Kars Travel Guide

Fethiye Mosque does not look like an ordinary mosque, but it is because it used to be a Russian Orthodox Church.
The Russians captured Kars in 1878 and held it until 1920.

From the castle, standing on a hill above the city, you will have a great view over Kars and beyond. You can not walk up to the absolute top of the tower but the view is fine anyway. In the big grass covered courtyard there is a tomb and a mosque.
There has been a fortress on the hill since Urartian period, but it has been rebuilt many times, last time 1855.
There is no entrance fee to the castle.

After arriving in Kars I looked for the Tourist Office as I had read it was one of the places that had to be visited to get the permit for Ani. It wasn’t there anymore and I asked around. Someone told me no permit was needed, I think, but he did not speak English so I was not sure. As I was walking around a man in a car stopped and he spoke English, and he explained that no permit is needed now days for visiting Ani and the tickets were now to be bought by the entrance. He often drove tourists to Ani, but could not do so the coming day, but his brother in law (who did not speak English) could drive me for 50 000 000 TL.
I was going in the afternoon the day after and we were both going to look for other tourists that I could share the price with. I didn’t see any.
From Kars it is about 45 km to Ani. The road goes through open landscape with fields and hills. It was beautiful with flowers in the beginning of July.
Ani is covering a big area and you should spend at least two hours there, and tell the driver that beforehand.

I bought a ticket to Igdir at the minibus terminal on Kücük Kazim Bey Caddesi the day before departure. I was told to come half an hour before departure. After waiting for a long time, more than half an hour, a local bus came and took all waiting persons to the main bus station. From there a small bus left for Igdir. The journey took 2,5 hours and cost
10 000 000 TL. In Igdir the bus from Kars does not stop where the minibus for Dogubayazit leave, but you have to walk a few hundred metres. The minibus takes about 45 minutes to go between Igdir and Dogubayazit and it cost 3 000 000 TL.
In Dogubayazit the minibus stops in the centre of town, where Agri Caddesi meets Dr Ismail Besikci Caddesi.

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.