Armenia

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Quick Facts
Capital	Yerevan
Government	Republic
Currency	Dram (AMD)
Area	29,800 km²
Population	3,000,000
Language	Armenian 98%; Yezidi Kurdish, Russian, other 2%
Religion	Armenian Apostolic 94%, other Christian 4%, Yezidi (Zoroastrian/animist) 2%

Calling Code	+374
Internet TLD	.am
Time Zone	UTC +4

Armenia (Armenian: Hayastan) is a republic lying in the Caucasus region of south-eastern Europe, which was part of the former Soviet Union. It is a landlocked country surrounded by Turkey to the west, Georgia to the north, Iran to the south, Azerbaijan to the east, and Azerbaijan's Naxcivan exclave to the southwest.

It contains Sevana Lich (Lake Sevan), the largest lake in the Lesser Caucasus mountain range.

Regions

Although internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh is de facto independent from Azerbaijan, ethnically Armenian and only accessible via Armenia. Therefore a link is added from this page as well.

Cities

Other destinations

Understand

In the early 1990s Armenians in Karabakh fought for independence from Azerbaijan with support from Armenia, and the Armenian Diaspora. The war was won militarily, but with no diplomatic solution reached. A ceasefire has held since 1993, with minor exceptions. This should not affect the average traveller who should avoid contact lines (obviously!). The only way to reach Karabakh is via Armenia, but if you plan to travel on to Azerbaijan after a visit to Karabakh, get the Karabakh visa on a separate piece of paper. The Armenian/Karabakh borders with Azerbaijan are shut, and Turkey has closed its land border with Armenia in support of its Turkic-Azeri neighbors.

Get in

By plane

The national carrier is Armavia in addition a variety of other airlines fly to Yerevan, amongst which British Airways, Air France, Lufthansa, Aeroflot & Austrian Airlines from Central Europe and Syrian Airways from the Middle East have good connections.

By train

There is a once a day train to Tbilisi in Georgia. The train links with Naxicivan and Azerbaijan are severed.

By car

In is possible to drive to Armenia via Iran or Georgia. The borders with Turkey and Azerbaijan are closed.

By bus

There is modern bus service available from Tehran for about $40 & minibus serviec from Tbilisi for about $10.

Get around

Public transportation is very good in Armenia. The system could be described as a hub and spoke system, with each city offering local transportation to its surrounding villages and each city offering connections to Yerevan. Most inter-city travel is by marshutney or bus. Yerevan has a few bus stations that serve the whole country so depending on where you want to go you must find out what bus station services the area you wish to go to.

For the average western tourist, you can hire a taxi to go most any where in the country on very short notice. If have decided to travel heavy by bringing big bags, then going by taxi will be the best option.

There are trains that move around Armenia, although they are slow and generally uncomfortable for travel. They do, however, provide a lovely view of the Armenian countryside.

Domestic flights are not an option as there are only two working airports in the country and Armenia is a very small place.

You can rent cars, but if you are use to driving in the west and have not driven outside of America or Western Europe, you should hire a driver when you rent your car. Driving in Armenia for the average tourist is a very dangerous undertaking. For example, drivers rarely obey the lines on the road, and in rural areas livestock and large potholes are serious hazards.

Talk

Armenian is the native language of nearly everyone in Armenia, which is one of the most monoethnic states in the world. However, Russian is almost universally spoken as well, and English is becoming much more common throughout the country.

For English speakers, this book is a way to communicate in Eastern Armenian (not to be confused with Western Armenian spoken mostly in the Diaspora).

Buy

Be prepared to bargain, bargain, bargain!
Vernissage - Every Saturday near Republic Square there is an open market with great shopping for tourists and locals alike. You can buy everything from a 300 year old carpet to a 1970s Soviet phone to Russian nesting dolls. The "covered market" on Mashtots Street has fresh fruits and vegetables along with great dried fruits.

It is now required by law to convert your currency to Armenian drams the rates are about:

( These rates are from early May 2006, for accurate rates, see http://www.xe.com/ )

Eat

Khorovats (BBQ) which can be pork, lamb, chicken or beef. Tomatoes, eggplant and bell peppers are also part of the khorovats meal. Try Aveluk (greens either fried or as a soup), kamadz matsun (strained yogurt) and other dishes new to you. khash, tpov tolma (stuffed grape leaves; a variety with stuffed cabbage leaves, bell peppers and eggplants also exists), piti (stew), tnakan smetan, dzvacegh (omelette)...

Drink

Alcoholic: Vodka, tutti oghi (mulberry vodka), honi oghi (cornelian cherry vodka), local beer (Kilikia, Kotayk, Erebuni), wine (can also be made of pomegranate), brandy.

Other: Tan (Buttermilk), Jermuk (carbonated water), masuri hyut (rose hip juice), chichkhani hyut (sea buckthorne juice), bali hyut (sour cherry juice), Armenian coffee, herbal teas,

Sleep

Accommodations in Armenia are interesting in a "what am I getting for my money" kind of way.

Across Armenia, you can find bed and breakfasts that a pleasant and will give you a true taste of Armenian culture. The language barrier will be significant in the rural areas of Armenia if you do not speak Armenian or Russian but if you take a phrase dictionary with you in Armenian and English, you should have no trouble as people are patient. The best way to access the true Armenia, away from the westernized hotels and "Armenian branded" hotels is to find a reliable travel agent based in Armenia. Levon travel is a reputable organization as well as many others in Yerevan. Be sure to speak with a few before you settle on one or better yet, seek out the vast Diaspora in both France and America as they can connect you with family and friends that run businesses in Armenia.

Outside Yerevan, there are a few main recreational areas that offer very reasonable accommodations but you will be required to live without some western connivances. At the high end is the Tufenkian Heritage Hotels on Lake Sevan and in Northern Lori Marz (50 kilometers from the Georgian border). Here you will want for nothing, but you will pay western prices for the accommodations. Around Lake Sevan, there are numerous types of cottages and hotels. Prices are reasonable and start at about $10 per day for a cottage with electricity and walking distance from Lake Sevan. The city of Sevan due to its proximity to Yerevan is the most popular place on Lake Sevan but the history, culture and non-western feel of the accommodations change as you go south on Lake Sevan.

Tavush Marz is a wonderful place to summer. Dilijan and Ijevan are wonderful towns to be based in with day trips to the many ancient churches that pepper this remote region. Costs are very reasonable and Dilijan is known for its sanatoriums from the Soviet era. Do not expect hot water all hours of the day but you can have a lovely room that will accommodate a family including food for about $20 a day. Take another $20 to hire a car for the day to visit the surround historical sites.

Tzaghkadzor is a well known winter retreat. It has many lovely hotels and is popular year round. Check with a travel agent to find the best deal depending on what activity you are looking to undertake. Jermuk, made famous by the bottled water of the same name, is a wonderful get away but will again require you to leave your western expectations behind.

Learn

Tufenkian Hospitality often has cultural events. Language is probably best learned with a local tutor. Stop by Brusov school to ask for help finding one.

Stone Garden Productions publishes information about Armenia and Karabagh with updates at www.ArmeniaTravelGuide.com. The book, "The Stone Garden Guide: Armenia and Karabagh," (ISBN 09672120-8-1) features 304 pages of comprehensive coverage of Armenia and Karabagh, with 75 color photos and 25 color maps. The book was 2005 Award Finalist for Best Travel Guide by the Independent Publishers Association.

Work

Stay healthy

As with any traveling experience, it is recommended that you eat well but do not over eat. If you are dining with Armenians, they will feed you until you cannot eat any more. The food is generally safe even from the roadside khorovats stands. There is little worry about food safety in Armenia unless you are eating in the very rural areas of the country where food may not always be washed in clean water.

The traffic is dangerous and one should be both aggressive and defensive when crossing the street. Yerevan drivers expect you to charge into traffic like the locals and when you enter the street and stop, you can cause problems. When entering the street be aggressive and deliberate. Do not linger and do not trust the lights to tell when it is safe to cross the street especially the big streets near the city center. When available, use the under passes especially on Bangramian near the Hayastan Market. These underpasses are marked with a stair sign.

The water is generally safe but it is recommended that you purchase bottled water. You can get both mineral water with gas and normal spring water on most ever street corner. This water is available in both the rural areas and the capital.

Respect

Armenia is much like any other European country, though still a bit more old fashioned. Shorts are newly catching on for men, though skirts have been extremely short for years. However, locals tend to be very accepting that tourists, as guests, have different habits and it would be hard to offend a local by actions which an ordinary American might not find offensive as well. That having been said, refusing someone's hospitality is a tricky art!

Contact

Yerevan is full of Internet cafes and internet phone offices. These are beginning to pop up in a number of towns outside of Yerevan as well. International calling is available through prepaid mobile phone cards. Short-term mobile phone rental is also possible. Regular calls can always be made from the post office, and is cheap within Armenia, but quite expensive for international calls.

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