Armenia travel guide by BarevTrip

We write about places and trips we drive ourselves. Every fact — opening hours, tickets, season — has a source and a check date; the price per car comes from our catalogue on the day of publication, and updates are dated. What we could not confirm, we say so: check on site.

Guide sections

PlacesTemples, monasteries, lakes and towns: facts, hours, tickets, how to get there and which tour goes thereTravel guideSeasons and weather by month, holidays, visas, tourism figures — with official sourcesDay tripsComparing destinations and combining places for a day out of YerevanPlanning a tripPractical notes for the road with a private driver: luggage, staying in touch, stops and what to do when plans changeTourist questionsShort answers to specific questions before you choose and book

Start with these

Garni Temple on a summer day with visitors on its steps and the square, mountains behind
PlacesGarni Temple: hours, tickets and how to get there from YerevanA 1st-century temple 28.5 km from Yerevan, about 35 minutes. Open 10:00–21:30, ticket 1,500 AMD, children under 12 free.November 7, 2026 · 10 min read · Mikayel Melkumyan
Mount Ararat above the Yerevan skyline in spring
Travel guideHow many tourists came to Armenia in 2025, and where from2,263,642 tourists in 2025, up 2.5% on 2024. Russia 40.7%, citizens of Armenia 14.1%, Georgia 12.7%, Iran 8.1%. Data from Armstat.November 7, 2026 · 10 min read · Mikayel Melkumyan
Garni Temple with its colonnade under a clear blue sky, trees on the left and mountains on the right
Day tripsGarni or Khor Virap: what to choose with one day in YerevanThe short answer: if it’s your first time in Armenia, choose Garni and Geghard. If you’re going for Ararat, choose Khor Virap.November 5, 2026 · 7 min read · Mikayel Melkumyan
A Wizz Air plane taxiing at Zvartnots Airport in Yerevan, with snow-capped Mount Ararat and Little Ararat rising beyond the airfield under a clear blue sky
Planning a tripFrom Zvartnots to the city at night: meeting, price, child seatHow the meeting at Zvartnots works, what the ride into the city costs, how child seats are arranged and what to do if your flight is delayed.November 6, 2026 · 4 min read · Mikayel Melkumyan

Places

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Tatev Monastery on a green promontory above the Vorotan gorge: the Church of Saints Paul and Peter, fortress walls and a round tower under a blue sky with clouds
PlacesTatev Monastery: cable car, tickets, closures, road from YerevanA monastery above the Vorotan gorge, 250 km from Yerevan. No cable car on Mondays; March–November ticket 6,500 AMD one way. The trip takes 12 hours.November 12, 2026 · 12 min read · Mikayel Melkumyan
Sharambeyan Street in Old Dilijan: flagstone paving, stone houses with an outdoor wooden staircase and a balcony of cut-out carving, a gable with a cross ahead, trees on the right and a white dog
PlacesDilijan: a town and hub for Haghartsin, Parz and GoshavankA town in Tavush Province, 97 km and about 1.5 hours from Yerevan. From the old town to Haghartsin, Parz, the deer centre and Goshavank: 12–24 minutes by car.November 11, 2026 · 11 min read · Mikayel Melkumyan
Arches and columns of the ruined 7th-century Zvartnots Cathedral, their capitals carved with basketwork and Ionic volutes, with snow-covered Mount Ararat rising into the clouds behind
PlacesEtchmiadzin & Zvartnots from Yerevan: sights, hours, directionsOne UNESCO site, two places 17–20 km from Yerevan. Zvartnots: 10:00–18:00, Sunday until 16:00, ticket 1,500 AMD.November 11, 2026 · 8 min read · Mikayel Melkumyan
Aerial view of Sevanavank Monastery on the Sevan Peninsula: two dark stone churches with ruins around them, autumn hillsides, deep blue Lake Sevan and a band of low clouds over the mountains.
PlacesLake Sevan: Sevanavank, swimming and winter — what to knowA lake at about 1,900 m, 68 km from Yerevan, about an hour away. Sevanavank: two 9th-century churches, free entry. August 2025 water: 21.7 °C.November 11, 2026 · 11 min read · Mikayel Melkumyan
Noravank Monastery in warm, low sunlight: the two-storey Surb Astvatsatsin church with its colonnaded drum and the domed Surb Karapet stand behind a stone wall beneath the red cliffs of the Amaghu Gorge, with golden grass and rocks in the foreground.
PlacesNoravank: getting there, entry, season and stop order via AreniNoravank is a 12th–14th-century monastery under red cliffs, 117 km from Yerevan, about 1 h 49 min. Entry is free; how to build the day together with Areni.November 10, 2026 · 9 min read · Mikayel Melkumyan
Main church of Geghard Monastery with its conical dome, stone-paved courtyard and visitors under steep cliffs on a sunny summer day
PlacesGeghard Monastery: entry, hours and how to get there from YerevanA working 13th-century rock-cut monastery, UNESCO site, 38 km from Yerevan. Free entry, 45–60 minutes to visit.November 9, 2026 · 11 min read · Mikayel Melkumyan
The reddish stone church of Khor Virap with its conical dome rises above the monastery walls and round towers, set against snow-capped Mount Ararat on a clear day, with a dry rocky hillside below
PlacesKhor Virap: the monastery by Ararat — sights and visit timeA working monastery 42 km from Yerevan, about 40 minutes away; mostly 17th-century buildings, free entry. A BarevTrip tour allows 75 minutes on site.November 9, 2026 · 9 min read · Mikayel Melkumyan

Travel guide

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Still water of Parz Lake mirrors a steep slope of autumn forest: orange and red trees among bare grey trunks under an overcast sky, with a strip of green grass along the shore
Travel guideWhen to go to Armenia: weather and what is open, month by monthDay trips from Yerevan run all year: 31 of 34 routes have no season. Yerevan: −2.4 °C in January, 25.7 °C in August; Amberd and Kari roads close until May–June.November 12, 2026 · 14 min read · Mikayel Melkumyan
The grey basalt Matenadaran in Yerevan with an arched window above the entrance, six statues of scholars along the facade and the monument to Mesrop Mashtots with his pupil Koryun beside the Armenian alphabet carved in stone
Travel guidePublic holidays in Armenia 2026–2027: what is closed13 non-working days by law since 24.07.2026; the Matenadaran has no regular admission on them. Vardavar 2027: 4 July; Golden Apricot: 11–18 July.November 12, 2026 · 10 min read · Mikayel Melkumyan
Greater and Little Ararat on the horizon seen through the Charents Arch, with green hills and the valley below under a soft blue sky
Travel guideDo you need a visa for Armenia? How to get an e-visa69 countries, including Russia, the EU and the US, enter Armenia visa-free, mostly for up to 180 days. Everyone else needs a visa: an e-visa costs $8 or $39.November 10, 2026 · 9 min read · Mikayel Melkumyan
Zvartnots Cathedral: Zvartnots Cathedral
Travel guideUNESCO sites in Armenia: three monuments and the tentative listArmenia has three UNESCO sites: Haghpat and Sanahin, Geghard, Echmiadzin with Zvartnots. Garni, Noravank and Tatev are only on the tentative list.November 8, 2026 · 12 min read · Mikayel Melkumyan

Day trips

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Old stone house on Sharambeyan Street in Old Dilijan with carved wooden balconies, an outdoor wooden staircase and a paved lane running along the facade
Day tripsFrom Yerevan to Dilijan by car: the road, Sevan, the priceDilijan is the nearest forest and mountains to Yerevan: 100 km, an hour and a half on the road, and Lake Sevan along the way.November 6, 2026 · 5 min read · Mikayel Melkumyan

Tourist questions

All tourist questions
Where can you go from Yerevan on a winter day trip by car?Garni and Geghard half-day trip from Yerevan: how long does it take and how to get there without a tour?Is a private driver worth it in Armenia compared with a group tour or renting a car?Lake Sevan and Dilijan in one day from Yerevan: how to plan the day and which route to choose?