Getting around Armenia: trains, buses, driving and domestic flights

Armenia is small but mountainous. Yerevan to Goris is roughly 4–5 hours by road, and most of the famous monasteries sit off the main highways, so the honest question is not "bus or car" but "how many stops do you want in one day".

If you are staying in Yerevan and doing day trips, marshrutkas and taxis cover Lake Sevan, Garni–Geghard and Dilijan cheaply. If you want three or four monasteries in a single loop, or you are heading to Syunik, a car with driver removes the waiting. Self-drive only makes sense if you are comfortable with mountain roads, unlit stretches and limited English signage.

Marshrutkas are the backbone of intercity travel: frequent, cheap and leaving when full. From Yerevan, the main departure points are the Northern bus station for northern routes and Kilikia for southern and western ones, but individual routes are split across several stations, so confirm the station before you set out.

Typical runs are Yerevan–Sevan in about an hour, Yerevan–Dilijan in about 1 h 40, and Yerevan–Goris in 4–5 hours. Fares sit in the AMD 700–3,500 band. Luggage goes in the back or on your lap; there is rarely a ticket office, so pay the driver. Services thin out in the evening and on some public holidays.

The railway is useful for two things: Gyumri, roughly 2 h 30 from Yerevan, and the overnight service to Tbilisi. A summer service toward Lake Sevan has run in some years, but treat it as seasonal and confirm before planning around it.

Fares to Gyumri are around AMD 1,500–3,000, and the Tbilisi sleeper runs about AMD 15,000–30,000 depending on class. Departures are few, often one or two a day per route, so check the timetable the day before and arrive early. Buy at the station or online where the operator allows it.

Yerevan taxis through GG or Yandex Go are cheap, usually AMD 600–2,000 across the city, and you can hire the same driver by the hour for a day trip. Agree the price, the stops and the waiting time before you leave, and keep the app record.

A car with driver costs roughly AMD 25,000–50,000 a day and is the least stressful way to reach Geghard, Khor Virap, Tatev or the Syunik monasteries. Self-drive rentals run AMD 20,000–40,000 a day; an international driving permit plus your home licence is the usual requirement, and mountain roads, winter ice and livestock on the road are the real hazards. Near the Azerbaijan border, stay on marked roads and follow your government's travel advice.

Inside Yerevan there is one metro line plus a bus and trolleybus network, with fares around AMD 100–200 per ride and card or app payment rolling out. For most visitor routes the metro is less useful than a taxi, which is cheap enough that two people often pay less than two bus tickets plus the walk.

Armenia has no domestic flight network worth planning around. Shirak airport at Gyumri is listed as planned for future use, and Zvartnots at Yerevan handles international arrivals about 12 km from the centre, 20–45 minutes by car to Kentron. For Tatev, the Wings of Tatev cable car is the attraction itself: 5.7 km, about 12 minutes, roughly AMD 7,000–8,000 return, and it closes on some Mondays or for maintenance, so check before you drive down.

Carry small AMD notes for marshrutkas and taxis; card acceptance is patchy outside Yerevan. Mobile data is cheap and useful for maps and ride apps, so sort an eSIM before you land. Mountain roads can be foggy or icy from late autumn to early spring, and some monastery access roads are steep and unpaved.

Tap water in Yerevan is generally considered drinkable, and public fountains along roads are common. Museums often close on Mondays, so build travel days around that. If you are driving yourself, make sure your travel insurance covers rental vehicles and mountain driving before you pick up the keys.

There is no national rail or bus pass for visitors. Yerevan has a city transport card and app-based payment, but it does not extend to intercity marshrutkas, which are paid in cash to the driver. For repeated day trips, the closest thing to a pass is hiring a driver for several days at a negotiated daily rate, which usually beats buying individual transfers.