Ways to get to Armenia
So finally You have decided to visit Armenia and view its beautiful architectural and historical heritage. Here arises another question "How to get there?". The most convenient transportation is by air. Several choices are available for Europe and former USSR republics, starting from the national carrier of the Republic of Armenia "Armavia" to Aeroflot(Russian International Airlines), KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Swissair, British Airways, Austrian Airlines, etc.
For travelers from US and non European countries there are no direct flights to Armenia so You should do a little research to find out the ways of transportation. I'm not sure but I guess all above mentioned aircraft companies have their offices around the world and maybe contacting with them will solve the small problem, which I'm sure wouldn't stop you from visiting Armenia.You will arrive to rescently reconstructed in compliance with all the latest standards Armenian International Airport "Zvartnots". it is located in about 15-20 minutes drive from Yerevan. Taxi services and buses are available there.
There are also land transportation routes available, but they are not very convenient. So I'll advice you first of all consider Airways. If You will be interested in land routes I'll be happy to share information.
Useful Information
Payments and trade in Armenia are done only using national currency Armenian Dram, but there are a lot of Banks and Currency exchanges available who will Exchange your Dollars, Euros, and most other currencies to Drams.
Available coins are: 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 drams and paper of 1.000, 5.000, 10.000, 20.000 and 50.000 drams. Approximate exchange rate is 300 drams per 1 USD and about 390 drams for 1 Euro. More detailed information is available on official web page of Central Bank of Armenia http://www.cba.am/. Also there are about 23 Banks that will easily serve your Visa & Master Cards. In future posts we will discuss other aspects of staying and traveling in Armenia.
