Everything practical, in one place

Armenia is a safe country to travel in. Violent crime is low, Yerevan is a city where people walk home late without thinking about it, and solo women travellers generally report feeling comfortable. The ordinary precautions apply — mind your pockets in crowded markets — and very little else.

The closed borders

The borders with Turkey and Azerbaijan are closed. This has no practical effect on travelling inside Armenia; it simply means you arrive and leave via Georgia, Iran or the air. The borders with Georgia and Iran are open and used normally.

Nagorno-Karabakh

Travel to Nagorno-Karabakh is not possible. Following the events of September 2023 the territory came under Azerbaijani control and its Armenian population left. No tour operator can take you there. If you find one advertising it, they are not telling you the truth, and you should treat everything else they say accordingly.

None of our routes go near a contested area or a closed border, with the single exception of Khor Virap, which stands about a hundred metres from the sealed frontier with Turkey and is entirely routine to visit.

Before you book

Check your own government's current travel advice — it is the only source that speaks for your insurance policy. Some advisories carry cautions about specific stretches of border road, and we will tell you plainly if anything on your itinerary touches one.

Health

No vaccinations are required for travellers from Europe or the CIS. Tap water is safe and very good — Yerevan's comes from mountain springs, and free public drinking fountains, pulpulaks, stand on street corners across the city. Pharmacies are well stocked and many are open around the clock. The emergency number is 911.

Travel insurance is not a legal requirement but you should have it, and it must cover trekking to 4,000 metres if you are joining a hiking trip.

In churches. Shoulders and knees covered, for everyone. Women are not required to cover their heads in Armenian Apostolic churches, though many choose to, and scarves are usually available at the door. Photography is generally fine; flash during a service is not. Monasteries are working buildings, not museums — if a liturgy is underway, hang back.

Hospitality. If you are invited to someone's table, accept if you can. Refusing food outright reads as a rebuke; taking a small amount of everything does not. You will be offered more than you can eat and this is the point.

Toasts. At a proper table someone will lead the toasts and there is an order to them. Follow your host, do not toast out of turn, and never toast with an empty glass. The second toast is usually to those who are not here.

The genocide. The 1915 genocide is present in Armenian life in a way visitors sometimes underestimate. Nearly every family has a story. It is not a taboo subject and Armenians will speak about it readily, but treat it as history rather than a curiosity, and follow their lead on when to ask.

Ararat. The mountain is in Turkey and on the Armenian coat of arms, and Armenians have heard every version of the joke. They usually tell it first.

Photographing people. Ask. Almost everyone says yes, and quite often insists on making you tea afterwards.