I spent the weekend in Yerevan, Armenia…it turned out to be a lot of fun.
This was not my first trip to the Armenian capital. In fact, I even wrote about my last visit here back in the UGPRD days of this blog. I returned because my business partner dragged me…that and spending a weekend in Yerevan beat blowing a lot of money in Vienna, where we had been up until Friday evening.
I grew up in Glendale, California and have had Armenian friends and eaten Armenian food my entire life. It is a great culture with much to celebrate…and that is true in Yerevan as well.
Some observations from my weekend in Yerevan:
1. It’s Cheap
Your money goes a long way in Yerevan, which made the whole experience (at least for me) so much more enjoyable. Extra drink? Extra dessert? Without hesitation. A nice meal won’t set you back more than $10-15, and I’m talking about a multi-course meal with alcohol (or in my case, fresh-squeezed juice and coffee), not just a main course.
I recommend Sherep near Republic Square and Babylon next to the Holiday Inn Express.
Taxi from the city to the airport, a 20-25 minute drive? Less than $5 (a flat rate of 2,000 AMD). Groceries are cheap. Clothing is cheaper.
On Sunday I got a massage…16,000 AMD ($33) for a very nice, professional, two-hour Thai massage! You’ll do better in Southeast Asia, but I highly recommend Thai Home for a clean, relaxing massage experience.
2. The Buzz
The city was crowded, but in a good way, not a bad way. Yerevan has a great buzz to it…difficult to describe. On Sunday evening there was a huge concert outside the opera house with thousands of people…young and old…enjoying themselves. We proceeded to Republic Square after where thousands more watched a water show that gave the Bellagio a run for the money.
We were jetlagged on Saturday night and by Sunday morning at 3:00AM, wide awake and hungry. Seeking food, we went out in search of food and found a little shawarma take-away that was buzzing. Everyone could not have been friendlier inside.
3. Hyatt Place Was A Good Choice
I wanted to check out the Hyatt Place, which is very centrally located. We arrived at 5:00AM on Saturday…very, very early. The hotel was full on Friday night or else would have gladly paid for an extra night. But although the hotel owed nothing beyond a 3:00PM check-in, it went out of the way to get the room cleaned quickly after the first guest checked out. By 9:00AM we had our room. While we were waiting, the hotel offered us all the beverages we wanted and also invited us to breakfast.
4. The Smoking Stinks
Notice anything in the picture above? That’s right, an ashtray in the hotel lobby. Yerevan takes a more laissez faire attitude toward smoking. As in, anything goes. Taxi? Hotel lobbies? Elevators? Grocery stores? Restaurants? Bars? Yep, go right ahead. It’s kind of quaint, but stunk up my clothes…
5. Very Friendly People
Just like last time, I found the people to be incredibly friendly. Yerevan gets many Armenian-American visitors, especially during the summer months, so you’ll hear English everywhere. Don’t worry about communication and even if you find yourself conversing with someone who doesn’t speak English well, you’ll laugh together as you figure out a way to chat.
6. Immigration Lines Were Horrible
We waited 45 minutes after landing at 4:00 AM to get stamped into the country. That’s 45 minutes too long. Sure, sure…America’s bad too. But American passport control is not the standard.
7. Generally Good Coffee
There’s a lot of “lounges” around time where people just sit and eat, drink (and smoke). We tried ice cream and coffee at a couple of them and I was pleased. I recommend Santa Fe.
8. A Lot of History
Armenia has incredible history, dating back to its self-proclaimed status as the first Christian nation to its Soviet days. A lot to see and take in if architecture and museums are your thing (and we did not even set foot out of Yerevan…it’s a big country).
CONCLUSION
I’ve had my fill of Yerevan for a few years now…with extremely limited air service, it simply is a pain to get to/from. But I want to take my wife and son back (and to Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Artsakh as well) and do look forward to returning. There was an “incident” on the way out that dampened my enthusiasm a bit for Yerevan. I’ll share about that tomorrow.
> Read More: Feeling at Home in Yerevan
These pictures could have been taken in Glendale or Pasadena!!!
I am Armenian and have never been. Thanks for sharing the trip. But, yeah, Armenians smoke a lot.
Very informative and well written review, thank you!
Nowadays it seems like many city reviews try to tell you EVERY city is the ULTIMATE city to visit, so I appreciate you being so straight forward and objective on yours.
I’m Armenian and after traveling to 30+ countries I finally visited Yerevan for the first time this summer, and I agree on just about every point.
A few other takeaways:
9.Clean country, you’ll rarely see trash anywhere
10. Safe, crime is uncommon, even for solo women travelers
11. Nature, lots of it, trails, mountains, forests, etc
12. Endless hip bars, cafes, and restaurants
Martin, agree on all points – it is very clean and I felt very safe.
“We waited 45 minutes after landing at 4:00 AM to get stamped into the country. That’s 45 minutes too long. Sure, sure…America’s bad too. But American passport control is not the standard.”
Yeah but neither is zero-minutes after landing…
Nice review. How would you compare the city from your last visit? Seems like lots of improvements to the overall quality of the city, with regards to roads and other infrastructure.
I’m from United Arab Emirates and my first trip to Yerevan was in 2014.. From that year till now I went there at least 2 times per year. Nice people, weather, nature and food. Sherep is my favorite restaurant in Yerevan .. And where ever you go in Armenia you will find the same kind people.. I stayed also in Dzoraget, Dilijan “I dvise to try the food in Kassab restaurant” , Sevan “the 2nd largest lagoon in the world” and Jermuk. Every where you can smell the nature and history. Yerevan, Dilijan and Jermuk are my favorite places. Every time when I visit Armenia and I want to return to my country I feel like I leave a piece of my heart in Yerevan, really I fall in love in this country. I LOVE YOU ARMENIA.
Nice article – great country/people/food, etc., but under “A Lot of History” you left out the Genocide, and any talk about Armenian history without a mention of the Genocide does not go unnoticed.
My daughter and I are leaving for our first trip to Armenia in the summer of 2020. I read your blog and look forward to my trip! Great photos. Thanks!