Erzurum Flights

I took the bus from Trabzon, which would have been a very spectacular drive if it had not been so misty. The spectacular mountain views had obviously gone on holiday when I went. However, halfway through the mountains is a tunnel, and if it is misty on one side, it will be completely clear on the other. The road is very steep, and I remember Lonely Planet told me to keep all bottles with you to adjust to the pressure at intervals...otherwise they explode!
Erzurum is a good city to explore on foot...it isn't a huge city, and I always think that the best way to see any city is by walking...so much more interesting than by bus or taxi. However, it could have been the altitude, or it could have been the heat, or a combination of both, but I found it very easy to get out of breath just by walking a short distance...very strange!

As I arrived to Sivas I went to the ticketoffices on Atatýrk Caddesi to buy a ticket for Erzurum, two days ahead. It was not as easy as I thought. I wanted to leave around 8-9 o'clock but it turned out the three offices, next to each other, had buses at 11 o'clock. Okej, so then I had to leave at eleven. I went back, they all made a phonecall and in all cases it turned out all buses were allready full. In the end I took a nightbus. It left the otogar at 00.30 and arrived in Erzurum seven hours later. Both in Sivas and in Erzurum the buscompany had free service to and from the otogar. The ticket was 25 000 000 TL.

The landscape is beautiful along the way. The first part I could see the siluette of the mountains and the full moon. As it became lighter in the morning we drove through green mountain vallys with a small river by the road. And flowers were blooming. I can't remember the flowers from last year but maybe it is like somebody told me - summer is late this year.

I walked along Cumhuryiet Caddesi to look for the buscompany offices but only saw Palendöken. They don't have buses to Kars but said I had to go to the otogar. It took about 20 minutes to walk there. I asked around and choosed DoguKars which had buses at nine. A ticket is 13 000 000 TL (or 14) they said but 10 000 000 TL if you are a student. I said I'm a teacher. They obviusly thought I want to travell cheap and sold me a ticket for 10 000 000 TL.
I think the difference in price depends on the size of the bus.
As my bus (a small bus) left the otogar in Erzurum a bigger bus from the same company left for Kars from outside the otogar. The big bus was probably a little bit faster but for sure went to the otogar in Kars. My bus dropped people directly in the city centre and me just next to my hotel.

Erzurum - Kars takes about three hours.

At my hotel I asked from where the dolmush to the otogar leaves. One of the men followed me there. It leaves from Istasyon Caddesi, just opposite Hotel Sefer. Several buses are leaving from here but only number 2 goes to the otogar.
Arriving at the otogar it seems like you can catch the bus number 2 outside both entrances to the otogar.
Going to town the bus goes along Cumhuryet Caddesi.
The busride is 500 000 TL.

Trabzon was my first stop in Turkey so I was not familiar with different bus companies, buying tickets from the offices in town or free service buses to the otogar. So when the day came when I was going to ErzurumI just took a dolmush to the otogar from a place close to Hotel Nur. It was 500 000 TL to the otogar.

At the otogar I bought a ticket to Erzurum with Süzer company for 15 000 000 TL (2003). I did not ask around for other companies, but the bus was leaving within an hour. The bus ride to Erzurum took 5,5 hours.

If there was a free service bus from the otogar in Erzurum I did not know about it. I went out to the road to take the local bus. One passed just before I reached the road so I took a taxi to Kral Hotel instead. The taxi was 4 000 000 TL.