Armenia travel advice

2 min summary Best time to visit Map & highlights Things to do Caucasus overland Armenia & Georgia Monasteries & churches Yerevan Families Tips Responsible tourism

Armenia travel advice

Armenian wine & cognac

Nune Tatunts, from our supplier Arara, with some tips for wine lovers:

“Armenia has more than 10 endemic grape varieties such as Areni, and many local producers. The Areni village holds an annual wine festival on the first weekend of October, and there is also the Yerevan Wine Days festival held in early May on Saryan Street which is full of wine bars. Armenia wines have taken many gold medals in recent international competitions. Cognac/brandy making is also popular here, the most famous company being Ararat. We have over 100 years experience in brandy making, so you can expect some good stuff!”

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Exploring Yerevan

Natalie Fordham from our supplier Wild Frontiers on the capital’s cultural highlights:

“We always include the Matenadaran, and the Erenuni archaeological district, for the history. The Armenia Genocide memorial is an important place to visit, and we recommend visiting Yerevan over a weekend so you can see the Versaj open air market. Yerevan is far and away the most modern part of the country and you really notice it as soon as you venture beyond.”

Exploring Yerevan

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Great for vegetarians & vegans

Nune Tatunts, from our supplier Arara, shares some highlights of Armenian cuisine:

“Apricots and pomegranates are very special in Armenian culture – the Latin name for apricots is fructus armeniacus, while the pomegranate is another symbol that often appears in Armenian architecture and old carvings. Typical Armenian foods everyone should try include spas, which is a white soup you can eat hot or cold; khash, which is a beef broth said to have medicinal properties and eaten ritually, and khorovats, our delicious barbecue. But Armenia is not just for meat eaters; our cuisine uses many vegetables, fruits and herbs so we have no problem creating different menus for vegetarians and vegans.”

Visiting monasteries

Natalie Fordham from our supplier Wild Frontiers on Armenia’s religious highlights:

“Each monastery has its own distinctive features and while there is probably such a thing as too many, we try to include them wherever they fit into an itinerary. Tatev with its cable car, and Khor Virap with Mt. Ararat in the background are the most visually impressive. We always suggest Etchmiadzin too, because it’s such a significant place, and Geghard offers something fun and a little different. Visitors need to dress modestly; knees and shoulders should be covered. Women will sometimes need a headscarf so we recommend packing one.”

Visiting monasteries

Jim O’Brien from our supplier Native Eye on the monastery experience:

“Armenia’s monasteries and churches are so atmospheric, especially if you happen to be visiting during any kind of service. You can expect lots of singing, scented candles being burned – very interesting just to watch quietly from the back.”

Cultural encounters

Jim O’Brien from our supplier Native Eye on visiting Armenian villages:

“Many of the ethnic villages that we visit aren’t particularly ‘opened up’ for tourism yet, so it’s really a case of wandering around, occasionally stopping to meet and have a chat with the locals. It’s interesting just to learn a little about their history and how they came to end up in this far flung corner of the Russian empire. At Garni we sometimes have lunch in a local home, with opportunities to help prepare it too which is a fun activity.”

Cultural encounters

Buzzy working

Nune Tatunts, from our supplier Arara, explains why Armenia is so sweet:

“In rural areas almost every family keeps bees and makes honey, usually naturally and organically. Some people take it very seriously – they have special big cars or even buses which they sleep in, and load shelves with beehives. Then they drive their bees from place to place to catch seasonal flowers for a good honey harvest – you see it especially in alpine areas.”

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Armenia tips from our traveler reviews

At Responsible Travel, we think the best people to advise our travelers are often... other travelers. They always return from our tours with packing tips, weather reports, ideas about what to do – and opinions about what not to.

We have selected some of the most useful Armenia travel tips that our guests have provided over the years to help you make the very most of your vacation – and the space inside your suitcase.

The walks to the monasteries are mostly uphill over rocky ground - the transport cannot get you closer than a few hundred yards in most cases and in some the walk is a lot longer

– Baron-Vahl Amos

“Be prepared to have your eyes opened as to the depth of Christianity practised in both Armenia and Georgia, both in the past and still today. Bring healthy appetites, for the food is very good and tasty and so plentiful. If you can extend your trip by a couple of days (before and/or after the guided sections), you can experience more of the local capitals. “ – Judy Schneider

“The trip is advertised as a cultural vacation and the itinerary mentions that many monasteries will be visited. Complaints about "not another monastery" are unwarranted. The variety and environment in which all of these are found varies and the journey to and from them is quite spectacular.” – Maddy Ball

Try the local home made produce you can get from vendors outside the monasteries.

– Wayne Smith

“Traveling through Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan means an action-packed 2 weeks, but you'll see everything from grim Soviet-era relics to incredibly beautiful ancient monasteries on remote mountaintops. Be flexible, wear good walking shoes, and come prepared for all sorts of weather.” – Paula Lozar

“The walks to the monasteries are mostly uphill over rocky ground - the transport cannot get you closer than a few hundred yards in most cases and in some the walk is a lot longer and over the time that the vacations are offered the temperatures the heat is in the upper 20's and low 30's but some days the thermometer is above the 35 degree centigrade mark, be prepared. “ – Baron-Vahl Amos

“Try the local home made produce you can get from vendors outside the monasteries. The bread filled with herbs we bought at Tatev was delicious and the walnuts wrapped in fruit was also very good. Fruit brought from roadside sellers also recommended.” – Wayne Smith

More about Armenia

Best time to visit Armenia

The most popular time of year to visit Armenia in terms of climate and scenery tends to be autumn.

Armenia travel guide

Armenia is where East meets West.

Armenia map & highlights

Almost every trip to Armenia will feature a sprinkling of the key monasteries, some light hiking, and a day or so in Yerevan.

Things to do in Armenia

Armenia is more than just ancient monasteries – although they are, of course, the focus of many trips here.

The Caucasus overland

You can easily spend a week or more exploring Armenia in depth, but a popular option is to combine it either with Georgia, and possibly also Azerbaijan.

Armenia & Georgia

If you've always wanted to explore in the furthest reaches of Eastern Europe but didn't know where to start then read on as we explain why visiting Armenia and Georgia together is a really worthwhile experience.

Traveling in Armenia with kids

Armenia is great for families, allowing for a mix of outdoor activity, interesting cultural excursions and relaxation.

Churches & monasteries in Armenia

You don't have to be deeply devout to be curious about the churches and monasteries in Armenia.

Things to do in Yerevan

The Armenian capital of Yerevan is home to a third of the country’s population, and dates back to the 8th century (making it just a smidge older than Rome).