Tbilisi to Yerevan Train Guide with Exciting 2026 Updates

You might hear ‘overnight train’ and be like, ‘oohh, I don’t know if that’s for me’. Well, this post about our experience of the Tbilisi to Yerevan train will hopefully help you work that out. And if you’re well up for the overnight train already, this post will also help you know what to expect and how to plan your journey.

The overnight train is on an old Soviet train that chugs along back and forth between Tbilisi and Yerevan every other night. So, it leaves Tbilisi one night and then it leaves Yerevan the next night; bear that in mind when planning your trip! There are a few different ticket classes with some fancier than others so it means that several budgets and travel styles are catered for.

And it is a proper adventure!

The train isn’t as uncomfortable as you might imagine and the border crossings (as long as you have all your paperwork in order) aren’t too bad. You do have to get off the train for one border and then get woken up in the middle of the night with border officers talking at you in Russian on the other. But everyone is in the same boat (or train). Make friends with your bunk mates, and maybe share vodka or a card game together. Yes, we did have a couple of locals bring (and finish!) a bottle of vodka on to the train. It was just seen as standard stuff.

The journey is long enough for you to be able to get a decent enough sleep, though it is broken up with the border crossings. But still, it’s not half bad. We have taken several overnight buses/trains on our travels and this is definitely one of the better ones.

And the very best bit? It’s now easier than ever because you can now book your tickets online!

Where to Stay In Tbilisi

Golden Light Hotel (£)

📍9 Ovanes Tumaniani St

Make sure you book the room with the balcony! Large yet affordable rooms, nice decor, and a beautiful contained courtyard area.

🛏️ Grab the Room with the Balcony 🛏️

How long is the journey?

Our journey took about eleven hours. Obviously, if there is a hold-up at the border for whatever reason, the time could vary, but this gives you a general idea. We took the train in the winter from Tbilisi Central Station at 20:20, and we arrived into Yerevan Railway Station at about 07:00 the next day. But during the summer months, the train leaves at 22:40 and arrives into Yerevan around 09:00.

What are the sleeping arrangements like?

Well, there are four different classes of tickets.

A first class ticket (shows as ‘soft’ when buying online) gets you a bunk in a cabin of only two lower bunks plus an amenity kit.

A second class comfort ticket (shows as ‘coupe comfort’ when buying online) gets you a bunk in a cabin of four bunks plus an amenity kit.

A second class ticket (shows as ‘coupe’ when buying online) gets you a bunk in a four-bunk cabin.

A third class ticket (shows as ‘placecard’ when buying online) gets you a bunk in an open carriage with loads of bunks (only ever two bunks high). We travelled in third class, and honestly, it was pretty good. Everyone was given a beige sheet, pillow and pillowcase, and the bunks themselves were comfortable enough.

What facilities are on board?

There are toilets and evidently a shower (because we were given a towel with our bedding), but we didn’t try it out.

There is nowhere to buy food on board, so you need to buy everything that you would need for the whole journey in Tbilisi beforehand. Some people brought small kettles with them. Others brought litre bottles of vodka! There is a water dispenser, but I would still recommend bringing your own water.

The top bunks have access to a thin window, while the bottom bunks have a small table in between them. Each bunk has power outlets, reading lights, a couple of hooks to hang up jackets and a pocket to put your important stuff in while you sleep.

The bottom bunks have luggage storage under the bunks, while the top bunks have luggage storage above the bunks. So if you have heavy bags, it’s better to go for the lower bunks.

How is best to buy tickets?

2026 EDIT: You can now buy your tickets online!

This is a huge improvement because back in the olden days (I mean like 2023), the only way was to buy them in person at the station or through an agent. You had to cross your fingers that there would be a ticket available. But now it’s dead easy. You can still book in-person at the train station if you prefer.

Local Train Websites

There is an Armenian website and a Georgian website where you can book your tickets directly. I’ve had a play around on both sites and I can only see one difference between them. When booking on the Armenian site, you select you ticket class but your specific seat is automatically selected for you. The Georgian site though, gives you the option to choose your seats for an extra 1GEL per ticket which is a no-brainer!

Tickets become available to purchase about 40 days in advance of your departure. If you select a date to far out or a day that the train is not running, you will receive an error message saying the route doesn’t exist. It does! You’ve just selected a day where the train is running the opposite way. Just move your date one day before or after and it should appear if tickets are available.

12Go and Get Your Guide

If you’d rather go through a website that you’re more familiar with, you can also find the journey on 12Go and Get Your Guide.

12Go is the go-to for most travellers booking up public transport on their trips. They cover buses, ferries, trains, taxis, planes; so it’s great that they’re now covering this journey too!

Get Your Guide! is best known for its tours in countries all over the world, but now also sells tickets for this route.

At the Train Station

If you’re old school or would just rather do it all face-to-face with an actual person and get a physical ticket, you can buy them at either Tbilisi Central Station or Yerevan Railway Station.

Top tip: Make sure you have cash and your passport with you. I’d recommend withdrawing cash from a Basis Bank ATM in Tbilisi or Ameriabank ATM in Yerevan before you head to the station to buy your tickets!

Our third class tickets cost 85.8 GEL each in 2023.

I would always recommend booking the tickets at least a few days in advance or as soon as you know your travel dates and they become available on the site. Tickets can sell out quickly over the summer months. When we took this route in March, there were people buying tickets on the day while we were waiting at the station to get on the train in Tbilisi; they got on with no problems.

How often does the train run?

Now, this is something that has changed several times since we took this route. Back in the olden days (I mean 2022/23), the Tbilisi to Yerevan train ran every evening in the summer months, and every odd-numbered date in the winter months.

But it looks like the ‘every other day’ rule has become the norm. The train travels from Tbilisi one day and then from Yerevan the next day and just continues in this pattern.

You can see which upcoming days the trains will be leaving each city by checking on the train websites or third party sites. Remember that trains beyond the 40-day window will not show as available yet.

What is the Georgia border crossing like?

It took about two hours to get to the Georgian border. Everyone had to get off the train (we left luggage on the train) and queue to have passports checked and stamped. Once everyone had a stamp and was back on the train, border security walked the full length of the train to double check all the stamps had been issued. The whole process took around 60 – 90 minutes.

What is the Armenia border crossing like?

The border guards came on to the train with portable passport checking devices. They scanned everyone’s passports, and stamped them on board. We were the only non-Russian speakers on the train, and so we were unable to communicate with the border guards. Maybe this was a blessing in disguise, because they couldn’t ask us any questions! Again, this probably took about 60 – 90 minutes.

Gyumri Stop

Once the train crossed the border, it headed towards Yerevan via Gyumri, Armenia’s second city. There was a quick stop here as only a few people got off. Gyumri is absolutely worth at least a day trip to see its iconic black and orange tuff brick heritage buildings and eat delicious food at Gwoog! Genuinely one of our favourite meals we ate in the whole of Armenia was from right here.

Arrival into Yerevan

The rest of the journey is smooth sailing all the way to Yerevan, so you could get a good five hours of solid sleep.

Where to Stay in Yerevan

Onward Travel in Yerevan

Yerevan Railway Station is right next to Sasuntsi David metro station, so you can use this to get into the centre of the city. The metro starts running at around 07:30, so if you’re on the winter train there is no need to rush! Buy a ticket at the machines in the metro or you can pay with cash at the desks, and then scan the QR code on your ticket at the barrier.

Otherwise, you can jump in a taxi. I would recommend downloading GG Taxi, a local Armenian taxi app so that you don’t have to barter with the drivers. You’ve only just entered the country, you don’t know the going rate of a taxi ride, haven’t got a grasp of the new currency yet either, and are tired, which means that taxi drivers are likely to rip you off! Sasuntsi David metro station supposedly has free wifi. If not, see if a local could call you a GG, you can jump in and pay in cash.

Read up on everything that you need know about taking public transport in Armenia before you take this journey. It’s much better to know what to expect before you arrive into Yerevan as opposed to trying to figure it all out while you’re really tired!

Read our top things to do in Yerevan and the best restaurants for vegetarians (the falafel wrap game here is strong) to help you plan the rest of your trip!

So what was the whole experience like overall?

It was pretty painless actually. The train left on time, the beds were comfortable enough, the border crossings were smooth. My main criticism is the fact that the third class area doesn’t have much ventilation which means that the air gets very breathy and sweaty. It didn’t seem the healthiest especially in the post-COVID era.

But would I recommend the Tbilisi to Yerevan train? Yes. It was an experience to get the old Soviet train to take you from A to B, and it was more comfortable than a marshrutka would have been.

Don’t fancy an 11-hour sleeper train?

Marshrutkas (Minivan)

I get it, it’s not everyone’s bag. There are a few marshrutkas that run this route every day from Avlabari bus stop 4 and Ortachala bus station (marked as central bus station on google maps) in Tbilisi. You can book these online in advance or just turn up. They tend to leave every 1.5-2 hours with the first leaving at around 07:30 and the last around 17:00. The marshrutka will then arrive into Kilikia bus station in Yerevan.

The route from Yerevan to Tbilisi is the same but the other way round. So get yourself to Kilikia bus station and every 1.5-2 hours the marshrutka leaves. The first leaves around 07:00 and the last leaves around 17:00. There are options for either Avlabari or Ortachala in Tbilisi.

Again you can buy these online in advance or in person at the station.

The journey is quicker and cheaper than the train, so if you’ve done the old Soviet train thing, and are just looking to get the journey done, this alternative might be for you.

Marshrutkas are small, have little leg room or luggage space, can get really uncomfortably packed and claustrophobic, and the drivers are generally not the most cautious. Read our guide to all things marshrutka so you know what to expect on your journey.

GoTrip (Private Transfer)

The most comfortable, direct, and stress-free way to travel from Tbilisi to Yerevan is obviously a private transfer. And our go-to company that we recommend using is GoTrip, who specialises in transport around both Georgia and Armenia.

Head to their website, select your route and dates, and you are presented with a selection of available drivers/car types to choose from yourself. By booking in advance, you have everything already arranged and the marshrutka hassle has gone straight away (though I am still a big marshrutka fan too!). If you want to stop on the way, or don’t have much time to play with (every second is valuable when you’re using annual leave!), GoTrip will help you out. Check out our review of GoTrip to get you more familiar with their service.

Plan more of your trip with these:

• Travel Tips for Armenia: 11 Actually Useful Things to Know
• 24 Fascinating Things to Do in Yerevan: the Complete Guide
• 7 Best Restaurants in Yerevan for Vegetarians (plus bars & cafes)
• Vegetarian Armenian Food: 18 Delicious Things to Eat!
• How to Get Around Armenia: The Complete Transport Guide
• Easy Day Trip from Yerevan: Vagharshapat (Etchmiadzin)
• Garni and Geghard: the Best Day Trip from Yerevan
• 5 Things to Do in Gyumri
• How to Get to Tatev Monastery, Armenia