How to get from Tbilisi to Yerevan in 2026

How far is Yerevan from Tbilisi and which way is best?

Yerevan is 280 to 290 km from Tbilisi by road via the Sadakhlo crossing, and for most travellers the choice is between the night train, a minibus and a car with a driver. This is how the options compared in October 2026.

• Night train. 10 hours 35 minutes, from Tbilisi at 20:00 every second night, from 15,680 dram (about 113 GEL or 43 USD) in the open sleeper. Best if you would rather sleep than sit, and it saves a hotel night.
• Minibus (marshrutka). About 6 hours with the border, 40 to 60 GEL a seat, departures from 07:30 to 19:00. Best for one or two people on a budget.
• Car with a driver. 5 to 6 hours with a normal border wait, door to door, priced per car. Best for families, groups of three or more, big luggage and anyone who wants to stop at the Debed canyon monasteries, Dilijan or Lake Sevan.
• Plane. About 40 minutes in the air with Georgian Airways, from about 57 EUR to 172 USD one way in October and November 2026. Worth it mainly for an onward flight, since both airports are outside the cities.
• Driving yourself. About 5 hours behind the wheel. Possible in your own car with the right papers, but most Georgian rental cars are not allowed into Armenia.

Which border do you cross between Georgia and Armenia?

Almost everyone crosses at Sadakhlo on the Georgian side and Bagratashen on the Armenian side, 76 km and about 1.5 hours south of Tbilisi, and this crossing is open 24 hours every day. It can be crossed on foot. Minibus passengers get out, walk through both passport controls with their bags and get back in on the far side, and car passengers usually do the same while the driver takes the car through.

On a weekday morning the crossing usually takes 20 to 40 minutes. On summer weekends and holidays it can take 1 to 2.5 hours, and at the end of July 2026 hundreds of people spent the night in the queue at passport control. Weekday mornings are the quickest time to cross, weekend afternoons the slowest, so carry water and snacks in summer.

Two smaller crossings are open to foreigners too. Guguti and Gogavan, west of Sadakhlo, gives the shortest road to Yerevan, about 275 km via Stepanavan, but few vans use it and the last stretch on the Georgian side has been reported as a rough track. Ninotsminda and Bavra, on the Javakheti plateau at about 2,000 m, suits a trip from Borjomi or Vardzia to Gyumri and is often snowy in winter. Their opening hours are not published in English, so check before you rely on them. An Armenian e-visa is valid at all three road crossings and at the Ayrum railway checkpoint.

When does the night train from Tbilisi to Yerevan run in 2026?

The night train 371 leaves Tbilisi Central station at 20:00 every second night and arrives in Yerevan at 06:35, after 10 hours 35 minutes. On the winter timetable, from 2 October 2026 to 13 June 2027, it leaves Tbilisi on odd dates of the month. The return train 372 leaves Yerevan at 21:00 on even dates and reaches Tbilisi at 07:05.

The train stands for about an hour at Sadakhlo for the Georgian exit check and another hour at Ayrum for the Armenian entry check, then calls at Vanadzor, Gyumri and Armavir. In Yerevan it arrives at the main railway station on Sasuntsi Davit square, which has its own metro stop.

There is no daytime train in winter. In summer the train starts in Batumi and calls at Tbilisi. In 2026, from 14 June to 1 October, it left Tbilisi at 22:40 and reached Yerevan at 08:59, and the train from Yerevan left at 14:00, which shows you the Debed canyon in daylight. The summer 2027 timetable is expected in June 2027.

How much is the Tbilisi to Yerevan train and how do you buy a ticket?

A berth on the Tbilisi to Yerevan train cost from 15,680 dram (about 113 GEL or 43 USD) in October 2026, in the open third-class sleeper. These were the fares on the Armenian railway's booking site, the same in both directions.

Buy online on the South Caucasus Railway site, ticket.railway.am, where sales open 40 days ahead and close 2 hours before departure, or at the international desks of Tbilisi Central station on the third floor, open 08:00 to 20:00. Georgian Railway does not sell this train online and tkt.ge does not list it. Every ticket carries the passenger's passport details, so bring your passport to the desk, and bring cash in lari, because the card terminals there often do not work.

Compartments and the two-berth lux sell out first, especially in summer, so book as soon as you know the date. Bedding is included, but there is no dining car, so bring water and food. Passport control takes 1.5 to 2 hours in all, and passengers are often asked off the train at Sadakhlo with their passports, so keep shoes and documents at hand.

• Third class (platzkart). 15,680 dram, about 113 GEL. An open carriage with upper and lower berths.
• Compartment (coupe). 20,300 dram, about 146 GEL. Four berths behind a door.
• Comfort compartment. 23,710 dram, about 170 GEL. The same four berths with tea, coffee, a sandwich and a travel kit.
• First class (lux or SV). 30,300 dram, about 218 GEL. A private compartment with two lower berths.

Where do minibuses to Yerevan leave from in Tbilisi and how much are they?

Minibuses to Yerevan leave from Ortachala bus station and from Avlabari metro, cost 40 to 60 GEL (15 to 23 USD) a seat in October 2026 and take about 6 hours with the border.

Both go via Alaverdi and the Debed canyon and finish at Kilikia, Yerevan's central bus station on Admiral Isakov Avenue, about 2 km west of the centre. They do not stop at Haghpat or Sanahin, which stand on the plateau above the road. The tkt.ge search showed no big coaches on this route, so the minivans are the bus.

Change some money into Armenian dram before you leave, for example at the exchange offices behind Avlabari metro, or use a cash machine in Yerevan. Arriving at Kilikia after dark with no dram is the classic first-timer's mistake.

• Ortachala, the Central Bus Station at Gulia Street 1. On 18 October 2026 tkt.ge sold twelve departures for 20 October, from 07:30 to 19:00, in seven-seat minivans of two companies. The 5-hour runs at 07:30, 09:00, 11:00, 13:00, 15:00, 17:00 and 19:00 cost 60 GEL, the 6-hour runs at 08:00, 10:00, 12:30, 15:00 and 18:00 cost 40 GEL. You can book a seat online the day before.
• Avlabari, the car park next to Avlabari metro. Vans at 09:00, 11:00, 13:00, 15:00 and 17:00 for 50 GEL, paid at the office or to the driver, according to traveller reports from May and June 2026. There is no online booking.

Is there a direct flight from Tbilisi to Yerevan?

Yes, Georgian Airways flies from Tbilisi to Yerevan direct, about 40 minutes in the air. On 19 October 2026 its fare page showed one-way fares from 56.50 EUR to 116 USD for late October and from 96.50 EUR to 172 USD for November, all on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

The flight is short, but Tbilisi airport is 17 km from the city centre and Zvartnots airport about 14 km west of central Yerevan, and you need to be there early. Door to door it saves little over the road and usually costs more than a train berth. It makes sense for an onward connection from Yerevan or a very short trip. Getting into town at the Tbilisi end is covered in How to get from Tbilisi airport to the city centre.

Can you take a Bolt, a taxi or a rental car from Tbilisi to Yerevan?

Bolt and Yandex Go are city apps and do not take you across the border, and most Georgian rental cars are not allowed into Armenia, so you need either a driver who crosses regularly or written permission from the rental company. A Tbilisi street taxi rarely has the Armenian insurance and papers a car needs at Bagratashen.

If you hire a taxi or a driver for the trip, agree the price before you leave, and check that it is for the whole car and not per person, that it includes waiting at the border and where exactly in Yerevan it ends. Some travellers take a car only to Sadakhlo, walk across and continue in an Armenian taxi or a van on the far side. It saves little and is harder with luggage, so do it in daylight. In Yerevan itself, ride apps such as Yandex Go and gg work for city trips. More on apps in Georgia is in Taxis in Georgia.

A rental car can cross only with the company's written consent, and many local firms and the big rental marketplaces refuse. Those that agree want notice, often a week, and give you a cross-border letter or a notarised power of attorney. Without it you are turned back at the border. See Renting a car in Georgia or taking a car with a driver.

In your own car you need the registration certificate, your licence and, if the car is not yours, a notarised power of attorney to take it abroad. At Bagratashen you buy Armenian compulsory motor insurance at a kiosk past passport control, because foreign policies and the Green Card are not accepted, declare the car to customs and pay an environmental fee, which was 3,750 dram for an ordinary car in August 2026. Speed limits in Armenia are 60 km/h in towns and 90 km/h outside.

How does a private transfer from Tbilisi to Yerevan work?

A private transfer takes you from your door in Tbilisi to your hotel in Yerevan in 5 to 6 hours with the border, or in one long day with sightseeing stops, at a price per car rather than per person. We drive this route too. The price is fixed, shown on the booking card on this page before you book, and you pay the driver after the trip, in cash or by card. Child seats are free.

The driver handles the car's side of the border. He carries the car's registration papers and his licence, buys the compulsory Armenian motor insurance at the border, since Georgian insurance does not cover Armenia, and declares the car to Armenian customs. You need only your passport and, if your nationality requires one, an Armenian visa.

Book the Tbilisi to Yerevan transfer on the site or in our Telegram bot. You enter your Tbilisi address and your hotel or any address in Yerevan, choose the car and see the fixed price for the whole car before you confirm. The way back works the same, from your Yerevan hotel to Tbilisi.

If you want to stop at Haghpat and Sanahin, Dilijan or Lake Sevan, which makes a day of about 10 hours, write to us on WhatsApp or through the contact page before the trip so the driver can plan the time. If you land in Tbilisi first, see our Tbilisi Airport transfer.

What documents do you need to enter Armenia from Georgia?

Most visitors need only a valid passport. Citizens of the EU, the UK, the US, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Georgia and many other countries can stay in Armenia up to 180 days a year without a visa. Check your own passport on the Armenian Foreign Ministry's site, mfa.am, before you travel.

If you need a visa, get the e-visa before a land trip. Not every land crossing issues visas on arrival, and a minibus will not wait while you are sent back.

• Gulf states. Citizens of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman enter without a visa, some of them under an exemption that now runs until 1 July 2027.
• Residence permits. Nationals of more than 100 countries who hold a residence permit of the US, an EU or Schengen country or a Gulf state, valid at least six more months, can also enter without a visa until 1 July 2027. This covers many Indian and other residents of the Gulf. Check the list on mfa.am.
• Canada, Israel and some other countries. A visa on arrival for up to 120 days, or an e-visa in advance.
• India. An e-visa from evisa.mfa.am, applied for at least 3 working days ahead. A visa on arrival is possible only with a valid US, UK, Schengen or similar visa or a Gulf residence permit.
• Russia. A foreign travel passport. The internal passport is accepted in Armenia only on flights, and Georgia does not accept it at all. Children need their own foreign passport by land.

What is there to see on the way from Tbilisi to Yerevan?

The best stops are the monasteries of Haghpat and Sanahin in the Debed canyon, about 40 km past the border, and then Dilijan and Lake Sevan if you take the longer road. With the border and three stops it is a day of about 10 hours, so leave Tbilisi by 8:00.

The minibuses and the train stop at none of these. You need a car with a driver, your own car or an organised transfer tour.

• Haghpat and Sanahin. Two monasteries of the 10th to 13th centuries on the plateau above Alaverdi, the Armenian mining town (not the Alaverdi cathedral in Kakheti), together a UNESCO World Heritage site. Haghpat is 113 km and about 2 hours from Tbilisi plus the border, Sanahin 16 km further by road. In 2025 reports neither charged an entry fee, and donations are welcome. Allow an hour or two for both.
• The Debed canyon road. The M6 follows the river through a deep gorge from Bagratashen past Alaverdi to Vanadzor. Sections are still being rebuilt in 2026, and in October 2026 the government funded repairs to a collapsed stretch, so expect roadworks and narrow passages before Vanadzor. Armenia's rescue service lists road closures on rescue.mia.gov.am.
• Dilijan. A forest resort town about 85 km past Alaverdi via Vanadzor, with the monastery of Haghartsin in the woods nearby. A good place for lunch or a night.
• Lake Sevan. Armenia's great mountain lake, about 1,900 m above sea level, 34 km after Dilijan. The monastery of Sevanavank, founded in 874, stands on a peninsula above the water, and Yerevan is 69 km further on.

How do you get back from Yerevan to Tbilisi?

The ways back are the same in reverse. The night train 372 leaves Yerevan at 21:00 on even dates and reaches Tbilisi at 07:05, and minibuses leave Kilikia bus station through the day for about 8,000 dram (about 58 GEL or 22 USD).

In a May 2026 report, the Comfort company at Kilikia ran vans at 07:30, 08:30, 10:30, 13:00, 15:00, 17:00 and 21:30. Take a daytime one, since the last reaches Tbilisi in the small hours. Georgian Airways flies back direct, and our transfer from Yerevan to Tbilisi collects you at your Yerevan hotel at a fixed price per car.

At the Georgian border the usual entry rules apply again. Since 1 January 2026 every foreign tourist needs health insurance for the whole stay in Georgia, with cover of at least 30,000 GEL. Most visa-free visitors usually get a new period of up to a year at each entry. If you came to Georgia on an e-visa, check that it allows another entry, or apply for a new one before you leave Armenia. Details are in What you need to enter Georgia in 2026.

How do you combine Georgia and Armenia in 10 to 14 days?

Ten days is enough for the highlights of both countries, about six in Georgia and three or four in Armenia, with the drive to Yerevan as a sightseeing day. Flying into Tbilisi and home from Yerevan saves a day of backtracking. Our Georgia in 7 days has more ideas for the Georgian half.

With 14 days, add Kutaisi and Batumi or Svaneti in western Georgia before you head south, or go from Borjomi and Vardzia over the Ninotsminda and Bavra crossing to Gyumri, about 135 km from Vardzia, and on to Yerevan, another 121 km.

Azerbaijan does not fit in overland. The border between Armenia and Azerbaijan is closed, and Azerbaijan keeps its land borders with Georgia closed to most travellers until at least 2 January 2027, so add Baku by air or on the Tbilisi to Baku night train, which has run again since 26 May 2026. Check who may use it before you plan. A ten-day plan that works in either direction looks like this.

• Days 1 to 3. Tbilisi and Mtskheta. See What to see in Tbilisi and Mtskheta in half a day.
• Day 4. Kazbegi and the Military Road, a long day trip or a night in Stepantsminda. See Things to do in Kazbegi.
• Day 5. Kakheti wine country and Sighnaghi. See A one-day wine trip to Kakheti.
• Day 6. Tbilisi to Yerevan by car with Haghpat and Sanahin, or the night train the evening before.
• Days 7 and 8. Yerevan, with a half day to the Garni temple and Geghard monastery and a morning at Khor Virap for the view of Ararat.
• Day 9. Lake Sevan and Dilijan, with a night in Dilijan.
• Day 10. Dilijan to Tbilisi, about 200 km and 4 hours of driving plus the border, or a flight home from Yerevan.