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Below is a summary of how I entered, whether through a visa or another permitted route.
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As a Nepali passport holder, Armenia normally required an invitation-letter-based visa — an actual person or organisation inside Armenia willing to put their name on the application. That changed when Armenia opened visa-free entry to holders of residence permits from the United States, the EU and Schengen states, and the GCC countries (UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman). I entered visa-free at the Georgia-Armenia land border on the strength of my UAE residence permit — no fee, no form, no invitation letter. The scheme currently runs to 1 July 2027 and allows stays of up to 180 days within a twelve-month period; the permit must be shown as a physical card or a sticker in the passport. Travellers without a qualifying permit can still obtain a visa (including a paid sticker visa at the crossing). These arrangements are renewed rather than permanent, so verify the current rule before you travel.
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| S.No | Date | Details (Notes) | Category | Unit | Cost / Unit | Amount | Currency | Amount (NPR) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jul 21, 2026 | International flight (to Tbilisi) | Transport | 1.00 | 410.00 | 410.00 | AUD | — |
| 2 | Jul 21, 2026 | Tbilisi to Yerevan shared bus | Transport | 1.00 | 50.00 | 50.00 | GEL | — |
| 3 | Jul 21, 2026 | Hostel - night 1 | Accommodation | 1.00 | 6,000.00 | 6,000.00 | AMD | — |
| 4 | Jul 21, 2026 | Dinner (arrival night, ~10pm) | Food & Dining | 1.00 | 1,800.00 | 1,800.00 | AMD | — |
| 5 | Jul 21, 2026 | Bus from bus station to hostel | Transport | 1.00 | 150.00 | 150.00 | AMD | — |
| 6 | Jul 22, 2026 | Hostel - night 2 | Accommodation | 1.00 | 6,000.00 | 6,000.00 | AMD | — |
| 7 | Jul 22, 2026 | Lunch (Yerevan city tour day) | Food & Dining | 1.00 | 2,450.00 | 2,450.00 | AMD | — |
| 8 | Jul 22, 2026 | Charger adapter | Miscellaneous | 1.00 | 4,000.00 | 4,000.00 | AMD | — |
| 9 | Jul 22, 2026 | Taxi: city centre to Armenian Genocide Memorial (GG app) | Transport | 1.00 | 1,530.00 | 1,530.00 | AMD | — |
| 10 | Jul 22, 2026 | Taxi: Genocide Memorial to the Cascade (GG app) | Transport | 1.00 | 2,856.00 | 2,856.00 | AMD | — |
| 11 | Jul 22, 2026 | Dinner (Yerevan city tour day) | Food & Dining | 1.00 | 1,300.00 | 1,300.00 | AMD | — |
| 12 | Jul 23, 2026 | Hostel - night 3 | Accommodation | 1.00 | 3,500.00 | 3,500.00 | AMD | — |
| 13 | Jul 24, 2026 | Hostel - night 4 | Accommodation | 1.00 | 3,500.00 | 3,500.00 | AMD | — |
| 14 | Jul 23, 2026 | Tatev Monastery day trip (tour group) | Activities | 1.00 | 15,000.00 | 15,000.00 | AMD | — |
| 15 | Jul 23, 2026 | Wings of Tatev cable car | Activities | 1.00 | 9,000.00 | 9,000.00 | AMD | — |
| 16 | Jul 23, 2026 | Lunch on Tatev day trip (pricey) | Food & Dining | 1.00 | 6,300.00 | 6,300.00 | AMD | — |
| 17 | Jul 23, 2026 | Bottle of semi-sweet Armenian wine | Miscellaneous | 1.00 | 1,200.00 | 1,200.00 | AMD | — |
| Total | 0.00 |
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The Armenian Dram (AMD) is the currency, roughly 380-400 AMD to 1 USD. Armenia runs largely on cash; carry drams for marshrutkas (shared vans), small shops and rural areas. ATMs are plentiful in Yerevan and cards are accepted in city hotels and restaurants. USD and euros are easy to exchange at the many exchange booths.
Holders of a US, EU/Schengen, or GCC (UAE, Saudi, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman) residence permit enter visa-free for up to 180 days in a 12-month period - no application, shown as a card or passport sticker (scheme runs to 1 July 2027). Others may need an e-visa or embassy visa. The Tbilisi-Yerevan overland crossing is a reliable route if flying direct is difficult.
Marshrutkas (shared minivans) and buses link Yerevan to towns and to Tbilisi (about 6 hours). Yerevan has a small metro plus buses, and the GG and Yandex taxi apps are cheap and reliable in the capital. For monasteries and Lake Sevan, hiring a driver for the day or joining a small-group tour saves time, as rural public transport is limited.
Late spring (May-June) and autumn (September-October) are ideal, with mild weather and clear views of Mount Ararat. Summers are hot in Yerevan and the lowlands but pleasant up at Lake Sevan and Dilijan. Winters are cold and snowy - good for skiing at Tsaghkadzor but harder for monastery day trips.
Armenian has its own unique alphabet. Russian is widely understood and English is common in tourist areas. Buy a cheap local SIM at the airport or in Yerevan (Team/Viva-MTS, Ucom, or Beeline) - data packages are inexpensive with strong coverage in cities and along main roads.
Armenia is one of the safest countries in the region for travellers, with low crime and famously hospitable people. The borders with Azerbaijan and Turkey are closed, and you should avoid the eastern border areas and any conflict-affected zones. Check your government's travel advisory for current guidance on border regions before heading east.
Armenia is affordable and food-proud. Try the local wine from the Areni region (home to one of the world's oldest wineries) and Armenian brandy. Yerevan's tap water is clean and cold - the city is dotted with 'pulpulak' drinking fountains, so bring a bottle and refill for free.
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📍 Tbilisi to Yerevan
My route into Armenia went through Georgia. I flew into Tbilisi and took a shared bus south to Yerevan - about six hours overland - crossing the land border on my UAE residence permit with no visa needed. I reached Yerevan late, around 10 pm, caught a local bus from the station to my hostel, and had a quick dinner before calling it a night.
📍 Yerevan
I spent the day exploring the pink-tuff capital. I visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial (Tsitsernakaberd) on the hill above the city, then made my way to the Cascade Complex - the vast limestone stairway of galleries, fountains and sculpture gardens. The GG taxi app made getting around cheap and easy, with lunch and dinner in the centre between stops.
📍 Tatev, Syunik
A long day trip south with a tour group to Tatev Monastery, a 9th-century complex perched on the edge of the Vorotan Gorge. The highlight was the 'Wings of Tatev' - the world's longest reversible cable car - gliding high over the canyon to reach it. I stopped for lunch along the way and picked up a bottle of semi-sweet Armenian wine before the drive back to Yerevan.
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Armenia's beloved barbecue - chunks of pork, lamb or chicken marinated and grilled over grapevine embers, usually wrapped in warm lavash with grilled vegetables and fresh herbs.
Thin, soft flatbread baked by slapping the dough onto the hot walls of a clay tonir oven. A UNESCO-listed cultural tradition, it accompanies almost every Armenian meal.
Grape or cabbage leaves wrapped around a filling of spiced minced meat and rice, simmered until tender and served with garlic yogurt.
A festive dish of pumpkin hollowed out and stuffed with rice, dried apricots, raisins, nuts and honey, then baked whole until soft and sweet.
A thick, comforting porridge of shredded chicken slow-cooked with wheat into a smooth, savoury paste - traditional home and holiday food.
A sweet, flaky layered pastry with a buttery sugar-and-flour filling, often stamped with decorative patterns and eaten with coffee.
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One of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities, built in warm pink volcanic tuff. Highlights include Republic Square with its musical fountains, the Cascade stairway of galleries and gardens, and lively cafe streets beneath the distant cone of Mount Ararat.
A monastery set on a low hill right against the Turkish border, offering the most iconic view in Armenia - the twin snow-capped peaks of biblical Mount Ararat rising directly behind it. Historically the prison of Gregory the Illuminator.
A classic half-day trip east of Yerevan: the 1st-century Greco-Roman colonnaded Temple of Garni above a dramatic gorge, paired with the UNESCO-listed Geghard Monastery, partly carved directly into the surrounding cliffs.
One of the largest high-altitude freshwater lakes in the world, ringed by mountains at nearly 1,900m. The Sevanavank monastery sits on a peninsula above the blue water, and lakeside stalls serve fresh grilled fish in summer.
A spectacular 9th-century monastery perched on the edge of the deep Vorotan Gorge in the south, reached by the 'Wings of Tatev' - one of the world's longest reversible aerial cable cars, a stunning 12-minute ride over the canyon.
The mother church of the Armenian Apostolic Church and one of the oldest cathedrals in the world, at the spiritual heart of the first nation to adopt Christianity as a state religion. A UNESCO World Heritage Site just west of Yerevan.
Nicknamed 'Armenia's Switzerland,' a forested resort town in a national park of wooded hills, hiking trails and old wooden-balconied houses - a green, cool contrast to the arid lowlands.
The Vayots Dzor region around Areni, home to the Areni-1 cave where archaeologists found the world's oldest known winery (over 6,000 years old). Roadside cellars and family wineries make it a favourite stop for tasting Armenian wine.
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