Reply Submitted by Stan on Sun, 05/05/2013 - 20:19
You would not be wise to rely on anecdotal reports from travelers like me or others who participate in this forum. What may or may not have happened to any of us may or may not be typical or common experiences.
I suggest you check the online advisories offered by the US, Canadian, British and Australian governments, which will err on the side of caution. I also suggest you check with companies that offer or once offered group tours that included Armenia; they may err on the side of optimism because they don't want to discourage potential clients. And read whatever other information you can find online (google "crime in Armenia", for example) and take it for what you think it's worth.
Decide where in Armenia you want to go and what you want to do. Few generalizations about such things as crime are equally true of all parts of a country, even a small one such as Armenia, and for all times of the day and night. You already know this, of course.
Weigh all this, assess your own tolerance of risk, and make your own decision.
I visited Armenia in October 2013. We were there for 1 week and never at any time felt unsafe. In fact I was somewhat surprised at the topic of your post. We walked around Yerevan during all times of the day. At night the streets were crowded with all age groups including many families with infants. We also visited many of the usual tourist sites throughout the country. Although not crowded with tourists, there were certainly many from all over the world at the more popular sites. That being said, I do believe Stan's advice is true for many parts of the world.
Reply Submitted by thursdaysd on Sun, 05/12/2013 - 11:12
I, too, am really surprised by this question. I am a solo, older, female traveler. I traveled in Armenia in 2009, coming overland from Georgia by marshrutka,and spending several days in the north before traveling on to Yerevan. I never felt unsafe. I do agree that you should consult the travel advisories - personally I prefer the UK Foreign Office site, as I find the US State Department too alarmist.
In Yerevan I can recommend the Villa Delenda. I also took some day tours, and an overnight tour to Nagorno-Karabagh, with Hyur Services. If you are still nervous, maybe you can make all your travel arrangements with them.
Seek Knowledgeable Information Sources
You would not be wise to rely on anecdotal reports from travelers like me or others who participate in this forum. What may or may not have happened to any of us may or may not be typical or common experiences.
I suggest you check the online advisories offered by the US, Canadian, British and Australian governments, which will err on the side of caution. I also suggest you check with companies that offer or once offered group tours that included Armenia; they may err on the side of optimism because they don't want to discourage potential clients. And read whatever other information you can find online (google "crime in Armenia", for example) and take it for what you think it's worth.
Decide where in Armenia you want to go and what you want to do. Few generalizations about such things as crime are equally true of all parts of a country, even a small one such as Armenia, and for all times of the day and night. You already know this, of course.
Weigh all this, assess your own tolerance of risk, and make your own decision.
Armenia
I visited Armenia in October 2013. We were there for 1 week and never at any time felt unsafe. In fact I was somewhat surprised at the topic of your post. We walked around Yerevan during all times of the day. At night the streets were crowded with all age groups including many families with infants. We also visited many of the usual tourist sites throughout the country. Although not crowded with tourists, there were certainly many from all over the world at the more popular sites. That being said, I do believe Stan's advice is true for many parts of the world.
Armenia
I, too, am really surprised by this question. I am a solo, older, female traveler. I traveled in Armenia in 2009, coming overland from Georgia by marshrutka,and spending several days in the north before traveling on to Yerevan. I never felt unsafe. I do agree that you should consult the travel advisories - personally I prefer the UK Foreign Office site, as I find the US State Department too alarmist.
In Yerevan I can recommend the Villa Delenda. I also took some day tours, and an overnight tour to Nagorno-Karabagh, with Hyur Services. If you are still nervous, maybe you can make all your travel arrangements with them.