The city is on eternal holidays - this is how you can characterize Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, its cultural, economic and political center. The number of residents has long exceeded a million (a third of the country's population), and it seems that none of them is in a hurry at all: know yourself they quietly walk along wide boulevards, from time to time looking at a glass of juice in your favorite coffee shops.
And Yerevan is literally a pink city: most of the buildings in the center are lined with stone of this color. Here you can taste delicious shish kebab in the roadside diner under the strict control of a colorful old man, wander around the Botanical Garden in the stupid aroma of 300 varieties of roses, buy a carpet on "Vernissage" and find out what Churchill's favorite drink tastes like - Yerevan cognac.
Direct flights connect the European capitals and Yerevan. On average, the flight takes 4 hours, the cost of a ticket without luggage - from 50-100 euros depending on the season.
Aircraft on Yerevan land are hosted by Zvartnots International Airport, located 12 km from the city. From it, you can get to the center of the capital of Armenia by bus or minibus in half an hour or 15 minutes by taxi. The public transport stop is located next to the terminal. Minibuses No. 107, 108 and bus No. 201 go to the center. The price of travel by fixed-route taxi or buses is 300 AMD, by taxi - 2500-3500 AMD.
Buses regularly run from many Russian cities to Yerevan. In Moscow, they depart from the 32nd km of the Moscow Ring Road (Lukoil gas station on the M-4 "Don" highway). The distance is about 3000 km, travel time is about 48 hours, the average ticket price is 145 USD. The road from Russia to Armenia passes through the territory of Georgia. It is about 120 km from the Russian border to the Armenian capital.
You can enter Armenia only from Georgia and Iran, as the Azerbaijani and Turkish borders are closed for entry into the country. To get to Armenian territory, it is necessary to arrange a temporary import of the vehicle and MTPL insurance, it costs 16,000 ADM and 4,500 ADM, respectively. On the way back, an additional 2500 ADM will be charged upon departure.
The cultural life of the capital and its main attractions are concentrated in the center and Abakir. These districts make up the Central District, which you must walk around - see Republic Square with singing fountains, the beautiful Matenadaran building, the House of Chess Players, the Opera and Ballet Theater named after Spendiarov and other iconic structures. The northwestern Kanaker-Zeytun district became famous thanks to Victory Park and the famous "Mother Armenia" monument.
Those who want to settle within walking distance from interesting places should look for accommodation on the streets of Tumanyan, Abovyan, Moskovyan, Khajyan and Mesrop Mashtots Avenue. Inexpensive and good hotels in Nork Marash - there are also historical and cultural monuments in this part of the city. In the center-friendly areas of Kanaker Zeytun, Avan and Malatia Sebastia, you can count on lower accommodation prices. The Kentron area is also considered attractive to tourists.
Yerevan offers its guests various accommodation options - from modest to luxury. Accommodation in the center of the capital will cost the most expensive - in modern upscale hotels of the world brands Marriott, Best Western, Hyatt, Golden Tulip (from 45,000-50,000 AMD). In the historical center there are small authentic hotels with a patio and a garden - there you can rent accommodation for a day for 19,000-26,500 AMD.
Hostels are suitable for those who are going to spend a minimum of time at the hotel. The prices in them are very democratic - from 4000-4600 AMD per bed. Fans of budget holidays and those who want to feel the local flavor should stay in the private sector on the outskirts.
Yerevan urban transport is represented by subway, trolleybuses, buses and fixed-route taxis. The subway connects the northwestern and southern regions and consists of one branch with 10 stations. Travel on it costs 100 AMD. The announcer pronounces the names of the stations only in Armenian, and in the inscriptions they are duplicated in Russian. Metro working hours: 6:00-11:00. The cheapest way to move around the city is a trolleybus. Such a trip can be considered sightseeing - thanks to the leisurely ride from the window, the surroundings are clearly visible.
Yerevan residents prefer buses and fixed-route taxis - this is the most popular mode of transport connecting all urban districts. Payment to the driver at the exit. Buses are more comfortable than minibuses, and some even have Wi-Fi. There are many taxi companies in the city. The calculation is carried out by the counter. The minimum cost of the trip is 500 AMD, the price per kilometer is 100-200 AMD. Traveling within the city, as a rule, does not cost more than 1500 AMD.
Bicycle for rent can be rented in specialized stores Your Bike (67 Hanrapetunyan St., m. "Republic Square"), My Bike (2 Sasna Tsreri St., m. "Friendship"), MIMO (pr. Arshakunyats, 270/1, m. "Gortsaranain"). The price for 2 hours of rent is from 1500 AMD, then 500 AMD.
Friendly Yerevan, a city that is often awarded the epithet "open-air museum", is perfectly studied on foot. But if you want to go on an unforgettable trip to the vicinity of the Armenian capital to enjoy the views of ancient monasteries or biblical Ararat, your iron horse will be useful.
It is best to book a car online in advance, but the choice of rental offices at the airport is no less impressive. The rental price is from 18,000 AMD per day. World-class companies such as Hertz and local rental offices, such as Naniko, offer their services in Yerevan. It is convenient for Russians to use the localrent.com service - they accept Mir cards. The situation with traffic jams in the capital of Armenia is acceptable, parking in the city center is paid, and on the outskirts you can park for free. More information about all the nuances is told on the page: "Rent a car in Yerevan."
Mobile communication in Armenia is supported by three mobile operators - VIVA-MTS, Beeline, UCOM. They also provide Internet services for mobile devices. You can quickly and without commissions replenish your phone balance not only at branded points of sale, but also at newsstands. To do this, it is enough to name the seller or write the number on paper. The SIM card is sold at operators' service points, including at the airport. To issue it, you need a passport - Russian or foreign.
Free Wi-Fi is available at all metro stations and on some trains. Buses with free Internet run with "Free Wi-Fi" stickers. Most popular restaurants provide their customers with access to the World Wide Web in the same way as shopping and entertainment centers. Public Wi-Fi can be found in parks, Yerevan Zoo and Republic Square.
In the southwestern part of the Armenian capital there is a reservoir, the so-called Yerevan Lake. It used to be a popular beach holiday destination for citizens. Now most people prefer to go to Sevan, a high-altitude lake with the purest water 60 km from the city. Sevan beaches are mostly small-pebbled, but there are also sandy beaches. The resort infrastructure is poorly developed - there is only the most necessary things. From entertainment - scooters and motorcycles. Around the lake there are numerous eateries where you can taste grilled ishkhan, a local variety of trout, or Sevan whitefish.
It's most comfortable to use a car for a trip to Sevan - it's about an hour's drive. Minibus No. 317 runs from the Northern Bus Station. It doesn't get to the shore, it will take 15 minutes from the stop. The ticket costs 600 AMD, but friendly drivers sometimes agree to bring tourists directly to the lake for an additional 200 AMD. During the beach season, an electric train runs on the route Yerevan - Hrazdan - Sevan - Shorja - Sotk. It takes about 3 hours, it's better to get out in Shorej - the local beach is considered the best. A taxi ride to Sevan will cost from 7,000 AMD.
Penny trinkets and expensive works of art can be purchased at the famous Vernissage market, which takes place every weekend on Republic Square, in the heart of Yerevan. At the art market of the same name, paintings by local artists are sold around the monument to Martiros Sarian (near the Opera House Square), and here you come across really wonderful paintings. Read more about Yerevan markets here.
For Armenian carpets "for home, for family" go to Mergeryan's factory, and you need to look for more outstanding copies in the Tufenkian Carpets store on Tumanyan Street. Here you can embroider your initials or favorite saying on the finished carpet, as well as weave a soft masterpiece according to your sketch. Old carpets can be purchased in antique stores in the city.
Do not forget to bring a couple of bottles of fragrant Armenian cognac, abundantly sold in the city's supermarkets and enotecs.
It is definitely worth trying the "Khorovats" shish kebab garnished with fresh herbs and vegetables, meat soufflé "kyufta", refreshing kefir soup "spas" and a dish with the unpronounceable name "tzhvzhik", made from liver and other by-products.
It makes sense to order Armenian wine for the meal - "Old Yerevan" is considered one of the best varieties - or fruit vodka from mulberry, cherry, pear, peach, apricot, etc. Well, you definitely need to digest with the famous cognac.
Armenia has a cult of food, so a trip to Yerevan will look like a gastronomic tour. There are a huge number of restaurants, eateries and fast food outlets, where both Armenian, Caucasian and European dishes are very tasty. The secret to the success of local catering is in natural and fresh products.
It is better to start the day with a hearty breakfast in the donut Grand Candy, which citizens call donut. Their famous donuts with custard can be bought for only 100 AMD. Real Armenian homemade cuisine is served in family restaurants. It's easy to recognize them - Armenians, like the French, like to give their names to institutions. You can have dinner and drink wine together for 6500 AMD. It is customary to place an order and pay at the table, and leave a tip at your discretion.
The Armenian fast food chain "Karas" offers a wide variety of dishes at attractive prices - from shish kebab to fast food. A full-fledged business lunch here will cost 950 AMD, and a hot dog costs 200 AMD. Dolmama is considered an Expensive and prestigious restaurant - the local "hashlama", "dolma" and "tzhvzhik" were approved by Charles Aznavour himself. The average price tag for dinner here is about 40,000 AMD excluding alcoholic beverages. A couple more good restaurants are the Yerevan tavern, where the national ensemble performs in the evenings, and the Caucasian Captive.
It is better to start acquaintance with the city by visiting the fortress of Erebuni, the place where the history of Yerevan begins. This most important attraction is 2800 years old - it is considered a symbol of Armenian statehood. Returning from the south-eastern outskirts to the center, you get to the heart of the capital - Republic Square. The decoration of this place is singing fountains in front of the building of the Museum of History (off. website). In addition to sound accompaniment in the dark, they change their color. Impressive structure - the Cascade complex - a system of stepped passages decorated with flower beds, fountains and original sculptures. From here, an extraordinary view of the city opens from a 100-meter height. Another grandiose structure is the 54-meter Mother Armenia monument, located in Victory Park. It's visible from everywhere.
The world's largest collection of writing monuments is located in the Yerevan repository of ancient manuscripts Matenadaran official website. Here, on Mashtots Avenue, near the Blue Mosque, another landmark place, without which it is impossible to get a true idea of the city - the Central Covered Market.
A unique feature of Yerevan is the gorge within the city. This picturesque corner is named Radzyansky after the river flowing in it. In addition to natural beauties, it is famous for its restaurants and cafes, where life is in full swing in the evenings. Above the gorge stands the Yerevan Brandy Factory, where you can get acquainted with the history of creating a soul-warming drink - Armenian Ararat.
Yerevan boasts the first Museum of Modern Art (off. website) opened in the USSR back in 1972. The house-museum of brilliant director Sergei Parajanov at the Ethnographic Center "Dzoragüh" is not inferior in originality to the Salvador Dali Theater-Museum in Figueres. In the Museum of History of Armenia you can see what Yerevan was like many centuries ago - it exhibits three-dimensional panoramas recreated from ancient drawings and maps, as well as artifacts of the past. The Tsitsernakaberd memorial complex tells about the sad pages of Armenian history - on its territory there is the Armenian Genocide Museum (off. website).
Little tourists will like the Yerevan Zoo. It contains about 3,000 animals, and the territory is divided into two parts - a recreation area and enclosures for inhabitants. A lot of water entertainments are waiting for the guys in the open-air water park Water World. The Children's Railway of the Natural Park, which is in the gorge of the Hrazdan River, is very popular with children. A steam locomotive with two wagons passes through the tunnel, passes 2 km, stopping at two stations.
Neither kids nor adults will leave indifferent the attractions of Victory Park and Lunapark. "Captain Kid's Treasure Island" is waiting for novice pirates at the Yerevan Mall shopping center, and lovers of outdoor activities will find entertainment to their liking in the Playcity game center.
Winter in Yerevan is moderately cold and snowy, and the arrival of spring coincides with the calendar date - since March nature begins to change. At this time, the weather is unstable, but it is quickly replaced by summer heat. In July-August, it is impossible to be on the streets from lunch to evening - there is a 40-degree heat. May is considered the rainiest month. Summer lasts more than 4 months - this is a season of dry and hot weather. Autumn is usually warm and sunny. The most successful time to visit the capital of Armenia is from April to November.