I'm finally going, but need help!!

Hi all.

Armenia is a country I%26#39;ve been interested in for several years, and I am finally getting the chance to go. I%26#39;ve read the other reviews on this site, and others too, but was wondering if you could please help me out with a few questions I have.

Firstly, we%26#39;re going to be heading to Armenia in the last week of October/first week of November. Does anyone know what the weather%26#39;s likely to be like then? I know it will be cold, but is it likely to be rainy/snowy or just cold? And with regards to the weather, does it effect the city much? For example I live in Scotland where we don%26#39;t have the best weather, but for some reason the place seems to grind to a halt when we have bad weather!

Secondly, I know that the water is only on in homes in Yerevan for certain hours of the day (I think I read 2.5hrs in the mornings and 1.5hrs in the evenings). Does this effect hotels as well, or should they have water continually?

Also, what do you think is the best way to travel to Armenia? My options are going on a ';package'; type city break with a travel firm...its a 3 day City Break to Yerevan (doesn%26#39;t give much time for exploring the rest of the country). Its pretty expensive, but they arrange the visas etc and I can fly direct from the UK. Other than that I can book myself online, but I%26#39;m unsure about what requirements are for visas or if anything else is needed. Its cheaper (as I can choose flights that aren%26#39;t direct), but I%26#39;m unsure....has anyone travelled there independently before and its been okay? Or should I really go with a tour operator. If it makes any difference, I haven%26#39;t travelled independently before and haven%26#39;t actually been abroad in over 8 years.

Another thing I am unsure about is If I book online I have the option of hotels or renting an apartment. Hotels are pretty dear there (IMO) whereas the apartments seem much better value for money, but not sure what my best option would be - any advice/tips/reccomendations?

Lastly, this may seem like a silly question, but I like to be respectful to other people. I have a visible tattoo around my wrist (I%26#39;m female) - would this be a problem there? I know here a lot of people pass comment on it (mostly positive), but not sure if tattoos are really not the done thing there (especially for women).

Also any other info/tips you could give me would be fab!

I%26#39;d greatly appreciate any help you can give me. I%26#39;m so excited that I%26#39;m finally getting to travel to Armenia, and just want to make sure it all goes as smoothly as possible!

Thanks!

NDR x

I'm finally going, but need help!!

Hello,

We (60 +65) went to Armenia for 5 weeks independently for a hiking and exploring trip last year in September. It was the most beautiful trip of our lifetime. Everything was perfect and we were able to see quite a lot , but not everything.

You have to be aware that this trip will need some preparation,es pecially if you don%26#39;t speak Armenian.English is not yet widly spoken,not with the older people any ways. Second language is still Russian.

I don%26#39;t know here to start

You can get lots of information on the internet, sites like

http://www.armeniainfo.am/ can lead to to everything you want to know.

The Tourist information center In Yerevan is very friendly, they go out of their way to help you. There are lots of travel agencies who organize local trips. We did not do buissnes with any of them, but we met some German couples, who were very happy. The only trip with a guide we did on Aragats (4080m) with Avarayr tours.They were extremly nice, competent, helpfuland generous( beeing the old soviet Mountainrescue team)with advice, they did not push anything.

Consult their website for organized trips.

We had two travel guide books:

Armenia with Nagorno Karabagh, Nicola Holding, The Bradt Travel Guide (Excellent!!!) and the newlittle hiking guide Adventure Armenia

Hiking and RocK Climbing. Jeffery Tufenkian and Carine Bachmann(see website)

We rented an appartement for 5 weeks in the center of Yerevan. It was very nice,comfortable and modern( 1 Bedr, kitchen,livingroom. tv.stove fridge,Washing machin) for 25$Us/day. In Yerevan there is no more water and electricity restiction. Outside Yerevan the situation is ok in most places,you have to be tolerant.We stayed in one home in Alaverdi were the standards were very low, but they make up with such hospitality and friendliness.

Lots of places to see can be visited from Yerevan. So we hired a driver for 25$Us/day plus the gas most of the time.In other cases, when we went to the south for a couple of days we took the minibus.

This is an adventure, as the buses are most of the time in not so good shape, they are packed full of people, but if you are willing to take a chance and have the real experience. They are very cheep.

As for the weather, it was still quite hot in September(35) but warm weather is supposed to linger until end of October,exept over 3000m where snow starts in August. We hiked down from Kari Lake to Ambered Fortress on the 5th of October in 10 cm of snow.

As for your Tatoo.....In Armenia everybody non Armenian is spotted. Nobody has Hiking pants with pokete or wears running shoes. Men doen%26#39;t wear shorts Young women are very fashion conscience, very sexy,and always well dressed. Last year there were no bare bellies...but things cange very, very fast.

Yerevan has a multitude of cultural events (cheap) and in summer everybody is in the cafés outside from 11am till late at night. We found it very safe. The only danger....as everybody who has been there.. is to be run over but a car while crossing the street!!!

Unfortunately i%26#39;m running out of time. Maybe, I can come back to you late.... Check the internet...

Pari Pacht (good Luck)

I'm finally going, but need help!!

hello dear

My husband and I went to armenia last august for 2 weeks independently. I got in touch with a travel agent in Yerevan who made a very cheap trip for me with a private driver. You can have a guide who can talk english in the car . We had a flat, very center, modern with water and electricity all the day. 2 bedrooms and even a washing machine in the bathroom. It is not a very good idea to take a bus to visit because the roads are very dangerous and the bus hardly go through a lot of places so a car is much better. Yerevan is very safe as all the country. The food is very very cheap. You can book your flight and a driver will come at the airport and take you in the flat. You don%26#39;t really need someone to visit the town. The small buses are very inexpensive . You can take them anywhere in the town, saying just the name where you want to stop and there are just like taxi and stop everywhere you need.

We have stayed 4 days in YEREVAN in the flat. From there we went with the driver to Garni,Gheghart, Etchmiadzine, Zvartnotz, Aragatz It always took just half a day for these trips except Aragatz so you can visit Yerevan in the same days. You can take the underground, cheap too but do not take pictures in the underground as it is forbidden.

We left to Khor Virap, Noravank ( very beautiful !!), Jermouk. Sleep in Jermouk, but not really worthy to go such a way as in Jermouk, not so much to see.

We then left to Goris and slept in a family home. It was not too bad for one night. The room was comfortable but a nice bathroom with....no water !!

Goris is nice to visit the troglodits (caves)houses. We went to visit Tatev but I am not sure you can get there if it is too much raining because of the road !! We went to Karabagh but had some troubles with the police because we took some pictures we should not take in SHUSHI !! so we did not stay there and went back to armenia. Went to Sevan, Dilidjian.................If you want more details contact me. I will be pleased to help you.

Barev dzez (hello) !

You are in for a wonderful time in Yerevan and Armenia. I have just returned to America after 3 years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the village of Verin Karmir, near Berd, and I already miss this wonderful country. The weather is on the coolish side in Oct/Nov and it can rain. Bring layers of clothes and an umbrella and you should be fine. Good walking shoes are important since you probably will want to walk around Yerevan.

If you want a really cheap place to stay, I recommend the Envoy Hostel. It is like a dorm - bunk beds and bathroom down the hall - but the price is only 5000 drams (about 12.00 US). It is extremely clean, the beds are comfortable, there are lockers you can lock to store your stuff, but the absolute best feature is that you will meet Peace Corps Volunteers who live in the remote regions and they will probably invite you to visit their villages. Do it! Especially if you have a chance to go to Berd in Tavush Marz.

There are a couple of day tour companies in Yerevan. I took three tours with Hyur (Guest) and was completely satisfied. There is a Metro (underground) - 50 dram, mini-busses called marchutneys - 100 dram and taxis galore 600 + dram, but establish the price before you get in - they might try to rip you off for 1500 dram.

Don%26#39;t worry about the water. Most places have tanks, and I%26#39;ve stayed in 4 or 5 different hotels and never had a problem. BUT DON%26#39;T DRINK THE CITY WATER. Buy bottled water to drink and brush your teeth with.

I wouldn%26#39;t bother with a package tour. Many people in Yerevan speak English and if they don%26#39;t, they%26#39;ll flag down a passerby who does. Sorry I can%26#39;t help about the visa - Peace Corps did all that for us.

About your tattoo - it will be cold enough for you to wear long sleeves so no one will see it. People there don%26#39;t have tattoos, but will be curious. Yerevan is way more cool about this than the villages, but the Armenian people are really very polite.

Yerevan is a very safe city. I have walked around in the early evening as well as all day and never been bothered, but I took the usual precautions. If you go to any of the other larger towns, finding a hotel or B%26amp;B shouldn%26#39;t be a problem at this time of year. Villages usually don%26#39;t have places for tourists to stay, but if you somehow end up in one, you can stay with a family - they love the novelty of a ';foreigner'; and you will be given more food and wine or vodka than you can eat or drink.

I hope this is helpful to you in making your plans. If you get to Berd and meet any PCVs or Armenians, tell them you heard from the ';Amerkatsi who lived in Verin Karmir for 3 years';.

Best of luck for a fab vacation.

D.

Hi,

I will try to provide you with some useful info before your trip to Armenia.

In summer, 2005 I visited Armenia and did a good experiences there.

Weather: The weather is nice at the end of October. People call the golden Autumn in Armenia. But will be better, that you take some warm cloths, since the the temperature ranges and is different in other regions(cooler) comparing to Yerevan.

Water: I think you should not worry about the water. Many hotels have 24 hours running water and private houses and apartments have solved the water-problem, installing cisterns at home.

Visa %26amp; Trip: Currently is the individual tourism popular in Armenia. Many individual tourist make their own tour-plan and come to travel to Armenia with rucksacks(backpacks). For individual tourism in Armenia I will advise you “Georgia, Armenia %26amp; Azerbaijan” book of Lonely Planet. It contains a useful data about guesthouses, tours, about country %26amp; people, including maps and trip advices.

Visa: There is no problem to get visa in Armenia. You can get it directly at the airport after your arrival. You should fill an application and pay about 30USD for 21 days tourist visa. To save a time, you can download the application from internet, fill it and just take with you : armeniaforeignministry.com/consular/…visa.pdf

Hotels are usually more expensive comparing to guesthouses in Armenia. The quality is also different. It depends on your expectations and your preference….

Tattoo: I think there is no reason to worry about tattoo… Armenians are used to meet foreigners everyday That’s an everyday life! Besides people in Armenia are very modern thinking, specially the new generation!

Recommendation: I will recommend you to visit Dilijan town(Tavush Region), the little Switzerland of Armenia. There is a nice Guesthouse(Dili Villa) where you can stay. They organize also sightseeing tours in the region. For more info you can check also my goList at:

tripadvisor.com/GoListDetail-g293931-i6137-M…

I hope my info were useful for your trip to Armenia.

For more info you can contact me any time. I wish you a nice trip to Armenia %26amp; unforgettable memories…

With best Regards

Matrica

I realize that this poster has already been to Armenia and back by now, but for those people who are reading old posts to gather information, here%26#39;s a few tips. If you%26#39;re staying in Yerevan and don%26#39;t mind spending around $150/night, the Marriott is THE place to stay. Many of the beds at other hotels are like bags of cement (no joke). And the breakfast is sumptuous. If you%26#39;re a spoiled American (or other nationality), you%26#39;ll appreciate this hotel. If you venture up to Lake Sevan, you%26#39;ll want to stay at Harsnaqar Hotel. It is close to Yerevan and it is perched on a hill with beautiful views of the lake. Unfortunately, they have the aforementioned cement beds. But it is worth putting up with for the location. And did I mention water park? Yes, they have a huge pool and two big waterslides. If you%26#39;re travelling to Armenia in the summer, you%26#39;re going to appreciate this feature. We had been referred to the Tufenkian hotel and stayed there one night. But it was a disappointment. It is located on a very unscenic part of the lake. It is actually not on the lake, but back in the scrub. There appeared to be no other restaurants or activities in the area. It is very isolated. The staff wasn%26#39;t particularly friendly. And although they clearly put a lot of money into the decor, they must not have had any money left when it came time to buying the beds (again with the bags of cement).

You will see a lot of statues, churches, monasteries, memorials, etc., but make sure you visit the small towns and visit the local people. It will renew your faith in humanity. For all the hardships and poverty these people endure, they are the kindest and most hospitable people on the planet. They barely have roofs over their heads but they will want to invite you into their homes and feed you. Those are the memories you will take home with you.

Hello,

It has been awhile since my wife and I were in Yervan. We adopted our little princess from Armenia and went to get her in October of 2000. We were there from Oct 17th to Oct 24th, the weather was pleasant and I remember wearing long sleeves and a light jacket in the evening. However you might want to bring a medium to heavy coat also.

The people were very friendly and the food outstanding. My son and I walked everywhere. Cabs are plentiful especially around Republic Square. There is a great restaurant in the basement of the Hotel to the right of the fountain in the square.

We made a mistake of listening to our adoption agency of not eating the fruit when we first got there, it smelled marvelous and when I finally gave in, it was the sweetest fruit I have ever eaten.

Make sure you go the great cathedral that is being rebuilt. We are looking forward to when we can take our daughter back to show her, her country.