Armenia is a favorite destination for many Iranians. They visit Armenia to spend holidays here, many also come for business trips. Some Iranians want to see the country and it would be natural if many tour agencies provided Persian tours in Yerevan. Surprisingly, this is not the case. You will not believe it! I found only one, only one agency that provides Persian tours in Yerevan. This is unbelievable! But no worries… I also found a resource page for you where you can learn anything about Armenia in Farsi.
Go ahead and read this blog post. I will cover the main questions you might have as an Iranian traveler in Armenia. And if you find this blogpost helpful, ping me on Twitter or Instagram with #ArmeniaTravelTips.
Persian Tours in Yerevan and beyond
Hyur Service
I was so disappointed to know that almost no tour agency organizes Persian tours in Yerevan. Luckily, I found Hyur Service. This is one of the leading tour agencies in Yerevan and they organize tours in Farsi. The fact is that Iranians rarely apply to the tour agency in groups. Rather, as the agency representative said, they organize individual tours in Farsi with the help of a Farsi-speaking tour guide. So, if you are an Iranian in Armenia and you want to take a tour in Farsi, Hyur Service is where you go. At least for now it’s the only option.
Why do travelers, including Iranians, love Hyur Service? This tour agency offers a much broader range of services than a typical agency would. Here, you can find accommodation, transportation as well as a meeting space if you are on a business trip. Their website is quite detailed with everything you need to know – from prices to planned tour programs.
According to Hyur Service, the most favorite places that travelers visit are Garni Temple, Geghard Monastery, Haghartsin Monastery, Khor Virap Monastery, Lake Sevan, and Tatev Monastery. This list may be continued, of course. But they pointed these locations out as the most favorite ones among their clients, including visitors from Iran.
If you are interested in a specific tour, all you need is to call Hyur Service and arrange a tour in Farsi.
Iranian Armenia – a resourceful contact in Armenia in Farsi
Iranian Armenia is not a tour agency, but they certainly represent a great resource for those who’re looking to explore Armenia while only speaking Farsi. They provide a wide range of services for all Iranians visiting Armenia. This Iranian-Armenian team has more than 18 years of experience working in Yerevan, assisting Iranian travelers and businesses visiting our country.
Their website also presents a lot of useful info about visiting Armenia, and it’s in Farsi. Obviously, that’s a great free resource for those who want to organize their trip on their own. You can find all kinds of information there, including:
- accommodation,
- transportation,
- payment options,
- living and migrating in Armenia,
- company registration in Armenia,
- car rental and more.
Hopefully, the team will assist you whether you are doing business in Armenia or just traveling here. Reach out to them to know more about Armenia and how things work here.
What to know if you are traveling to Armenia from Iran?
Entry requirements
Do Iranian citizens need a visa to enter Armenia?
Citizens of Iran with all types of passports are not required to hold a visa when traveling to Armenia. The temporary suspension of the visa-free travel between Armenia and Iran introduced in 2020 came to an end on May 31. As of the current date, the Iranian travelers can enter, pass through and stay in Armenia without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. In any case, if you’re looking for the most up-to-date info from official government sources, here is my blog post on Armenia’s visa policy. You can find some useful links there.
Money
What currency to take with you if you travel to Armenia?
It is best to bring US dollars or Euros with you. You will have no problems with exchanging the money at exchange shops or banks here in Armenia. However, you will have trouble paying with US dollars or Euros as shops mainly take only Armenian drams. So, bringing USD or EUR and exchanging the money into AMD is the right way to go when visiting Armenia.
Do Iranian bank cards work in Armenia?
Unfortunately, Iranian cards (issued by Iranian banks) do not work in Armenia. So, you won’t be able to withdraw cash using your Iranian card in local ATMs in Armenia. Therefore, be sure to take enough cash with you when you visit from Iran.
Transport
There are 3 ways to get from Iran to Armenia – by bus, by car, or by plane. The cheapest way to travel is by bus which costs about $65 and it takes about 22 hours to travel. This is pretty good if you think that you will travel some 1000 km, depending on where you start your journey in Iran.
But if you want to cut the hours spent on the road, you should definitely take a car. It takes approximately 11h 30 min to drive from Tehran to the border of Armenia. And then, if you want to visit Yerevan, for example, you’ll need to drive for another 5-6 hours through Armenia.
If you prefer air over land, you should be ready to pay about $120 USD for the airplane ticket. This is an approximate price as the price depends on the month of the departure. I advise you to buy your ticket 2-4 months in advance. The price of Iran-Armenia trickers is also higher over the weekends. It’s the cheapest on Wednesday and Thursday.
Here are popular airlines flying from Iran to Armenia.
- Aeroflot Russian Airlines (SU)
- Austrian Airlines (OS)
- Cham Wings Airlines (6Q)
- CM Airlines (CC)
- Fly Dubai (FZ)
- Georgian Airways (A9)
- Lufthansa (LH)
- Pegasus Airlines (PC)
- Qatar Airways (QR).
Language
How easy is it to find services in the Iranian language in Armenia?
Although Armenians predominantly don’t speak Farsi, you can find lots of Iranian-Armenians in the country who can assist you if you have a language barrier. You might want to check the Iranahye group page on Facebook to locate an Iranian Armenian to assist you.
Other than that, I have to disappoint those Iranian travelers who don’t speak any English, or at least Russian, cause these are the main languages of the tourism industry in Armenia.
Wrapping up
As an Iranian traveler in Armenia, you may have a hard time if Farsi is the only language that you speak. I imagine if you’re reading this post, that’s not the case. But you might want to warn your Iranian friends who are planning to travel to Armenia and don’t speak English.
However, due to increasing contact between Armenia and Iran, lots of Iranians and Iranian-Armenians are here to assist you. Whether you are a traveler or on a business trip, there are some pretty informed guys and girls who can help you out, as I outlined in this post. Also, I think my Iranian readers might like to learn more about halal food availability in my country and safety of Muslim travelers in Armenia. So, check those links out.
In this blog post, I tried to give you as much info as possible about Persian tours in Yerevan. If you liked it, don’t forget to ping me on Twitter or Instagram with #ArmeniaTravelTips.
Featured image credit: Photo by Levon Vardanyan on Unsplash (edited)
