Practical
Symposium Venue
Armenian State University of Economics
Address: 128 Nalbandyan str., 0025 Yerevan, Armenia http://www.asue.am/en |
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Yerevan City
Downtown Yerevan
Yerevan is the capital of the Republic of Armenia, one of the three hubs of the South Caucasus and is home to over a million people - the largest Armenian community in the world. In Soviet years Yerevan underwent massive reconstruction, following Alexander Tamanyan's (the architect) new plans to make a perfect city - a Neo-Classical wide-avenues-based town resembling Paris, Vienna and Saint Petersburg.
Central Yerevan is a true jewel of early Soviet architecture. She is also home to some large scale Modern and Post-Modern marvels which are mostly the result of Soviet-Armenian architectural megalomania. In Soviet days Yerevan had already become known as the Pink City as much due to the color of the stone used for building as for the flamboyant spirit of her young population.
Central Yerevan is a true jewel of early Soviet architecture. She is also home to some large scale Modern and Post-Modern marvels which are mostly the result of Soviet-Armenian architectural megalomania. In Soviet days Yerevan had already become known as the Pink City as much due to the color of the stone used for building as for the flamboyant spirit of her young population.
Get in
By plane
Zvartnots International Airport (IATA: EVN) is the main gate to Armenia. In 2006, a new terminal was opened, where most arrivals and departures are now based. It remains a smaller airport however, so navigating your way around is easy and fast. Free WiFi access is available in the departure terminal.
Numerous carriers fly to Yerevan aside from Armavia: AirFrance, Lufthansa, Iran Air, Czech Airlines, Austrian Airlines, Aeroflot and the like. Yerevan is connected to all major European and Middle Eastern cities: London, Paris, Amsterdam, Athens, Moscow, Vienna, Berlin, Prague, St Petersburg, Zurich, Minsk, Riga, Kiev, Istanbul, Dubai, Aleppo, Tehran, Beirut and so on. Air Arabia connects Yerevan to the Gulf states, Egypt and India via Sharjah. Armavia reopened the Route Yerevan - Tbilisi - Yerevan again, with two daily flights (July 2011)
Between the airport and the city
Zvartnots is only 14 km from Yerevan city center by road.
A public bus N107 is available during the day-time for about $0,7, which will take you to the Opera House in central Yerevan.
A taxi ride from the airport to the city will cost from AMD 4200 ($10) to the center, and up to 6700($16) for the most distant parts of the city. Some drivers may try to convince you to pay more, but don’t ever believe them, and telling them you will call the police (who will help you) should straighten out any opportunists. Almost 100% taxis are using a taxi meter (sheochik), so, the best if you have local currency with you to pay for the trip.
For your safety, use taxis that are official transporter of Zvartnots Airport - AeroTaxi. [3]. These cars are adapted for passengers' comfortable and safe journey, and in case of losing your baggage, you always know where to find it. Do not agree on a flat fee, but insist on the meter being used (and switched on), even with AeroTaxi. In this cars you'll also finde free wi-fi internet, and payment can be also done by POS terminals.
You can book a taxi on-line and be sure that your driver is waiting certainly for you. You can also book your taxi fare in advance of just appear to AeroTaxi's desk inside the airport, the taxis are just outside the door.
By train
An overnight train runs daily from Tbilisi in Georgia. After departing at 7PM the journey takes twelve hours, estimated arrival time in Yerevan is 7:18AM, however delays are common. Border formalities will be at 11PM, expect it to take some time. The wagons are the standard Soviet era hold-overs but the they're fairly comfortable. Bring your own food and water as there is no restaurant car onboard. Fares starts at 49 laris for second class.
Overnight trains in the winter depart at 20:20 or 22:00, you should check at the station which time is valid for any day. The journey takes approximately 11 hours. The cheapest seating place in "obschij vagon" is 22 lari, but you may find yourself being seated among hundreds of boxes of mandarins and other fruits, since this is one of the ways of moving goods to Armenia.
Notice that during the summer months this train runs from Batumi instead, arriving at 9:40PM in Tbilisi. It takes around 10 hours from there, border formalities are uncomfortably around 2 am. Visas can be bought at the border for 3000AMD or $10. Snacks/water "gifts" will be provided on the train.
By car
Options include arriving into Armenia via Georgia or Iran. A drive to Yerevan from Armenia-Iran border will take approximately 6 hours, and is a great way to explore Southern Armenia, cities like Meghri, Kapan, Goris, Sisian, etc.
Arriving from Georgia will allow you to drive trough Northern Armenia and driving to Yerevan will take 4-5 hours.
Highways are high standard, although sometimes can be narrow (1 line to each direction) due to mountainous terrain.
By bus
You can reach Yerevan by bus from Tbilisi, fare costs 15 lari ($10US) and takes about 12 hours. More expensive is to take a 30 lari ($20 US) marshutka/minibus but it’s much faster at about 5 hours. Sometimes you can take a shared car from Tbilisi as well. Again, a bit more expensive than minibus, but faster and more comfortable. Bus service to Yerevan also is available in Istanbul, or many of the cities on the Black Sea coast of Turkey en route to Yerevan, with a detour through Georgia. In Yerevan some of the bus lines from Turkey are: Karbut Tour: +374-10-54-26-97 and Oz Aybaki +374-10-56-50-03. Yerevan Central Bus Station: Armenia, Yerevan, Tsovakal Isakovi Ave., 6 Building, Tel: +374-10-565370
Zvartnots International Airport (IATA: EVN) is the main gate to Armenia. In 2006, a new terminal was opened, where most arrivals and departures are now based. It remains a smaller airport however, so navigating your way around is easy and fast. Free WiFi access is available in the departure terminal.
Numerous carriers fly to Yerevan aside from Armavia: AirFrance, Lufthansa, Iran Air, Czech Airlines, Austrian Airlines, Aeroflot and the like. Yerevan is connected to all major European and Middle Eastern cities: London, Paris, Amsterdam, Athens, Moscow, Vienna, Berlin, Prague, St Petersburg, Zurich, Minsk, Riga, Kiev, Istanbul, Dubai, Aleppo, Tehran, Beirut and so on. Air Arabia connects Yerevan to the Gulf states, Egypt and India via Sharjah. Armavia reopened the Route Yerevan - Tbilisi - Yerevan again, with two daily flights (July 2011)
Between the airport and the city
Zvartnots is only 14 km from Yerevan city center by road.
A public bus N107 is available during the day-time for about $0,7, which will take you to the Opera House in central Yerevan.
A taxi ride from the airport to the city will cost from AMD 4200 ($10) to the center, and up to 6700($16) for the most distant parts of the city. Some drivers may try to convince you to pay more, but don’t ever believe them, and telling them you will call the police (who will help you) should straighten out any opportunists. Almost 100% taxis are using a taxi meter (sheochik), so, the best if you have local currency with you to pay for the trip.
For your safety, use taxis that are official transporter of Zvartnots Airport - AeroTaxi. [3]. These cars are adapted for passengers' comfortable and safe journey, and in case of losing your baggage, you always know where to find it. Do not agree on a flat fee, but insist on the meter being used (and switched on), even with AeroTaxi. In this cars you'll also finde free wi-fi internet, and payment can be also done by POS terminals.
You can book a taxi on-line and be sure that your driver is waiting certainly for you. You can also book your taxi fare in advance of just appear to AeroTaxi's desk inside the airport, the taxis are just outside the door.
By train
An overnight train runs daily from Tbilisi in Georgia. After departing at 7PM the journey takes twelve hours, estimated arrival time in Yerevan is 7:18AM, however delays are common. Border formalities will be at 11PM, expect it to take some time. The wagons are the standard Soviet era hold-overs but the they're fairly comfortable. Bring your own food and water as there is no restaurant car onboard. Fares starts at 49 laris for second class.
Overnight trains in the winter depart at 20:20 or 22:00, you should check at the station which time is valid for any day. The journey takes approximately 11 hours. The cheapest seating place in "obschij vagon" is 22 lari, but you may find yourself being seated among hundreds of boxes of mandarins and other fruits, since this is one of the ways of moving goods to Armenia.
Notice that during the summer months this train runs from Batumi instead, arriving at 9:40PM in Tbilisi. It takes around 10 hours from there, border formalities are uncomfortably around 2 am. Visas can be bought at the border for 3000AMD or $10. Snacks/water "gifts" will be provided on the train.
By car
Options include arriving into Armenia via Georgia or Iran. A drive to Yerevan from Armenia-Iran border will take approximately 6 hours, and is a great way to explore Southern Armenia, cities like Meghri, Kapan, Goris, Sisian, etc.
Arriving from Georgia will allow you to drive trough Northern Armenia and driving to Yerevan will take 4-5 hours.
Highways are high standard, although sometimes can be narrow (1 line to each direction) due to mountainous terrain.
By bus
You can reach Yerevan by bus from Tbilisi, fare costs 15 lari ($10US) and takes about 12 hours. More expensive is to take a 30 lari ($20 US) marshutka/minibus but it’s much faster at about 5 hours. Sometimes you can take a shared car from Tbilisi as well. Again, a bit more expensive than minibus, but faster and more comfortable. Bus service to Yerevan also is available in Istanbul, or many of the cities on the Black Sea coast of Turkey en route to Yerevan, with a detour through Georgia. In Yerevan some of the bus lines from Turkey are: Karbut Tour: +374-10-54-26-97 and Oz Aybaki +374-10-56-50-03. Yerevan Central Bus Station: Armenia, Yerevan, Tsovakal Isakovi Ave., 6 Building, Tel: +374-10-565370