Getting Around Yerevan
Yerevan is Armenia's capital and largest city, and its centre is compact enough that visitors can mix walking with a small, inexpensive public transport network. Buses and minibuses do most of the work, a single metro line links a few key points, and taxis and ride-hailing apps fill in the gaps. This guide covers the practical options for moving around the city and for reaching it from the airport.
On Foot
The centre of Yerevan is compact and easy to get around on foot, which makes walking a realistic choice for many short trips between central sights, cafés and squares. A few cautions apply: watch your step, as construction sites and potholes are common, and be aware of aggressive drivers. Cross the street only at designated spots, and don't assume drivers will yield the right of way to pedestrians.
Metro and Rail
Yerevan's metro is a useful but limited way to cross the city. The Yerevan Train Station, known locally as "Kayaran", sits on Tigran Mets Avenue and is reached via the Metro station Sasuntsi David. The station building itself is a neoclassical structure worth a look, and it houses the Museum of Railway Transport of Armenia. Because so few trains run, the station is often quiet.
Yerevan is the hub of Armenia's small domestic rail system, with services to destinations such as Armavir, Ararat and Gyumri, plus an international overnight sleeper train between Tbilisi and Yerevan. These trains also serve intermediate stations such as Echmiadzin and Vanadzor, but rail is seldom a good way of getting to those places. Passenger trains to Sevan operate in the summer, while Dilijan has no train service at this time. Timetables at stations are only in Armenian script, so check the online timetable instead.
Buses and Minibuses
The main means of public transport in Yerevan is the bus. The city operates both 8- and 12-metre buses as well as minibuses, better known as marshrutkas. Bus frequency varies depending on the day, the time of day and many other circumstances, so don't count on a fixed schedule. Special screens listing upcoming buses are installed at some bus stops, and you can also track bus movements using Yandex Maps.
Urban transport runs on a unified ticket system with a single fare, and there are also packages lasting several hours, days, weeks and months, which must be purchased in advance. You can pay for transport with a bank card or a transport card. Transport cards can be bought at Telcell offices, tourist offices, metro stations and elsewhere, and once you have one it can be topped up with new tickets at Telcell terminals, which are widely located around the city.
Taxis and Ride-Hailing
Taxis are widely available and are a convenient option, particularly for trips that don't line up with bus or metro routes. Ride-hailing apps such as GG and Yandex.Taxi offer competitive and honest prices, which makes them a straightforward choice for visitors who want to avoid negotiating a fare. If you do take a street taxi, agree on the price in advance.
Getting from the Airport into the City
Zvartnots International Airport (EVN) is the main gateway to Armenia, with direct flights from major airports in Europe, the former CIS and the Middle East. There are no domestic flights, as the country is too small. The airport is small with relatively few flights, so navigating it is simple. Free Wi-Fi is available in the departure terminal, and a single lounge for departing passengers is open around the clock. On arrival there is a bank currency exchange before passport control and another in Arrivals; both offer good value, with only a small spread between buy and sell rates for major currencies, comparable to downtown exchanges. The airport bank exchanges all appear to have good rates for major currencies without additional fees, but the non-bank airport exchanges have poor rates. Several decent cafés, ATMs, bank and post branches are available on the first and second floors, and there is a tourist information desk and a touch-screen information stand in Arrivals.
To reach the city, a shuttle bus runs regularly between Zvartnots Airport and Yerevan centre. These buses go every half-hour from 07:00 to 22:00, and every hour from 22:30 to 07:00. The airport's bus stop is located in front of the terminal entrance. A single ticket costs 300 dram for bus 201 (an "Elite" bus, marshrutka-like) or 500 dram for bus 100. The bus makes few stops on the way where passengers can board or disembark, for example France Square, Pak Shuka and Yeritasardakan. On the way back to the airport, the stop at Yeritasardakan is opposite the SAS supermarket, or you can catch it at Republic Square on Abovyan Street. Under ideal traffic circumstances, the ride on "Elite" bus 201 takes 25 minutes from Yeritasardakan to Zvartnots.
Taxis are also an option. The official provider is "Airport Services", which has a booking desk in Arrivals. There are also people who will ask if you need a taxi as you exit the terminal; they will often offer a better price (about half price) than the official taxi, since they have already dropped off a passenger and are looking for any possible fare back, though you will have to walk a bit further to get to their cab. If they try to charge you anything more than the agreed price at the end, claiming a misunderstanding or anything else, absolutely refuse and threaten to call the police — they will accept the agreed price. Ride-hailing apps such as GG and Yandex.Taxi also offer competitive and honest prices.
Other Transport Hubs
For longer trips out of the city, Yerevan has several bus stations. The Central Bus Station (Kilikia) is west of the city centre and serves marshrutkas north to Echmiadzin, Gyumri, Vanadzor and Tbilisi, and southeast to Sisian, Goris, Kapan and Meghri near the border crossing for Iran; local services also run to the airport, Zvartnots town and Echmiadzin. The Northern Bus Station serves northern towns such as Sevan and Dilijan, and the Gai Bus Station handles buses to Garni, Goght and Geghard. The Southern Bus Station, right behind the train station, serves destinations to the south such as Khor Virap, Artashat, Ararat and Vedi.