- Political Holidays
How to Get to Nagorno-Karabakh
Updated: Jan 9
By: The PH Team
Nagorno-Karabakh, officially the Republic of Artsakh, is a landlocked and unrecognized country sandwiched between Armenia, Azerbaijan and Iran.
Although the unrecognized country borders various other countries, the only way to enter and exit the region is through the territory of Armenia.
Below is a short summary on how to get to Nagorno-Karabakh / Artsakh.
Entering Nagorno-Karabakh by Plane
This section will be short and sweet as entering the unrecognized country by plane is impossible.
Although Nagorno-Karabakh does in fact have an international airport (Stepanakert International Airport) the political situation does not allow for international flights.
As such, the airport in Stepanakert, the country's capital, is non-operational.
Entering Nagorno-Karabakh on Land
As mentioned above, the only way to enter the unrecognized country is on land through the territory of neighbouring Armenia.
As Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) is predominantly inhabited by ethnic Armenians, the unrecognized country has good relations with Armenia.
Even though it sounds difficult, getting to Nagorno-Karabakh is not as hard as it seems.
Buses and tours operate daily from Armenia's capital, Yerevan, to Stepanakert, the capital of Nagorno-Karabakh.
The ride from Yerevan to Stepanakert is anywhere between 4-6 hours, depending on the mode of transportation.
Getting to Yerevan, Armenia
Getting to Armenia is quite simple. For travellers who are already in Europe, flying to Yerevan is a breeze.
Daily flights are operated from many European Union (EU) countries including; Austria, Germany, France, Latvia, Romania, Greece, Italy, Poland and Belgium.
In addition, regular flights also operate from Russia, Turkey, Lebanon, Iraqi Kurdistan, the UAE, Georgia, Belarus, South Korea, Ukraine, Egypt and other countries.