Our trip to Armenia
In the beginning of April, we went to Hayastan for a week.
It is not a travel guide, but my notes and impressions from visiting the country. However, with a few tips if you plan to travel to Armenia too.
(For the context, âweâ are a family with kids.)
Unmatched hospitality
If aliens were to visit Earth, I would nominate Armenia to welcome them. It would guarantee a nice and calm mood for the aliens, ensuring their satisfaction.
They are probably the nicest and the most welcoming people I ever met. Unmatched hospitality! I can write about ten or more warm interactions that happened to us. For example, I was buying a coffee and they gifted my kids a pack of cakes. Or a hotel gave us free lunch and dinner. Many such examples.
These are people with a few thousand years of complex history in one of the âhottestâ regions of the world. And still they are kind, lovely, and with big and open hearts.
At the end of our trip, I met with Sergey Karakhanyan in Yerevan.
We know each other from X and he integrated my product into his. He is building Directify (a directory no-code builder).
We talked for hours without checking the time. Literally about everything.
I asked Sergey for any recommendations or anything he would love to add to the post. And he shared the following co-working hubs for digital nomads:
(Ensure to double-check Armenian laws for remote workers/digital nomads before you travel to understand if you end up classed as a resident for tax or immigration purposes. Consider consulting with an Armenian immigration lawyer or tax consultant.)
And at the end of our hangout, he prohibited me from paying for the coffee. He said because I was a guest!
Is it safe in Armenia?
Is it safe to travel to Armenia or not depends on your subjective experience, your nationality, measures you take, and many other factors.
Take my words with caution and always research the situation before you travel yourself.
And in general, I think it is a good idea when traveling to any country to check your national travel advisories first. For example:
Or, for example, if you were traveling to Armenia from Israel, it would be considered as a safe country to travel to, according to the Israel National Security Council (at the moment of writing, the last update was on 25.02.2024):
Armenia was green on the map, indicating âno threatâ level, but the status has been changed since February 2025 to âPotential Threatâ:
Thatâs an example of a change in the travel advisory status and why it is better to monitor it yourself periodically.
Personally, we didnât experience any scams, threats, or other issues. People were friendly, helpful, and nice. They didnât care about our nationality or where we came from.
Armenian, Russian and English
Armenian is the official language. It has its own writing system, based on the Armenian alphabet, introduced in 405 CE:
ŐŐČŐ»ŐžÖŐ”Ő¶Ő¶Ő„Ö ŐŐĄŐ”ŐĄŐœŐżŐĄŐ¶Ő«Ö
âGreetings from Armeniaâ in Armenian.
But most people also speak Russian. And I met many people who speak English. But it is hard for me to estimate the levels. In popular tourist areas, yes, many speak English. But in other places, it is hard to say.
These are street signs in Yerevan. And most of the navigational signs are in Armenian, English, and Russian. With access to the internet, and maps, it is not a problem to navigate.
Nature, culture and history
While the country looks small on the map, it is not. Armenia has a rich history and culture, so there is a lot of places to explore. One week is definitely not enough, at least it was for us, a family with kids.
We tried to not hurry and drove slowly, tried to enjoy the journey. And yet we visited only a small set of what I planned for us to visit.
Yerevan
Yerevan has really calm vibe. It is hard to explain, you can only feel it once you walk the streets.
There is a lot of cafes and restaurants. I would recommend to eat at Tavern Yerevan.
However, some of the streets located farther from the center require some reconstruction and better maintenance.
Notice how clean it is around on the photo above.
Garni
Garni is a small village in Armenia. It is known for its ancient ruins and the nearby classical temple.
The Garni Temple is located in the village, a classical colonnaded structure, built around 1st or 2nd century CE. It is often described as the âeasternmost building of the Greco-Roman worldâ.
Syunik, Tatev
Syunik is the southernmost province of Armenia. It has a lot to offer.
Wings of Tatev
Wings of Tatev is a 5.7 km cableway between Halidzor and the Tatev village in Armenia. It is the longest reversible aerial tramway built in only one section, and holds the record for Longest non-stop double track cable car in the world.
A photo from the cable car:
Hiking
Hiking is an option if you like it. We did a little hike in a canyon down of the Tatev village to enjoy the nature.
By the way, check out âHike Armeniaâ for more routes.
Staying at Zartonq
Zartonq is one of the pearls of Tatev. And we were really lucky to experience this gem in the snowy weather.
The owner of the house built it with a small team in eight months.
When we asked him if they do farming or something else, he answered:
âI can not do two things at the same time. The quality will suffer. You either host people or farm.â
And damn, you can feel it!
The food was fresh and delicious. And there was a lot of it. They have all the facilities you need, including fridge and Wi-Fi with the fast Internet. Also, they have nice mountain views!
They suggested places to visit and helped us with everything.
The hosts were super welcoming, warm, and helpful.
Areni
A lot of scenic roads around Areni:
Areni is best known for its wine production.
Make sure to check how many bottles of wine you can take with you out of the country. When we were flying it was no more than five liters.
Dilijan
Dilijan National park
Unfortunately, we werenât lucky with the weather. But we managed to hike for a bit anyway. It is a huge area full of forests and fresh air with many places for picnic.
Staying at Ani Forest Hills Hotel and Resort
I am not affiliated with Booking, and nobody asked me to write that. But I recommend places in the post that I personally liked.
If you plan to visit Dilijan, I would recommend considering staying at Ani Forest Hills Hotel and Resort.
It is a completely new hotel. Everything is clean and new. The people who work at the hotel were nice and helpful. If you drive by car, the location is good. You can get to most destinations in less than an hour.
Lake Sevan
Lake Sevan is the largest body of water in both Armenia and the Caucasus region.
Breathtaking views! Try to build your travel plans through roads that go near the lake.
Renting a car in Armenia
Most popular car rental companies are present in Armenia. We rented a car from Sixt.
And I can recommend them. It was a great experience. The service was great. And they have new cars (at the moment of our travel).
A few nuances to keep in mind:
1. Always notify about any issues
Always notify your car rental company about any issues, including even the tiniest scratches on the car.
And in case of any accidents, do not move the car from the scene at all. It might invalidate your insurance. Call your rental company and the insurance company. This is how insurance companies work in Armenia. If you move the car, you might not get compensation, and even if you bought full coverage, you will need to pay for the damage, even if you were right!
2. Follow all the local driving rules strictly
They have a lot of traffic cameras, not only for speed but also for changing lanes, public transport, and more. You need to be careful and follow all the local rules.
Make sure you specify your valid address in the rental agreement because thatâs where you will get fines if you have any, via regular post.
3. Deposit
It is a classical procedure around the world. But be prepared to pay a deposit in advance.
Double-check before you rent, but we managed to pay in cash. It wasnât a problem for them compared to companies in other countries.
4. Gasoline
If you travel to far regions, be careful and make sure you have a full tank because sometimes gas stations donât work, especially in bad weather conditions.
And only refill the tank with the highest quality petroleum (or diesel if you rent a diesel car).
5. Traffic
We observed traffic jams only in the capital city. Outside, it was pretty chill driving. I donât remember anybody signaling us. But I remember when it was tough driving conditions with fog and I didnât see anything, some car overtook me, they enabled warning lights and showed me the road. It was really nice of them!
For example, a road from Tatev to Dilijan around the lake Sevan:
Main roads are in good condition. But if you go outside, be careful and drive slowly as there might be potholes. Always plan more time for driving because roads are only one lane per side and the landscape is complex. You might get stuck in slow traffic.
6. Driving license
An international driving license is required. But you need to double-check with the company if your license is accepted by them or not. Do this before traveling.
7. Navigation
For navigation, do not use Google Maps or Waze as they donât show most cameras and plan correctly. Ask the rental company about the best navigation application to use.
A few last words
Armenia doesnât yet have the perfect infrastructure for tourism. But maybe? Just maybe that is exactly what makes it special right now. You will not meet any people at all in some far areas. And if you seek calm vibes, why not?
I wonât exaggerate if I write, that Armenia offers an authentic, unspoiled experience. It is rare, now.
For families with kids, it is a welcoming country: the warmth of the people and their generosity left good impressions on us and on our kids.
Unmatched hospitality! Did I write it three times?
I think, traveling to Armenia will require a bit more preparation from you and flexibility. But! If you go for it, you will find yourself enjoying unique and authentic experiences.
Armenia is beautiful, authentic, and absolutely worth visiting. Go today, before everyone else discovers it!