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Travel and Tourism in Armenia
Travel alerts, currency, climate, transit, health, and safety information for visitors to Armenia.
Practical Information
Travel alert status, currency, climate, and transit details.
- Travel Alert Status
- Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution
- Time Difference
- UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
- Currency
- 492.7
- Climate
- The climate is highland continental. It is dry, with an average of 550mm (21.6 inches) in annual rainfall. In the Ararat Valley, where Yerevan is located, there is far less rain; with an average range of from 200mm to 250mm (7.9 to 10 inches). Seasonal extremes are pronounced in the Ararat Valley. Temperatures can approach the record summer high of 42°C (107.6°F) or plunge towards the record winter low of -30°C (-22°F). Mean temperatures are more temperate, however. July readings give an average high range of from 25°C (77°F) to 30°C (86°F). The January low range averages from -5°C (23°F) to -7°C (19°F). Autumns are long and golden; Armenia enjoys around 2700 hours of sunshine each year. Drought is a perennial problem.
- Language(s) Spoken
- Armenian (official) 97.9%, Kurmanji (spoken by Yezidi minority) 1%, other 1.1%; note - Russian is widely spoken
- Ethnic Groups
- Armenian 98.1%, Yezidi 1.1%, other 0.8%
- National Holiday
- Independence Day, 21 September (1991)
- Geographic Coordinates
- 40 00 N, 45 00 E
- Location
- Southwestern Asia, between Turkey (to the west) and Azerbaijan
- Airports
- 17
Destinations
Regions and cities, top sights, national parks, UNESCO sites, and festivals for visitors.
Yerevan: The Pink City
Yerevan is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The site has been occupied since at least the 8th century BC, when the Urartian king Argishti I built the fortress of Erebuni in 782 BC, and the name Yerevan derives directly from that ancient Urartian name. A city of approximately 1.1 million people, Yerevan is dramatically larger than any other Armenian city and accounts for roughly a third of the country's total population. It has a character unlike any other city in the region: simultaneously ancient and deeply Soviet in its urban form, with a contemporary layer of cafes, restaurants, galleries, and nightlife that has been growing rapidly in the 21st century.
The nickname Pink City comes from the volcanic tuff stone used in so many of its buildings. Tuff is a porous volcanic rock that occurs in several colors across Armenia, and the buildings of Yerevan are constructed primarily from the pink, beige, and apricot-colored varieties quarried in the surrounding region.
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Health and Safety
Medical facilities, vaccinations, disease risk, and sanitation conditions.
Though there are many competent physicians in Armenia, medical care facilities are limited, especially outside the major cities. The U.S. Embassy maintains a list of English-speaking physicians in the area. Most prescription medications are available, but the quality varies. Elderly travelers and those with existing health problems may be at risk due to inadequate medical facilities.
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