Armenia is not a country that often rings a bell with tourists, which is actually surprising given that it is such an interesting country with an incredibly old, rich and eventful history, fascinating culture and beautiful nature.
Armenia has also been the subject of many mythical stories, like the stranding of the ark of Noach on Mt Ararat, the holy mountain of Armenia, or the conversion to Christianity.
General Advice For Travelling In Armenia
If you’re thinking about travelling to Armenia, here are the general things you need to know before you go.
Language
Outside of the capital you can easily assume that nobody speaks English. The language that is spoken is Armenian with its own alphabet.
You can get by fairly well with Russian though as it is the most common foreign language in the country and many Armenians understand it. Road signs are usually in English and in Armenian.
Try to learn a few words like hello (barev) and thank you (mersi), which is much appreciated by the locals. Most accommodation and tour providers speak just enough English to be able to sort things out (if not, try some self-invented sign language which usually works. Or not).
Armenians are very friendly and will try their hardest to help you out, even when they don’t speak a word of English. It’s not uncommon to attract a group of about 10 Armenians when asking for directions, everyone weighing in with one or two words in English and their take on the directions you should have.
Food
Armenia has an interesting, varied and delicious cuisine, with some dishes being well known even beyond Armenia like Shashlick and Dolma.
A lot of the dishes are meat based and they throw everything on grills and barbecue, including vegetables. Soon you’ll notice that the delicious barbecue smell is present basically everywhere you go.
You will eat a lot of Lavish, thin flatbread that is made in a traditional ‘tonir’ oven and is complimentary with almost every dish but doesn’t bore easily.
Common ingredients in Armenian dishes are lamb, eggplant, yoghurt, cottage cheese, grape leaves and many fragrant spices.
There are too many dishes to list and specify if they are delicious or not. I recommended to just try out a lot of different dishes and ask the person who is selling the food what they like.
Armenians appreciate tourists taking an interest in their culture, including food, and asking questions about it usually gets you an excited Armenian and something tasty to eat.
In that way you get to try some new things and there aren’t any exceptionally weird dishes anyway so it is rather safe to do.
Drinks
Most of the local beer is nothing special, except in Yerevan where there is a very new craft brewery called Dargett. They make absolutely delicious craft beer and the place is packed with young locals on the weekend.
But in terms of drinks the real specialty lies in wine and cognac. Armenian cognac is world famous, thus the Yerevan Brandy Company is proudly presented as a major attraction of the city with tasting tours and a museum (Ararat Museum).
Armenia and Georgia are one of the oldest wine producing countries in the world, with grape cultivation going back to ancient times. Well recognized within the wine world and producing some of the best quality wines there are, make sure to try out a few.
There are a lot of vineyards and factories throughout the country, the most famous one that is open to visitors is the Areni factory. I wouldn’t say it is really worth a visit unless you are passing by anyways, you can take a tour and taste some wines here.
Tap water is generally safe to drink, but as you’re in a different country there can always be different bacteria’s than that you are used to that upset your stomach.
In mountain areas (like Tatev) there are often many tap fountains in streets etc. providing delicious water from the mountains.
Money
The currency is the Armenian Dram. It is very well possible to have a low budget holiday, whilst it is also tempting to splurge on food and stuff because it is all quite cheap.
For accommodation we paid on average 15 dollars per person a day which gets you rather nice accommodation. Food is inexpensive as well, in restaurants we paid around 6-8 dollar for a meal plus drinks.
Safety
Travelling in Armenia is completely safe. Never once did we feel unsafe somewhere. The only area prone to unrest is the Nagorno Karabakh border due to the before mentioned conflict.
The border between Azerbaijan and Armenia is closed and it is best to avoid the border area all together. Other than that the border with Turkey is closed (due to conflicts between the two countries) so you can’t cross it anyway.
Use your common sense and general precautions for petty crime etc. like you would anywhere.
The Best Places To Visit In Armenia
Now that you know the basics of the country, it’s time to check out the best places to visit in Armenia.
Yerevan
The capital is a great place to start you trip and spend a day or 2. Contradictory to what you might expect from a Soviet era city, it is quite metropolitan.
It has a lively nightlife scene with clubs, hip restaurants and European style bars. Mixed with the many remains of older days, like the typical pink colored soviet buildings and monuments or the 17th century neighborhood Kond,
Yerevan has its very own appearance. You won’t find any grand landmarks here, rather it is just a nice place to absorb the atmosphere and familiarize yourself a bit with the country you are in.