Holding, D: Armenia

GENERAL INFORMATION 1 Chapter 1 Background Information 3 Geography and climate 3, Natural history and conservation 5, History 12, Economy 30, People 32, Language 34, Religion 35, Education 40, Culture 40 Chapter 2 Practical Information 57 When to visit 57, Highlights 57, Suggested itineraries 58, Tourist information 59, Tour operators 60, Red tape 64, Getting there and away 66, Health 69, Safety 73, What to take 76, Money and budgeting 76, Getting around 79, Accommodation 85, Eating and drinking 88, Public holidays and festivals 95, Shopping 97, Arts and entertainment 98, Historic sites 100, Media and communications 100, Business 102, Buying property 103, Cultural etiquette 103, Travelling positively 104 PART TWO THE GUIDE 107 Chapter 3 Yerevan 109 History 109, Getting there and away 111, Getting around 111, Tourist information 115, Where to stay 115, Where to eat and drink 121, Entertainment and nightlife 123, Shopping 125, Other practicalities 126, What to see and do 128 Chapter 4 The Central Provinces 159 Aragatsotn province 159, Ararat province 177, Armavir province 185, Gegharkunik province 196, Kotayk province 209 Chapter 5 The Northern Provinces 223 Shirak province 223, Lori province 239, Tavush province 263 Chapter 6 The Southern Provinces 279 Vayots Dzor province 279, Syunik province 298 Chapter 7 Nagorno Karabagh 321 History 323, Government 327, Red tape 327, Getting there and away 328, Getting around 329, Where to stay 329, Where to eat and drink 331, Shopping 332, Other practicalities 332, What to see and do 333 Appendix 1 Language 345 Appendix 2 Further Information 355 Index 360

Deirdre Holding and her husband, Nicholas, first visited Armenia in 2001as ordinary tourists. She was closely involved in the preparation of the first two editions of Armenia, written by Nicholas, and after he died in 2008 she took over the authorship for the third and now the fourth editions. She is not a member of the Armenian diaspora and can therefore write about the country objectively. Having originally visited as a tourist she knows which aspects need particular explanation for the general tourist but also covers the country in enough detail for the guidebook to be useful to members of the diaspora.