Armenia Landmarks

Best time to go to Armenia

The autumn (September-October) is probably the most beautiful season in Armenia, with long, warm days, cold nights and autumn-colored forests. The time from April to June is also good, but the weather can change quickly during this time. If you want to avoid winter cold, any time from May to October is fine. If you want to ski in Armenia, you can do it in the small but fast growing resort in Tsaghkadzor, 40 minutes by car north of Yerevan. December to March is the best time to ski.

Money

National currency: 1 Armenian dram corresponds to 100 luma

In Armenia, prices are sometimes still given in US dollars, but officially shops are not allowed to accept foreign currency, the daily exchange rate for the drama is calculated. Larger shops also have their own exchange offices.

Currency abbreviation: AMD – ABBREVIATIONFINDER.ORG

banknotes are issued in the value of 1,000, 5,000, 10,000, 20,000, 50,000 and 100,000 dram, coins in amounts of 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 dram.

Exchange rate:
October 2009
1 US dollar = 385 dram
1 euro = 566 dram
1 Swiss franc = 375 dram

Currency exchange:
Foreign currencies are exchanged by exchange offices (in all major cities and at airports), banks and in numerous hotels and shops. The most popular currencies are US dollars (newer banknotes), euros and Russian rubles, and Georgian lari in border regions with Georgia. Other currencies are only exchanged by some banks in Yerevan. When exchanging excess dram, the euro or dollar banknotes should be checked for authenticity

Cash: Visitors in Armenia are advised to have enough small change with them when paying, as larger banknotes cannot be exchanged, especially in markets.

Credit Cards: Major credit cards are only accepted by some upscale restaurants, hotels, and shops. Outside of the capital, in particular, there are always technical difficulties that make it difficult to pay with a credit card.

ATMs: There are numerous ATMs in Yerevan (especially from the HSBC bank) that are connected to either the Plus or Maestro systems. HSBC machines also issue US dollars. All major cities have ATMs, but sometimes it is difficult to find them. Despite the ATMs, money supply is currently very limited, especially outside the capital. you should always have enough cash with you when traveling.

Transfer: Since the end of August 2008, banks in Armenia have no longer participated in the “Western Union” money transfer system. Alternative providers include Anelik, MoneyGram, Private Money and Unistream.

Armenian banks are usually connected to the SWIFT network. If a transfer is planned, it is recommended that you check with the receiving bank before traveling to Armenia to see whether money can be transferred there and which data (e.g. SWIFT code) is required. A SWIFT transfer to an Armenian bank usually takes 2 to 3 days.

Traveler’s checks should be in US dollars. However, they are only accepted by some shops and hotels and cannot be recommended for Armenia.

Bank opening times: Mon – Fri 9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. Exchange offices are open much longer, often until midnight.

Armenia Sightseeing Places

Sightseeing

Armenia is an interesting country that is very popular with tourists because it has a large number of different sights and attractions to offer.

So you shouldn’t miss the city of Yerevan (Yerevan). The city is located on the Rasdan River and is the capital of Armenia. It was founded about 2,800 years ago and is therefore one of the oldest cities in the world.
To the west you can see Mount Ararat from the city with a clear view. The mountain is also called the mountain of fate of the Armenians by the locals. Noah is said to have landed on this mountain after a long journey with Noah’s ark. Ararat belongs to Turkey today.
The city itself has some historic buildings to offer, although a large part of them in the old town were demolished in the 1930s.
The newer buildings from the middle of the twentieth century consist primarily of red, pink and yellow tufa, as well as gray basalt. The highlights of Yerevan are the mighty temple complex, the cascade and also the Haghtanak park with the victory monument.

Armenia Landmarks

Also worth a visit is the city of Echmiadzin, which is close to Yerevan. Between 180 and 340 AD, Echmiadzin was the capital of Armenia and is still the religious center of the country today. There are many important religious buildings of the Armenians to see in Echmiadzin.

Those who spend their vacation in Armenia should not miss the basilica in Aparan. The fourth century church is the oldest in the country.

The basilica of Odsun is also worth seeing. The dome basilica was built in the sixth century. Some structural changes were later made. The fortress monastery Vorotavank from the tenth century is also worth a visit.

An absolute highlight of the sights in Armenia is the cemetery in Noratus. In the cemetery there are numerous cross stones from the seventh to seventeenth centuries. These are decorated with a flower cross, sunshade and the representation of the tree of life, as well as various ornaments.

The pagan sun temple in Garni should not be missed. The temple was actually built in the first century AD in a Hellenistic style. It was restored not too long ago. Near the temple, archaeologists found a Roman bath house with a well-preserved mosaic floor in the ground.

The Echmiadzin Cathedral is also worth a visit. The cathedral is a prime example of classic Armenian architecture. It was built in 303 AD on the remains of a pagan temple and is one of the oldest Christian churches in the world.

Other old religious buildings are the Church of St. Gayane, the Church of St. Hripsime and the Church of St. Schoghakath. The three Kichen Karmarawor, Tschiranawor and Spitakawor in Aschtarak are also worth a visit. All three churches were built between the fifth and seventh centuries.

An absolute must is a visit to Geghard Monastery, some thirty-five kilometers east of Yerevan. The monastery buildings are located in a gorge and were carved out of the rock face in the thirteenth century. Since there are very valuable carvings and stone carvings to be seen here, the monastery was added to the list of UNESCO World Cultural Heritage some time ago.

Armenia has a long list of other monasteries and various religious buildings worth seeing.

A visit to Erebuni Fortress in Yerevan will certainly be interesting. The Urartean fortress dates from the eighth century BC and some time later became the city’s namesake.

Art lovers in particular should not miss the National Art Gallery in Yerevan. The gallery was founded in 1921 and shows over 16,000 works from the Middle Ages to the present day.

Matenadaran in Yerevan is something special. There is a valuable and old collection of over fourteen thousand Armenian books and manuscripts on display. Some of these pieces even date from ancient times and are therefore among the oldest in the world.

Also worth seeing is the Children’s Art Gallery in Yerevan. There are over 100,000 works of art by children between the ages of three and sixteen to be seen from over a hundred and thirty countries.

In the Yerevan Historical Museum you can learn about the history of Armenia from prehistory to the present. There are numerous exhibits from the different eras of the time to see.

The list of historical buildings in Armenia is long. Tourists interested in culture will definitely not miss out.

Nature lovers will definitely get their money’s worth in Armenia. Under no circumstances should these be missed by Jermouk. Jermouk is a health resort with an altitude of 2100 meters. The spa has hot mineral springs that can be used for relaxation.

The nature reserve in Tawusch largely consists of forests. Here you can see up to two hundred and fifty different bird species. Lake Sevan is also a popular destination. It has an altitude of 2,000 meters and is located in the middle of the mountains.

Zoratz Karer is the highlight of all sights in Armenia. It is a very interesting historical formation of 204 upright stones arranged in a circle. The estimated age goes back to the Bronze Age. You can visit prehistoric cave tombs near Zoratz Karer.