border is of the same poor quality.
If you get behind the wheel in Armenia, be careful - the locals drive dashingly, quickly, not really observing the rules.
Although, in general, everything is in order with security in Armenia. One has only to exercise reasonable caution, do not shine in large amounts, do not walk at night in remote areas, and everything will be fine. And one more thing: if a girl travels alone, then she will probably be given signs of attention, trying to get to know each other. That's all. Enjoy your rich adventures in Armenia!
