Yerevan Metro, Buses and Taxi Apps: Getting Around Yerevan

The Yerevan metro is a single, easy line with ten stations, and it is the fastest way to move between a few useful points, but most visitors can walk around the compact centre and add a taxi app for everything else. This guide covers the metro, city buses, taxi apps, how to avoid overpaying, the airport transfer and night options. For travel between cities, see our guide to getting around Armenia.

How does the Yerevan metro work?

The metro opened in 1981 and has one main line with ten stations plus a short branch between Shengavit and Charbakh. Trains run about every five minutes at busy times and every ten or so otherwise. It is old but easy: stations are clearly named in Armenian and English, and the direction is the end station name. Because there is only one line, you cannot get seriously lost.

Which stations matter for visitors?

• Republic Square (Hanrapetutyan Hraparak): museums, restaurants and the heart of Kentron.
• Yeritasardakan: closest stop for the Cascade side of the centre and the Opera area, a short walk away.
• Zoravar Andranik (General Andranik): near the GUM market and cathedral area.
• Marshal Baghramyan: Baghramyan Avenue, the presidential and parliament area, and cafes on Saryan Street.
• Sasuntsi Davit: the main railway station, useful for trains.

Most sights in the centre are 10 to 20 minutes apart on foot, so the metro helps most when you are tired, going to the railway station or crossing between ends of the line.

How much does it cost and how do I pay?

Recent guides give 150 AMD per ride. The city introduced a unified ticket system in early 2025 and moved away from tokens, so the old plastic tokens are gone. Now you tap a contactless bank card or scan a QR code from the Telcell Wallet app at the gate. Reports about foreign cards are mixed, so install the Telcell app or ask at a station about a prepaid transport card as a backup. Fares and payment rules have changed twice in recent years, so check on the day.

How do city buses and marshrutkas work in Yerevan?

Yerevan has city buses, trolleybuses and some minibuses, all on the same fare system as the metro. A single ride is around 150 AMD, and guides mention a 90-minute ticket of about 300 AMD for several rides and a day ticket of roughly 900 AMD. Cash is no longer reliably accepted on buses: payment is by contactless bank card, QR code or transport card. A few years ago the city began replacing old minibuses, called marshrutkas, with larger buses, so the classic marshrutka is now more of an intercity vehicle. If you do use one in the city, follow the same payment advice and ask the driver the fare.

Buses are useful for places the metro does not reach, but routes are hard to read for newcomers. Google Maps works reasonably well for routes, though locals warn it is only mostly reliable in Armenia. Our guide to SIM cards, eSIM and money in Armenia explains how to stay online and what payment cards to carry.

Which taxi apps work, and how do I avoid being overcharged?

Uber is not available. The apps used in Yerevan are GG, Yandex Go and UTaxi, and the first two have English interfaces. Download one before you land, register with a phone number and a card or choose cash, and the app shows the fare up front. Typical short rides within the centre are roughly 500 to 900 AMD, with cross-city trips around 1,200 to 2,000 AMD, according to 2026 guides, though prices rise at peak times and in bad weather.

To avoid overpaying:

• Use an app rather than hailing a street taxi, because street cars have no meter and quote visitors more.
• Confirm the pickup pin; drivers often phone you, and a local SIM or eSIM helps.
• If you use a street taxi anyway, agree the price before you get in.
• Carry small notes in dram, since cash is still widely accepted and large notes can be awkward for short rides.
• Check the plate and the driver name in the app before getting in.

Avoid drivers who approach you inside arrivals or at hotels offering a fixed price. More general scam warnings are in our list of travel mistakes in Armenia.

How do I get from Zvartnots airport to the centre?

Zvartnots is about 12 km from the centre, roughly 20 to 30 minutes by car. The simplest option is an app taxi, quoted at roughly 2,500 to 5,000 AMD in 2026 guides. Official airport taxi desks cost more, and travellers report street drivers quoting 8,000 AMD or more. There is also an airport bus into the centre for a few hundred dram. Sources disagree on its route number and frequency, so look at the signs and ask the airport information desk. It is slower than a taxi and awkward with large luggage, and not ideal for late arrivals. If you arrive at night, book a taxi in the app or ask your hotel for a transfer.

Is central Yerevan walkable?

Yes, and walking is the best way to see Kentron. Republic Square to the Cascade is roughly 1 to 1.5 km, about 15 to 20 minutes, mostly via Northern Avenue. The pink tuff streets are flat in the core, but the Cascade is a climb of many steps (there are escalators inside). Summer afternoons are hot, so plan walking for morning and evening and carry water. For ideas on how to fill the walking time, see our 3 days in Yerevan itinerary.

What is accessibility like?

Yerevan was built long before modern accessibility standards. Pavements can be uneven and high at crossings, the metro is mostly underground with escalators but lifts are limited, and not all buses are low-floor. Travellers with reduced mobility usually find taxis and apps the most practical choice, and the Cascade has an escalator inside. Ask your hotel to confirm lifts and step-free access for specific sights, such as the museums in Yerevan.

What about nights and late arrivals?

The metro stops around 23:00, so after that you rely on taxi apps. Central areas feel lively late, but get a taxi from the app rather than waving down cars. Late night buses are limited and one source mentions an hourly overnight airport service, which you should not rely on without checking.

What do travellers complain about?

• Payment confusion: the switch from cash and tokens to cards and QR surprises people, and foreign cards do not always work.
• Hard-to-read bus routes: signs are not always in English, and an app helps.
• Street taxi prices: unmetered cars quote tourists more.
• Heat and crowds: the metro and buses can be packed at rush hour, and the metro is warm in summer.
• Service quality: Yerevan press reports mention complaints about scheduling, cleanliness and air conditioning on city transport.

Who should skip public transport? Anyone with heavy luggage, mobility needs or a late arrival: use a taxi app.