Armenia Attraction Tours and Tickets

Before you go: Britain’s FCDO advises against all travel within 5 km of Armenia’s eastern border with Azerbaijan, and on the M16/H26 road between Ijevan and Noyemberyan. The US lists Armenia at Level 2 and warns against travel to the Azerbaijan border region. The tours here take place elsewhere, yet the current wording at gov.uk and travel.state.gov is worth reading, and drivers heading to Tatev should stay on main roads in Syunik.

Most of Armenia’s guided attraction visits are sold by the venue itself, at the ticket desk or by phone, rather than through a tour company. That keeps prices fixed and in Armenian dram (AMD), though foreign-language guides cost more than Armenian-language ones. Dollar equivalents below use roughly 370 to 390 AMD to the dollar and are only a guide.

What to ask before you book

  • Which language the guide speaks, because the fee often changes with it.
  • Whether entry is included. At the Matenadaran and the History Museum the tour fee is charged on top of the ticket.
  • Group size, since several venues set one price for up to 10 people and a higher one beyond that.
  • Whether the day is a closing day. Mondays are shut at nearly every museum listed here.

Museum tours, venue by venue

Matenadaran, 53 Mashtots Avenue. A guide for up to 10 people costs 5,000 AMD (about $13) in Armenian or a foreign language; groups of 11 or more pay 7,000 AMD. Tickets are extra at 2,000 AMD for adults. Doors are open Tuesday to Saturday, 10:00 to 17:50. Prices sit on the official page .

History Museum of Armenia. Guides charge 4,000 AMD in Armenian and 5,000 AMD in Russian, English or French. The permanent exhibition is 2,500 AMD, and the separate exhibition on myths, cults and cosmology is 4,000 AMD. It opens 11:00 to 18:00 Tuesday to Saturday and 11:00 to 17:00 on Sunday, with last entry 45 minutes before closing, and stays shut on Monday. See the hours and admission page .

Parajanov Museum. A foreign-language tour is 5,000 AMD, and an audio guide in a foreign language is 3,000 AMD. Armenian equivalents cost 2,000 AMD and 1,000 AMD. Admission is 1,500 AMD, and the museum opens every day from 10:30 to 18:00. Confirm at the museum’s ticket page .

Cafesjian Center at the Cascade. Tours cost 10,000 AMD per group and need advance booking. You pay nothing to enter the building, and the galleries open Friday to Sunday from 10:00 to 20:00. See cafesjian.mus.am .

National Gallery of Armenia. On Republic Square, it holds a large Aivazovsky collection, reported as the second biggest after the one in Feodosia. Hedge the numbers: adult entry is about 2,500 AMD, with tours at about 4,000 AMD in Armenian and 5,000 AMD in a foreign language, and the gallery opens Tuesday to Saturday from 11:00 to 18:00 and until about 17:00 on Sunday. These come from search summaries of its visit page , so check before you go.

Brandy factory visit

The Yerevan Brandy Company, which makes ARARAT, offers visits and tastings at 2 Admiral Isakov Avenue. You must book ahead, and tasters have to be 18 or older. The company’s website is the place for the price list. Third-party listings advertise tastings from about $35, which is a rough guide at best.

Wings of Tatev as a ticketed ride

Treat the cable car as an attraction with its own ticket: 5,752 m, about 12 minutes, and 6,500 AMD one way between March and November. Buy at the operator’s site or at the Halidzor station. If a Yerevan tour includes it, ask whether the fare is inside the price. The mountain drive south takes 4.5 to 5.5 hours each way, so many visitors split it with a night in Goris.

Tsitsernakaberd, the Armenian Genocide Memorial and Museum

The memorial and museum stand at 8/8 Tsitsernakaberd Highway above Yerevan, and entry is free, with donations welcome. Guided tours are booked by phone, as far as 60 days ahead. A tour in Armenian costs 5,000 AMD for one to 10 visitors; in Russian, English, French or German it is 7,000 AMD for one to 10 visitors and 10,000 AMD for 10 to 20. The museum does not offer guided tours to anyone under 13. The museum is closed on Mondays, hours change with the season, and the details are on the official visitor page . Wear quiet, respectful clothing and follow the photography notices at the entrance.

Operators that sell packages

Hyur Service, One Way Tour and Armenian Geographic (ArmGeo) all sell country tours, and the ArmGeo rafting page lists a Debed package priced for the whole group, not per person. Compare what is bundled: tickets, lunch, driver waiting time and guide language. For city and brandy packages, try Viator .

Read more: Day trips in Armenia and the 2 day Armenia itinerary .