Armenia on a budget: how to do it well
Short answer
Yes, Armenia is very good for budget travel. Allow about AMD 25,000 (roughly €60) per person per day: around AMD 10,000 for a hostel or guesthouse bed, AMD 8,000 for food, AMD 3,000 for sights and AMD 4,000 for transport.
A realistic daily budget
| Budget | Mid-range | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed (per person, sharing) | AMD10,000 | AMD20,000 | AMD50,000 |
| Food & drink | AMD8,000 | AMD15,000 | AMD30,000 |
| Sights & tickets | AMD3,000 | AMD8,000 | AMD15,000 |
| Local transport | AMD4,000 | AMD12,000 | AMD30,000 |
| Per person, per day | AMD25,000 | AMD55,000 | AMD125,000 |
Approximate 2026 prices, two people sharing a room. From our Armenia day-cost table.
Free things to do
- Walk up the Cascade in Yerevan: the outdoor sculptures and the indoor escalators are free, with views to Mount Ararat on clear mornings.
- Geghard Monastery, partly carved into the cliff, charges no entry.
- Khor Virap, the monastery facing Mount Ararat, is free, including the pit where Saint Gregory was held.
- The Genocide Memorial and Museum at Tsitsernakaberd is free.
- Haghpat and Sanahin, the UNESCO monasteries of the Debed canyon, are free (donations welcome).
- Browse the Vernissage open-air market and watch the singing fountains on Republic Square on summer evenings.
Cheap eats
- Fresh lavash and cheese from a bakery or market: about AMD 500-1,000.
- Khorovats (grilled meat) with salads and lavash at a local restaurant: about AMD 6,000-10,000 with wine, less without.
- Home-cooked guesthouse dinner in Goris or Dilijan: about AMD 5,000-6,000.
- Sevan trout (ishkhan) at a lakeside restaurant: about AMD 5,000-8,000.
- A glass of Armenian wine on Saryan Street: from about AMD 1,500.
Where to sleep for less
Budget travellers stay in hostels around Republic Square and Kentron in Yerevan, and in family guesthouses in Goris, Dilijan and Gyumri. Expect roughly AMD 10,000-20,000 for a double in a simple guesthouse (breakfast often included), and less for a hostel dorm bed.
Getting around cheaply
In Yerevan, the metro costs about AMD 100 and app taxis AMD 600-1,500 across the centre. From Zvartnots airport, an app taxi takes 20-25 minutes and costs AMD 3,000-5,000. Between towns, marshrutkas from the Kilikia and Northern bus stations cost AMD 1,000-3,000, and shared group tours are the cheapest way to reach monasteries with no regular buses.
A sample budget day
- Morning: Republic Square and the Matenadaran manuscript museum (about AMD 2,500).
- Lunch: lavash, cheese, herbs and a coffee from a bakery or café (about AMD 1,500-2,000).
- Afternoon: climb the Cascade (free) and visit the Genocide Memorial by app taxi (free entry, taxi about AMD 1,000 each way).
- Evening: khorovats dinner near the Opera and the singing fountains on Republic Square (about AMD 5,000-6,000).
- Total: about AMD 25,000 with a hostel bed
More ways to save
- Base yourself in Yerevan for day trips to Garni, Geghard, Khor Virap and Etchmiadzin, which saves on moving between hotels.
- Ask your guesthouse to arrange a shared driver with other guests; it often costs less per person than a tour.
- Carry some cash in dram for village guesthouses, wineries and marshrutkas, which may not take cards.
- Visit the Vernissage on a weekend for souvenirs, and compare prices across stalls before buying carpets or brandy.
- Book the night in Goris rather than doing Tatev as a 13-hour day trip: you save the tiring return drive and guesthouses are cheap.
- Look at the shared taxi to Tbilisi (about 5-6 hours via the Debed canyon) if you are continuing to Georgia: it doubles as a sightseeing trip.
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Common questions
Can I see the monasteries without a car?
Yes. Shared group tours from Yerevan cost AMD 8,000-25,000 per person, and marshrutkas reach towns such as Sevan and Dilijan; remote sites are easier with a tour or a shared driver.
Are the monasteries free?
Most are: Geghard, Khor Virap, Noravank, Haghpat, Sanahin and Haghartsin charge no entry. Garni temple (about AMD 1,500) and Zvartnots (about AMD 2,000) are ticketed.
How much is a taxi from Yerevan airport?
About AMD 3,000-5,000 with an app taxi, for a 20-25 minute ride to the centre.