4 Seamless Ways to Get from Yerevan to Khor Virap (+ Map!)
I have visited Khor Virap several times over the years… and as far back as my first trip to Armenia in 2013. It is truly one of the essential day trips that you have to do on your first time in Armenia!
And while it is far easier to get there now than it used to be back in the day with increased tour offerings, it is still crucial to plan ahead to ensure you can get there seamlessly and make the most of your day.
In this guide, I will discuss how to get from Yerevan to Khor Virap Monastery. There are four different ways I will recommend and you can see which option is best for your budget and trip. You will find tour, bus, rental car, and taxi options in this guide.
Quick Yerevan to Khor Virap Guide
If you’re traveling to Khor Virap from Yerevan last minute, be sure you have tours booked ahead of time. Below are some of my top picks:
🇦🇲 Best group day tours to Khor Virap:
- Khor Virap, Noravank, and Areni 9-hour tour (most popular; starts at $40/pp)
- Khor Virap, Noravank, Jermuk, and Areni 12-hour tour (starts at $40/pp)
- Khor Virap, Noravank, and Tatev 15-hour tour (starts at $69/pp)
🇦🇲 Best private day tours to Khor Virap:
- Private Khor Virap 3-hour tour (starts at $80 per group up to 3 people)
- Private Khor Virap, Garni, Geghard, Zvartnots Cathedral, and Echmiadzin 8-hour tour (starts at $135 per group up to 3 people)
🚗 Planning to travel around Armenia independently? Find and compare the cheapest rental car rates here!
Khor Virap is 43 kilometers from Yerevan (about 27 miles) and is situated close to the border of Turkey. You can visit as a half-day trip, or combine the location with other spots in Armenia, turning it into a full-day sightseeing extravaganza!
Please note that I am not including information about the monastery in this post, as I have a dedicated guide to it. This is simply how to reach the landmark from Yerevan! You can read more about visiting Khor Virap here.
If you have any questions about getting to Khor Virap from Yerevan, please let me know in the comments, and I will be happy to help!
In this guide, I’ll walk you through the following:
How to Get from Yerevan to Khor Virap (Overview)
Here are the four different ways to get from Yerevan to Khor Virap that I describe in detail in this guide:
- Tour to Khor Virap from Yerevan (easiest)
- Taking a bus to Khor Virap (cheapest)
- Renting a car (offers the most flexibility)
- Taking a taxi (limiting, but easy)
Naturally, the easiest way to reach Khor Virap from Yerevan is with a rental car. But, Yerevan traffic is chaotic and not the easiest to drive in, so I wouldn’t recommend this to those who are not comfortable with driving.
Therefore, taking a taxi is a pretty sound option! It is not that expensive. But, it will limit you on visiting other sites in the area and Khor Virap is an easy addition on a day tour. As a result, I would suggest taking a day tour from Yerevan to Khor Virap.
The tours I list below offer a few popular destinations that will pair well with the iconic monastery and you can see them all on the same tour.
How to Get from Yerevan to Khor Virap (The Details)
1. Tour to Khor Virap from Yerevan
The easiest way to get from Khor Virap to Yerevan is to take a day tour! The site is added to several tours from the capital city, and many of them stop by different places.
The benefit of taking a tour is that all the hard work is done for you! Transportation is arranged and you will have someone waiting for you at Khor Virap. You don’t have to worry about paying a taxi waiting time, etc. Another perk of taking a day tour to Khor Virap is that you will stop by some other attractions and landmarks on the same trip, maximizing your time in Armenia.
I recommend booking these tours via GetYourGuide. I have used them all over the world and find their platform reliable in a country that is still in the tourism development stages. They vet their tour partners and it helps ensure a good experience! The platform is also safe and secure, which is something that matters to me when booking tours in a foreign country.
Here are a few recommended tours to Khor Virap (and where else you’ll stop along the way):
Group Tours
- Khor Virap, Noravank, and Areni 9-hour tour (starts at $40/pp)
- Khor Virap, Noravank, Jermuk, and Areni 12-hour tour (starts at $40/pp)
- Khor Virap, Noravank, and Tatev 15-hour tour (starts at $69/pp)
Private Tours
- Private Khor Virap 3-hour tour (starts at $80 per group up to 3 people)
- Private Khor Virap, Garni, Geghard, Zvartnots Cathedral, and Echmiadzin 8-hour tour (starts at $135 per group up to 3 people)
If you are booking one of the cheaper ones, you will be with quite a few other people… but it is still a great option if you’re price-conscious.
2. Taking a Bus to Khor Virap from Yerevan
The cheapest way to get from Yerevan to Khor Virap is to take public transportation, which means a bus or marshrutka in Armenia.
Several buses are departing from Sasuntsi Davit Train Station (the main Yerevan Railway Station) daily. The bus station is called the ‘Southern Bus Station’ and it is around back of the train station. You can’t miss it!
Buses are going in the direction of Ararat, but these do not necessarily stop at Khor Virap. If you end up on one of these, you will need to get off in the village of Pokr Vedi and walk a couple of miles to Khor Virap (unless you can manage a ride there). I would avoid doing this.
Fortunately, buses are now dropping closer to Khor Virap than they used to! The bus you will need to take is Bus 467 in the direction of Khor Virap – Noyakert. It is around a 55-minute journey and the fare is 250 AMD (about $0.65). There are three buses daily and they are at 9am, 2pm, and 6pm. The bus stop you will get off at is the Khor Virap Bus Stop (marked on my map below).
Good to Know
While the bus stop and Khor Virap monastery look close to each other, it is still about a 20-minute walk! Just something to know beforehand.
To return from Khor Virap to Yerevan (the same bus station) on Bus 467, you will go to the same Khor Virap Bus Stop that you arrived at and wait for the bus. It runs three times a day, and the bus times are 7:23am, 10:23am, and 3:23pm. The journey back is just under an hour and will also be 250 AMD (about $0.65).
You can see the timetables and up-to-date information at T-Armenia.
3. Renting a Car
Renting a car in Armenia offers you flexibility and the option to add other sites to your trip. Unfortunately, renting a car in Armenia also means you must drive in Armenia. Which is… not fun. Once you are outside of Yerevan, driving becomes much easier as there are fewer cars on the road, but the roads may be damaged.
If you are looking to rent a car in Armenia, I recommend Discover Cars. I have used them all over the world and they help me find the cheapest options possible.
Be sure to book full-coverage insurance with them, or do it once you are picking up the car directly from the rental agency. Fender benders are aplenty in Armenia and it would be a nightmare to navigate that as a tourist. Click to check rental car rates and availability in Armenia.
4. Taking a Taxi
The last option for reaching Khor Virap is to take a taxi there.
This is pretty easy with GG Taxi app (an Armenian company) or Yandex (a Russian company), but you will need to get them to wait for you or you will need to get one to pick you up later, which can be a challenge that will cause you to take a wild taxi that is sitting at Khor Virap.
You’ll likely pay way more for the ride back than the ride there. And most taxi drivers do not have a great command of English.
If you are considering this option, a taxi will be around 6000 AMD one-way (this is about $15). Rush hour and certain times of the day may cause the price to increase, however.
Trip to Khor Virap (On a Map!)
How To Use This Map
You can use your fingers/mouse to zoom in and out. To get more info about a place, simply touch/click the icons. Want to save this map for later use? Click the ‘⭐’ by the map title and it will add it to your Google Maps account (Saved > Maps or ‘Your Places’).
I hope this helps you plan your trip from Yerevan to Khor Virap. If there are any questions you have, please let me know in the comments. Thanks!
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