How to Get to Armenia: Flights & Routes
Airports, airlines, flight times and money-saving tips for reaching Armenia by plane, plus how to arrive overland by train through Georgia.
Armenia has drawn more and more travellers. It is one of the more affordable destinations you can visit, but above all it offers an abundance of sights and things to do. If you’re wondering where to spend your next holiday, Armenia is a country you can choose with your eyes closed, you won’t be disappointed. So how do you actually get there by air? Here’s everything you need to know.
First, a little geography: Armenia sits between Asia and Europe, bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia to the north, Iran to the south, and Azerbaijan to the east. Note that the borders with Turkey and Azerbaijan are closed.
Armenia’s airports
Photo: Serouj · CC BY 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons.
There are two main airports:
- Zvartnots International Airport, in the capital, Yerevan. Modernised to welcome the many thousands of tourists who visit each year, it is architecturally striking and often rated the best airport among the former Soviet states.
- Shirak International Airport, near the city of Gyumri. This is the country’s second-largest airport.
There is also Erebuni Airport near the capital, mostly used by the military and for the very rare internal flights.
Flying in
Numerous airlines connect Europe and the wider world to Yerevan. Depending on where you start, you might fly with Air France, Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Aegean Airlines, Qatar Airways or the low-cost carriers Wizz Air, Ryanair and FlyOne, among many others, from major hubs across Europe.
A direct flight from Paris takes around 4 hours 30 minutes. With one stop, the journey is typically about 6 hours or more; with two stops it can stretch beyond 12 hours.
For your arrival city, choose according to your itinerary. In general, Zvartnots (Yerevan) is recommended, it sits in the centre of the country and makes onward travel easy, which is why the vast majority of visitors land there. A money-saving trick: fly into Zvartnots, tour the country, and fly home from Shirak (Gyumri) at the end.
Arriving by train
You can also reach Armenia overland by train, but only via Georgia. The trains are clean, safe and comfortable, with good onboard service and reasonable fares, and connect neatly with the country’s own rail and road network. Fly into Georgia first, then take the train onward. Routes include:
- Tbilisi → Yerevan: about 10 hours
- Batumi → Yerevan: about 15 hours
Booking a cheap flight
To find an affordable fare, book at least a week ahead and compare prices using online flight-comparison tools, increasingly the traveller’s best friend.
March is generally the cheapest month to visit. High season runs July to September, when fares climb sharply, see our guide to the best time to visit Armenia to weigh price against weather. If you’d rather not deal with the details, a reputable travel agency can handle your booking and often find the lowest prices. Either way, it pays to shop around, contact three to five agencies and compare their offers before you commit.
Plan your visit
Once your flights are sorted, the rest is the fun part. Build your own itinerary or book an all-inclusive tour with us, and read our practical guide to Armenia to arrive fully prepared.
