Travelling from Georgia to Armenia? We took a marshrutka from Tbilisi to Yerevan and we’d like to share our experiences. Here is all the information you need to know to take this journey independently for the cheapest price!
Tbilisi to Yerevan – travel information
The different budget travel options from Tbilisi to Yerevan are train or marshrutka (public minibus or car), with the train being the more expensive option.
Train from Tbilisi to Yerevan
We prefer travelling by train and would normally chose that option over road travel. It is more comfortable, safer and generally a more pleasant way to travel.
However, the train did not run on the day we wanted to travel. It is a night train that only leaves every second night (odd days) during the off peak season. We travelled on the 10th June, the last week of the off peak season. The peak season in 2019 ran from the 15th June to the 30th September, with trains running every night. They left Tbilisi at 10.15 PM and arrived in Yerevan at 7.30 AM.
Tbilisi to Yerevan Cost
If cost is your greatest concern then the marshrutka option is by far the cheapest.
The cheapest 3rd class train ticket in platzkartny (54 bunk beds in a dormitory carriage) was 66 Lari
The marshrutka price from Tbilisi to Yerevan was 35 Lari
You can save a night’s accommodation price if you travel overnight by train, but as you can easily get a double room for 30 Lari or a dorm bed for as little as 10 Lari in Tbilisi, it still comes out cheaper to go by road.
Also the scenery en route by road is quite spectacular and you’d miss that on a night train.
Read about the Frugal Travellers
Marshrutka from Tbilisi to Yerevan
The marshrutka should take 6-7 hours with a straightforward border crossing. It costs 35 Lari per person.
We expected a big minibus but instead had a a 7 seat Mercedes people-mover, which was quite comfortable.
The company based at Station Square 1 had marshrutkas leaving at 9 am, 11 am, 1 pm, 3 pm and 5 pm daily. See the photo below for contact details if you have any queries.
Where to leave from
We read online that Marshrutkas leave from 3 different places in Tbilisi. You can choose whichever one is most convenient for you.
Outside the central railway station
We chose this option because it was easy for us to walk to the Liberty Square metro station and go 3 stops. This is the start of the journey to Yerevan so we thought it would be the best place to board early and ensure we had good seats.
To get to the departure point, take the metro/bus/taxi to Station Square 1. Turn left when you exit the metro station and walk towards the main railway station. The marshrutka park is on the right, in the car park below.
Across the road from this marshrutka park are a few currency exchange shops if you want to change your remaining Lari to Armenian Dram.
Avlabari
Avlabari is a more central location if you are staying near to the Old Town.
Prices are the same from here, and marshrutkas leave when they are full, so you might have to wait a while before the vehicle leaves.
Ortachala Bus Station
This bus station is located in the south of Tbilisi so requires more effort to get to. There are local buses running from there to the Old Town, such as the #50 and #71, which cost 50 tetri per ride. Otherwise you can take a taxi for around 5 Lari.
Ortachala is quite big and sprawling. We chose the central railway station because it seemed the easiest option for us to get to.
Maps.me is the best app for travel
For more information on our journey – check out our YouTube video
Tbilisi to Yerevan – leave early
We left our hostel at 7.30 am as in June the weather was really heating up. When we got to the Station Square 1 bus park we discovered that the first marshrutka to Yerevan didn’t leave until 9 am – Georgians and Armenians don’t like getting up early! Arriving at the station by 8.30 am would be fine. We recommend taking the first marshrutka as the whole journey took us 7 hours, arriving in Yerevan at 4 pm.
Our day travelling from Tbilisi to Yerevan
As mentioned above, we made an early start to beat the heat, leaving our hostel near Freedom square at 7.30 am. We took the metro 3 stops to Station Square 1 metro station and soon found the marshrutka park. Locals were happy to direct us when we asked for directions.
We were early, which in some respects was great as we got the primo front seats. We settled in and waited, using our spare time to nip over the road and change our last bit of Lari into Dram, ready for arrival in Armenia.
Our vehicle was a Mercedes people carrier which had seen better days. It had the hallmarks of a tough life on the road including the obligatory cracked windscreen and tyres with thin tread.
Our driver, a tall fellow in a Germany football shirt was tinkering a lot under the bonnet but it didn’t concern us too much as he seemed quite casual about it.
Off at 9am on the dot
We were really surprised to be leaving right on time at 9 am even though there was only one other person on board. 5 minutes later we pulled into a back street and the rest of the passengers jumped in – a friendly Armenian family, who must have arranged a pick up in advance. We were now a full house.
Pit stop drama
Our early start celebrations were put on hold when we pulled in to a mechanic’s workshop on the edge of Tbilisi. The engine was overheating, the clutch sounded dodgier with every gear change, and a front tyre was rapidly losing air.
These problems were easily resolved. A crowd gathered round the engine. Fluids were added and the radiator was topped up. When they jacked the car up, I decided to get out, leaving 4 others inside!
The spare wheel was fitted fine but the real drama happened when the driver was lying under the back, fitting the old one underneath. The car was on a slope and it slowly started rolling off the trolley jack, about to crush our pilot lying below. The faces of the people inside the car was a real picture.
Luckily there were enough bystanders to jump in and hold the car in position as he rolled out of harm’s way. The last thing we needed to delay our journey was a flattened driver!
All fixed… we were on our way again.
To the border
The rest of the ride to the border was incident free, thankfully. We passed the ragged Soviet tower blocks that surround Tbilisi, and made it to the Armenian border at Sadakhlo by 11am.
The Georgian side was quite hectic. We joined a queue behind a bus load of Chinese tourists, making sure to hold our place to fend off the occasional opportunistic queue jumper.
Leaving Georgia is straightforward. No baggage check – just a quick passport stamp and you are out!
Read – Georgia to Turkey independently – The Sarpi border crossing
Entering Armenia
Next we drove through the short no-man’s land and this time had to remove our luggage to be x-rayed on entering Armenia.
We’d leapfrogged the slow moving Chinese tour bus so this process took a rapid 7 minutes.
On entering Armenia, Immigration asked a few questions concerning our recent visit to Azerbaijan. We had spent a month there so they were curious to know where we had visited but were content when we reeled off the usual tourist sites.
They also wanted to know how long we planned to stay in Armenia and an address of where we were staying. Showing them a Booking.com reservation for Yerevan on our device was enough to satisfy them.
We were in with a 90 day tourist visa. Thank you very much!
Slow progress
Our driver was in cruise mode at this stage. We slowly made our way through northern Armenia as he stopped numerous times: at the shops, for gas, to chat with his mates and for other unclear reasons!
We were now following the minor highway M16 which follows the Azerbaijan border SW through dramatic mountain vistas on tight switchback curves. Passing close to the border you could see bunkers and strategic military positions used for protection in this sensitive border area.
The road swung back SE eventually and we joined the M4 main highway towards the beautiful national part area around Dilijan and past the northern shore of Lake Sevan.
Passenger revolt
Our driver was channelling his inner F1 pilot as he sped around the curves like a demon. Eventually the family in the back started to protest vocally as they must have been shaken around like the loose wheel bearings. He calmed down for a while after being chastised which was a good thing, as it had started raining heavily.
One more stop
At 2.45 pm we pulled in to a roadside food court which was quite modern and looked reasonably priced. We all jumped out, ready to stretch our legs. By this stage we were only 80 km from Yerevan.
Arriving in Yerevan
After 30 minutes for a food stop we sped off, past Lake Sevan and across flat farming country to arrive in Yerevan by 4.10 pm. The journey took just over 7 hours. A little longer than average we think, but we were happy to arrive safe and sound!
Marshrutkas from Tblisi to Yerevan normally go to Kilikia bus station, which is a few km’s SW of central Yerevan. Our driver was heading there but we asked to be let out early as we drove along the road that passes the east side of central Yerevan (near Vernissage market). That was far more convenient as our hostel was nearby.
That concludes our Tblisi to Yerevan marshrutka adventure. It was an excellent trip and a great introduction to Armenia. I was initially disappointed that we couldn’t take the night train but in retrospect I’m glad we had the opportunity to see this part of Armenia.
Where we stayed in Tbilisi and Yerevan
Tbilisi – Papela guest house – A great location close to Freedom square and the Old Town. We payed 31.50 Lari for a double room.
Yerevan – We stayed in two different places on two occasions
Happy Camper hostel – A delightful place ran by friendly Philipinas. They make you feel very welcome and make the most delicious breakfasts. We paid 2800 Dram each for dorm beds but they kindly upgraded us to a double room!
Ka Tun hostel – A very clean and pleasant hostel in a good location. They serve an ample breakfast from 9 – 11 am. We paid 3400 Dram each for dorm beds in a 10 bed dorm.
Find out the latest exchange rates on XE.COM
Please leave a comment below if you enjoyed this post or found the information useful. Let us know of any updates if you make this journey and things have changed. It’s great to keep the information fresh for all to know.
Happy travels!
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9 thoughts on “Tbilisi to Yerevan by Marshrutka”
I am following your posts avidly as I am visiting the Caucasus soon (not soon enough, so looking forward to the trip). That was very helpful although I am looking to do it the opposite way if I can cross from Azerbaijan to Yerevan.
Happy travelling!
Thanks for following. It’s a shame you cannot cross from Azerbaijan to Armenia but at least you can get in via Georgia. Hope the planning is going well. We are currently in Batumi on the Black Sea and are enjoying it so much we are finding it very difficult to move on! 😀
My daughter and I are leaving for our first trip to Armenia in the summer of 2020. I read your blog and look forward to my trip! Perhaps we will manage to visit Georgia. Thanks for the idea!
Thanks Tori. We hope that you enjoy Armenia as much as we did. Both Georgia and Armenia were fascinating places to visit. Yerevan and Tbilisi are both great cities to explore. In Armenia we recommend visiting Khor Virap, Noravank monestary and the Wings Of Tatev cable car if you can make it that far! Happy travels!
Hi Lee & Mandy! Thanks for the writeup! I’m glad you made it to Armenia. You’re right on the mach-1 driving! 6-7 hours is the usual amount of time for that drive, but an hour is lost from repeated stops to refuel CNG (a lengthy process), smoke, and eat, plus 30 minutes to an hour for the border crossing. However, I did want to point out one thing — the mode you took is in fact a shared ride from a private driver; that’s why he didn’t take you to the Kilikia bus station. True marshrutkas are government-contracted 1980s-90s Ford minivans that seat about 15 people plus luggage, and they leave from Ortachala and go to Kilikia. They take longer, but don’t really cost that much less than the bargain Sprinters from the Tbilisi Avlabari station.
Hi Danielle. Thanks for that. You have had the pleasure of the same journey i take it. We decided to go with these because the price was the same as the marshrutkas and it was convenient for us. He was continuing to Kilikia but we chose to bail out before then as we realised we were very close to our hostel. It’s quite a journey and i’m glad we went by road to see the incredible scenery. Best wishes for your travels!
Hello! Thanks for such a nice article. I’d like to ask you about taking big luggage in this transports. I have a 25 kg medium size suitcase and 2 backpacks. Do you think I can travel in Marshrutkaso or minivan?
Thank you!!
Helpful info from your vlog, just to clarify it passedby first the Central Yerevan or Republic first before reaching Kilikia Station? we can request to the driver to drop us there as it will nearer distance to our apartment. Thanknyou
Hello Cindy. Sorry for the delay in replying. Yes it passed through Central Yerevan before reaching Kilikia station. They let us get off there as it was easier for us, too. You can see on this video we made. https://youtu.be/Loa6Mp2aMlE?si=uAaK88GTca43LsaN