Best Things to Do in Kars in Turkey: A Kars Itinerary Based on Our Trips
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For most people, Turkey is about beautiful beaches, city breaks in the colourful chaos of Istanbul or exploring the ethereal landscapes of Cappadocia.
But if you're lucky enough to spend more than a week in this huge, fascinating country, we'd skip the TikTok recommendations and head east to Kars in Turkey.
Quick Kars Guide
In a rush? Here’s a quick guide to help you make the most of your trip!
🛏️ Best places to stay in Kars:
- Katerina Palace 1877 (historical palace with luxurious rooms)
- Ahiska Palas Otel (fantastic breakfast)
- Kars Konak Hotel (excellent budget option)
🚶♀️ Top tours in Kars and eastern Turkey:
- 4-Day Eastern Anatolia Tour on the Touristic Eastern Express (includes tickets on the Eastern Express, Ani ruins & Lake Cıldır)
- 4-Day Lake Van, Kars, Ani, Doğubeyazıt and Mount Ararad Tour (covers all the top sights in eastern Turkey)
🌤️ When to visit Kars:
- Visit in winter (our fave time) for incredible winter views & spring for gorgeous green landscapes. Summer is comfortably warm compared to other areas of Turkey.
🚘 Going around Turkey by car?
🌟 Don't forget:
- Stay connected with an Airalo eSIM!
- Save money with a Wise International Debit Card.
We’ve been twice, both times in winter. On one of those trips, we also took the Doğu Ekspresi, a mammoth 26-hour train journey with such epic winter scenery that I spent most of it with my nose glued to the window.
Kars sits up in the far northeast, right near the Armenian border and it has a completely different look and vibe from the rest of the country.
There are grand, imperial-style buildings from the Russian period, huge, desolate open landscapes and comfort food clearly designed to help humans survive sub-zero temperatures.
If you visit in winter, you'll quickly realise the cold is not a joke. We stayed in a hotel room with two radiators and a sign telling us not to switch them off, which should tell you everything.
But frozen fingers and toes were a small price to pay for the experiences we had. Where else in Turkey can you ride a horse-drawn carriage across a frozen lake? Watch traditional ice fishing? Or visit the bleak, windswept ruins of an ancient city and be the only people there?
Of course you don't just have to visit Kars province in winter. It’s also an excellent escape from the scorching temperatures of a Turkish summer. But if you’re craving somewhere that feels completely different to the Turkey most people know, it's unforgettable.
In this guide we'll share the best things to do in Kars, Turkey based on our personal experience, along with where to stay, how to get there, how many days to spend in Kars and the best time to visit. (Spoiler: we still think winter is hard to beat.)
📜 A Quick Introduction to Kars, Turkey
Kars is in Eastern Anatolia, in the far northeast of Turkey, not far from the borders with Armenia and Georgia. It’s the capital of Kars province and sits at around 1,750 metres above sea level, spread across a series of high plateaus.
That elevation, along with several surrounding mountains, makes the weather in Kars no joke. We’ve visited in winter when temperatures hovered around a positively balmy -30°C. I lasted about half an hour outside, even in my trusty fleece trousers and thermal leggings, before retreating to a warm café.
People have been fighting over Kars for forever. Its written history stretches back to between the 6th and 9th centuries BC, when it was ruled by the Urartians.
Kars city centre on a very snowy day in January
After that, it changed hands. A lot. Muslim Arab rulers, the Bagratid Armenian Kingdom in the 9th and 10th centuries, and the Byzantines all controlled the city at various points. The Seljuk Turks captured Kars in 1064. Not to be outdone, the Mongols followed in 1243.
In 1534 it became part of the Ottoman Empire. Following the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, Kars was annexed and occupied by Russia, which explains the grand stone buildings you’ll see around the city today.
Kars returned to Ottoman control in 1918, was captured by Turkish forces during the War of Independence in 1920, and has been part of modern Turkey ever since.
🏔️ The Best Things to Do in Kars in Turkey
Here are some of the best things to do in Kars based on our two visits. The city itself is fairly compact, but once you add nearby places like Ani and Lake Çıldır to your Kars itinerary, there’s plenty to keep you busy.
Ride the Doğu Ekspresi Ankara-Kars train
Super excited to travel in the Doğu Ekspresi train!
Okay, so technically this isn’t something you actually do in Kars. But what’s that saying? Getting there is half the fun. And when it comes to train travel, I absolutely believe that.
The Doğu Ekspresi Kars train, also known as the Eastern Express, has been running in some form since the 1930s. It began as a passenger service from Istanbul and was gradually extended east, eventually reaching Kars in 1962.
These days, thanks to Turkey’s high-speed rail network, the journey starts in Ankara rather than Istanbul, but the appeal is the same: a long, slow train ride across some of the country’s most dramatic landscapes (we actually ended up booking the Kars–Ankara leg instead).
In recent years, the route has exploded in popularity with international and domestic tourists, particularly in winter when the snow transforms everything outside the window. That surge made tickets harder to find for people using the Kars Doğu Ekspresi as actual transport.
In response, Turkey’s rail company introduced the Touristic Doğu Express in 2019. It has fewer stops, longer breaks in certain cities for sightseeing, private sleeper cabins for two, and a dining car.
It takes around 33 hours and, in peak winter season, a cabin can cost £250–£290 (15,000 TL - 17,000 TL), with the lowest prices hovering around £200 (12,000 TL).
The regular Eastern Express by contrast, is remarkably affordable. At the time of writing, a Pullman seat is around £15 (855 TL), and a berth in a four-person shared sleeper is roughly £25 (1475 TL). There’s also a dining car.
As much as I’d love to say we blew our cash monies on a private cabin and lived it up rolling across eastern Turkey, the touristic train was well out of our budget.
Tickets were tricky to find anyway, so we booked the regular Eastern Express from Kars to Ankara instead. The Ankara to Kars train was fully booked, so we did it in reverse and signed ourselves up for 26 hours in Pullman seats.
It was a commitment but as a bonafide train travel geek, I had to do it at least once.
Just look at this scenery!
Vincent contemplating life on the Doğu Express traın
We packed breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus snacks and drinks. There’s nothing worse than being hangry on a long journey.
We also used the dining car, which I’d recommend at least once. The windows are huge, perfect for taking (even more) photographs plus enjoying a hot drink while watching snow-covered mountains slide past never gets old.
The scenery really is the point of this trip: sunrise over endless snowy plains, frozen rivers and villages blanketed in snow. Gorgeous!
Because we knew 26 hours straight would test us, we broke the trip in Erzurum and stayed a few nights before continuing on to Ankara. It meant buying tickets twice, but a proper bed in the middle of a mega train journey was a VERY sensible decision.
Sunrise as seen from the Eastern Express on our journey from Kars to Ankara.
We couldn’t get enough of these views!
The upside to a bit of discomfort on the regular train is that you actually get to know the people around you.
We’d made a schoolboy error in our otherwise meticulous food prep and hadn’t brought a thermos. As the hours rolled on, we were craving our usual hot tea like proper Brits and, at that point, were too lazy to walk to the dining car.
A man sitting near us produced a flask and started offering tea to everyone in our section of the carriage, and so we got chatting.
He then showed us videos and selfies of himself skiing in Sarıkamış, just outside Kars. He was doing stunts and everything, which was impressive when we found out he was pushing 60!
If you’re planning a trip to Kars, I’d seriously consider arriving or leaving by train. It’s slow, requires some forward planning and, if you’re booking regular seats like us, a bit of stamina, but it adds something to the experience that a quick flight simply doesn’t.
Visit the Ancient City of Ani
The stunning Ani ruins in Kars.
It still amazes us that Ani in Kars isn’t mentioned in the same breath as places like Ephesus. It’s enormous, historically significant, a UNESCO site, and yet on both our visits we saw barely anyone else wandering around.
About 45 minutes from Kars, right on the closed Turkish–Armenian border, Ani was once the capital of the Bagratid Armenian kingdom.
At its peak in the 10th century, this “city of a thousand and one churches” is thought to have had around 100,000 residents, making it one of the largest cities in the world at the time. Its political power and wealth turned it into an important commercial centre on the Silk Road.
Given the history of Kars, it’s probably no surprise that control of Ani shifted repeatedly over the centuries. The Byzantines took it in 1045, followed by the Seljuks in 1064 after a long siege.
But it was the Mongol invasion and sacking of the city in 1236, followed by a devastating earthquake in 1319, that contributed to its slow decline. Trade routes changed and people followed, and by the 18th century it was mostly abandoned.
The Ani ruins aren’t like anywhere else we’ve been. It’s melancholy and desolate and feels a bit too quiet. Scattered across the landscape are ruins ranging from a gigantic roofless cathedral to a tiny convent perched on the edge of a gorge overlooking Armenia.
We’d highly recommend spending a few hours here properly exploring the ruins rather than rushing through.
🚗 Getting there:
Ani is around 48km from Kars and takes roughly 45 minutes by road. There’s a public minibus that leaves Kars in the morning and returns around midday, which gives you about three hours on site. That’s enough to see the main highlights, but you will need to keep an eye on the time.
We prefer to explore at our own pace and stay longer without worrying about missing the return bus, so we arranged a driver instead. Most hotels in Kars can organise this with a local taxi driver. You could also hire a car and drive yourself.
Compare car rental options in Kars →
🙋 Guided tours:
If you’re planning your visit from further afield, there are multi-day tours from Istanbul that include Ani along with places like Lake Van and Ishak Paşa Palace.
⏰ Opening times:
The Kars Ani Archaeological Site is open from 08:00 - 19:00 from April to October and until 17:00 from November to March.
💰 Entrance fee:
8 Euros (Müzekart can be used here).
Travel in a Horse-Drawn Sleigh on Frozen Lake Çıldır
Riding in a horse-drawn sleigh on frozen Lake Çıldır is one of the most unusual things you can do in Kars!
The first time we went to Kars in mid-November, it was cold but not cold enough. Cold enough, that is, for Lake Çıldır to completely freeze. Cue my sad face when our lovely host Sinan told us we were too early to ride in a horse-drawn sleigh across the lake.
It had sounded simultaneously exciting and slightly dangerous, and was one of the main reasons we wanted to visit Kars in winter.
Lake Çıldır usually starts to freeze in December, when night-time temperatures regularly drop to around -10°C. In particularly cold winters, it can stay frozen for months.
If you want to see it properly iced over, aim for December to March and keep an eye on the Kars weather before you book. Heavy snowfall and sustained sub-zero temperatures are what you’re looking for.
The thickness of the ice matters. At around 5 to 10cm, people can cycle across it. The bikes have much wider tyres than normal, which means you’re not sliding around and face-planting every five seconds, despite what your brain might initially picture.
For sleigh rides and snowmobiles, the ice usually needs to be at least 25cm thick, and it can reach up to 50cm in colder periods.
Once the lake freezes, it’s time for winter shenanigans on Lake Çıldır. You can walk across it, cycle across it, or take a snowmobile out onto the ice. But the real draw is the exhilarating horse-drawn sleigh ride, often called an “ice safari”.
Brightly painted sleighs race across the surface, pulled by horses decorated with bells and beads. When they’re not working, the horses are covered in thick, multicoloured Turkish rugs to keep warm against the cold. We took way too many photos of them against the frozen backdrop!
When we visited for the second time in early January, the lake was totally frozen and the sleigh rides were in full swing. Racing across the ice with the wind in our ears and freezing air hitting our faces was thrilling.
Getting down afterwards, it all felt a bit surreal, standing on what looked like a mahoosive field and then remembering it was actually a lake!
If you’re worried about safety, the drivers don’t just head out blindly. They regularly test the ice themselves when the lake begins to freeze and only start operating once they’re sure it’s thick enough. Routes are checked and mapped before tourists are invited onto the lake.
🚗 Getting there:
Lake Çıldır is about an hour from Kars city centre, so you’ll need transport. We paid Sinan to take us for the day on our second trip (drop us a line if you want his details - he’s fantastic but only speaks Turkish).
You could rent a car and drive yourself, or arrange a return trip with a local taxi. There’s no complicated system once you arrive. The sleigh drivers are there waiting on the ice and you simply agree a price and climb in.
Check car hire options in Kars →
🙋 Guided tours:
If you’d rather have everything organised, there are some excellent tours, such as this one that combines Kars, Lake Çıldır and the Touristic Doğu Express, along with stops in Erzurum and Erzincan. It’s a good option if you’d prefer not to sort out the logistics yourself.
Try Traditional Ice Fishing on Lake Çıldır
Probably one of the more unusual things to do in Kars Turkey in winter is traditional ice fishing.
The locals here make a livelihood through fishing for most of the year, but in winter their skills are properly tested.
Once the lake freezes, they have to hack through thick ice to set their nets beneath the surface. They then return days later to cut new holes and haul them back up to see what they’ve caught.
We watched the fishermen, who come from local villages all around the lake, hack holes into the thick ice using pickaxes and shovels. This is not easy.
It took a good five to ten minutes of solid effort from our sleigh drivers, who also happen to be fishermen, to break through the ice and retrieve a net they’d left under there days earlier.
As they dragged it out, we stood there wondering if there would actually be anything in it. Sure enough, there were several wriggling fish, which the fishermen held up triumphantly for me to photograph.
We decided to have a go ourselves. And let me tell you, yanking up nets and trying to hack holes into the ice in peak Kars winter at -25°C is damn difficult, however enthusiastic we were swinging a pickaxe.
Within minutes, the cold had seeped through my thermals and I’d lost feeling in my hands and feet. We called it a day and retreated to the edge of the lake for a steaming cup of çay from an ancient-looking stove set up directly on the ice.
Ice fishing usually starts once the lake has frozen to around 15 to 25cm thick. It’s a centuries-old tradition here, passed down through generations.
Many of the fishermen supply restaurants around the lake, so if you eat fish in the area, there’s a pretty good chance it was swimming under the ice not long before it reached your plate.
Enjoying a much-needed cup of tea on Lake Çıldır with our host Sinan.
There are apparently 17 different types of fish in Lake Çıldır, but the most common catches are common carp, trout and Italian barbel. You can even have your freshly caught fish grilled on the lake itself, if you’re willing to brave the cold long enough to eat it outside.
For most visitors, ice fishing is included as part of a sleigh ride. The drivers stop to demonstrate how the nets are set and retrieved, and you can try it yourself.
For the fishermen, tourism now forms part of their winter income. So taking part not only gives you a glimpse into a long-standing local tradition, it also helps support the families who are working hard to keep it going.
Step Inside Kümbet Mosque
The stunning Kümbet Mosque in Kars city centre.
One of the most striking symbols of Kars city is the Kümbet Mosque. You can’t help noticing it, mainly because it doesn’t look anything like the Ottoman-style mosques you’re used to seeing in Istanbul and across much of Turkey.
That’s because it started life as an Armenian church. Also known as the Cathedral of Kars or the Church of the Twelve Apostles, it was built in the mid-10th century by the Armenian Bagratid King Abas I, the same dynasty responsible for Ani.
What happened after the Selcuks captured Kars in 1064 is slightly debated. Some sources suggest the building was abandoned, others that it was converted into a mosque, and still others that it continued functioning as a church for a time.
What is clear is that its role changed repeatedly over the centuries. When the Ottomans expanded into the region in 1579, it was formally converted into a mosque.
After the Russians captured Kars in 1877 during the Russo-Turkish War, it became a Russian Orthodox church complete with porticoes, Cyrillic inscriptions and an elaborate bell tower.
And that still wasn’t the end of it. In the early 20th century, as control of Kars city shifted again, the building changed hands more than once, functioning at different points as a mosque and a church (literally within the span of a few years!).
By the mid-20th century it had even been used as a petroleum depot before reopening as a museum in 1964. After a period of closure and neglect, it was reconverted into a mosque in 1993, which is what it remains today.
Inside, it’s small and fairly simple. There isn’t much decoration apart from the dome, and the atmosphere feels quite different from the grand mosques elsewhere in Turkey.
🧕 Dress code:
Kümbet Mosque is an active place of worship, so dress modestly and, if you’re a woman, bring something to cover your hair.
Enjoy the View from Kars Castle
Kars Castle
The solid, dark basalt walls of Kars Castle (Kars Kalesi) loom over Kars city. We’ve climbed up twice: once on a slightly overcast day that made everything look even more dramatic and once during heavy snowfall when we felt like we were taking our lives into our own hands on the icy steps.
The sweeping views from the top across Kars and out towards the mountains in the distance are well worth the effort though.
Like much else in the area, it was first built by the Armenian Bagratid dynasty. (Honestly, I used to think Mimar Sinan was productive, but the Bagratids were clearly operating on a similar schedule.)
Rebuilt in 1153 by the Saltukids, it then settled into a pattern: destroyed by Timur, rebuilt by the Ottomans, destroyed under the Safavids, rebuilt by the Ottomans. The Russians later occupied it during their war with the Ottoman Empire, leaving it heavily damaged.
The views from the top of Kars Castle are well worth the climb!
Kars Castle during heavy snowfall.
Today, Kars Castle is still sizeable. There are four gates and, although it once had 22 watchtowers, only seven remain intact. You can also see the former military barracks and an old ammunition depot scattered around the site.
Keep an eye out for the small tomb of Celal Baba. During a Mongol attack in 1239, he was reportedly beheaded in battle. According to legend, he caught his severed head before it hit the ground, tucked it under his arm and carried on fighting. As you do. Now that’s what I would call dedication.
The castle is free to enter and is one of our favourite Kars attractions, mainly because we never get tired of a good view.
⏰ Opening times: 09:00-17:00, everyday.
💰 Entrance fee: Free
❓Wondering who Mimar Sinan is? AKA Sinan the Grand Architect, he was responsible for building more than 300 buildings in the Ottoman Empire.
Gorge on Hearty Kars Grub
Yum! Piti - a traditional dish from Kars.
If this list of what to do in Kars is making you hungry, then fear not because this area is also famous for its hearty comfort food.
Kars is particularly renowned for its superb dairy products: in particular Kars tereyağı (Kars butter) and the hard, aged Kars gravyer cheese.
Walking through the town we passed countless shops whose windows were packed with piles of cheese, butter and cream. (If you want to sample some of this dairy goodness we’d suggest finding a place for Turkish breakfast as you’ll get to try all these things in a single meal.)
You can’t visit the city without sampling the traditional food, known as Kars yöresel yemekleri, because there are dishes here you’ll struggle to find elsewhere in Turkey.
Some of our favourites included hingel - made from dough that is rolled out until it’s very thin. The dough is cut into squares, boiled and then topped with a garlic-yogurty sauce, caramelised onions and melted butter. It’s carbs, calories and oh-so-good. Perfect winter fuel!
Hingel - the ideal winter comfort food.
Vincent loved piti - a rich and filling dish also found in Azerbaijani cuisine. Lamb shank, neck and tail fat are cooked together in a pot with boiled chickpeas, saffron or turmeric, tomatoes and peppers.
We loved the way it was served in enamel cups: thin flatbread went into the bottom first, then the piti stew was poured over the top.
Kars’ signature dish is of course Kars goose with bulgur pilaf (Kars kazı ve bulgur pilavı) where the goose is salted, dried and cooked in a tandoor oven.
The cooked goose is then shredded and placed on top of the bulgur which has been cooking in the goose’s juices (accidental rhyme there).
As a vegetarian I didn’t try Kars goose, and Vincent isn’t especially keen either, but it’s what Kars is famous for. The best places to try it are Kars Kazı Evi or Hanimeli Kars Mutfağı.
Piti = a hearty stew from Kars
If you fancy something sweet we’d recommend checking out the cosy Pushkin Cafe Restaurant.
This Kars restaurant is known for its unusual dessert - the Pushkin tatlı - a kind of sponge cake topped with thick cream and cherry compote. Divine. I only managed to have it once and wish I’d had time to eat it a couple more times.
Pushkin tatlı
Be aware that Pushkin Cafe Restaurant holds frequent traditional Kars dance performances for tour groups - if you happen to be there on a night when it happens, you may have to join in!
Admire the Russian and Baltic Architecture
Fethiye Mosque in Kars
Following the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, Kars was occupied by Russia for forty years and, perhaps unsurprisingly, that period left a visible mark on the city.
We noticed it during our daily wanders around Kars. The wide streets feel very different to other cities in eastern Turkey, and many of the buildings are made from cut basalt stone - a classic Baltic look.
Probably the most famous example of this architectural style is the Fethiye Mosque, formerly the Alexander Nevsky Church, built during the Russian occupation. It was even used as a gymnasium for a while before becoming a mosque.
Then there’s Hotel Katerina Sarayı and Hotel Cheltikov, along with the Kars Revenue Office, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Municipality building.
Some have been restored as part of efforts to preserve the city’s Baltic architectural heritage. Others are still a little dilapidated, which we quite like. It gives Kars a slightly faded, frontier feel that makes it different from anywhere else in Turkey.
Warm Up in a Cosy Cafe
Inside a cute cafe in Kars
One of the things we liked most about our Kars travel experience was not having a jam-packed agenda because honestly, there isn’t loads to see. That means there’s plenty of time to chill, ideally in a cosy cafe.
In winter, this becomes essential. With temperatures so arctic you can’t linger outside for long, it’s nice to have somewhere warm to retreat to. Luckily, Kars has plenty of places to choose from.
We’d recommend the nostalgic Kars Balat Cafe. Eclectic antiques, a roaring fireplace, tasty biscuits, good music, and excellent coffee…I mean, what’s not to like?
We also spent a lot of time in another cafe, decorated with Turkish musical instruments and post-it notes, chatting with the friendly owners. Sadly, we can’t remember the name or find it on Google.
Walk Across Kars’ Famous Stone Bridge & Check Out Some Famous Mosques
Taş Köprü in Kars on a very cold day.
Beneath Kars Castle and around Kumbet Mosque is a newly renovated pedestrian area with wooden and stone walkways. It’s a nice place for a wander and there are a few things to see along the way, which is always a bonus.
The best-known landmark here is Taş Köprü (literally “Stone Bridge”). It was originally built in 1579 by Lala Mustafa Paşa under orders from the Ottoman Sultan Murad III.
Made entirely from finely cut basalt stone, the bridge crosses the Kars River in three vaulted arches. It was destroyed by flooding in 1715 and rebuilt a few years later in 1719.
When we visited in winter, the river had partially frozen and while we were admiring the bridge we noticed a few people… sort of surfing across the ice.
They were balancing on small ice floes and stepping from one to the next, trying not to fall into the freezing water. It looked entertaining, if slightly risky. Braver than we were, for sure! One guy had even bought food for a stray dog that was also on the ice.
We decided instead to go and enjoy lunch at Raskolnikov Cafe which is right next to the bridge and has great views of it. They also do a very good breakfast.
You’ll also find Evliya Mosque here, another structure built during the reign of Sultan Murad III, as well as the Ulu Camii (Kars’ Great Mosque). The Ulu Camii was burned and destroyed during the Russian occupation of Kars. The building you see today was restored in 1997.
Visit a Kars Museum
If the weather outside isn’t fit for exploring, you can always head into one of Kars’ excellent museums.
Kars Museum showcases archaeological discoveries and ethnographic artefacts from the provinces of Kars, Ardahan, Ağrı and Iğdır.
The exhibits cover everything from the Paleolithic period through to the Ottoman Empire and include spear and arrowheads, terracotta vases, coins, stunningly carved wooden doors and beautiful handwritten Qurans.
⏰ Opening times: 08:00-17:00, closed on Mondays.
💰 Entrance fee: Free
If you’re after something a bit different, check out the Kars Cheese Museum (Kars Peynir Müzesi). Turkey’s first and only cheese museum - and apparently the world’s largest - it traces the journey of Kars’ famous cheeses from production to sale.
If you get hungry during your visit, there’s also a shop where you can buy whichever Kars cheese takes your fancy.
Peyniri Müzesi Kars is open every day.
⏰ Opening times: 09:00-17:00,
Another museum worth visiting is the Kars Military History Museum of the Caucasus Front (Kafkas Cephesi Harp Tarihi Müzesi), which covers the Russo-Ottoman conflicts up to the First World War.
Located in a restored fortress known as the “Bloody Bastion”, it features immersive exhibits and dioramas that help you imagine what life was like for soldiers on the Caucasian front.
One of the most haunting displays commemorates the Battle of Sarıkamış in 1914–1915, where an estimated 25,000–30,000 Ottoman soldiers froze to death.
⏰ Opening times: 08:00-16:30, closed on Mondays.
💰 Entrance fee: 3 Euros
Go Skiing
Are you a snow bunny on a budget? If so, consider going skiing at Sarıkamış Ski Centre.
Located around an hour’s drive from Kars, Sarıkamış Ski Centre on Camurlu Mountain is known for its excellent and surprisingly affordable skiing. The snow here is called crystal snow, which makes it particularly good for both skiing and snowboarding at all levels.
And when you’re done playing in the snow, there are plenty of cosy, top-notch hotels to retreat to, many with all-inclusive dining options.
Sarıkamış Ski Resort is easily accessible from both Kars Harakani Airport and Erzurum Airport, with direct buses running from each airport to the resort.
🚂 How to Get to Kars
Vincent enjoying a cup of tea in the dining car of the Doğu Express train.
By Plane
The easiest way to reach Kars is by flying into Kars Harakani Airport, which is around 6km from the city centre.
There are regular direct flights from Istanbul with Turkish Airlines, AJet and Pegasus Airlines, departing from both Istanbul Airport (IST) and Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SAW).
For most international travellers, this will be the simplest route: fly into Istanbul first, then take a short domestic flight onwards to Kars. Flights from Istanbul to Kars airport take just over two hours.
There is also one direct flight per day from Ankara, although other services from the capital usually connect via Istanbul. Limited direct flights to Kars from Izmir operate as well, but these tend to be less frequent and noticeably more expensive.
By Train
If you’ve got the time and fancy a more scenic way to reach the city, taking the train to Kars is well worth considering. We’ve done the journey ourselves (albeit in reverse) and it’s easily one of the most memorable train rides in Turkey.
As mentioned earlier, two trains run between Ankara and Kars: the Touristic Eastern Express (Turistik Doğu Ekspresi) and the regular Eastern Express (Doğu Ekspresi).
The tourist train runs three times a week and offers sleeper cabins for two people, so you can actually get a decent night’s sleep. The journey takes around 33 hours and includes several longer stops along the route where organised excursions take place. It also only operates between late December and early March.
The regular passenger train is quicker at about 26 hours and runs every day, but is more basic, with either Pullman seats or shared four-berth compartments.
Inside the regular Doğu Ekspresı/Eastern Express.
Tickets for the Touristic Eastern Express sell out quickly, especially in winter.
If you’re planning to travel this way it’s best to try booking as soon as tickets are released, usually about 30 days in advance, through the TCDD Taşımacılık mobile app or the official website. Just be aware that international credit cards don’t always work on either.
If you don’t want to commit to the full journey (or don’t have tons of cash to splash) another option is to ride a shorter section of the line instead, for example just the Kars-Erzurum stretch. You’ll still get some beautiful scenery without spending an entire day and night on the train.
By Car
Driving in Turkey is a dream and very affordable, so if you’d prefer to be in complete control of your Turkey itinerary and explore under your own steam, consider renting a car for your Kars trip and driving here yourself.
Driving from Istanbul to Kars takes around 17 hours but we’d encourage you to stop off at a few destinations enroute.
Compare car rental options in Kars →
By Bus
Turkey’s long-distance buses are excellent - expect snacks, water and comfortable seats.
We’ve travelled all over Turkey by bus. In fact, we took one from Artvin to Kars and then from Kars to Doğubeyazıt before heading (again by bus) to Van and Mardin.
You can book tickets easily through Busbud - the times and prices are the same as at the bus station.
There are also usually smaller minibuses (dolmuş) running between some destinations and there will almost always be someone at the bus station who can point you in the right direction.
🛏️ Where to Stay in Kars
Kars isn’t a huge city, but there are some lovely places to stay, particularly in the historic Russian-era stone buildings around the centre. On both our visits we stayed close to the centre so we could easily walk to cafés, restaurants, the castle and the main sights.
Photo courtesy of Katerina Palace 1877 from Booking.com
BEST LUXURY HOTEL: Katerina Palace 1877 (⭐9.0)
This restored Russian-era villa is one of the most atmospheric places to stay in Kars. Rooms are comfortable and slightly ostentatious, with gilded bed frames.
The hotel sits on the banks of the Kars River below the castle and has a lovely riverside garden. Breakfast is generous and features plenty of local specialities, which makes a nice change from the standard hotel buffet.
Photo courtesy of Ahiska Palas Otel from Booking.com
BEST MID-RANGE HOTEL: Ahiska Palas Otel (⭐9.3)
Located in a renovated historic building right near the main square, this hotel is within easy walking distance of cafés, shops and the main sights.
The rooms are comfortable, warm and spotlessly clean. The breakfast here is particularly good with plenty of hot and cold options.
Photo courtesy of Kars Konak Hotel from Booking.com
BEST BUDGET HOTEL: Kars Konak Hotel (⭐8.1)
This good-value, centrally located hotel is not far from the train station. The rooms are cosy and warm, which you’ll appreciate in winter. Some also have a nice view of the nearby mosque.
Breakfast is simple but tasty, and the location makes it easy to get around the city on foot.
📆 The Best Time to Visit Kars
Our favourite time to visit Kars is in winter and, as you’ll have seen from our list of things to do in Kars, some of the activities we’ve recommended - like riding in a horse drawn sleigh on Lake Çıldır - are only possible then.
If you want to see snowy landscapes (either in person or out the window of the Eastern Express train), go skiing or really indulge in Kars’ comfort food, plan your trip to Kars during winter.
The weather in Kars Turkey can drop to as low as -30, so make sure you bring the right clothes. This definitely ain’t bikini weather! Winter is also the most popular time to visit (we didn’t know this when we first went to Kars) which means that train tickets and hotels can sell out quickly.
Views from the Eastern Express train in winter.
That being said, Kars is beautiful at other times of year too. In spring, the landscape around Ani is incredibly green and verdant and in summer, the weather is surprisingly pleasant compared to the scorching heat in Mediterranean and southern Turkey.
Whatever time of year you go, we’d still recommend riding the Eastern Express at least once. The scenery along the route is beautiful in every season.
⌛ How Long Should You Spend in Kars
We’re slow travellers so both of our trips to Kars have been five or six days. On our first trip we kept extending our stay because we liked it so much!
If you don’t have the luxury of doing that, we’d recommend spending at least three days in Kars. You can easily visit Lake Çıldır and Ani in one day like we did on our second trip, which still leaves two days to explore the city of Kars without feeling rushed.
It also gives you a buffer in case the weather is being particularly capricious. Trust me, when it’s freezing and snowing heavily it’s pretty hard to spend much time outside, or even take photographs.
Despite sub-zero temperatures, I did clearly persevere with taking photographs…
If you want to go skiing at Sarıkamış Ski Centre, we’d suggest spending around a week in Kars.
The Eastern Express train journey to Kars from Ankara also takes more than a day, and it often runs late, so make sure to factor that into your planning.
❓ FAQs About Visiting Kars, Türkiye
Looking out over the Turkey-Armenia border at the Ani ruins in Kars.
Is Kars worth visiting?
Definitely, especially if you’re interested in visiting more off-beat places in Turkey. The region has amazing archaeological ruins, unusual architecture and dramatic winter landscapes.
The city itself is pretty small but it has a distinctive feel, with Russian-era basalt buildings, a well-preserved hilltop castle and unique traditional food.
Kars is also the base for visiting the ruins of Ani, the ancient Armenian capital, and Lake Çıldır, which are two of the biggest highlights in the region. Ani, in our humble opinion, is one of the unmissable places to visit in Turkey.
Is Kars safe for tourists?
Yes. People in Kars were very friendly and welcoming - often they were curious about where we were from. We never felt uncomfortable walking around the city, even in the evening. As with anywhere that isn’t your home, it’s always good to use a bit of common sense but we felt totally safe there.
Kars is also home to quite a few stray dogs - we found them all to be very friendly and petted quite a few (we aren’t recommending that you do this!). We’d suggest being cautious especially if you aren’t comfortable around dogs.
In winter, the biggest thing to prepare for here is the weather. Temperatures can drop dramatically and heavy snow is common, so proper winter clothing and good shoes are a must.
Is Kars good to visit in winter?
Absolutely, and in our opinion winter is actually one of the best times to visit Kars, Turkiye.
The surrounding landscape is often covered in snow and some of the region’s most memorable experiences only happen at this time of year, like travelling on the Eastern Express through snow-covered mountains or riding a horse-drawn sleigh across frozen Lake Çıldır.
Just be prepared for very cold temperatures and plan plenty of café stops so you can warm up between exploring.
Is there a direct Istanbul to Kars train?
No. The Istanbul–Kars train that used to depart from Haydarpaşa Station stopped running when the Ankara–Istanbul high-speed railway opened in 2014.
If you want to travel from Istanbul to Kars by train, you’ll first need to take a high-speed train from Istanbul to Ankara. These run roughly hourly and the journey takes about 4.5 hours.
From Ankara you can then take the famous Kars Express train - better known as the Eastern Express - which continues across central and eastern Turkey to Kars.
What is Kars famous for?
The amazing Ani ruins; horse sleigh rides on Lake Çıldır; delicious comfort food; the most scenic train ride ever; beautiful landscapes; unique Russian-era architecture; affordable skiing and a very well-preserved castle.
And that’s a wrap!
Kars feels quite different from most places we’ve visited in Turkey. The Russian-style buildings, the vast ruins of Ani and the thrill of racing across a frozen lake in a horse-drawn sleigh make it a memorable place to spend a few days.
Now that we live in Turkey full time, it’s somewhere we’d happily return to again and again. One day we might even splash out on the Touristic Eastern Express, although our journey on the regular train was great in its own right.
We hope you found this guide helpful in planning your own trip. If you do end up visiting Kars, we’d love to hear what you thought of it. And if there’s something we missed that we absolutely need to do next time, let us know in the comments.
Before you go, make sure to check out some of our other Istanbul and Turkey/Türkiye guides:
🗓️ The Best 1 Day in Istanbul Itinerary
🏠 Best Areas to Stay in Istanbul: Coolest Neighbourhoods & Top Hotels
🛌 Where to Stay in Cappadocia: Best Areas, Hotels & Top Tips
🛫 How to Get from Istanbul Airport to the City Centre
⛵ 11 Best Bosphorus Cruise Tours in Istanbul
🗓 The Ultimate Turkey Itinerary 10 Days
🏖️ Where to Stay in Izmir: Best Izmir Districts, Top Hotels + Useful Tips
🕌 Things to Do in Mardin: Turkey’s City of Golden Stone
🇹🇷 The Best Places to Visit in Turkey
🌷 Visit the Istanbul Tulip Festival
🎪 18 Best Festivals in Istanbul
🚂 Sirkeci Station: Discover Istanbul's Orient Express Station
🍴 A Foodie’s Guide to the Best Mardin Restaurants
🍯 Where to Find the Best Baklava in Istanbul
🏔 Cappadocia in Winter: 7 Reasons to Visit + 16 Amazing Things to Do
🏞️ Zelve Open Air Museum Cappadocia: A Complete Guide
🎄 Christmas in Istanbul: All You Need to Know for a Magical Stay
⛄ 9 Awesome Reasons to Spend Winter in Istanbul
🍳 Best Breakfast in Istanbul - 16 Incredible Places to Try
✅ 12 Things You Need To Do in Istanbul
✈️ How to Get From SAW Airport to Istanbul City Center
🔎 Explore Balat Istanbul: An Insider's Guide to One of Istanbul's Most Unique Neighbourhoods
🍟 Best Vegan Fast Food in Istanbul
🥑 Where to Find the Best Vegan Turkish Breakfast in Istanbul
🖼️ 14 Top Things To Do in Gaziantep
🍔 Off the Eaten Track: The Best Street Food in Istanbul
🥦 Vegan Istanbul: The Best Under-the-Radar Restaurants
Find more travel tips and useful information on Turkey here.
Looking for more travel inspiration? Click here to discover more of our favourite places around the world.
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