We suggest arriving at least a few days before the wedding (around September 10th) so you can get acclimated to the time change, and staying a few days after the wedding (around September 18th) to get a chance to visit some of the amazing sites Armenia has to offer. There is SO much to see and do, if you choose to stay longer, we promise you won't regret it! If you are traveling from the US, we suggest booking your flight with 1-2 layovers. The most common stops being Warsaw, Paris, Doha, and Munich.
We highly recommend you stay in central Yerevan, where the streets are always bustling with locals and tourists exploring the city by foot. Central Yerevan is extremely safe and totally walkable, so you can enjoy the city at all hours without worrying about renting a car or finding transportation. For Airbnb, we suggest booking a place near Freedom Square, Martiros Saryan St, or Cascade Complex - all of these locations are very nice and walking distance to an endless number of cafes and restaurants. If you are interested in staying in a hotel we recommend staying at the following hotels: Tufenkian Heritage Hotel (48 Hanrapetutyan St) - use code: "GHWed" Grand Hotel Yerevan (14 Abovyan St) - use code: "Greg and Hasmik" The Alexander Yerevan (3, 4 street Abovyan St) use code: "G&H2024" Marriott Hotel Yerevan (1 Amiryan St) - use corp code: "E4000"
For anything further than a 15 minute walk, you can download the Yandex app on your phone and simply enter your pickup/drop-off location. It functions exactly like Uber, showing you a map of your full journey, estimated arrival time, and total payment amount. The only difference is that you have the option to pay in cash at the end of your ride.
Exchanging currency is a very common occurrence in Armenia. In fact most supermarkets have a booth at their front entrance to exchange Dollars/Euros to Armenian Drams. Alternatively, you can also exchange cash at any local bank or use ATMs to withdraw Drams directly from your debit account. Regardless of where you choose to convert your money, the exchange rate should be clearly posted and you should receive a printed receipt of your transaction. Please keep in mind that you may be asked for photo ID (passport).
Please take a look at the "Things to Do" page to get information about the best sites to see while you're in Armenia. For the sites listed that are outside of Yerevan, we recommend using Hyur Service to book a tour. They provide English speaking guides and roundtrip transportation. https://hyurservice.com/en Alternatively, if you feel comfortable getting around without an English speaking guide, you can simply order a ride on the Yandex app to whatever destination you desire.
Food is a BIG part of Armenian culture, so we're happy to share some of our favorite places to eat and drink in Yerevan: Coffeeshops: Ground Zero Specialty Coffee - 1 Martiros Saryan St Lumen Coffee - 3A Teryan St Mirzoyan Library - 10 Mher Mkrtchyan St AfroLab Specialty Coffee Roasters - 40 Pushkin St Sweets: Grand Candy - 54/92-93, Mesrop Mashtots Ave Casual Dining & Fast Food: Lahmajun Gaidz - 9, 9 Tumanyan St Bar B.Q. - 40 Pushkin St Zatar Pizza - Hanrapetutyan 24, Mher Mkrtchyan St Mer Taghe - 21, 1 Tumanyan St SET - 15 Martiros Saryan St Sit-Down Restaurants: Lavash Restaurant - 21 Tumanyan St Anteb - 30 Yeznik Koghbatsi St Sherep Restaurant - 1 Amiryan St Tavern Yerevan - 91 Teryan St Sirelis - 25 Pushkin St Dalan Art Gallery and Restaurant - 12 Abovyan St Drinks: Minas - 40 Pushkin St Bar Phoenīx - 10 Abovyan St In Vino - 6 Martiros Saryan St Dargett Craft Beer - 72 Aram Street Grocery: Yerevan City - 22 Mesrop Mashtots Ave SAS - 31 Tumanyan St