Gyumri

Gyumri is the second largest city in Armenia and the capital of Armenia's Shirak Province in Northern Armenia. Much of the historic center dates to the days Gyumri was an outpost of the Russian Czar in the Southern Caucasus, and the architecture reflects that. The buildings, of dark black stone are primarily 1800s Russian in style, with Armenian touches. Much of the center has was devastated by the 1988 quake which devastated much of the region, part of which has been rebuilt. There are also Russian churches, cemeteries and a large Russian base still dominates a part of the city.

Travel to Gyumri - Visa Requirements

Vans called marshutni depart Yerevan for Gyumri from Kino Rosia's parking lot, above Zoravor Andranik subway station across from the National Cathedral. These are cheap, at about $5, 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. Taxis can be taken from anywhere in Yerevan or, indeed Armenia.

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 travelers 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.

Tours and Getting around Gyumri

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 (marshutni), you can have quite an adventure. It may be hard to make it to some of the fringe sites though in a marshutni, like the fortress.

Gyumri tourist attractions and sightseeing

• Town Square. Huge square in the middle of town, with a church, a cathedral, a massive government building, fountains, restaurants, and all adjacent to the old town with great architecture and some small museums. 
• Black Fortress. The big, round, black fortress on the top of the hill overlooking Gyumri is a good spot to take in the view. It once protected the Russian Empire from the Ottoman Empire. Nearby is the huge "Mother Armenia" statue. 
• Russian Church. If you're spending a few days in Gyumri, make your way over to this church, which is a bit different from the norm. 
• National Arch. Museum. This museum is nearer the highway to Yerevan, and has beautiful traditional architecture, interesting rooms, and a cool dining room where you can order a meal ahead of time. 

Gyumri city tours

Gyumri souvenirs and shopping

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

Gyumri Restaurants: cheap, moderate and expensive

• Cafe-bar destination, [1]. Huge glass covered space, with water, plants, etc, bringing the outdoors to the indoors.  

Gyumri nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs

Gyumri cheap and luxurious hotels, youth hostels and lodging

• Hotel Isuz, 1/5 Garegin Njdeh Ave., ☎ (+374 312) 33399, 33369, 33369, [2]. 20-33,000.  
• Berlin Guesthouse, 25 Hakhtanak Ave. 3104, ☎ (+374 312) 37659, 30386, 53148, [3]. Western hotel. Good location for walking around in the center.27-32,000.  
• Araks Hotel, 31 Gorki St., ☎ (+374 312) 24435, 21199, 35815, [4].  

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This page was last edited by Raffi Kojian. Based on work by Peter Fitzgerald and Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel. - Content on this page is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0 license