Why Armenia
The country adopted Christianity as its state religion in 301, before anyone else, and that reads in its architecture: Etchmiadzin, Geghard cut into the rock, Haghpat and Sanahin, Tatev clinging to the edge of a canyon and served by the longest cable car in the world.
It is a mountain country, little visited, with landscapes of high volcanic plateaux, Lake Sevan at two thousand metres, and a capital of pink tuff where Mount Ararat, although it lies in Turkey, dominates the horizon.
Getting around
Marshrutkas — shared minibuses — serve the country from Yerevan, with flexible schedules and negligible fares. Shared taxis are quicker for a little more.
Renting a car gives access to the isolated monasteries, but the mountain roads are winding and local driving is fast. A driver for the day remains cheap and settles the question.
A structural point: the borders with Turkey and Azerbaijan are closed. You enter and leave through Georgia, Iran, or by air.
Money
Cash dominates outside Yerevan, where cards are well accepted. ATMs are reliable in the regional centres.
The country is very cheap: accommodation, eating out and transport cost a fraction of European prices. Tipping is not compulsory but is welcomed, around ten per cent.
Before you go
The closed borders govern the itinerary: a regional trip is built with Georgia as the pivot, not with Azerbaijan.
Nagorno-Karabakh and the eastern border areas are formally advised against; the regional situation has changed recently, and official advice should be consulted before fixing a route.
The genocide of 1915 is central to national identity: the Tsitsernakaberd memorial in Yerevan is part of the visit, and the subject is handled seriously.
In churches, shoulders and knees covered, and a headscarf for women.