Practical information
Yerevan is easy on foot, by app taxi and by metro. Beyond the capital, marshrutkas and a few trains cover the main towns, while a car or a driver makes monasteries and mountain roads far simpler.
Armenia is small, and most of the sights visitors come for lie within two hours of Yerevan. That makes transport choices less about distance than about convenience. Inside the capital, app taxis and the metro are cheap and straightforward. Outside it, the question is whether you are happy to work around marshrutka timetables or would rather pay for a car, with or without a driver. This guide sets out each option with fares checked in November 2026, so you can choose by trip rather than by habit.
Take an app taxi if you want the simplest door-to-door ride, or the N201 bus if you are travelling light and on a budget. Zvartnots International Airport (EVN) is about 12 km west of central Yerevan, and the ride usually takes 20–30 minutes outside rush hour.
App taxi (GG or Yandex Go). Order from the arrivals area once you have mobile data or airport Wi-Fi. Fares to the centre typically fall around 3,000–5,000 AMD (roughly USD 8–14) as of late 2026, depending on traffic, demand and your exact address. The app shows the price before you confirm, which removes the need to negotiate.
Airport taxi stand. There is an Aerotaxi stand in the terminal for travellers who would rather not use an app. Ask for the price before you get in. Ignore drivers who approach you inside the arrivals hall. In October 2026, when Yandex Go had widely reported outages, some unofficial drivers were quoting 7,500–10,000 AMD for the same trip.
N201 bus (Elitebus). According to the airport’s own transport page (checked November 2026), the N201 costs 300 AMD per ride, paid in cash in dram, and runs every 30 minutes from about 07:00 to 22:00. Carry small notes or coins. The airport also lists a separate N100 service at 500 AMD. Bus fares are revised from time to time, so check the airport page before you fly.
Pre-booked transfer. Many flights to Yerevan arrive in the small hours. A driver waiting with a name sign is worth arranging if you arrive at that hour, travel with children who need car seats, or carry a lot of luggage.
GG and Yandex Go are the two apps visitors and residents rely on. Uber and Bolt are not the usual options here. Both apps let you set the pick-up point on a map, see the fare upfront and pay in cash or by card, where your card is accepted.
Typical app fares inside central Yerevan are low by European standards. Short rides commonly cost about 700–1,200 AMD, and cross-city trips about 1,200–2,000 AMD (late 2026 market ranges). In September 2026, ARKA reported that Yandex Go had capped surge pricing in Armenia at three times the base fare and launched a lower-cost tier. A month later, users reported failures in ordering and pricing. Install both apps so you can switch if one misbehaves.
Practical points:
The Yerevan metro is a single line with 10 stations and about 13.4 km of track. It runs from the northwest (Barekamutyun) through the centre (Marshal Baghramyan, Yeritasardakan, Republic Square, Zoravar Andranik) to the south (Sasunci David, by the main railway station, and on toward Garegin Nzhdeh Square and beyond). It is clean, cheap and useful for longer hops along that axis. Much of the compact centre, though, is quicker on foot.
Fares and payment (checked November 2026). A single ride costs 150 AMD. Since the 2025 fare reform, the metro, buses and trolleybuses no longer take cash. You pay by tapping a contactless bank card at the validator, or by using a QR ticket or a transport card. Visitors with Visa or Mastercard contactless cards generally find tapping the easiest option. Russian-issued cards are a different matter, so see the Russian version of this guide for local payment workarounds. Unlimited passes exist for longer stays.
City buses and minibuses. Yerevan’s renewed bus network uses the same 150 AMD cashless fare. Route numbers and stops show up well in Yandex Maps and Google Maps. Most visitors use buses for specific trips, such as from the centre to a hotel in the outer districts, rather than for sightseeing.
Marshrutkas (shared minibuses) and small buses link Yerevan with almost every town in Armenia. They are the cheapest way to travel independently, but they need some planning.
Which station? Most intercity departures use one of two places:
Departure points do move, and guides disagree on which stand serves which town. The independent Transport for Armenia site (t-armenia.com) is the most useful timetable source. Check it, or ask your hotel to call, the day before you travel.
Fares (approximate, late 2026). Pay the driver in cash. Reported fares are roughly 800–1,500 AMD to Sevan, 1,500–2,000 AMD to Dilijan and 1,500–2,000 AMD to Gyumri. Long southern routes, such as to Goris, cost more and take most of a day.
What to expect. Many marshrutkas leave when full rather than on the minute, especially from smaller stands. Luggage space is limited, legroom is tight, and the last return from popular destinations can be mid-afternoon. Marshrutkas work well for reaching a town, such as Dilijan or Sevan city. They work less well for linking several monasteries in one day, because the sites are often several kilometres from the nearest stop.
Trains are worth using for one trip, Yerevan to Gyumri, and in summer they offer a scenic ride to Lake Sevan. The network is operated by South Caucasus Railway (SCR).
SCR’s timetable (checked November 2026) shows several daily regional trains between Yerevan and Gyumri. They take a little over three hours. There is also an express (train 100/101) that takes about 2 hours 10 minutes, leaving Yerevan at 09:15 with an evening return from Gyumri. Tickets are inexpensive, a few thousand dram at most, and sold at Yerevan station or online at pass.railway.am. Under SCR’s rules, a child under 7 travels free without a separate seat when accompanied by an adult.
Gyumri’s station is close to the historic Kumayri quarter, which makes the train a practical option for a day in Gyumri. By car the trip is about 1.75–2 hours.
SCR runs a seasonal Yerevan–Sevan–Shorzha service on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from roughly mid-June to mid-September. It is slow but scenic along the lake’s western shore. The 2026 season ended on 13 September, and the next season’s dates are normally announced in June. Outside summer, use the road: Sevan is about an hour from Yerevan.
In summer, SCR runs a Yerevan–Batumi train via Tbilisi, and outside that season a Yerevan–Tbilisi night train. Dates change every year, so check railway.am well ahead if you plan to arrive or leave by rail.
There is one regular route. NovAir flies between Yerevan and Kapan in Syunik on weekdays using a single L-410 aircraft. The route resumed on 31 March 2026 after a maintenance pause, at a reported fare of 20,000 AMD one way. It can save a long drive to the far south, but with one small plane, schedules are fragile. For Tatev, most visitors still go by road to Goris, about 4 hours from Yerevan, and on to Halidzor for the cable car.
Renting makes sense if you are a confident driver, are travelling between April and October, and want to stop wherever you like. It makes less sense for a first visit in winter or if you would rather look at the scenery than at the road.
Cost. Aggregator listings in late 2026 show economy cars from roughly USD 20–40 per day, before extra insurance and deposits. November is typically the cheapest month and August the most expensive. 4x4s cost noticeably more and are only needed for specific mountain tracks.
Documents. Bring your national licence and an International Driving Permit. The UK government states that British drivers need both a 1968 IDP and their UK licence. Rental companies usually also want a credit card for the deposit.
Road quality. Main routes, such as Yerevan to Sevan and Dilijan, Yerevan to Gyumri, and the southern highway through the Ararat valley, are generally decent. Rural and mountain roads vary from good to badly potholed. The UK Foreign Office warns that driving standards are poor, that roads are in a worse state from November to February, and that driving outside towns after dark is best avoided because lighting is limited.
Mountain roads and winter. The road south to Goris and Tatev crosses high passes. The Vardenyats pass on the route toward Jermuk and Syunik sits at about 2,400 m and is regularly closed or restricted to some vehicles after snow and fog. In winter, use winter tyres, carry chains if the rental company provides them, and check the Rescue Service’s daily road-status notices (rescue.mia.gov.am) before setting out.
Police and rules. Seat belts are compulsory, you should not drink and drive at all, and traffic police checks are common on main roads. Children under seven must ride in a suitable child restraint, so arrange car seats with the rental company in writing.
Areas to avoid. The UK Foreign Office advises against all travel on the M16/H26 road between Ijevan and Noyemberyan, and within 5 km of the eastern border with Azerbaijan. Check current advice before planning a route in Tavush or along the eastern border.
For most visitors who don’t want to self-drive, yes. A driver costs more than marshrutkas but removes the problems they create: no waiting for the van to fill, no hunting for the last bus back, and the freedom to combine sites that are badly linked by public transport. Garni, Geghard and the Symphony of Stones in one morning is a typical example, or Khor Virap, Areni and Noravank in one day.
Market prices vary with the vehicle, the distance and whether the driver also guides. Booking-platform listings in late 2026 put a full-day car with driver at roughly USD 100–200 per vehicle. That is a market range, not Armenia Guided Tours’ price. Agree in writing what is included: hours, kilometres, waiting time, fuel and child seats.
A guided tour makes sense when context matters as much as transport. At Geghard, Tatev or Echmiadzin, a guide explains what you are looking at and handles the logistics. On a multi-day route, they also sequence the overnights so you are not driving for hours on the day you most want to explore. Armenia Guided Tours arranges private tours on request. Every itinerary is quoted individually, and nothing is included unless it is confirmed in your written quote.
For a first visit, the classic day trip to Lake Sevan and Dilijan shows how much easier a car makes things. Sevan is about an hour from Yerevan and Dilijan another 30–40 minutes, but the monasteries of Sevanavank and Haghartsin are awkward to link by marshrutka.
All costs are approximate market ranges as of November 2026 and will change.
| Option | Best for | Approx cost | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N201 airport bus | Solo travellers with light bags | 300 AMD cash | Very cheap, every 30 min by day | No night service, cash only, crowded with luggage |
| App taxi (GG, Yandex Go) | Airport runs, city rides, short hops | 700–2,000 AMD in the city; 3,000–5,000 AMD from the airport | Upfront fares, door to door | Older cars, no child seats, occasional app outages |
| Yerevan metro | Long hops along the north–south axis | 150 AMD (contactless) | Fast, cheap, avoids traffic | One line only, cashless only |
| Marshrutka | Budget trips to Sevan, Dilijan, Gyumri | About 800–2,000 AMD per route | Cheapest intercity option | Leave when full, tight space, few late returns |
| Train | Gyumri; summer weekends to Sevan | A few thousand AMD at most | Comfortable, central Gyumri station | Few routes, Sevan train summer-only |
| Domestic flight | Kapan in the far south | About 20,000 AMD one way | Saves a very long drive | One route, weekdays only, small plane |
| Rental car | Confident drivers, April–October | About USD 20–40 per day plus fuel | Total freedom | Erratic local driving, winter passes, parking in Yerevan |
| Private driver | Multi-site day trips, families | About USD 100–200 per vehicle per day | Flexible, no driving stress | More expensive than public transport |
| Guided private tour | Context plus logistics | Priced on request (quote) | Guide, driver and pacing handled | Less spontaneous than self-drive |
Plan with these times in normal conditions, then add margin in winter or at weekends:
Tatev is too far for a comfortable day trip from Yerevan, so most travellers overnight in Goris or near Tatev. The 7-day itinerary shows how to fit it in, and the budget guide puts the transport costs above into daily budgets.
The simplest option is an app taxi (GG or Yandex Go), which usually costs about 3,000–5,000 AMD to the centre as of November 2026. The cheapest is the N201 airport bus at 300 AMD, paid in cash, every 30 minutes between about 07:00 and 22:00 according to Zvartnots airport. For late-night arrivals, families or heavy luggage, a pre-booked transfer avoids haggling.
The apps visitors actually use in Yerevan are GG and Yandex Go. Both show the fare before you confirm. Yandex Go had reported outages in October 2026, so it is worth installing GG as well and keeping a little cash for a backup.
Yes. Since the 2025 fare reform, Yerevan's metro, buses and trolleybuses are cashless. You tap a contactless bank card or use a QR or transport-card option at the validator. A single ride costs 150 AMD (checked November 2026).
Only in summer. South Caucasus Railway runs a seasonal Yerevan–Sevan–Shorzha train on weekends from roughly mid-June to mid-September; the 2026 season ended on 13 September. Outside that window, use a marshrutka, a taxi or a driver. The drive takes about an hour.
Carry one. The UK government says British drivers need a 1968 International Driving Permit together with their UK licence, and rental desks and police commonly expect an IDP alongside any non-Armenian licence. Get it in your home country before you travel.
Just one regular route: NovAir flies Yerevan–Kapan on weekdays with a small L-410 aircraft. It resumed on 31 March 2026 at a reported fare of 20,000 AMD. With only one aircraft, schedules can change, so confirm before you plan around it.
Practical details change. We checked these sources when we last updated this guide; please confirm time-sensitive information before you travel.
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