Quick answer
Cheapest with luggage and no fuss: the marshrutka from the car park beside Avlabari metro, 50 GEL (about $19), five departures a day from 09:00 to 17:00, about six hours including the border. Most comfortable per lari: the overnight train, every second night, from about 84 GEL in third class, arriving in Yerevan before 07:00 with the border done on board. Best for two or more who want to see Haghpat and Sanahin on the way: a GoTrip driver, from 481 GEL per car. Fastest: Georgian Airways' direct flight, sample fares from about EUR 78 one way. You cannot take a Georgian rental car across.
- Distance
- 288 km
- Marshrutka
- 50 GEL
- Train from
- 84 GEL
- Driver from
- 481 GEL
Tbilisi and Yerevan are close enough that doing both capitals in one trip is the obvious plan, and the road between them, down through Marneuli to the Sadakhlo crossing and then up the Debed gorge past the monasteries of Alaverdi, is worth seeing in daylight at least once. This page is the transport only: what leaves from where, what it costs, how long the border really takes and which option fits which traveller. Our Georgia vs Armenia page compares the two countries, and the border crossings guide covers Sadakhlo alongside the Turkish and Russian borders. Conversions use the National Bank of Georgia rate of 2.62 GEL to the dollar on 25 September 2026.
Which option, in one table
| Option | Price, time and who it suits |
|---|---|
| Marshrutka from Avlabari | 50 GEL a seat, five fixed departures, about 6 hours. Solo travellers and couples with one bag each. Book the day before in summer |
| Overnight train | From about 84 GEL in third class to 166 GEL for a two-berth compartment on the summer price list; every second night, 10.5 hours, border done on board. Anyone who would rather sleep than sit |
| GoTrip driver | From 481 GEL per car (about $183), 5 hours plus the border, stops included. Families, groups of three or four, and anyone who wants Haghpat and Sanahin on the way |
| Transfer tour | From $41 a seat in a shared van, $120 with a guide and two monasteries, $159 per car for up to three with stops. The driver option for one or two people |
| Flight | Georgian Airways direct, sample fares from about EUR 78 one way. Business trips and tight connections; the airports at both ends eat most of the time saved |
| Rental car | Not allowed across the border under Localrent's Georgia terms, the norm for the Georgian market. Drive to the border, park, walk over and take an Armenian taxi if you must |
Marshrutka: 50 GEL from Avlabari
The minivans to Yerevan leave from the car park beside Avlabari metro station on Line 1. Since summer 2026 the check-in office is in the building facing the car park rather than in front of the church, so walk out of the station, turn left and look for the parked vans. Departures are at 09:00, 11:00, 13:00, 15:00 and 17:00 and the fare is 50 GEL (about $19), paid at the office or to the driver; the reports we rely on are dated May and June 2026. In July and August the morning vans fill, so go the day before and pay for a seat, or arrive 30 minutes early. Vans also leave from Ortachala bus station in the south of the city, where they wait until full and the fare was quoted at 35 to 50 GEL in the same reports, and a 09:00 van from Station Square was listed at 35 GEL; Avlabari is the one with a timetable and a metro, so it is the one we use.
The vans take the Alaverdi route through the Debed gorge rather than the Dilijan road, which is why they take about six hours to the driver's five, and they end at Kilikia, Yerevan's central bus station, west of the centre. Coming back, the "Comfort" company on the left side of Kilikia had departures at 07:30, 08:30, 10:30, 13:00, 15:00, 17:00 and 21:30 for 8,000 dram in the May 2026 report; the last one gets you to Tbilisi in the small hours, so take the 17:00.
The overnight train
Train 371 is the civilised option. It leaves Tbilisi Central every second evening, does the Georgian passport control at Sadakhlo and the Armenian one at Ayrum while most passengers are horizontal, and pulls into Yerevan's Sasuntsi Davit station, which has its own metro stop, in time for breakfast. Georgian Railway's international timetable gives 20:20 from Tbilisi, an hour and five minutes standing at Sadakhlo (22:10 to 23:15), an hour at Ayrum, Vanadzor at 02:20, Gyumri at 03:50 and Yerevan at 06:55; the return, train 372, leaves Yerevan at 21:30 and reaches Tbilisi at 07:35. In summer (14 June to 1 October) the train starts in Batumi and leaves Tbilisi later, at 22:40, arriving 08:59, as our trains guide sets out. Wander-lush's reading of the Armenian ticket portal on 24 September 2026 gives 20:00 and 06:35 for the winter timetable from 2 October, twenty minutes earlier than the Georgian page, so trust the time printed on your ticket.
Yerevan sleeper fares, one way
| Class | Fare | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Third class (platzkart) | from 84 GEL | Open bunks. Georgian summer list; Armenian portal 15,700 dram (about 115 GEL) on 24 September |
| Second class (coupe) | from 147 GEL | Four-berth compartment; 20,300 dram on the Armenian portal |
| First class (lux) | 166-218 GEL | Two-berth compartment; 166 GEL Georgian list, 30,300 dram (about 218 GEL) Armenian portal |
Prices checked September 2026. Ranges reflect season and operator.
Two prices for one bunk is not a mistake: the Georgian and Armenian railways sell the same train in their own currencies and the conversions do not match, so check both tkt.ge and ticket.railway.am, which has had a working English booking site since June 2026, and buy from whichever is cheaper on the day. Sales open 40 days ahead and close two hours before departure; every passenger's passport details go on the ticket. The desk at Tbilisi Central (level 3, 08:00 to 20:00) sells them too. There is no dining car, so bring water and food; bedding comes in a sealed pack; the toilets are the chemical kind; big bags go under the lower bunks. Passport control takes 1.5 to 2 hours in total, the Georgian side the slower, and it is now common to be asked off the train with your passport at Sadakhlo, so keep shoes and documents within reach.
A fixed-price driver, with the monasteries
For three or four people the driver is often cheaper per head than the train and turns the transfer into the best day of the trip. We book on GoTrip: the price is per car, fixed before you confirm, there is no deposit, and stops on the way are included, so an hour each at Haghpat and Sanahin, the two UNESCO-listed monasteries above the Debed gorge, costs nothing extra. The driver crosses the border with you and handles the queue. GoTrip gives the route as 288 km and about 5 hours 10 minutes of driving, plus whatever the border takes. The prices below are the cheapest cars listed on gotrip.ge on 25 September 2026.
For one or two people the same idea is sold by the seat on GetYourGuide, where transfer operators run shared vans and small-group "transfer tours" that end in Yerevan. We plan independently and have not taken these; compare pickup time, group size, how long you actually get at each monastery and the cancellation terms before you book. These four were live on 25 September 2026, prices as shown in the search results and confirmed on each listing page.
Flying
Georgian Airways flies Tbilisi to Yerevan direct, and its own fare pages on 25 September 2026 showed one-way samples from about EUR 78 in September and October and about $147 in November. The flight itself is short, but Tbilisi's airport is 17 km east of the centre and Yerevan's Zvartnots is west of that city, so by the time you have done both airports the train has not lost much, and it has saved you a hotel night. Fly if you are connecting onward from Yerevan or genuinely have one day.
Driving yourself
Do not plan on it with a Georgian rental. Localrent's Georgia terms, which are typical, forbid taking the car out of the country, and a border guard will turn you round if the documents are not in order. In your own car the crossing is straightforward: Georgian exit control, a bridge, Armenian entry control. The road is paved throughout, via Marneuli to Sadakhlo (73 km, about 1 hour 25 minutes), then either the Debed gorge and Vanadzor or the Dilijan road to Yerevan; allow five to six hours with the border. Our car rental guide lists everything else Georgian rental contracts exclude.
The Sadakhlo border, step by step
- 1
Georgian exit control
Everyone gets out of the van or car with their luggage and walks through the Georgian booths. A quick stamp for most passports.
- 2
Walk across
A few hundred metres between the two posts, over the bridge to Bagratashen. Vans drive through empty and wait for their passengers on the Armenian side; drivers of private cars go through the vehicle lane.
- 3
Armenian entry control
EU, UK, US, Canadian, Australian and many other passports enter visa-free for up to 180 days a year under the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs rules; others use an e-visa from evisa.mfa.am applied for at least three working days ahead. Travellers with Azerbaijani stamps report extra questions, so have your Yerevan address ready.
- 4
Get back in
Allow 20 to 40 minutes on a weekday morning and one to two and a half hours on a summer weekend or a holiday, per traveller reports from 2026. The train does the same two controls standing still, which is why it spends an hour at each of Sadakhlo and Ayrum.
Coming back into Georgia, the usual entry rules apply again: most passports get a fresh year visa-free, and since 1 January 2026 the law requires foreigners to hold health insurance for the stay, which our insurance guide explains along with how often anyone is actually asked.
Mistakes to avoid
- Waiting at the church for the Avlabari van. The office moved to the building facing the car park in summer 2026. Turn left out of the metro.
- Booking the train on the wrong night. It runs every second night. Check the calendar on tkt.ge or ticket.railway.am rather than assuming your date.
- Comparing the train fare on one site only. The Georgian and Armenian railways price the same bunk differently. Look at both.
- Taking a Tbilisi hire car to the border. You will be refused at the crossing and in breach of the rental contract.
- Arriving at Kilikia after dark with no dram and no plan. Change a little behind Avlabari metro before you leave, or use an ATM on arrival.
- Expecting the marshrutka to stop at Haghpat. It passes below it. Only a driver or a transfer tour stops.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get from Tbilisi to Yerevan cheaply?
Is there a train from Tbilisi to Yerevan?
How long does the Tbilisi to Yerevan drive take?
Can I drive a rental car from Georgia to Armenia?
Do I need a visa for Armenia?
Is there a direct flight from Tbilisi to Yerevan?
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