page_title: Vagharshapat
section_title: Transportation
hierarchical_section_title: Vagharshapat / Transportation
caption_attribution_description: English: New buses of Vagarshapat
context_page_description: Vagharshapat, is the 4th-largest city in Armenia and the most populous municipal community of Armavir Province, located about 18 km west of the capital Yerevan, and 10 km north of the closed Turkish-Armenian border. It is commonly known as Ejmiatsin, which was its official name between 1945 and 1995. It is still commonly used colloquially and in official bureaucracy.
  The city is best known as the location of Etchmiadzin Cathedral and Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, the center of the Armenian Apostolic Church. It is thus unofficially known in Western sources as a "holy city" and in Armenia as the country's "spiritual capital". It was one of the major cities and a capital of ancient Greater Armenia. Reduced to a small town by the early 20th century, it experienced large expansion during the Soviet period becoming, effectively, a suburb of Yerevan. Its population stands just over 37,000 based on 2016 estimates.
context_section_description: Vagharshapat is connected with Yerevan and southern Armenia through the M-5 Motorway, while the M-3 Motorway connects the town with northern Armenia.
  The Zvartnots International Airport of Yerevan is located only 10 kilometres (6 miles) east of Vagharshapat.
  Being located 20 km west of the capital Yerevan, Vagharshapat is connected with the capital city with public vans, locally-known as marshrutka. These vehicles are mainly Russian-made GAZelle vans with 13 seats, having regular trips between the two cities throughout the day. Since 2018, some new buses are also having regular trips to Yerevan. There are also 2 smart stops in the city that will soon be eight.
caption: New buses of Vagarshapat
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