Kars blends tsarist Russian architecture with Caucasian highland culture and millennia of Armenian, Byzantine, and Ottoman history. The highlight for most visitors is the Ani Ruins — a haunting city of stone churches, mosques, and palaces stranded on a plateau above the Arpaçay River gorge. Back in Kars city, the castle above the Kars River gives sweeping views, the Kümbet Mosque (a 10th-century Armenian church) stands near the town centre, and the evening food scene rewards anyone who seeks out kaz (goose) stew and aged gravyer cheese. The city is small enough to walk across in 20 minutes yet rich enough to fill three days.
Historical sites
Places where Kars's past comes alive.
Ani Ruins
Where: 45 km east of Kars
Admission: ₺200 (~$6)
Kars Castle
Where: Above city centre on basalt rock
Admission: Free
Kümbet Mosque (Church of the Apostles)
Where: East bank of Kars River
Admission: Free
Fethiye Mosque (Armenian Cathedral of Kars)
Where: City centre
Admission: Free
Russian Governor's Palace
Where: Central Kars
Admission: Free