Visiting Armenia: First impression and tips
Where is Armenia?
Armenia is a country in Europe, bordering Turkey & Iran in South, Azerbaijan and Georgia in the north. Armenia offers a mix of European and Middle east experience at reasonable prices.
Why visit Armenia?
Armenia eVisa for Indians:
Indians can get eVisa for Armenia. Costs about 850-900 INR and decision will be made in 3 to 5 days.
Should be standard process. However my visa was rejected once saying passport photo not clear, got approved second time, a friend of mine was rejected 4 times, another relative was rejected once. So be sure to provide as many supporting documents as possible.
eVisa is usually issued for multiple entry over next 3 months, with 15 days max per entry. So if you plan to enter Armenia, then go to Georgia or somewhere else and then return to Armenia and fly back home, one single eVisa would suffice as multiple entries are allowed.
https://evisa.mfa.am/ is the official website. I find the visa portal a bit buggy or tricky- not very smooth, took multiple attempts for me to make it work, as at times it would show screens with no further options etc. You will need some patience.
Flight options:
No direct flights to Yerevan (Capital of Armenia) from India. Best is to fly one stop via UAE on Air Arabia, or fly to Yerevan from Georgia or other countries nearby in Europe/Central Asia. Armenia is a small market so most full service airlines (Emirates, Etihad etc) do not seem to fly regularly to Yerevan.
I flew to Georgia, then another flight to Yerevan and then flew back to India.
You can also take a bus to Yerevan from Georgia for one third the cost of flight, but land borders are often deemed more complicated for immigration compared to airports.
Yerevan airport has a lounge which I could access using Priority pass. Not much veg options but I could eat Pizza slices, salad, sandwich and few such items.
Currency conversion: Converting at airport costs you 20% more. You get only 320 AMD per USD at airport where as a bank in city can offer 380 AMD per USD. So convert a small amount for immediate use and rest convert in a bank in city.
Airport to city: Yerevan airport is some 10-12 kms from city center. Buses are available, 300 to 500 AMD ticket per person, frequency once in 30 minutes during day tip, once an hour during night. You can use the buses and save on taxi fare (almost 5000 AMD to Republic square) if you book a hotel near city center (Republic square) and can walk a bit.
But finding the right bus stop in city and waiting could be tricky, as google maps doesn't show them- keep enough buffer time or just negotiate a taxi deal.
Getting around: Yerevan has good bus network, but if you stay in city center you can just walk around. Most places of interest are within 3-4 kms radius. You can also use these things to move around.
Day trips from Yerevan:
Armenia has a few mountains, churches, lakes, caves etc spread across the country. You can visit these by booking a seat in a group tour. I took two different day trips. Depending on your time and interest you can plan a few more. Book online or just spot an operator by the roadside while you walk in city.
I took 2 day trips from Armenia during my stay
-Sevan Lake
Stay: I feel it is adequate to stay in Yerevan and visit rest of the country through road trips, no need to plan another stay in some other city. I stayed at a hostel, hotels of all budget levels are available. Stay in city center for convenience.
Food: Multiple Indian restaurants are available in city center if you're particular about Indian food.
Attractions in Yerevan city:
- Mother of Armenia statue & theme park
- Republic square- sound and light show in the evening, most of the shops and museums are in this area
Summary:
I would rate Yerevan/Armenia is an OK destination- nothing exceptional that you've to visit at any cost. Plan your visit if it fits into your plan while visiting other countries in the region and you've some spare time or you got some cheap deals etc or you're done visiting other countries.
About 3-4 days is more than enough to explore Armenia- 2 day trips, another 2 half days for city including day of arrival and departure.
More posts coming up on Armenia. Standby
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