Spend a weekend in Yerevan or take some time to explore the other regions of Armenia, either way, you will find yourself overwhelmed with the breathtaking beauty and rich history offered to you in Armenia without having to stretch your pocketbook. So Armenia Discovery's team hopes that this article will help you to know how much does it cost to travel Armenia.
A Weekend in Yerevan
Accommodation's cost in Armenia
There are many accommodation options in Yerevan depending on a visitor’s preferences. Excellent quality hotels can be booked in the center of the city for under $100/night, Airbnb apartments are, on average $30/night, and Hostels can be as low as $10/night.
Food Pricing
Food in Yerevan is as delicious as it is inexpensive: fresh fruits and vegetables can be as low as $0.50/kilo and an average restaurant meal will be around $5 or less.
If you are looking for a quick bite to eat, try one of the many shawarma ($1.50) or lahmajun ($1) spots, and wash your hot sandwich or spiced-meat-covered-flatbread down with a glass of tan ($0.25), salty yogurt drink.
If you are looking for a light snack between meals, try one of the cafes near Cascade or around the Opera House where you can find an assortment of hot and cold beverages ($1 for a pot of hot tea and $2 for a fresh fruit smoothie) as well as salads ($3) and sandwiches ($3) or an overflowing crepe ($3) stuffed with Nutella, strawberries, and bananas.
On the other hand, if a nice restaurant meal is what you have in mind, choose from a variety of options, from American to Georgian, to Armenian, or Western Armenian style cuisine and for under $10 enjoy a full meal including dessert!
Things to Do in Armenia
The Yerevan city center is both walkable and full of things to do. The main Republic Square has an enormous fountain, which has a very popular synchronized music and light show every evening.
Near to the square is Vernissage, Yerevan’s amazing flea market, where one can buy anything: from tooth-shaped rock clocks to beautifully painted scarves, to CD’s of Armenian music, to handcrafted jewelry. As is common with flea markets, Vernissage has no set prices, but bartering with the stand owners is highly encouraged.
From Vernissage, one can walk up the Northern Avenue Boulevard which is lined with shops and cafes and leads to the Yerevan Opera House and Swan Lake. Swan Lake is a manmade pond featuring real swans in the summer and an ice skating rink in winter; and past the pond is the Opera House which has performances by famous composers, ensembles, and dance groups. Tickets to these events are under $10 and can usually be purchased up until the day of the performance.
Just past the Opera House is the Cascade Monument, 572 steps lined with greenery, water pools, and sculptures. The walkway leading to the steps is quite picturesque and is home to many modern cafes and restaurants (you will probably need a good meal or at least a nice coffee to have the energy to make it up all those stairs).
After climbing Cascade, visitors can continue up a path to another small set of stairs, and crossing the street arrive in Yerevan’s Victory Park. Victory Park has a pond where one can rent rowboats for $1/hour, an amusement park full of Soviet-era rides (highly recommend the $1 Ferris wheel ride), and last, but not least, the Mother Armenia statue which looks out over the entire city.
Making your way back to the city center, visit Saryan Avenue which is lined with wine bars, offering bottles of wine from Armenia or around the world for an average $10/bottle (not a typo, $10 a bottle not glass!) Maybe after finishing the bottle, the night will still be young and one can visit one of the many Yerevan pubs where a beer is $1.50 and a screwdriver cocktail is $2.
In terms of museums, it would seem Yerevan has as many museums as drinking fountains (2,750) scattered about the city.
These include: The History Museum, Parajanov Museum, Matenadaran Manuscript Museum, Tsitsernakaberd Genocide Museum, Cafesjian Museum of Art, Aram Khatchadourian House Museum, Museum of Modern Art, Yervand Kochar Museum, Charents Museum, Gomitas Museum, National Gallery of Art, Erebuni Museum, Alexander Spendiaryan House Museum, Martiros Saryan House Museum, State Museum of Nature of Armenia, Yerevan History Museum, Hovhannes Tumanyan Museum, Folk Art Museum, Avetik Isahakyan House Museum, Charles Aznavour Museum, and the list continues… Admission to these museums varies, but you will not find one which charges more than $4 and some are even open for free!
Tours costs in Armenia
Tours around Armenia are very easy to arrange using one of many tour companies found online, visit one of the many tour vans which wait in the center of Republic Square, or visiting a tour agency office in the city. In general, one will pay around $0.25/km of the road traveled and tour rates will be under $25/day.
Most tour destinations are free of charge, so tourists only need to book transportation and a guide and the world of Armenia can be in the palm of their hand. Some popular destinations include Lake Sevan, Garni Temple, Geghard Monastery, Tatev Monastery and Ropeway, Mt. Aragats, Lasti Ver, Amberd Fortress, Khor Virap Monastery, Areni Caves, Noravank Monastery, etc. Armenia has much to offer in terms of ancient (as far back as the 5th century) fortresses and churches, some of which are ruins while others have been reconstructed over time. Although, perhaps even more spectacular than these ancient structures is the natural landscape behind them, mountains, valleys, forests, rivers, and lakes. Armenia has some of the most breathtaking natural landforms one will lay eyes on.
Published January 29, 2018
Article by Areknaz Khaligian
