LIST OF BANKS WITH CORRESPONDING BANKS ABROAD:
(Credit Card, Western Union, Traveler’s Checks)

Midland Armenia, ((374-2)56-32-29, 56-47-63, fax: AT&T (374-2)151-717).
1, Vramshapuh Arkai St., Yerevan 375010;
Corresponding Bank: Marine Midland, New York; Midland Bank, England.
Credit Card, Traveler’s Check Service and ATM cash machine available.

Armimpexbank, ((374-2)58-99-06, 58-95-18, 56-46-17; fax:(374-2) 56-59-58)
2 Nalbandian St., Yerevan, 375010;
Corresponding Banks: Bank of America (Concord, CA), Bank of New York, Credit Lyonnais (New York); Creditanstalt Bankverein, Raiffeisenzentralbank A.G. (Vienna); Credit Lyonnais, Banque Francaise De L'orient, Deutsche Bank A.G. (Paris), Deutsche Bank A.G., Commerzbank (Frankfurt); Swiss Bank Corp., Union Bank of Switzerland, Credit Suisse (Zurich); Midland Bank, National Westminster Bank PLC (London); The Bank of Tokyo (Tokyo); Royal Bank of Canada (Toronto); ABN-Amro Bank (Amsterdam), Bank Brussels Lambert (Brussels); General Bank (Brussels); National Australia Bank (Sydney).

ArdShinBank, ((374-2)56-06-16, 52-85-13, fax:(374-2)151-155, Telex: 243349)
3 Deghatan St., Yerevan, 375010.
Corresponding Banks: Citibank, Bank of New York (New York). Credit Cards, Western Union.

ArmAgrobank, ((374-2)53-43-42, fax:(374-2)53-43-42)
7a Movses Khorenatsu St., Yerevan, 375015.
Corresponding Banks: The Bank of New York, Citibank, Republic National Bank of New York (New York); Deutsche Bank AG, Dresdner Bank AG, Commerzbank (Frankfurt); Credit Commerciale de France, Credit Agricole de France, Eurobank (Paris); Bank of Tokyo (Tokyo); Swiss Bank Corporation (Zurich); Bank Mees Pierson Amsterdam (Amsterdam); Bank Brussels Lambert (Brussels). Visa Credit Card Service available.

ArmEconomBank, ((374-2)44-05-11, 44-76-80, fax:(374-2) 56-27-05)
32 Garegin Njde, Yerevan, 375026.
Corresponding Banks: Banque Nationale de Paris (Paris); National Westminster Bank (London); Riggs National Bank of Washington, D.C. (Washington); Deutsche Bank (Frankfurt).

Aviabank, ((374-2)28-88-57, fax:(374-2)28-19-40, Telex: 2431131)
P. Sevak St., Yerevan, 375014.
Corresponding Banks: Credit Lyonnais (New York); Barclays Bank (London); Swiss Bank Corp. (Geneva); Credit Lyonnais (Paris), Dresdner Bank (Frankfurt), ABN Bank Amro (Vienna), MMKB (Moscow).

Lend Bank, ((374-2)39-90-60 fax:(374-2)34-02-73)
21 Nairi Zarian St., Yerevan 375051;
Corresponding Banks: Citibank, Bank of New York (New York). Visa Credit Card Service via Incombank (Moscow).

If you go in a group, most of your expenses will be paid before you leave home. Your group tour fee should include airfare, transfers, inter-city excursions, hotel and meals. Additional costs will be meals not included in the package, occasional side trips, transport and souvenirs. Depending on how much you buy, and where you eat on your own or go, the cost could be as little as $10 a day or as much as $100 or more.

Group tours vary between $100 and $200 a day, airfare not included. Examples: Marina in Yerevan ((3742) 56-27-82, fax (3743) 90-71-14), Hotel Erebuni, 2^nd wing, Room 313, lists a seven day tour for Yerevan, Sevan and Yeghegnadzor regions (transportation, guided tours meals and rooms included) for $1,500 top end and $1,160 economy. Ajax ((3742) 53-10-45, AT&T Tel/Fax 151-611), 43a Pushkin Street, offered a 14 day itinerary with lots of free days, 5 excursions in the near regions and room for between $580 (per person Hotel Ani) to $995 (single room Hotel Dvin). The tour was for a group coming from Egypt.

Even if you go on your own your greatest expense will probably be the air fare coming over. The greatest in-country expenses you may encounter will be the hotel. If you avoid the "five star" hotels, eat at the cheaper restaurants or on the street, and curb your souvenir-hog compulsions, and use Yerevan as a beginning and ending point only, you should be able to get by on between $20 and $50 a day. If you camp out and hike, or use the public transport, you will save even more.

The air fare between Yerevan and the outside world is fixed, and there are few discounts. From Paris it is $750-850 economy round trip; from Amsterdam, $650 economy rd. trip. Many times the price from Europe to the States is cheaper than the Yerevan portion of the ticket. Buying a ticket from your originating point to Yerevan APEX fare saves a few bucks. From LA and Chicago to Yerevan economy rd. trip is about $1230-$1450. Aeroflot International has an LA-Yerevan economy price of about $1200. The flight connects in Moscow.

How to Save: Prices are at their highest in the summer season (June-September); in Yerevan and cities; and during major festivals or events. Locals tend to raise the price of souvenirs and basic services; hotels charge more in Yerevan than in the regions; restaurants on the main tourist paths try to gouge the unwitting tourist for bottled water and Coke. The good news is that even in August and September, when the greatest number of visitors arrive, there is no where near the number of tourists now scouring East Europe for an "authentic Old World". There is still plenty of room to move about and feel you are not swarmed by tourists. And even at the higher prices of summer, they are targeted at tourist venues, so a few blocks away from the café trying to charge you $1 for a cup of coffee, there is another, equally pleasant café charging 25 cents.

Outside of Yerevan, hotel prices drop significantly, though foreigners are still charged more than locals. And it is always up to the manager of the hotel to determine how much you will pay. I have stayed at the same hotel in Giumri and was charged on each occasion $10, $7 and $3 for the same room. In Vanadzor I had to force the manager to take money for a room, he was so grateful to have a visitor in December. In the summer he wouldn’t open a door for less than $15. The basic rule of thumb is the further away from major cities you travel, the less you are charged, with the exception of in-season resort areas. Even at resorts and pensionattes, the rates are $15-20 per person, including meals.

Sharing a room is another way to defray costs, as the charge is per room or a few dollars more for a second person. Camping is perhaps the cheapest way of spending the night. If you go with a friend, you’ll find that transfers to/from the airport and excursions are charged by the car-load, not per person. An even cheaper way to travel around the country is to either hike or catch public transport. Another way to save money is to drive in or take the train from Georgia. Bus fare to Tbilisi is 3,500 AMD ($8), to Batumi from Yerevan about $16, to Istanbul from Yerevan, about $60. From Istanbul, there is a wide range of cut-rate flights to get you further on ($200 R/T to Marseilles is one example).

On meals, you can either pay $100 for a full meal with drinks for four people at one of the new "eating palaces" dotting the Yerevan landscape (one of which has a sauna and swimming pool for the truly decadent), or you can spend less than $2 per person. It depends on your tastes and where you eat. In the regions, that same full-course meal that cost you $25 in Yerevan will cost you $5 or less, and the novelty of your presence may guarantee a few added dishes not on the normal menu. Your ability to cook your own meals will determine the cost as well. Buying food in a local Shuka (Market) is a good way to save money. The produce is fresh, it is not chemically treated, often picked or prepared the same day you buy it, and by Western standards cheap. Freshly baked bread costs 35 cents a loaf, home-made cheeses 50 cents a pound, liter size village yogurt 25 cents, fresh vegetables rarely more than 25 cents a pound in season, and meat around $1.50 a pound, cut to order.

It is no longer true that the biggest savings can be had in group rates, but they might save some money on lodging in Yerevan, and can save time spent on making your own arrangements. Your group tour will usually contain at least one meal a day (standard fare), a reduced rate on Yerevan hotels, and day excursions thrown in on the side. A room that will costs the walk-in traveler $80-120 (Yerevan top end) can go for $50 at group rate. This is still more than the $20-40 guests at other Yerevan hotels pay. For those who want to walk into the top end hotels and get a group rate, try asking at the desk when you arrive if they have any available. If it is late, they have spare rooms, and you look tired enough, they might take pity on you, but don’t count on it.

Outside of Yerevan, hotel prices are much lower (and the standards more typical of Soviet hostelry). All sheets and linen will be clean, though, and if you look past the squatting toilets, you will save a bundle on spending the night. It depends on your tastes. We figure that 90% of a visitor’s time is spent outside the hotel room, so for the less than finicky, older but cheaper hotel rooms are worth the savings.

Simple Calculations:
Some samples to help guide you

Hotel: In Yerevan, the High End is Hotel Armenia, Hotel Bass, and HyBusiness Suites at $80-120 a room. Hotel Dvin, Hotel Ani and Hotel Erebuni are between $40-60 a night. Low end is Hotel Nairi at $3 a bed or $6 a suite. Rock Bottom is at the Trains Station Temporary Sleeping Room Hotel for $1.50 a bed per night. In Vanadzor the central hotel goes for $5-15 a night, the train station hotel for $1.23 a night. In Giumri, the hotel is $5-10 a night, the trains station, hotel $1.25 a night. Pensionattes in the regions go for about $15 a night, meals included. Hotels in the regions vary between $5-$15 a night.

Restaurants: You can gorge yourself for $25-30 (drinks included) at the Zoragiugh restaurant in Yerevan, or get the same meal for $7 a person at the Khotzatune in Sisian. You can also pay as little as $3 for a simple meal in pizzerias and fast food restaurants in any area of the country. Kebab sandwiches are between 75 cents and $1.50. Buy in the shuka, and you can eat like a king for $5. Khorovatz is as much as 1,500 drams per skewer (2-3 large pieces) in Yerevan, as little as 500 drams in the regions. If you avoid the obviously expensive places (which have the loudest music and most indifferent service), and stick to the out of way places, you can usually get a very good meal for $5-$10.

Bus, Tram, Trolley-bus, Metro: City Buses, Trams and Trolley buses cost 30 AMD per ride. The Metro costs 50 AMD per ride. Taxi to Airport: should cost no more than $7.50 either way. Often you can get one for $5 if you negotiate. They ask for more, but there are too many to go around, so stick to your price. Buses to the airport are 100 AMD. Taxi in town: costs 200 AMD plus 200 AMD per kilometer. Concert, Theatre tickets go between 100 AMD and 1000 AMD for most events. Excursion to Geghard, Garni: Taxis and hired cars can take you for $25 or less. If you want a guided tour, and pay through a travel agent, it will cost between $50-100.

Khachkars, Best quality cost between $25-$100, depending on the artist and the intricacy and size of the Khachkar. Good quality Khachkars cost between $10-$25. Simple wooden Khachkars cost as little as $3-5. Other Wooden carvings can be as expensive as $100 for an intricate and delicately carved wine glass or as cheap as $5 for simpler designs. Obsidian jewelry, boxes, etc. go for between $2 and $20, depending on the season and intricacy of the design. Other silver jewelry average $5-$10 for excellent craftsmanship. Armenia is an excellent place to buy Russian Matrushkas, Palekh (lacquer boxes) and painted wooden eggs. The prices will be below that in Moscow or St. Petersburg, and the quality the same or better. What costs $100 in Moscow will cost $25 in Yerevan.

Tipping
At all private restaurants, only add a few AMD if the service is exceptional (rarely the case). 10% is already added to your bill. At state run restaurants or café’s, a few AMD is appreciated, though outside of Yerevan, they may refuse the tip, insisting all service is included. For other services or jobs, judge it by what you would expect in the West; tip only if it really is more than their service should provide. Armenians are so gracious as a rule, they will be offended if you offer a tip for normal assistance, even for what you may think is going way out of their way to help. Rather than money, offer cigarettes or a small gift. Even then, expect to become involved in the ritual of refusing the gift at least five times before accepting. You are of course considered cultured if you insist six times.