Expatriates Forums in Armenia

Travelling to Armenia: some questions

Writer-Ukraine — Fri Sep 11, 2009 2:25 pm

Author: Writer-Ukraine

Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2009 2:25 pm

Hi,

I’m a 24 year-old British translator and editor, currently working in Kyiv, Ukraine. I’ve been planning a journey through the Caucasus and Central Asia for a couple of years – I’m writing a collection of travel stories - and it looks as if next spring I’ll finally have the time and money to make it happen.

I have a degree in Russian, and studied in Russia before moving to Ukraine, but I have always been captivated by the culture in the satellite states. I have read a fair amount about Armenia, but haven’t found much information that is helpful for planning a journey.

So, my questions are:

- How easy/safe is it to move across the country, and across borders? How expensive/reliable are trains and marshrutki?

- What are the visa requirements for short-term, tourist stays?

- How widely is Russian spoken in towns and cities? Do people react to foreigners positively or negatively?

- How many expats are there, generally?

- What are Armenia’s landmarks? – (not necessarily the biggest tourist attractions, but the places that best represent the country and its people).

- What is a realistic daily budget (two meals, transport and accommodation)?

Apologies if I’ve asked any questions that appear a hundred times on the forum. I’d be very grateful for any advice, ideas and information.

Thanks,

Jon

HOTELS DIRECTORY IN ARMENIA / ARMENIA HOTEL GUIDE

Armenia Info — Mon May 07, 2007 4:50 am

Author: Armenia Info

Posted: Mon May 07, 2007 4:50 am

HOTELS DIRECTORY IN ARMENIA

Ani Plaza Hotel
19 Sayat Nova Avenue,
Yerevan
Phone: (+374 10) 589-500
Fax: (+374 10) 565-343
E-mail: info@anihotel.com
Website: www.anihotel.com

Ararat Hotel
7 Grigor Lusavorich Street,
Yerevan
Phone: (+374 10) 510-000
Fax: (+374 10) 510-001
E-mail: info@ararathotel.am , sales@ararathotel.am
Website: www.ararathotel.am

Armenia Marriott Hotel
Republic Square,
Yerevan
Phone: (+374 10) 599-000/ 2
Fax: (+374 10) 599-001
E-mail: armenia.marriott@hotelmail.r.am
Website: www.marriott.com/EVNMC

Aviatrans Hotel
4 Abovyan Street,
Yerevan
Phone: (+374 10) 567-228/ 226/ 230/ 584-174/ 139/ 150
Fax: (+374 10) 584442
E-mail: hotel@aviatrans.am
Website: www.aviatrans.am

Congress Hotel
1 Italia Street,
Yerevan
Phone: (+374 10) 580-095
Fax: (+374 10) 522-224
E-mail: congress@arminco.com
Website: www.congresshotelyerevan.com

Golden Palace Hotel
2/2 Azatutyan Avenue,
Yerevan
Phone: (+374 10) 219-999
Fax: (+374 10) 219-921
E-mail: info@goldenpalacehotel.am
Website: www.goldenpalacehotel.am

Golden Tulip Yerevan Hotel
14 Abovyan Street,
Yerevan
Phone: (+374 10) 589-400
Fax: (+374 10) 528-291
E-mail: info@goldentuliphotelyerevan.com
Website: www.goldentuliphotelyerevan.com

Metropol Hotel
2/2 Mashtots Avenue,
Yerevan
Phone: (+374 10) 510-731/ 700
Fax: (+374 10) 510-768/ 702
E-mail: metropol@metropol.am
Website: www.metropol.am

Tufenkian Avan Villa Yerevan Hotel
13 Nork Marash Street,
Building 16,
Yerevan
Phone: (+374 10) 547-888/ 542-707
Fax: (+374 10) 547-877
E-mail: hotels@tufenkian.am , info@tufenkian.am
Website: www.tufenkianheritage.com

Valensia Hotel & Resort
40 Miasnikyan Street,
Yerevan
Phone: (+374 10) 524-000/ 543-573
Fax: (+374 10) 543-571
E-mail: valensiahotel@valensiahotel.com
Website: www.valensiahotel.com

DIPLOMATIC MISSIONS IN ARMENIA / EMBASSIES IN ARMENIA

Armenia Info — Sat May 05, 2007 11:36 am

Author: Armenia Info

Posted: Sat May 05, 2007 11:36 am

DIPLOMATIC MISSIONS IN ARMENIA

BELARUS
Embassy of Belarus
12-14 Nikol Douman Street,
Yerevan
Phone: (+374 10) 220-269/ 275-611
Fax: (+374 10) 260-384
E-mail: armenia@belembassy.org
Website: www.armenia.belembassy.org

BRAZIL
Embassy of Brazil
48 Pionerakan Street,
Yerevan
Phone: (+374 10) 536-955
Fax: (+374 10) 536-955
E-mail: brasembyerevan@yahoo.com

BULGARIA
Embassy of Bulgaria
Nor Aresh,
16 Sofia Street,
Yerevan
Phone: (+374 10) 458-233
Fax: (+374 10) 454-602
E-mail: bularm@arminco.com
Website: www.bulgaria.bg/Asia/Yerevan

CANADA
Consulate of Canada
1 Amiryan Street,
Marriott Hotel, Room 306,
Yerevan
Phone: (+374 10) 567-990
Fax: (+374 10) 567-990
E-mail: concda@gmail.com

CHINA
Embassy of China
12 Marshall Baghramian Avenue,
Yerevan
Phone: (+374 10) 560-067
Fax: (+374 10) 545-761
E-mail: chiemb@arminco.com , chiemb@mbox.arminco.com

EGYPT
Embassy of Egypt
6A Sepuh Street,
Yerevan
Phone: (+374 10) 226-755/ 220-117
Fax: (+374 10) 226-425
E-mail: egyemb@arminco.com

FINLAND
Consulate of Finland
6 Tamanyan Street, Apt. 14,
Yerevan
Phone: (+374 10) 565-587
E-mail: timothy.straight@gmail.com

FRANCE
Embassy of France
8 Grigor Lousavorich Street,
Yerevan
Phone: (+374 10) 561-103/ 564-667/ 583-511/ 569-830
Fax: (+374 10) 569-835
E-mail: admin@ambafran.am
Website: www.ambafrance-am.org

GEORGIA
Embassy of Georgia
42 Aram Street,
Yerevan
Phone: (+374 10) 585-511/ 564-183/ 357
Fax: (+374 10) 564-357
E-mail: geoemb@netsys.am , yerevan.emb@mfa.gov.ge

GERMANY
Embassy of Germany
29 Charents Street,
Yerevan
Phone: (+374 10) 523-279/ 524-581/ 586-591
Fax: (+374 10) 524-781
E-mail: germemb@arminco.com , info@eriv.diplo.de
Website: www.eriwan.diplo.de

GREECE
Embassy of Greece
6 Demirchian Street,
Yerevan
Phone: (+374 10) 530-051/ 536-754
Fax: (+374 10) 530-049
E-mail: grembarm@arminco.com
Website: www.greekembassy.am

HUNGARY
Consulate of Hungary
2 Zakian Street,
Yerevan
Phone: (+374 10) 538-957
Fax: (+374 10) 538-957

INDIA
Embassy of India
50/2 Dzorap Street,
Yerevan
Phone: (+374 10) 539-173/ 4/ 5/ 6
Fax: (+374 10) 533-984/ 539-170
E-mail: info@embassyofindia.am
Website: www.indianembassy.am

INDONESIA
Consulate of Indonesia
37-G Israelyan Street,
Yerevan
Phone: (+374 10) 528-825/ 565-669
Fax: (+374 10) 565-669
E-mail: info@riconsulate.am
Website: www.riconsulate.am

ITALY
Embassy of Italy
5 Italy Street,
Yerevan
Phone: (+374 10) 542-335/ 6
Fax: (+374 10) 542-301
E-mail: segreteria.jerevan@esteri.it
Website: www.ambjerevan.esteri.it

MALTA
Embassy of Malta
1 Amiryan Street,
Yerevan
Phone: (+374 10) 236-932
Fax: (+374 10) 529-001
E-mail: ambasash@yahoo.com

NORWAY
Royal Consulate of Norway
6 Tamanyan Street,
Apt 14,
Yerevan
Phone: (+374 10) 565-587
Fax: (+374 10) 574-639
E-mail: timothy.straight@gmail.com

POLAND
Embassy of Poland
44A Hanrapetutyan Street,
Yerevan
Phone: (+374 10) 542-493/ 5
Fax: (+374 10) 542-498/ 6
E-mail: polemb@arminco.com , polcons@arminco.com

ROMANIA
Embassy of Romania
15 Barbyus Street,
Yerevan
Phone: (+374 10) 275-332/ 227-610
Fax: (+374 10) 227-547
E-mail: ambrom@netsys.am

RUSSIA
Embassy of Russia
13A G. Lousavorich Street,
Yerevan
Phone: (+374 10) 567-427/ 582-521/ 545-218/ 589-843
Fax: (+374 10) 567-197
E-mail: info@rusembassy.am
Website: www.armenia.mid.ru

SLOVAKIA
Consulate of Slovakia
19 Sayat-Nova Avenue,
Ani Plaza Hotel, 1st Floor,
Yerevan
Phone: (+374 10) 532-553
Fax: (+374 10) 532-553
E-mail: slovakconsul@netsys.am
Website: www.slovakconsulate.am

SOUTH KOREA
Consulate of South Korea
20 Baghramyan Avenue,
Apt. 4,
Yerevan
Phone: (+374 10) 581-607
Fax: (+374 10) 581-607
E-mail: korconsulate@cln.am

UKRAINE
Embassy of Ukraine
Arabkir 29,
Building 5/1,
Yerevan
Phone: (+374 10) 229-727/ 226-541
Fax: (+374 10) 271-214
E-mail: ukremb@aatv.am , emb_am@mfa.gov.ua

UK
Embassy of the United KIngdom
34 Baghramian Avenue,
Yerevan
Phone: (+374 10) 264-301
Fax: (+374 10) 264-318
E-mail: inquiries.yerevan@fco.gov.uk
Website: www.britishembassy.am

URUGUAY
Consulate of Uruguay
26 Parpetsi Street,
Apt. 19,
Yerevan
Phone: (+374 10) 534-910/ 930
Fax: (+374 10) 534-930
E-mail: uruguay@freenet.am

USA
Embassy of the United States
1 American Avenue,
Yerevan
Phone: (+374 10) 464-700/ 494-200
Fax: (+374 10) 464-742
E-mail: usinfo@arminco.com , consular@usa.am
Website: www.usa.am

GETTING AROUND IN ARMENIA / ARMENIA TRANSPORTATION GUIDE

Armenia Info — Sat May 05, 2007 10:40 am

Author: Armenia Info

Posted: Sat May 05, 2007 10:40 am

GETTING AROUND IN ARMENIA

BY AIR

Yerevan has a small domestic airport as well as an international airport, which offers some flights to other destinations in Armenia.

BY RAIL

The main railway station is the Sasuntsi Davit Station on Tigran Mets Avenue. There are daily trains to most major towns, although they are slow and generally uncomfortable for travel. The trains are often overcrowded and poorly maintained. Belongings should be secured. Trains, however, provide a lovely view of the Armenian countryside.

BY ROAD

The road network comprises 7705km (4788 miles). Road surfaces can be very poor, even in the case of major highways, and care should be taken to avoid children and animals on the road. Supplies of petrol, diesel and oil are at present limited. It is common practice to flag down private cars as well as official taxis. Local drivers have a tendency to flout traffic regulations and ignore signals. Visitors should take care when driving or crossing the road.

Bus & Coach

There are city minivans available (marshrutni or Marshrutka) which operate on 100 different routes and may be flagged down. Yerevan has a few bus stations that serve the whole country so depending on where you want to go you must find out what bus station services the area you wish to go to. Coaches run between the major centres of population.

Car rental

There are plenty of care rental companies operating, including Hertz. It is best to hire a driver if you do decide to rent a car. Driving in Armenia for the average tourist is a very dangerous undertaking. For example, drivers rarely obey the lines on the road, and in rural areas livestock and large potholes are serious hazards.

URBAN TRANSPORTATION

There is a small underground system in Yerevan (0630-2300). Buses and trolleybuses run in the city. Taxis are available in the city centre or can be ordered by telephone. Chauffeur-driven cars are available but are expensive. It is advisable to obtain them through official channels, such as hotels or travel agencies in Yerevan.

ARMENIA TOURISM GUIDE / TOURISM IN ARMENIA

Armenia Info — Fri May 04, 2007 10:57 am

Author: Armenia Info

Posted: Fri May 04, 2007 10:57 am

ARMENIA TOURISM GUIDE

YEREVAN

The present capital of Armenia, Yerevan is one of the oldest cities in the world, founded nearly 2800 years ago in the time of ancient Babylon. Sadly, little remains to remind the visitor of the city’s ancient heritage. Most of the old town was demolished in the 1930s, ostensibly to upgrade standards of public health but, according to locals, more crucially with a view to facilitating the policing of the city. Yerevan was rebuilt using the attractive pinkish-brown volcanic tufa stone seen throughout the republic, in so-called ’Armenian national style’ architecture – solid, sometimes imposing and essentially Soviet in character. Mount Ararat lies across the border in Turkey, although it is claimed as part of the territory of greater Armenia, and is where Noah’s Ark is said to have settled after the Flood. Yerevan’s National Gallery (founded 1919) includes a section tracing the development of Armenian art to the present day. The history section features models and artifacts informing visitors about life in Armenia and the pre-Armenian state of Urartu. The Yerevan library of ancient manuscripts (Materadaran) houses over 13,000 texts, many beautifully illuminated and some dating as far back as the ninth century. The contents of the library testify to Armenia’s long history of culture and education. The Vernisaj flea market, which takes place at weekends, is very popular with tourists. In the year AD 301, Armenia became the first country to adopt Christianity as the official state religion (with the exception of the now vanished kingdom of King Abgar of Edessa). Many of the most interesting sights in the republic are associated with the heritage of the Armenian apostolic church. Nearby sites of interest include the fortress of Erebuni (an archaeological site studded with over 200 ancient rock engravings [petroglyphs] and surrounded by a pristine lake) and Ughtasar (3km above sea level on a mountainous plateau in the mesmerizing region of Syunik, an ancient fortress not to be missed).

ECHMIADZIN

Some 20km (12 miles) west of Yerevan, Echmiadzin was the capital of Armenia from AD 180-340 and remains the site of the country’s most important cathedral, and home of the church’s Supreme Catholicos. The Cathedral of St Gregory the Illuminator is believed to stand on the site of a much older church, itself predated by a pagan shrine. The existing 17th-century cathedral is a fine example of Armenian ecclesiastical architecture, with its squat bell tower and elaborately carved dome. In addition to chalices, vestments and other religious artifacts, the cathedral’s treasury contains a spearhead believed to have been used to pierce the side of the crucified Christ, and a chunk of wood from Mount Ararat, claimed to be part of a plank from Noah’s Ark. There are a number of other churches at Echmiadzin, including the excavated remains of the seventh-century Church of St Gregory at Zvartnots. The building, reputed to have been of extraordinary beauty, was largely destroyed by an earthquake in the 10th century, although it has been rebuilt to new Armenian architectural standards.

GEGHARD

The Geghard Monastery, located 35km (22 miles) east of Yerevan in a steep, rocky valley, is one of Armenia’s most dramatic sights. Geghard, in Armenian, means 'spear' or 'lance' and hark's back to Christ's crucifixion. The monks, who still inhabit the monastery, occasionally sacrifice sheep on an open-air stone altar. ‘Wishing trees’ by the road approaching the site are decorated with coloured scraps of cloth, tied on by pilgrims and travellers hoping their prayers will be answered. A monastery has occupied this site since the fourth century AD, and the existing churches, all magnificently carved, date from the 13th century. Leading from the vaulted chambers of the main church and adjoining jamatoun, or meeting room, are two chapels hewn into the rock of the mountain itself. One of these contains a holy spring, the other a burial vault decorated with an ornate coat of arms. Higher up the slope, a passage leads into the mountainside to the 13th-century tomb of Prince Papak and his wife Rouzakan, a structure noted for its extraordinary acoustics.

GARNI

On the road between Geghard and Yerevan, Garni is the site of a temple to the Roman god Mithras. In the first century AD, Nero sent money and slaves to build the temple, as a tribute to the Armenian King Tiridates for his support in fighting off the Parthians. During the centuries following the conversion of the kings of Armenia to Christianity, the temple served as a royal summer palace. Repeated earthquakes have destroyed most of the original structure, but the temple’s vertiginous position, dominating the valley from a plateau 300m (984ft) above the Azat River, is breathtakingly beautiful. A ruined ninth-century church stands near the restored temple, and a Roman bathhouse has recently been excavated, revealing a well-preserved mosaic floor. It stands, as it did two millennia earlier, adorned by two dozen ionic columns.

LAKE SEVAN

Situated 70km (43 miles) east of Yerevan, Lake Sevan is the largest lake in the Caucasus, and much vaunted for its pure waters, stunning setting and delicious salmon trout. The principal lakeside resort is Sevan on the northern shore, once popular with Soviet tourists, now optimistically awaiting development to attract wealthy foreigners. Tragically, ill-considered irrigation and hydroelectric projects implemented during the 1970s have triggered an ecological crisis. The water level of the lake has dropped by as much as 16m (41ft). It is now feared that the ecology of Lake Sevan may be irreversibly damaged if radical action is not taken.

DILIJHAN

North of Sevan, further into the mountains, is Dilijhan, a resort much favoured during the Soviet period for the medicinal powers attributed to its mineral water. The authorities aspire in the long term to develop ski and spa resorts in this region, but at present, tourist infrastructure remains at a primitive level. A few kilometers east of Dilijhan, in a wooded gorge, is the Agartsin Monastery, believed to have been the major cultural centre in medieval Armenia, and one of the very few perfectly preserved examples of the architecture of its period (10th to 13th centuries). The refectory building is particularly prized. 25km (16 miles) from Dilijhan, the 12th-century Goshavank Monastery features some of the finest examples of the delicate, lacey style of stone carving developed by medieval craftspeople in the region.

OTHER PLACES

In the northwest of the republic, Gyumri, Armenia’s second-largest city, and Vanatsor (known during the Soviet period as Leninakan and Kirovaken respectively) suffered badly in the 1988 earthquake and some of the infrastructure has now been rebuilt, although there is still much left in ruins.

Well worth visiting instead are the Monasteries of Haghpat and Sanakin, which are in close proximity to the banks of the Debed River, and are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. These were first built in the 10th century and have undergone many different constructions and expansions. It is believed that the great troubadour-poet, Sayat-Nova, was born in Sanakin, and became a monk at Haghpat.

ARMENIA TRAVEL INFORMATION / ARMENIA TRAVEL GUIDE

Armenia Info — Fri May 04, 2007 10:41 am

Author: Armenia Info

Posted: Fri May 04, 2007 10:41 am

ARMENIA TRAVEL INFORMATION

Full Name

Republic of Armenia

Capital City

Yerevan

Area

29,800 sq km
11,506 sq miles

Population

3,020,000

Time Zone

GMT/UTC +4

Languages

Armenian (official)

An ancient Indo-European language with distant links to Persian (Farsi).

Russian (other)

Religion

Armenian Orthodox (94%)

Currency

Dram

Electricity

220V 50HzHz

Electric Plug Details

European plug with two circular metal pins

Country Dialing Code

374