RAIL
Metro
Yerevan's Metro system is small, with just ten stops on a single line. But it's efficient, especially during rush hour when downtown is gridlocked. The standard fare for a ride is ֏100 ($0.21), regardless of distance traveled. To purchase a metro token ('zheton'), approach the booth at your station and pay the attendant (coins only). Trains run about every eight minutes between the hours of 7:00 AM and 11:00 PM. And unlike Yerevan's bus and marshrutka network, the Metro is integrated into Google Maps. Just check directions by public transit for more information.
Trains
Armenia's rail network is run by the South Caucasus Railway. It links Yerevan with Gyumri, Yeraskh, Myasnikyan, Hrazdan, Lake Sevan, and Georgia (the country), as well as smaller towns and cities along each line. Service is split into high and low seasons, but finding information on each is challenging, so let's break it down.
Yerevan's Railway Station ('Yerevani Yerkatughayin Kayaran') neighbors the Sasuntsi Davit Bus Station and is accessible by Metro via Sasuntsi Davit station. It serves all intercity lines except trains bound for Sevan, which depart from Yerevan's Kanaker-Zeytun Station ('Kanaker-Zeytun Kayaran') just 20 minutes north of downtown (via taxi).
To Gyumri
Trains to Gyumri run daily, regardless of season. The route is serviced by Soviet-era commuter cars that depart Yerevan Railway Station at 7:55 AM, 2:25 PM and 6:25 PM. In the opposite direction, Yerevan-bound trains depart Gyumri at 7:45 AM, 11:55 AM and 6:15 PM. The journey takes about three hours and ten minutes in either direction and stops at 13 stations along the way. Tickets cost just ֏1,000 ($2.01) and can be purchased directly at both stations. Just arrive 20 minutes early to purchase them (cash preferred).
On Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, service to/from Gyumri is extended aboard a modern express train, cutting travel time to just two hours and ten minutes. It departs Yerevan at 9:15 AM, arriving in Gyumri at 11:25 AM. The same train then returns to Yerevan later in the evening, departing Gyumri at 5:55 PM. Tickets for express service cost ֏2,500 ($5.22) each way.
To Georgia (Tbilisi/Batumi)
Sleeper trains to Georgia vary by season. During low season (late September to mid-June), service to Tbilisi from Yerevan is only offered on even days of the month (i.e. the 12th, 14th, 16th, etc.). The journey takes about ten and a half hours, including stops and border control. This train departs Yerevan Railway Station at 9:30 PM and arrives in Tbilisi at 7:50 AM the next morning. You can catch it from Gyumri (12:10 AM) or Vanadzor (1:48 AM) as well if Tbilisi is your final destination.
In the opposite direction, service to Yerevan from Tbilisi during low season is only offered on odd days of the month (i.e. the 11th, 13th, 15th, etc.). This train departs Tbilisi's Central Station at 8:20 PM and arrives in Yerevan just before 7:00 AM the next morning. You can catch it from Vanadzor (2:20 AM) or Gyumri (3:50 AM) as well if Yerevan is your final destination.
During high season (mid-June to late September), service along the Yerevan-Tbilisi line continues all the way to Batumi (Georgia's Black Sea resort town) and operates daily in both directions. This train departs Yerevan Railway Station at 3:30 PM, arriving in Tbilisi at 12:12 AM then Batumi at 7:10 AM the next morning. In the opposite direction, the Yerevan-bound train departs Batumi at 3:35 PM, arriving in Tbilisi at 9:40 PM then Yerevan at 7:25 AM the next morning. Travel time is approximately 15 hours and 30 minutes in either direction, including stops and border control.
There are three fare classes aboard Georgia-bound trains:
-First ('Spalny Vagon'), which sleeps two in private cabins,
-Second ('Kupye'), which sleeps four in private cabins, and
-Third ('Platskart'), which offers cabin-less sleepers arranged around an open floor plan.
Clean linens and pillows are provided across all classes 15 minutes into your journey, as well as complementary tea and coffee. But food is not offered so you'll have to pack your own, along with plenty of water. Each car has a restroom, but don't expect much luxury from 30 year-old trains either. While they're kept relatively clean, their age shines through, particularly in the restroom. If you're a locomotive enthusiast, though, you'll enjoy the experience nevertheless.
Ticket prices vary by fare class and destination. They fluctuate by a thousand Drams or so each season as well but tend to hover around the figures below.
To purchase a ticket, head to Yerevan Railway Station three or four days prior to departure. In Kupye and Platskart classes, you'll be offered two fare types: upper ('verev') or lower ('nerqev'), denoting the position of your sleeper/bunk. Lower bunks cost slightly more, but not by much. Select the fare class and bunk of your choice, then pay the attendant in cash. Note that private cabins are only truly private if all bunks (whether it's two in Spalny Vagon or four in Kupye) are paid for by a single party. So, if for example you were traveling in a group of three, you'd have to pay for a fourth bunk in Kupye to have a cabin all to yourselves.
To Sevan
Trains to the town of Sevan (neighbors Sevanavank and Lake Sevan) run on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays during high season (mid-June to late September) only. The route is serviced by a modern express train that departs Yerevan's not-so-modern Almast Railway Station ('Almast Kayaran') at 8:30 AM. It arrives in Sevan at 10:59 AM and continues on to the town of Shorzha along Lake Sevan's quainter eastern shore, arriving there at 11:28 AM.
The same train departs Shorzha at 5:00 PM then Sevan at 5:25 PM before arriving back in Yerevan at 8:00 PM. Tickets to/from Sevan cost just ֏600 ($1.25) each way; to/from Shorzha, ֏1,000 ($2.01). Since the Almast, Sevan, and Shorzha stations are more like unmanned platforms, tickets for this train in either direction are purchased directly from an attendant on board (cash only).
Trains to Yeraskh, Hrazdan, and Myasnikyan are geared more towards commuters who work in Yerevan but live closer to these neighboring towns.
Areni Wine Festival, 10.2014