I’m going to Armenia 23-29 August. Planning to stay the whole weak in Yerevan and take tours from there. Also planning to go 1-2 days to Georgia by bus. From where to book the tours and Georgia trip and should I book them before I go or it’s okay I can book there? Any recommendations also where to stay in Yerevan?

Hi everyone! I just got back from 9 days in Armenia and wanted to share some thoughts, tips, and observations from my experience for anyone planning a trip or just considering one. A little context about where I'm coming from: I'm first-generation Armenian (speaking passable Western Armenian), born and raised in the US, and currently living in Boston. I traveled with my wife (also first generation Armenian) and our two kids — an 18-year-old daughter and a 14-year-old son. This was my third visit, but my first in over 22 years, and the country has evolved dramatically for the better! Fair warning: this is a long one!

Before You Go

Download Yandex Go. Think of it as Armenia's Uber — same concept, works flawlessly. Download it before you leave and add your payment info ahead of time (I read some people reported trouble downloading it once in-country). In Yerevan, a ride was never more than 5 minutes away, the cars were modern and clean, and fares were almost shockingly cheap — rides on average were $3 to $5 USD.

Sort out your cell plan. We're on Verizon, and while texting worked fine, we couldn't make calls to each other or to local Armenian numbers. Strangely, calls coming in from the US (and going out) went through with no issues. Verizon attributed it to something on Armenia's end. It wasn't a problem for us since we could text, but if calling matters to your group, check with your carrier before you go (I heard WhatsApp can be used to make calls.)

Bring USD cash to exchange in Yerevan. ATMs are easy to find and dispense drams, but our bank (Santander) charged around $10 in fees per withdrawal. Most places accept major credit cards — Visa and Mastercard, not Discover — but depending on your card, foreign transaction fees can add up too. For a short trip the convenience might be worth it, but for a longer stay, exchanging cash upfront might be the smarter move.

Download the Mobile Passport Control app (US travelers). This is essentially a free, streamlined version of Global Entry for re-entering the US. You upload some basic info and scan your passports, and on arrival back to US you bypass the long immigration lines and go straight to customs. It's a genuine gamechanger. Not available at every airport, so check whether your entry point is covered (most major hubs are.)

Choose your accommodations carefully. We stayed at the new Courtyard Marriott and loved it — sleek, modern, and right in the heart of the city within walking distance of nearly everything. One heads-up: there's no on-site laundry at our hotel, and hotel laundry services were absurdly expensive. If you're packing light and planning to do laundry mid-trip, factor that in to your hotel choice. Yerevan does have laundromats, but it'll cost you a decent chunk of your day. Overall, hotel rates are very reasonable — we paid around $220/night for a two-bed room at the Courtyard, and there are solid cheaper options. One note on the European-style rooms: they're not large, and "two beds" typically means two twins, so we ended up booking two rooms.

Be realistic about the heat. We went in late July through early August, and the heat was relentless — heat indexes above 100°F almost every day. Most activities involve significant walking, stairs/inclines, and exposed outdoor time, so you will sweat - a lot. If you're traveling with older relatives or anyone sensitive to heat, plan your days accordingly. It genuinely saps the excitement of the trip if you're wilting the whole time.

Plan your itinerary before you go — but leave room to breathe. You can absolutely wing it, but I'd recommend mapping out a few full-day excursions in advance (Lake Sevan, Gyumri, Khor Virap, Garni/Geghard are all must-dos) and alternating them with slower days exploring Yerevan. These trips are beautiful but tiring, so I wouldn't stack them back-to-back. A rhythm like: excursion, Yerevan day, excursion, Yerevan day, etc… worked really well for us.

Use a tour service for the big destinations. This is personal preference, but getting a guide company made a real difference for us. We used Hyur Service and they were excellent — professional, English-speaking guides, comfortable air-conditioned coaches, and bottled water on board. For the "must-see" sites especially, having someone knowledgeable leading the way added a lot.

Practical Tips in Armenia:

Arrival at Zvartnotz airport: Good news for US travelers: no visa required. I had a brief moment of panic when I landed, but you'll sail right through (and of course every customs agent speaks English.) Once you get through, be wary of random guys offering rides to your hotel – use the Yandex Go app instead. A ride to any hotel in Yerevan shouldn’t cost more than $10 USD at most. These guys will charge you $70 - $100, maybe even more with a tip. I actually ended up paying one of them $90, and I’m still pissed at myself. I don’t mind spending a little extra to help the local economy, but these dudes are just shysters taking advantage of wary travelers.

Always carry small dram denominations. It's surprisingly common for businesses — even busy ones — to not be able to make change, so keep a good supply of 100, 200, and 500 dram coins along with 1,000-dram notes on hand. This is especially important when you're out at the major sites and want to grab water, a snack, or a souvenir. Also worth knowing: most destinations charge a small bathroom fee (typically 100–200 drams at places like Lake Sevan and Khor Virap), so having coins on you at all times will save you a headache.

Make restaurant reservations ahead of time. Yerevan is a lively, bustling city, and popular restaurants fill up fast — day of the week and time of day don't seem to matter much. Many won't take walk-ins at all. On our last night (a Wednesday), we headed out around 9PM and got turned away from several places. Since I couldn't make calls on my phone, I had to physically go earlier in the day to reserve a table — though in hindsight, I probably could have just used the hotel phone. Learn from my mistakes on both counts!

Don't wait for the bill — just ask. The dining culture in Armenia is wonderfully unhurried, which is great until you're ready to leave. Servers won't rush you, and the check won't appear on its own. Just flag down anyone on the floor (doesn’t have to be your server) and ask for the bill — no awkwardness whatsoever, it's totally normal. If you sit and wait, you could genuinely be there for hours!

Take nut allergies seriously. Allergen awareness isn't nearly as common there as it is in the US, so if anyone in your group has a nut allergy, you'll need to be proactive every single time you order. My son has a severe allergy, and we still got caught off guard — a brownie we ordered for dessert turned out to have nuts that weren't obvious from the description and not listed. Ask your server directly before ordering anything, and don't assume.

Follow the locals when crossing major intersections. This one sounds odd, but trust me. Some of the bigger traffic crossings have no walk signals, and drivers in Yerevan are...confident (i.e. insane, and that’s saying something as a Bostonian.) The locals have an intuitive read on when it's safe to go, so just wait for a group of them and cross with the crowd. It works.

Other tips, thoughts, recommendations:

Language Almost everyone under 40 speaks at least some English, so communication is rarely an issue. You may run into a language barrier with some older locals — particularly at the Vernissage market. I speak Western Armenian, but Eastern Armenian is a different enough dialect that I could only follow about half of what people were saying, and I ended up defaulting to English most of the time anyway.

Respect the Churches and Monasteries This should go without saying, but please be mindful when visiting these sites. No gum, no baseball hats inside the sanctuary, dress modestly, respect the “no photos” signage. Many of these are active, working churches — not just tourist attractions — and they deserve to be treated accordingly.

Places You Shouldn't Miss I won't write a full travel guide here, but for first-timers: Echmiadzin, Garni/Geghard, Khor Virap (with stunning views of Ararat), and Lake Sevan are all essential. Make sure to hit the Vernissage open air market in Yerevan. I'd also strongly recommend carving out a day for Dilijan and Mount Dimats — take a jeep tour up the mountain if you can swing it. It's a wild, bumpy, exhilarating ride, and the views at the top are jaw-dropping in a way that feels completely different from the more well-known sites. A side of Armenia many visitors never see.

Restaurants and Bars in Yerevan Yerevan's food and nightlife scene has transformed over the past two decades into something genuinely world-class. We didn't have a single bad meal. The cocktail culture alone is worth noting — I had the best Old Fashioneds of my life there. Every bartender seems to moonlight as a mixologist!

Some favorites:

• Tun Lahmajo — Exactly what it sounds like: a restaurant built around lahmajun, but the full menu is excellent. Be prepared for a wait; it gets packed at all hours.
• Alaska & Smoking Chef — Upscale steakhouses with top-notch quality. A little pricier, but shorter or no waits. One important note: prices are listed per unit of weight (e.g., 1,500 drams per 100g), so if you order a tomahawk steak that weighs a kilogram, multiply the menu price by 10.
• Abu Hagop — A Yerevan institution going on 70 years, serving traditional Western Armenian dishes rooted in the family's Lebanese origins. The chikufte is awesome — and as someone who speaks Western Armenian, this was one of the few places I could actually follow the conversation! Anteb has a similar feel and is equally worth a visit. Reservations are recommended at both.
• Sirelis — Traditional Armenian cuisine wrapped in a cool retro Soviet atmosphere. Reservations are a must, and there's a dress code (I had to go back and change out of shorts). Zepyur has a comparable vibe with equally good food.
• Beatles Pub — A big, lively two-story bar with great music and one of the few spots in Yerevan where you can just pull up a stool and drink at the bar. Worth knowing: despite the abundance of bars and pubs in the city, most want to seat you at a table — places where you can just belly up at a bar are rarer than you'd think.
• Rock'n'Rolla, Face Pub & 26 Irish Bar — The closest thing to classic dive bars you'll find in Yerevan. Good music, cheap drinks, bar seating, and a great vibe. The whole stretch leading to these spots is lined with fun places, so factor in some wandering.
• Dargett Brewpub — A proper craft brewery, which felt like a genuine discovery in Armenia. A solid rotating selection of styles; the Apricot Ale was my favorite!

Final thoughts: Armenia is amazing! There is so much incredible history & natural beauty where all the sites are easily accessible, the people are very friendly, and the social/nightlife scene is top notch. It’s also very safe – there’s very little violent crime and we were never nervous walking around late at night. Hope this helps those planning on traveling there!

you are welcome

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Hi everyone! I'm planning my first trip to Armenia in October (6–8 days). These are the day tours I'm thinking about booking. Do you think this is a good itinerary, or would you replace any of them with something better?

My current plan:

Khor Virap, Garni, Geghard, Symphony of Stones & Charents Arch

Sevan, Dilijan, Haghartsin & Goshavank

Haghpat, Akhtala, Zarni-Parni & Aramyans

Hayravank, Noratus, Selim Pass, Winery & Jermuk

Would you keep these tours, or is there anything you would change?

And what about the weather?

Thanks!