Welcome to Kars, the city that inspired the poems of the famous poet Pushkin!
‘… O land unknown to me!
I didn’t come to you of my own accord, nor on the back of a noble steed.
The fire of youth brought me, this valiant lad, here.
And the wine fumes on my head.’
Russian poet Pushkin is said to have written the above lines for Kars. This poetic city was home to Russians for 40 years in the past. Therefore, it is not surprising that Pushkin came to Kars. While wandering the streets of such a city, it is impossible not to be impressed by the traces of Russian architecture. The lands where many cultures and religions lived together harbour the ancient city of Ani, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage list today.
Let us remind you before we start this article: Don’t forget to download the Piri Guide mobile application to visit Kars step by step with your personal and digital tour guide! 🙂
Where is Kars?
Kars is a province in the Erzurum-Kars section, one of the four parts of the Eastern Anatolia Region. Erzurum lies to the west of the city and Armenia to the east.
How to get to Kars?
It is possible to go to Kars from almost all cities by bus. It is 22 hours from Istanbul and 18 hours from Ankara. If you are coming from Erzurum, you only need to take a 3-hour bus journey. Travellers who prefer airway instead of highway can go to Kars Airport from Istanbul and Ankara. The airport and the centre are about 6 kilometres away. You can take shuttles and taxis departing from domestic flights.
You can also go to Kars by the famous Eastern Express. You know that finding a ticket for the Eastern Express has become a legend in recent years 😊
Where does the Eastern Express depart from?
Doğru Express departs from Ankara. It reaches Kars via Kırıkkale, Kayseri, Sivas, Erzincan and Erzurum. You can find the current timetables of Eastern Express on TCDD Eastern Express ticket website.
The ideal time to book Eastern Express tickets is 1 month before your travel. Because the tickets are already on sale exactly 1 month in advance. Against the risk of being sold immediately, we recommend you to wait at the computer when it goes on sale at night.
How many hours does the Eastern Express take?
Your Eastern Express journey starting from Ankara takes 24 hours and 30 minutes.
When to go to Kars?
If you are a ski lover and you think you must see the frozen Çıldır Lake, the best season to go is the middle of winter. Travelling on the Eastern Express with snow landscapes is a perfect experience, you can feel like you are in a film scene.
However, those who cannot find a ticket in winter can also choose April, May and June. In these months, the snow landscape leaves its place to a lush green image that you will not believe.
Kars Attractions
Russian Period Girls' School
Russian Period Girls’ School is a two-storey building built in 1883. It was used as a girls’ school, that is, a school for nuns during the Russian period. Towards the 1910s, the second floor was added to the building. In fact, when Mustafa Kemal Atatürk came to Kars, he addressed the people from the second balcony.
Kars Castle
Kars Castle was built in 1153, but of course, nothing happened to it. It was destroyed during the Timur invasion, then it was rebuilt, but this time it was very badly damaged. During the time of the Russians, the walls around it were destroyed. When the walls were destroyed, only the two main gates in the inner castle survived. But the castle itself has survived to the present day without any change since 1630.
You can choose to come here by car or on foot, but our main recommendation is to watch Kars Castle from the outside. Since the route is quite tiring, you may not be able to spend much time in the interior.
Ferah Hotel
Ferah Hotel is the hotel where the events of Orhan Pamuk’s Snow take place. When Pamuk wanted to write a novel about snow, he thought Kars would be the most suitable place. In 2000, he came here to write the novel. And he got so involved with the whole city! The main reason for choosing Kars is of course the abundance of snow in Kars, but more essentially, we can say the mystical, remote and lonely character of Kars.
Church of the Twelve Apostles
Built in 932 and 937, this is an extraordinary church. The Armenians built it in only 5 years. On the dome there are 12 human figures symbolising the 12 Apostles. Right opposite the church is the İstihkam Garden. There are two important social areas in Kars. One is here and the other is the National Garden. In the spring months, samovars and very nice daily theatrical meetings are also held.
Pushkin (Mazlumaga) Bath
Kars fell to the Russians in the Ottoman-Russian War between 1828-29. It was precisely at that time that Pushkin turned his route here. One day, while bathing in this bathhouse, he looked across and saw Kars Castle. He talked about how steep and difficult the castle was. Then he compared the castle to his mother-in-law. ‘So, what’s the relevance now?’ we hear you say. Let’s explain that right away. Pushkin loved his wife very much. However, their marriage was a bit difficult because his mother-in-law did not allow the couple to marry for a long time. Therefore, when he looked at Kars Castle, the famous writer directly remembered her. He wrote a letter and nicknamed his mother-in-law ‘Kars’ meaning strong and tough.
Cavalry Wards
Tsar Nicholas II built the Cavalry Barracks when he was in Kars. While he was staying in the Amnesty Pavilion in the city, his cavalry soldiers stayed in these barracks. The period we are talking about is the 19th century, the period when the Ottoman Empire and Russia went to war 4 times. In one of these wars, the 1855 War, the valley in the region witnessed a very important resistance. When I say 1855, you may have immediately thought of it. Yes, we are talking about the famous Crimean War.
The British and French were on the side of the Ottomans in the Crimean War. In the same war, General Williams showed a tremendous resistance against the Russians in Kars. Even after this resistance, Sultan Abdülmecit gave Kars the title of Gazi. He also exempted the city from tax and military service for 3 years. But the most interesting thing is that thanks to Williams, a town in Canada was named Kars. The town where the commander lived was named Kars, and today this town in Canada is still called Kars.
Lake Çıldır
Every season is a different beauty of Çıldır. The most comfortable way to get here is with your personal vehicles, the road takes about 40 minutes from the centre. If you want to use public transport, you may have to transfer to your destination 1-2 times.
If you want to do ice fishing, which has become popular recently, we recommend you to get information by calling Günay’in Yeri.
Bonus 1: Taste Gruyere as a Kars flavour!
When we think of Kars, of course goose, cheese and honey come to mind. Among these, gruyere cheese is the most unique to Kars. Kars’s honey, cheese, cream… Everything is very good here. In addition, since there are quite a lot of endemic plant species, products such as evelik herb and aş herb are also used in the food culture by the people of Kars.
Bonus 2: Recognise the Damal Doll as a Kars symbol!
In 2000, a doll competition was organised in Japan. Damal Doll participated in that competition on behalf of our country and our Damal Doll became the champion in that competition. In this sense, Damal Doll is made by Terekemes, an important ethnic group of Kars, through a lady.
But wait there is more to discover. You might also like our Gaziantep travel guide.
