Currency - Business hours - Transportation - Internet - Basic conversation guide - Langages spoken

The currency of Armenia is the Armenian 'dram' (AMD). The coin currency of Armenia is the 'luma'. 100 luma = 1 AMD.
The luma comes in denominations of 1, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, and 500.. The Dram is printed in banknotes of 10; 25; 50;100; 200; 500; 1,000; 5,000; 10,000; 20,000; 50,000. Note: The government is intending to phase out all banknotes less than AMD 500.

Automatic Teller Machines (ATM)
To find out the locations of ATMs in Armenia , click on the link to your credit card: Visa, Mastercard or American Express

Business hours

Offices : Monday to Friday - 9:30am to 12:30pm and then again from 1:15pm to 6pm.
Banks : Monday to Friday - 9:30am to 5:30pm.
Government: Monday to Friday - 9:30am to 12:30pm and then again from 1:15pm to 6pm.
Retail: Monday through Friday - 9:30am to 12:30pm and then again from 1:15pm to 6pm.

Transportation

Road
1. GETTING THERE: A road link between Armenia and Iran, the Kajaran highway, has become the most important international road link. There are two highways linking Armenia to Georgia; these routes, especially the Yerevan-Tbilisi road, have a bad reputation for highway robbery, although efforts by the Georgian authorities to enforce law and order are reported to be paying off. The Azerbaijan and Turkey borders are both currently closed. It is possible to travel by road to the enclave of Nagorno Karabakh, however, it is essential to obtain a visa from the permanent representative of Nagorno Karabakh in Yerevan. Turkey and Azerbaijan have imposed a blockade against Armenia and closed borders with it.
Buses: Kilikia Central Bus Station is where most buses depart. There is a weekly bus service to Istanbul and a daily (except Fridays) bus service to Tehran. There is also a weekly bus service to Moscow.
2. GETTING AROUND: The total length of the roadway network in the country is 7,705 km (4,788 miles), which includes 1,561 km (969 miles) of expressway. The condition of the roads could be poor, even in the case of major expressways. Care should be taken to avoid children and animals on the roads. Service stations are present only at limited places. Local taxi drivers have a tendency to flout traffic regulations and ignore signals. Buses operate between major cities of the country. There are plenty of car rental companies operating, including Hertz. Taxis are available in the city centre of Yerevan or can be ordered by telephone. Chauffeur-driven cars are available but are expensive. It is advisable to obtain them through official channels, such as hotels or travel agencies.

Rail
1.GETTING THERE: The railway links to Azerbaijan and Turkey have been closed indefinitely, but an international service still runs to Georgia (on alternate days) and to Iran. Passengers travelling to Georgia should be aware of the possibility of theft or robbery. The main station is Sasuntsi Davit on Tigran Mets Avenue.
2.GETTING AROUND: The main railway station is the Sasuntsi Davit Station on Tigran Mets Avenue. There are daily trains to most major towns. The trains are often overcrowded and poorly maintained. Belongings should be secured.

Air
1. GETTING THERE: Armenian Airlines operates weekly flights linking Yerevan with Paris, Amsterdam, Frankfurt/M, Athens, Beirut and Tehran and twice-weekly flights to Fujairah, UAE. Lack of demand, unreliable fuel supplies and an uneconomic fare structure has resulted in greatly reduced services to other CIS republics. British Mediterranean (a franchise partner of British Airways) operates three flights per week from London to Yerevan. Aeroflot and Armenian Airlines operate flights to Yerevan from Moscow; these are often subject to delays and cancellations. For political reasons there are no international transport links between Armenia and Azerbaijan; Georgia is sometimes used as a stopover point.
The main airport Zvartnots (EVN) is situated at a distance of 10km (6 miles) from Yerevan. Buses and taxis are run from the city centre to the airport(journey time – 30 minutes). US$20 per person (usually payable in local currency) is charged as 'departure tax' while leaving the country at the airport. Transit passengers and children under 12 years of age are exempted from this tax.
2. GETTING AROUND: Yerevan has a small domestic airport (adjacent to the international airport) which offers a few flights to other destinations within the country.

Internet

The Internet suffix is: .am

Basic conversation guide

ENGLISH > ARMENIAN
Yes = ayo
No = voch
Thank you = merci
Good = lav
Bad = vat
OK (as in, I'm OK, that's OK") = vochinch
I agree = yes hamadzain em
I don't Agree = yes hamadzain chem
Excuse me = knerek inz
You’re Welcome (formal) = khntrem
You're Welcome ('anytime') = charzhe
Pardon me = nereghutiun
Good morning = bari luis
Good afternoon = bari or
Good evening = bari yereko
Good night = bari kishehr
How are you? (formal) = inch spes ek?
How are you? (informal) = vonts es?
Can you help me? = karogh ek inz oknel?
Where is ...... ? = vordehgh eh...
(the) toilet = zukaranuh (uh)
I need ... ? = Inz petk eh
No problem, Never mind = vochinch

Armenian 97.7%, Yezidi 1%, Russian 0.9%, Others 0.4% (2001 census)