Yerevan introduced a colour-zone parking system at the start of 2024, and most central streets are now paid by app or meter. If you've collected a rental in Yerevan and plan to drive into the centre, here's how to park without paying twice — once to the city, once to a stranger with cardboard boxes.
The colour zones
Look at the kerb line, not the sign.
- Red — Zone A. Around 40 streets near Republic Square, the Cascade and Northern Avenue. 300 drams an hour, 2,000 a day, 5,000 a week.
- Blue — Zone B. Arabkir and a few outer districts. 200 drams an hour.
- White. Service vehicles only. Not for you.
- Green. Electric cars only.
The first 15 minutes are free in every zone — handy for a quick stop. From 22:00 to 10:00 parking is free across all zones.
How you pay
Two apps cover most situations: Telcell and IDRAM. Both offer an English interface, accept foreign Visa and Mastercard, and let you start a session by entering the kerb-side zone code and your plate number. MegaPay, Mobidram and EasyPay also work — choose whichever the rental partner already has on their phone.
The metal-box meters along the kerb accept cash with a small commission, usually around 200 drams. They come in handy when a card fails, though less so when you're searching for coins at midnight.
A guest from Vancouver last May spent half an hour circling Republic Square in search of the kerb meter she had seen on Google. There wasn't one — she paid on Telcell in twenty seconds from a café table.
The man with the boxes
This is the part no one mentions at the rental desk. Occasionally a stranger in the centre will place chairs or cardboard boxes on a free kerb space and ask for 200–500 drams to move them. He carries no badge, no receipt, and no permission from the city. If you pay, you've paid him — not for the parking. The legal parking on that space, if any, must still be settled through the app.
The rule is straightforward. Real parking is handled via app or meter. Hand cash to a passer-by once, and you may find his associates waiting around the corner the next morning.
Covered parking near the centre
The main option is the underground garage beneath Freedom Square — 600 spaces, from 200 drams an hour, paid on exit, secured, and open 24/7. A second garage is located at 15A Pushkin Street. Several central hotels operate their own car parks, and if you named your hotel when booking, the address appears on the rental contract.
Bottom line
In central Yerevan, two apps and one large garage cover almost every need. The colour on the kerb indicates the rate. Anyone requesting parking payment in cash, in person, is not part of the official system.
