Discovering Armenia - Our 4 Day Armenian Road Trip
Lesser known countries with complicated pasts intrigue our inquisitive nature, one such country was Armenia. Often is the case that these off the tourist track locations can be difficult to get around in a short space of time, the perfect solution is to hire a car to discover Armenia. Join us as we take a road trip through this often overlooked destination and share with you our trip highlights and key information so you to can discover Armenia for yourself.
Armenia Essentials
We started our Armenia Road Trip at the Georgian-Armenia border in the north of Armenia. After a week of driving around Georgia we took our Georgian hire car over the border in to Armenia. If you are looking for more information on our Georgian road trip and what you must do to ensure you can take a Georgian hire car over the border check out our blog here.
Important: If hiring a car from Georgia you must ensure that the hire company permits cross border travel and provides you with the correct documentation otherwise you might be refused entry upon arrival.
Despite many warnings against driving in Armenia, we found it overall a relaxing experience. If you are a confident and observant driver you should have no problems driving here.
Don’t worry about having an in car GPS as a Pre paid sim card can be purchased immediately after you cross the border. Don’t be alarmed if you are asked to hand your phone over as the sim card will need to be activated and unless you speak the local language and want this hassle just let the guy do his job. There are various data packages available ranging from $5 up to $20 for unlimited data and calls which is the option we went for although in reality we probably could have taken the smaller packages. Either way one can’t complain at those prices for what will save a whole lot of time and stress.
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Armenian is the official language but Russian is spoken by most Armenians.
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GMT + 4
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+374 followed by area code and telephone number
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Visa-free or e-visa (90-180 days) for most passports.
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Fly into Yerevan or Gyumri; marshrutka/train/hire car from Georgia.
The Border Crossing
We arrived at the Georgian-Armenia border in the early hours of the morning, prepared to face many questions and possibly a very long wait. We were in a Georgian hire car with British passports and a Swiss drivers license .. this wasn’t going to be a simple crossing. As we approached the main border zone an armed guard signaled to us to wind the window down. He pointed to Emily to get out the car and said something in Georgian. Sean quickly said “ Tourist” and waved our passports in front of the guard, he looked confused .. shaking his head he again pointed to Emily and said “passenger inside” now he was pointing at a large and rather scary looking governmental building. Emily quickly gathered her things, grabbing her passport and bag. We had been briefly separated at many borders on the motorbike but never in the car and never out of view of each other. Sean grasped her hand just as she went to open the car door “It will be okay ..” He said.
The guard followed her into the Georgian border control office where she was asked a few routine questions and stamped out of Georgia quite promptly. ‘That was easy’ Emily thought as she walked along the corridor towards the exit sign. She stood outside watching from afar as Sean and our hire car were going through a more stringent check.
Next was the entry into Armenia, as Emily stood in “no man’s land” and walked into the Armenian border control office. She was quickly met with two male border agents who abruptly started questioning her intentions, relationship and view points. All the while Sean was getting the same line of questioning outside. The whole ordeal lasted around 30 minutes before we were finally reunited and stamped into Armenia!
Border procedure - Unfortunately human trafficking remains a tragic reality and although it’s good that the border security are trying their upmost to question female travelers to ensure their safety you should expect to be questioned and perhaps provide proof of your relationship with your partner or travel companions. Also we were asked the approximate value of the car for the paperwork formalities - accuracy in the valuation is not so important unless you are actually importing a vehicle permanently. As tourists are not so common here you can be sometimes met with a small level of suspicion for the reason of your travel, knowing the names of a few destinations of interest will certainly help to reassure the guards of your intentions.
Be Warned - There are active conflict zones in Armenia that must be respected. Be careful where you drive.
Our Recommendations - If you are planning to do a road trip of Georgia and Armenia be careful what car hire company you chose. Only a few selected companies will allow you to take the car across the border and you will need to take out a special waver insurance and have the right car documents to do it.
Our Tips - When you cross the border go straight to the nearest insurance office and pick up a sim card.
The Long Road To Dilijan
We were in! A wave of excitement washed over us as we pulled away from the insurance office just outside the border where we had picked up a sim card and car insurance for the tour. Emily entered the first destination into google maps -Haghpat Monastery.
Maybe it was the cloudy day and mist we had on the road to Haghpat Monastery but it sure had an eerie and abandoned feeling. Road conditions were great as they are currently in the process of laying new tarmac so we made quick progress through the mountainous region. The Monasteries themselves were the most authentic capsules of time we have ever visited. The brickwork bore the stains of time and the cold, unlit damp interiors took you back to a time of candle light and simplicity. We marveled at the frescos and talked with the caretaker of the buildings, who proudly cared and maintained this UNESCO world heritage site.
We were both quiet as we drove the road towards Dilijan and astounded by our surroundings. What was once was a booming industrial manufacturing community, now lay desolate Soviet factories scarring the valley’s landscape. I will let the following pictures do the talking and I don’t think I will ever be able to put into words how we felt …
Dilijan National Park
When I started researching our Armenian Road Trip, Dilijan was one of the first places to pop up. Known as “Little Switzerland” we knew we had to include this in our tour. As you approach the Dilijan National Park your surroundings start to change from the harsher sharped rocks of the north into more green and lush rolling hills. Dilijan is known for being a spa town and is one of the most important towns in Armenia.
Dilijan is famous for its mineral water, hand-made rugs and carpets, woodworking and the Dilijan Reserve. In the summer the Dilijan is a hikers paradise with many valleys and mountains around.
We arrived in Dilijan with both an empty tank in the car and also our stomachs! The first stop was a restaurant that Em found before we arrived called ‘Tava Restaurant’. What a gem of a restaurant this was!! With a menu so inviting we ordered a good selection of local dishes and everything was truly delicious -despite being slightly too Spicy for Em’s liking. At the time payment here was cash only, but fortunately there is an ATM just around the corner, as I walked down the crumbling steps there were various symbols chiseled into the stone that remind you of a bygone era that once ruled over this now free state.
A Night In Yerevan
No visit to Armenia is complete without visiting their capital - Yerevan.
We planned to celebrate our wedding anniversary here so instead of the standard hotel, we opted for a more memorable stay. We stayed at the wonderful Grand Hotel Yerevan, this colorful neoclassical styled Hotel was completed in 1928 and is the oldest working Hotel in Yerevan. Maintained to a high standard whilst keeping the traditional feel of the hotel all added to the feel of staying in this historically important piece of Yerevan. The entrance is guarded and the steps inside are lined with red carpet all adding to the feeling of grandeur. Our suite on the 3rd floor was pure elegance as we got ready for a romantic evening walk in the streets of Yerevan.
There’s lots of areas of the city to explore and we truly enjoyed our visit to the Capital, our only regret was that we didn’t have more time with this wonderful host City.
For a more detailed Blog of Yerevan click the link to our City Guide.
Back In Time To Garni
The Temple of Garni is perhaps one of the most iconic structures to be found in Armenia. Dating back to the 1st century this temple is said to have survived the destruction of pagan temples as it was converted in to a royal summer house and then into a Tomb. What it did not survive was the earthquake in 1679 which led to its near complete collapse, fortunately in the quest to preserve history it was reconstructed between 1969 and 1975 using the anastylosis method where the original pieces are used along side modern replacements where necessary, in order to complete the rebuild and enable people to visit safely for years to come.
It’s one of the main tourist sights in Armenia so don’t expect to have it to yourself unless you are the first or last to arrive. Be sure to bring some cash or coins as there is a small fee to pay at the carpark. Entrance to the temple is approximately 3 Euros with additional fees for photography and Drone footage which due to the disturbance we decided to keep the drone in the car for this one.
The main road was being completely dug up at the time of our visit which led us to wonder if we were on the right road, so hopefully now the works are complete and you get a smooth drive up to the area.
Tip: Tour groups although informative can often take up too much time and be restrictive, we traveled with the lonely planet book and find it gives us the ideal amount of historic facts and information for every place we visited.
Exploring The Ararat Region
There’s an iconic image of mount Ararat with Khor Virab in the foreground that you long to see with your own eyes. Khor Virab is located in the south of Armenia where the borders of Turkey, Iran and annexed part of Azerbaijan meet so be sure not to take the wrong turn! The Volcanic Mt Ararat lies in Turkey and on a clear day shows itself in all it’s glory, for us though it was not meant to be this time as the mountain shied away behind a haze of mist. Despite not seeing what we journeyed here for we did not regret being able to pass through this region and the drive through the desert like sections of road made for an unforgettable experience.
We planned to stay somewhere on Lake Sevan so headed towards the Vardenyats mountain pass, passing by the Noravank Monastery which we observed from a distance as we were starting to lose daylight.
Mountains of Armenia
Next we set out to the Vardenis mountains range. One doesn’t think of Armenia as being a destination for memorable drives however we thoroughly enjoyed the unique contrasts in landscapes and epic roads that carved their way through. As mentioned before Armenia is in the process of upgrading most of its road infrastructure and makes for some memorable drives, that said don’t relax too much as road conditions can go from perfect to the surface of moon in a matter of corners.
For one of our favorite mountain pass drives click the link to our Epic Road Blog.
Lake Sevan
I searched for a nearby hotel online as Sean drove down from the mountains and towards Lake Sevan, hoping we would find something along the route. However most of the villages we passed had nothing but a small shop and fuel station so we journeyed on late into the night. I found online that the nearest hotel was on Lake Sevan over 60KM from our current location. I quickly booked a room via Booking.com and we headed to the hotel.
Driving at night in Armenia was an interesting experience, most of the roads are completely unlit and road surfaces are as unpredictable as Armenia drivers. You’ve been warned!
Around 10PM we pulled up at the Noy Land Resort, tired and very hungry. We paid 60 Euro for a lake front cabin with a kitchen with breakfast included (seems expensive but it could have slept 6 people). The cabin itself had seen better days, it had the vibe of a thriller from the seventies with creaky floor boards included in the price. We quickly realized that the hotel was mostly used for the summer holidays, basically it was the Armenian equivalent of Centre Parks in the UK. So in mid April the hotel was empty and the cabins freezing! With no heating, no hot water and no stove top and no other options, we spent the evening eating cereal out of coffee mugs and laughing about the situations we get ourselves in.
The next morning we woke up to a panoramic view of Lake Sevan. The sky was blue and the water crystal clear, looking off the to the horizon you could see the mountains in the distance. Lake Sevan covers an area of 525 sq mi (1,360 sq km) and is 6,250 ft (1,905 m) above sea level. The lake is full of trout and hosts many beaches. You can not miss Lake Sevan on your Armenia Road Trip is a must see! We didn’t have the time but you can also take a boat tour on the lake, this is something we plan to do when we return to Armenia.
We were just a few KMs away from the Lake Town of Sevan so we headed there after breakfast. We loaded the car and planned a route along the coast line of the lake. The road was great and with lake views along the way, even though Armenia is a landlocked country when you drive this road you feel like you are looking out onto the sea.
The town of Sevan is not a tourist destination, as you would guess when people come to Lake Sevan they flock to the lakeside beaches and the town itself needs some love. Sevan has a population of around 20,000 so this makes it a good place to stock up on groceries. There is a pharmacy there too. It you are looking for an authentic Armenian town Sevan will give you a small taste into real life outside of the capital Yerevan.
If you want to drive a little further you can find Sevan’s Writers House that was Built in 1969 by two young architects, Gevorg Kochar and Mikael Mazmanyan. This unique Soviet architecture is well known and worth the detour to grab a couple of photos!
Driving Back Through Lori and Tavush
So how do I sum up our Armenian Road Trip? Well, we spent four days exploring this ancient and diverse land, we drove over 700KM and spent time seeing the sights in the country’s capital Yerevan. Parts of Armenia still feels untouched, its raw and unfiltered landscapes are a photographers heaven. Relics of the past remind you of Armenia’s history, but the new infrastructure reminds you of the bright future this county could have. Armenia is developing and that is prominent in the bigger cities however off the main roads and into the villages you see the realty of daily life for many Armenians. Travelling around Armenia was an enriching travel experience for us both, despite a history of oppression and tragedy the Armenian people were welcoming and friendly to us wherever we went.
As we drove back north to the border of Georgia we felt privileged to have spent time in Armenia and to have been able to see the country for what it really is.
We hope you enjoyed this blog and we will see you on the road!
Love
