Okay, so I had spent a great couple of weeks bouncing around Armenia, hitting up Yerevan and Gyumri, and then the inevitable happened: it was time to move on. Next stop was Georgia. I had heard all the horror stories—scam drivers, complicated customs, long waits. Everyone online was suggesting I book some high-priced private transfer that cost an arm and a leg. I decided right then and there I needed to test the system myself. I wanted the real, budget-friendly, common-man experience crossing from Armenia into Georgia via the land route.
Checking the Damn Paperwork First
Before I even looked at a timetable, I checked the visa status rigorously. This is the one thing you absolutely cannot mess up. I pulled up the official Georgian requirements and breathed a sigh of relief. For my passport, entry into Georgia was totally fine—I got 365 days visa-free. No hassle, no complicated letters needed. Armenia had required a quick e-visa setup, but Georgia was wide open. Knowing this meant I didn’t need any special documentation, only my passport and proof of onward travel (which they rarely ask for, but I always have a dummy booking ready, just in case). If you are reading this, do not skip this step. I watched people get turned back because they assumed the rules for exiting Armenia were the same for entering Georgia.
Finding the Transport and Negotiating Like a Bandit
The shared taxi or ‘Marshrutka’ is the way to go if you want cheap. I headed straight to Yerevan’s Kilikia Central Bus Station ridiculously early—before 8 AM. It was chaos, just like it’s supposed to be. Drivers immediately started yelling the destinations. I focused on the Tbilisi guys. They tried to hit me with the tourist price, 15,000 Armenian Dram (AMD). I pulled out my best haggling skills, quoting the price a local had told me. I held firm at 9,000 AMD. Took about 15 minutes of back and forth, but the driver eventually grumbled, took my cash, and shoved me into the back seat of an already half-full minivan.
We packed ourselves in tight—six passengers plus the driver, and luggage piled high inside and strapped precariously onto the roof. We waited another 45 minutes past the supposed departure time until the driver decided we were “full enough,” and then we roared off toward the northern border zone. The drive was long and bumpy, twisting through the mountains. Definitely not for those prone to car sickness.
The Great Drop-Off and the Walk
After about five hours, we finally pulled up near the Bagratashen checkpoint on the Armenian side. Crucially, the driver didn’t drive right up to the immigration booth. He stopped maybe 400 meters short and motioned for us to get out. This is totally normal. I grabbed my ridiculously heavy backpack and joined the stream of people walking toward the terminal building. It felt very industrial and messy.
The Armenian exit was easy. I queued for a short 10 minutes. The guard took my passport, verified my initial entry stamp, and stamped me out of Armenia without a word. Done. No customs problems, no delays.
Then came the walk across the actual ‘No Man’s Land.’ It’s just a concrete road and a bridge spanning the river that separates the two countries. I trudged across the gap, maybe 300 meters, seeing the landscape slowly change, until I saw the big signs for the Georgian border post (Sadakhlo).
Entering Georgia: Smooth Sailing or Sticky Wicket?
The Georgian border crossing point was immediately more organized and modern. I walked straight into the building and joined the line for Foreign Passports. I was ready for questions, maybe proof of funds, but it was incredibly quick.
- I handed my passport to the officer.
- He looked me up and down, took the required photo.
- He asked one simple question: “Where are you staying in Tbilisi?”
- I gave him the name of a hostel I looked up earlier.
And that was it. He smiled, slammed the entry stamp into my passport—the beautiful one that grants me 365 days—and wished me a good stay. Total time spent on the Georgian side? Less than five minutes. It was ridiculously simple, exactly what I needed to prove.
Avoiding the Vultures and Finishing the Trip
I stepped out of the Georgian border building feeling victorious. But the final hurdle was transport to Tbilisi. Immediately, a swarm of Georgian taxis descended on me, yelling prices like 80 GEL or even 100 GEL to get to the city center. This is the biggest scam point of the whole trip. I ignored them completely.
Instead, I walked maybe 150 meters down the road past the immediate taxi line where the local traffic was. I found the Marshrutka stop for locals heading to Marneuli. The cost was minimal, maybe 5 GEL. I hopped on that local bus, and from Marneuli, catching the next Marshrutka directly into Tbilisi’s Didube station was another easy 5 GEL. This small detour saved me at least 70 GEL, and it was far more authentic.
So, was it easy? Yes, technically. Was it stress-free? Definitely not, if you count the shared taxi ride and the aggressive hagglers. But if you handle the visa checks first and refuse to pay the highway robbery prices for immediate transport upon entry, you can absolutely cross the Armenia-Georgia border easily, cheaply, and with a great story to tell.