The short answer
The most clearly documented way to travel between Tbilisi and Yerevan is the overnight train. Minibuses also run, but we found no dated timetable or fare for them, so we say little about them.
Our train times come from Wander-Lush, a travel site, in a guide it dated 24 September 2026. That is a secondary source. The operator, South Caucasus Railway, lists a Yerevan-Tbilisi-Yerevan timetable tab at railway.am, but the times did not show in the text we read. Check the operator before you plan around any time here.
Winter 2026/27 train
Wander-Lush gives this schedule for 2 October 2026 to 13 June 2027:
- Train 371: leaves Tbilisi at 20:00, arrives in Yerevan at 06:35. Journey time 10 hours 35 minutes.
- Train 372: leaves Yerevan at 21:00, arrives in Tbilisi at 07:05. Journey time 10 hours 5 minutes.
Tbilisi departures are on odd-numbered dates of the month, and Yerevan departures on even-numbered dates. So it is not a daily service.
Summer train
Wander-Lush describes the summer service, 14 June to 1 October 2026, as running every other night. It is the Batumi train.
- Train 201: leaves Tbilisi at 22:40, arrives in Yerevan at 08:59 (10 hours 19 minutes).
- Train 202: leaves Yerevan at 14:00, arrives in Tbilisi at 00:11 (10 hours 11 minutes).
Wander-Lush says the summer 2027 timetable will be released in June. We do not have it.
Tickets
Wander-Lush says tickets go on sale 40 days before departure and close 2 hours before. It lists two ways to buy:
- Online at ticket.railway.am and gr.com.ge, with a Visa or Mastercard.
- In person with your passport, at Tbilisi Central (level three, 08:00 to 20:00 daily) or at Yerevan station (09:00 to 18:00).
It also says tickets cannot be changed or reissued. Refunds are possible up to 2 hours before departure, and roughly 15% is deducted if you cancel at least 5 days ahead. We have not tested any of this, so read the conditions on the booking page. The railway lists the phone number +374 60 46 32 84 and the address [email protected].
We give no ticket price, because we did not find a dated one.
The border
Wander-Lush says Georgian immigration is usually done on the train and takes about an hour, sometimes 2 hours or more. Armenian immigration starts 45 to 60 minutes later and takes 15 to 30 minutes. Its total is about 1.5 to 2 hours. Keep your passport where you can reach it.
For what UK visitors need to enter Armenia, see entry requirements. We have not read the GOV.UK Georgia page on the border, so check it too.
Safety on the train
GOV.UK’s Armenia advice on the cross-border train is short: secure your valuables, do not leave the compartment unattended, and lock the door from the inside. Our safety page puts this beside the rest of the GOV.UK advice.
Minibus and shared taxi
Wikivoyage says minibuses, called marshrutkas, run from Tbilisi to the border and on to Yerevan. It gives fares, but the page is undated, so we do not repeat them. Ask the operator for the current price.
Wikivoyage names the road crossing as Bagratashen on the Armenian side and Sadakhlo on the Georgian side. It mentions a visa-on-arrival charge there “as of 2015” and tells readers to check the rules. We give no fee. UK visitors should rely on the current GOV.UK entry page instead.
We found no dated source for shared taxis, so we do not describe them.
After Yerevan
The train arrives in Yerevan early in the morning on the winter schedule, and mid-morning on the summer one, according to Wander-Lush. For the onward trip to the temple, see getting there from Yerevan. If you need a night in the city first, read where to stay in Yerevan.
