Gyumri

Gyumri is the second largest city in Armenia and the capital of Shirak Province in Northern Armenia.

Understand
Much of the city's historic center dates to the days when Gyumri was Alexandrapol (in honor of the wife of Czar Nicholas I), an outpost of the Russian Empire in the Southern Caucasus, and the architecture reflects that. The buildings, of dark black stone with pink-orange accents, are primarily 1800s Russian in style, with Armenian touches. The aftermath of the 1988 Spitak earthquake, which devastated the region, is still felt in the city; the rebuilding efforts are very much ongoing. It is said by the locals that the quake "leveled Leninakan (the name of the city in Soviet times) but left Alexandrapol standing" - the Soviet housing blocks folded on themselves, while the older buildings largely survived. There are also Russian churches and cemeteries, and a large Russian military base still dominates a part of the city (and provides employment). Russian soldiers in uniform are a common sight. George Gurdjieff, a well-known early 20th-century mystic, philosopher, spiritual teacher, and composer was born in Gyumri.



By marshrutka


From specific destinations:
 * Yerevan – They depart for Gyumri from a parking lot next to Sasuntsi David subway station between 08:00 and 20:00. There is no schedule - whenever one fills up, it departs. Travel time is about 2-2.5 hr. On the way back, the last one is at 19:00, so plan accordingly. These are cheap, at 1,500 dram, but often crowded or uncomfortable. They are, however a great way to meet locals. Shared taxis depart from the same location and are usually faster and more comfortable. Regular taxis can be taken from anywhere in Yerevan, and will cost around 10,000-12,000 dram (for up to 4 people).


 * Tbilisi – Marshrutkas leave daily at 10:30 from the Ortachala bus terminal in Tbilisi. The trip costs 40 lari and takes 4-5 hr (depending on how long passport control takes). To get from Tbilisi city centre to Ortachala you can take various busses from Bartatshvili street. The marshrutka drives through the centre of Gyumri, so you can get off either in the centre of town or at the Gyumri bus terminal.
 * The city used to be called Leninakan and this may be the name displayed in the marshrutka windscreen.

By train


Train options used to be limited to 2 daily departures from Yerevan, one leaving mid afternoon and one early evening around 18:00, with journey time 3 hr 10 min and the cost 1,000 dram. However, starting in March 2018, there is now a once-a-day express operating on weekends (F-Su) with brand new rolling stock, departing Yerevan for Gyumri at 10:00 (return trip at 15:00), making the run in just under 2 hr; tickets are 2,500 dram. If this fits your schedule, it is certainly the preferred option. The overnight train between Tbilisi and Yerevan also calls here, however at a very inconvenient time around 04:00.

By car
If you drive from Yerevan, take the federal highway M1. Beyond the first 20 km (where it has been completely overhauled to the highest standards), it is a 2-lane unlighted potholed road, often without the dividing line, but wide (so that 2 cars can almost drive abreast) to facilitate overtaking - which the locals will do anywhere, even on blind climbs. Traffic is almost never a problem, but there is extensive construction going on, widening and straightening the road, and work areas are speed posted at 30-50 km/h. Budget about 2 hours for the entire 120 km trip. An alternative (in warmer months) would be to branch off to M3 at Ashtarak, follow it over the Aragats range to Spitak, then take M7 for the last 30 or so km to Gyumri - the views are spectacular. This would add about 30 minutes to the trip.

By tour
Another good option for a visit to Gyumri is a day tour from Yerevan. Many companies offer these, for a reasonable price, and allow you to get in a van, with other travellers and a guide, with stops along the way in places like Talin Cathedral and Harijavank Monastery. This is probably the easiest option, and may even work out to be your cheapest compared to taxis.

Get around
Gyumri's historic town center is quite walkable, and fun to explore, but beyond that it is a bit of a sprawling town, and to see everything it has to offer in a day, a car is needed. If you haven't come with your own, a taxi in town, with a meter, is probably your only realistic option, and a pretty good one at that. If you care to try and figure out the numbers of the local van routes (marshrutka), you can have quite an adventure. It may be hard to make it to some of the fringe sites though in a marshrutka, like the fortress.

See

 * Surb Amenaprkitch church – The iconic black and orange stone church known as "Holy Saviour's Church" in English towers over the adjacent town square. Almost completely destroyed by the 1988 earthquake, the outside has been rebuilt but as of December 2019 interior renovations have not been completed.
 * Surb Amenaprkitch church – The iconic black and orange stone church known as "Holy Saviour's Church" in English towers over the adjacent town square. Almost completely destroyed by the 1988 earthquake, the outside has been rebuilt but as of December 2019 interior renovations have not been completed.

Do

 * Walk around the center, including the old town with its distinctive architecture of black stone buildings.
 * Visit the beautiful early medieval Marmashen monastery, about 15 km out of town. You can get there either by marshrutka or taxi. To go by marshrutka, ask around at the bus terminal in town. To go by taxi simply go up to any taxi driver in town, it should cost no more than 6,000 dram for a return trip, with the driver waiting while you explore the monastery. In both cases, remember to say you are going to Marmashen monastery, not Marmashen village. The monastery is a short distance away from the village of the same name.

Buy
Off the main square, by the smaller black church, there is a diagonal pedestrian avenue with some shops and some outdoor vendors.

The city centre has a number of ATMs accepting international cards.

Eat

 * Faeton on Hakhtanaki Ave (near Gorki St, north of Berlin Art Hotel) has a wide, reasonably priced menu (also in English) outdoor seating and sometimes live music.
 * Faeton on Hakhtanaki Ave (near Gorki St, north of Berlin Art Hotel) has a wide, reasonably priced menu (also in English) outdoor seating and sometimes live music.
 * Faeton on Hakhtanaki Ave (near Gorki St, north of Berlin Art Hotel) has a wide, reasonably priced menu (also in English) outdoor seating and sometimes live music.

There are several restaurants on Rijkov Street, the main pedestrian street leading from Peace Circle Park to the central square and by the park and square.

All restaurants close during holidays without notice. Proceed with caution if visiting around New Years or Christmas

Go next

 * There is a brand new express train serving the Gyumri-Yerevan route on Friday-Sunday. Very comfortable with free Wi-Fi. Best to arrive for tickets at least half an hour before departure. The old, slow Soviet trains run more frequently, but are probably only worth riding for an experience.
 * Harich/Harij is about 15 km southeast. It is a spectacular setting, and the church is very well preserved
 * Marshrutka's to Yerevan and Vanadzor leave regularly from the main bus station. Yerevan is about 2½ hr away, getting to Vanadzor takes about 1 hr.



Georgia

 * Marshrutkas leave every morning at 10:00 to Tbilisi. Tbilisi is 4-5 hr away by marshrutka, depending on the time spent at border control.
 * There are also marshrutkas that leave to Akhaltsikhe and to Akhalkalaki&mdash;see there.
 * Taxis to Vardzia can already be had for 12,500 dram, showing them what Yandex.Taxi calculated for this distance. Though, it might take some time to find a driver that has a car for crossing the border&mdash;usually there is a fee of 6,000 dram to do so. Especially if you are 3 or 4 people, 12,500 dram is more convenient than and equally pricey as the marshrutka alternative.
 * Otherwise, if you are two or less, just hitchhike as you'll be guaranteed to be picked up.