Heading to the beautiful Caucasus countries and thinking of exploring further overland? Here’s everything you need to know about crossing the border from Georgia to Armenia and how to get a bus from Tbilisi to Yerevan.
And spoiler alert; it’s not hard!
Read our travel guide for the border crossing below. And enjoy a stress-free border crossing with public transport from Tbilisi to Yerevan.
About the Georgia Armenia border
There are three land borders between Georgia and Armenia.
- Bagratashen – Sadakhlo: Main road between Tbilisi and Yerevan. Easy crossing with lots of transport between the two capital cities.
- Gogavan – Guguti: Open for international travelers. The final 13km in Georgia is described on Caravanistan as a drive through a beautiful beech forest but albeit a mud track.
- Bavra – Ninotsminda: Border is open for international travelers.
We crossed the Georgia Armenia border from Tbilisi to Yerevan using the Bagratashen – Sadakhlo border.
Here is everything you need to know about crossing the border and getting a marshrutka from Tbilisi to Yerevan.
Where does the bus from Tbilisi to Yerevan depart from?
Ah ha. This is the question we were stumped with too.
It turns out there are several stations in Tbilisi that have buses departing to Yerevan:
- Avlabari (Dusheti Street)
- Station Square (Sadguris Moedani)
- Ortachala Bus Station
And no. None of these stations are Didube Station where your marshrutka dropped you off from the return drive from Kazbegi to Tbilisi! This is an entirely different bus terminal that services different directions in Georgia.
We took the bus from Tbilisi to Yerevan departing from Avlabari just to the side of the main Avlabari Square from a small bus stop on Dusheti Street.
- Tip: If you have any problems finding where the bus from Tbilisi to Yerevan departs from at Avlabari ask a local.
And so, the rest of the blog is our experience of catching a bus from Tbilisi to Yerevan from Avlabari.
Because yes; we set off by Bolt taxi from our hotel in the Old City towards the wrong station to catch a bus from Tbilisi to Yerevan…
Getting to the bus terminal in Tbilisi
Despite the confusion of stations to begin with we ended up the friendliest Bolt driver who came to our rescue in true Georgian hospitality.
The story goes that he overheard us recording the beginning of our YouTube video about the border crossing as we kept saying that we were heading to the ‘BUS’ Station in Tbilisi.
After we mentioned this a few times he repeated, “Bus? Bus? No train?”.
And we fast realized with a sinking gulp that we were in fact heading to the train station (exactly as we had put into the Bolt destination).
Our driver, Zaza, didn’t speak any English but told us to wait in the car as he hopped out to check with other drivers which station we needed to be at…
And he then drove us all the way back towards the old city to the correct (Avlabari) Bus Terminal!
What time do the buses depart from Tbilisi to Yerevan?
Marshrutky (minibuses) depart Tbilisi to Yerevan from Avlabari (just off to the side of the main bus station) as soon as they are full.
When we arrived at Avlabari (not in the main square; but down the side road) there were two marshrutka waiting. One large and one smaller.
We bought four tickets for the small marshrutka and it departed 10 minutes after we arrived.
- Tip: Marshrutka from Avlabari depart roughly every hour.
How much does it cost for the bus from Tbilisi to Yerevan?
The marshrutka from Tbilisi to Yerevan costs 50 GEL ($19.50 USD).
And this is regardless of if you are disembarking in Vanadzor (as we were) or going all the way by bus from Tbilisi to Yerevan. The fare is the same and it is not negotiable.
It is the same price (50 GEL) for tourists and locals alike.
How long does it take from Tbilisi to Yerevan?
We departed Avlabari in Tbilisi at 11:20am and got dropped off in Vanadzor at 2:10pm.
- Tip: The bus from Tbilisi to Yerevan takes 5-6 hours.
The border crossing was very quick (comparatively) when we crossed the border from Tbilisi to Yerevan.
It took less than 10 minutes to exit Georgia and about 20 minutes to enter Armenia.
Which border crossing does the Tbilisi to Yerevan marshrutka use?
We crossed the Georgia Armenia border from Tbilisi to Yerevan using the Bagratashen – Sadakhlo border crossing.
This is the main highway between Tbilisi and Yerevan.
Do you stop on the way?
Not officially. Our Marshrutka stopped for fuel not far out of Tbilisi and half the passengers grabbed the opportunity to jump out for a quick smoke break(!).
Getting from Tbilisi to the Georgia Armenia border
Distance-wise it isn’t far from Tbilisi to the border:
- Tbilisi to Bagratashen – Sadakhlo Border Crossing: 1hr 27min (73km)
- Bagratashen – Sadakhlo Border Crossing to Vanadzor: 1hr 30min (85km)
- Bagratashen – Sadakhlo Border Crossing to Yerevan: 3hr 30min (201km)
Crossing the Georgia Armenia border
The border crossing is straight forward and (comparatively) quick.
It took less than 10 minutes to exit Georgia and about 20 minutes to enter Armenia.
Exiting from Georgia to Armenia
Your driver will pull up just outside the Georgia border terminal.
Exit the marshrutka (but leave your luggage in the vehicle). Walk inside to passport control (and Duty Free) and out the other side.
Your driver will be waiting just beyond the exit to the terminal.
Entering Armenia
Again, your driver will pull up outside the border terminal. Grab your luggage and head inside to Armenian passport control.
There was a bit more of a queue for passport control here but the entire process took less than 20 minutes.
Walk through to customs and put your luggage through the x-ray machine.
Welcome to Armenia by the way!
Can you exchange or withdraw money on the Armenia side of the Georgia Armenia border?
About 1km past the Armenia border there is a restaurant with public toilets, an ATM, supermarket and inside is a money exchange.
It is easy to exchange GEL for AMD here (including coins if you have more to get rid of).
Can you enter Armenia if you’ve visited Azerbaijan?
Yes. We crossed the border from Azerbaijan to Georgia and then onwards to Armenia.
Getting to Yerevan from the Georgia Armenia border
This is the last step of the journey and you can relax and enjoy the ride to Yerevan. (Welcome to Armenia by the way!).
The Bagratashen – Sadakhlo border is the main highway between Tbilisi and Yerevan and the drive from the Armenia border heading south is beautiful. (In a rugged, mountainous kind of way).
The road follows the river almost all the way to Vanadzor.
Our Marshrutka dropped us on the main road just outside the entrance to the main part of town in Vanadzor (on the main Tbilisi to Yerevan highway).
From here one of the passengers kindly ordered us a taxi that took us to our hotel. Easy; but did require a little bit of advance planning and/or the kindness of a stranger.
From the border to Yerevan is around 3.5 hours. So, from here on you can sit back and enjoy the ride to the capital city of Armenia.
Let us know if you have any questions about crossing the Georgia Armenia border or about getting a bus from Tbilisi to Yerevan!
Where we stayed in Tbilisi and Yerevan (and where we recommend in between!)
- Tbilisi: Kindli Hotel
A very friendly small boutique hotel in Tbilisi. Only a few metres from the famous Clock Tower! Beautiful buffet breakfast and a balcony with chairs that is perfect in the evening with live music. Highly recommend.
- Yerevan: Ivy Boutique Hotel
Another great location in Yerevan and in walking distance (30 minutes) to the beautiful Cascade Monument. (And close to Karas Restaurant in Yerevan!).
- Vanadzor: NOY Guesthouse
We took the marshrutka from Tbilisi to Yerevan but actually stopped at Vanadzor. We recommend the very friendly NOY Guesthouse for a good first stop. It is a family-run guesthouse and the owner is lovely and can help organise transport to your next Armenia destination.
For your travels in Georgia, Armenia and beyond…
These are the companies we use while traveling fulltime as a family and that we would recommend to anyone planning and booking travel.
- Booking.com – The best all-around accommodation booking site that constantly provides the cheapest and lowest rates. They have the widest selection of budget accommodation and it’s easy to filter and sort into price and availability with all the extras you are looking for personally. (We love their flexible cancellation policy!).
- Skyscanner– This is by far our favourite flight search engine. They are able to search small websites and budget airlines that larger search sites often miss. We book all our flights through Skyscanner.
- GetYourGuide– Get Your Guide is a huge online marketplace for tours and excursions offered all around the world including everything from walking tours, to street-food tours, cooking classes, desert safari’s and more!
- SafetyWing – A global travel insurance that covers people from all over the world while outside their home country. You can buy it short or longterm; and even if you are out of the country.
- World Nomads – Travel insurance tailored for longterm travel and nomads (including those who have already left home).
Read more about traveling in Central Asia
- Getting from Tbilisi to Kazbegi by bus.
- What makes Silk Road flatbreads so fabled?
- A complete Travel Guide to Uzbekistan.
- The greatest gift of travel: We found it in Uzbekistan.
- 5 Awesome things to do on your first time in Tashkent.
- Taking an overnight train to Nukus, Karakalpakstan.
- Border crossing: Karkara, Kyrgyzstan to Kegen, Kazakhstan.
- Kyrgyz’ What?! A Complete Travel Guide to Kyrgyzstan.
6 thoughts on “How to cross Georgia Armenia border from Tbilisi to Yerevan.”
Hello,
Thanks for very detail info about border crossing.
You got off in Vanadzor, then had you visit Debed, Haghpat?
Can one get off at Haghpat? Are there accomodations around?
Hi guys, did you see if it’s possible to buy dram with dollars at the Armenian border? Thanks.
Thank you for this comprehensive guide on traveling from Tbilisi to Yerevan! I really appreciate the detailed information about the border crossing process, the bus departure points in Tbilisi, and the costs involved. Your tip about the Bagratashen – Sadakhlo border being the main highway between the two cities, and the ease of currency exchange just past the Armenian border, is particularly helpful. It’s also reassuring to know that the journey is straightforward and that one can enter Armenia even after visiting Azerbaijan. This guide makes planning a trip across the Caucasus seem a lot more manageable and less daunting!
https://geographypin.com/
you say “We crossed the border from Azerbaijan to Georgia”. and your article was posted a month ago, but that border has been closed since the beginning of covet and hasn’t reopened right? You’ve also state that one of the other borders is the 13 km mud track, but it looks like a very major road. is this information contemporaneous?
Hi Brian, and yes we crossed the Azerbaijan Georgia border in June 2023 from Sheki to Sighnaghi. (The border is open one-way since reopening after the pandemic). And not sure about the Guguti Border. We took the main highway and border crossing from Tbilisi to Yerevan in June 2023.
With the most incompetent, arrogant and disrespectful staff on Georgian side
The worst experience ever