Kars

Not in the story-mood? Scroll down for the Quick Budget Fact Overview: an itemized information summary of Kars!

Some destinations have their thrilling reputation far preceding my arrival… some places happen to be on my way and I somehow end up there, without any prior plans or anticipations. I honestly prefer such underdogs, as they come without pressure. They either turn out to be great and as such satisfy me with the feeling of having made a pleasant discovery, or they suck, which is also fine as I didn’t have any expectations to begin with. Kars is one of those belonging to the first category. It incidentally drew me in by its kind-of-on-the-way-position on the way from Georgia to Cappadocia, as well as it containing the departure station of the renowned Eastern Express (Dogu Ekspresi), the longest and arguably the most scenic train ride of entire Turkey.

Kars, let’s bring it on.

A Walk Through Kars

You don’t need a lot of time to explore the entire town of Kars. This is potentially a good thing, as even though you might just shortly be here to board the Eastern Express, there’s probably still enough time to get a pleasant grasp of the city. Sights you will be unable to miss are the Citadel, the Castle, the Fethiye Camii and Evliya Camii mosques, the rock paintings of Camusli Koyu Kaya Resimleri and the Church of Tigran Honents. They’re all free of charge too! Another interesting stop is at the Suffist Muslim pilgrimage destination Harrani Turbesi, the tomb of Mohammedanist spiritual leader Ebu ‘l Hasan Harakani. For a little natural escape, the Susuz Selalesi Waterfall as well as the Kars Soguksu Tabiat Parki are available options.

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If you have some money to spend, visits to the Havariler Museum and Kars Museum are recommended (with Kafkas Cephesi Harp Tarihi Muzesi as a cost-free option). And if you have both time and a tiny bit of money to spend, head to Ani, a UNESCO World Heritage Site located 42km away from Kars. It’s a bit of a sad destination, as it’s a ruined medieval town officially belonging to the Armenians who proudly consider it as their national cultural and religious heritage... yet, they cannot visit it as the Turks captured their land and blocked the border (the Turks don’t have the friendliest history with Armenia: they commited a massive religuous genocide against the Armenians in 1915-1917, killing roughly 1.2mln victims, and subsequently confiscated their lands – a controversial fact that is still often denied today). That said, it surely is an interesting endeavour to explore the archeaological remains of what once was the capital of the Bagratid Kingdom (961-1045), at its heydays one of the world’s largest cities. After it was sacked by the Mongols in 1236 and got shaken up further by a devastating earthquake in 1319, the city became slowly abandoned, further stimulated by the shift of regional trade routes.

If you visit Kars in the winter, you’re in luck. Not only do the locals classify their own town as being a ‘winter city’, you’re also just a stone’s throw away from the Sarikamis Ski Resort. Skiing in Turkey, it’s not the first thing that pops to mind when planning a holiday in this country.

Eating My Way Through Kars

However nice of a town Kars really is, my experience was defined by its people. As is usually the case, and especially when it comes to the Turks. They truly understand the pure concept of hospitality. My friend and I were adopted into Couchsurfer Inan’s friends group like we had always been a part of it. Luckily for us, they took on the personal mission to get us properly introduced into the alluring Turkish cuisine, which had almost faded from my memory. Obviously, I have frequent daydreams about the Iskender Kebab (kebab with rice and tomato sauce), Çig Köfte (spicy sticky bulgur), Dolma (rice in wine leaves), Gozleme (salty pancakes), Mezze (finger food), Su Boregi (borek-lasagne-crossover), Menemen (scrambled egg) and the mouth-watering Manti (kind-of-ravioli)… but it were actually the mind-blowing desserts that color in my memory of Kars, and I generally don’t even like sweets. Apparently, there is more than just the (nevertheless fantastic) Baklava, Helva and Lokum (Turkish Delight).

Like what? I’m glad you asked:

Tavuk Gögšü: Milk pudding with chicken breast (!), sugar, starch and cinnamon. Uhuh.
Firinda Sutlac: Vanilla rice pudding.
Künefe: Mozzarella cheese cake soaked in syrup.
Kazandibi: Pan-baked rice flour vanilla dish wit caramelized top.
Ashure: Chickpea wheat pudding with dried fruits.
Zerde: Saffron rice pudding.
Cezerye: Caramilized carrots with cinnamon and shredded coconut.
Gullac: Milk pastry with pomegranate.
Katmer: Oven-baked pistachio pastry.
Ayva Tatlisi: Fruit-based quince dessert.
Dilber Dudagi: Pastry dipped in sharbat syrup.
Ekmek Kadayfi: Pistachio and hazelnut bread cake drenched in sharbat syrup and served with cream.
Hosmerim: Cheese halva, often served with cream, honey or nuts.
Kabak Tatlisi: Sweet pumpkin with cream and walnuts.
Keşkül: Almond-based milk pudding.
Pepeçura: Grape mousse.
Revani: Semolina cake soaked in syrup.
Pismaniye: Cotton-candy kinda sweet with honey or syrup.

Turkey is the king of dessert, there’s not even competition. They form the perfect bites to take to the park, almost all equipped with free-of-charge BBQ’s to make it a full-on feast… or you can simply order them in the special dessert-restaurants of Kars. Yes, that is a thing in this country. Turks are brilliant.

Quick Budget Fact Overview

Turkey Facts

Capital: Ankara
Language: Turkish
Population: ± 15,07 mln
Sq km: ± 5.461
Currency: Turkish Lira (₺ - TL)
Country code: +90 (474)
Visa: Many nationalities need an e-visa, info on exceptions and application here.
Emergency phone: 112 (medical), 110 (fire), 155 (police), 158 (coastguard)
Recommended Vaccinations: Hep-A & Hep-B / potentially Rabies & Tetanus
High Season: Summer
Climate: Warm-Summer Humid Continental (Dfb)

Short History Recap

Byzantine Empire --> Ottoman Empire: 1683: Ottoman advance into Europe halted by Battle of Vienna. 1908: Young Turk Revolution --> constitutional rule (degenerates into military dictatorship during WWI - Ottoman Empire alliance with Germany / Austria-Hungary). ’15-’16: Turkey commits Armenian genocide, killing an estimated 1.5mln. It is still denied by Turkey. ‘18-’22: Partition of defeated Ottoman Empire --> triumph of Turkish National Movement in war of independence against foreign occupation and rule of Sultan. National Movement in War of Independence against foreign occupation and rule of Sultan. ‘23: Turkey Republic, president: Kemal Ataturk. ‘28: Secular, Islam removed from constitution. ‘45: Neutral most of WWII - Turkey declares war on Germany/Japan. Joins UN. ‘50: First free elections: Democratic Party. ‘52: Joins NATO (abandoning Ataturk’s neutralist policy). ‘60: Armed coup. ‘63: Association agreement EEC. ‘74: Turkish troops invade Cyprus: US trade embargo (lifted in ‘78). ‘80: Military coup. Martial law. ‘84: Kurdish War: Kurdistan Worker’s Party launches separatist guerrilla war. ‘90: Turkey allows US-led coalition against Iraq: air strikes from Turkish bases. ‘92: 20,000 Turkish troops enter Kurdish safe havens in Iraq in anti-PKK operation. ‘93: Ciller 1st female prime minister. ‘95: EU customs union. 2002: Family equality men-women. Death sentence abolished. ‘03: Istanbul attacks. ‘11: Syrian refugees. ‘15: Against Islamic State (suicide bomb attacks). ‘16: Kurdistan Freedom Hawks bomb attacks in Ankara. ‘16/’17: More Islamic State killing attacks.

Free Activities

Sights: Kars Citadel, Church of Tigran Honents, Kars Fethiye Camii, Harrani Turbesi, Castle of Kars, Evliya Camii, Camusli Koyu Kaya Resimleri rock paintings.
Museums: Kafkas Cephesi Harp Tarihi Muzesi, Susuz Selalesi Waterfall.
Nature: Kars Soguksu Tabiat Parki.

Paid Activities

Sights: Ani, Church of St. Gregory.
Museums: Havariler Museum, Kars Museum.
Other: Sarikamis Ski Resort, Bogatepe Peynir Muzesi (cheese).

Festivals

Traditional Sarikamis Snow Festival – March
Traditional Ram Festival – June
International Kars Culture Week – June
Stager Cheese Festival – July
Kars Caucasian Culture Festival – September

Nights Best Spent

Nightlife areas: Faik Bey Street (live Turkish music).
Theatre: İlim Yayma Cemiyeti Kars Şubesi Gençlik ve Kültür Merkezi.

Budget Bites

Supermarkets: Şok, Funda, Migros, Bim.
Local Dishes: Sis Kebab (meat skewer), Iskender Kebab (kebab with rice / tomato sauce), Durum (wrap), Çig Köfte (spicy sticky bulgur), Köfte (meat), Sarma / Dolma (rice in wine leaves), Kebab (meat in wrap), Baklava (sweet pastries), Muhammara (pepper-and-walnut-dip), Gozleme (salty pancakes), Pilav (rice), Kumpir (stuffed potato), Simit (sesame bagel), Islak Burgers (wet hamburgers), Pide (Turkish pizza), Mezze (fingerfood), Mercimek Corbasi (lentil soup), Borek (stuffed crispy bread), Su Boregi (borek-lasagne-crossover), Menemen (scrambled egg), Manti (kind-of-ravioli), Lahmacun (crispy bread topped with meat/salad), Balik Ekmek (fish sandwich), Lokum (Turkish Delight).
The Veg Situation: Being vegan is pretty easy in this part of the world. Many local dishes are vegan on their own, such as: Çig Köfte, Sarma / Dolma, Potato or Spinach Gozleme, Simit, Kumpir (without meat and mayonnaise), Kisir, Bakla (bean appetizer), Ispanak Kavurma (roasted spinach), Patlican Ezmesi (eggplant puree), Acile Ezme and Fava (bean puree). Besides Çig Köfte food take-outs, there are many vegan/ vegetarian restaurants: check them on Happy Cow.
National Drink: Raki… and non-alcoholic: Turkish Coffee, Ayran, Boza, Tea, Salgam Suyu.

Sleep Cheap

Hostels / Hotels: are relatively cheap in Turkey. Keep in mind that Booking.com doesn’t exist in Turkey and the local website, Odamax, is not working very well, so it is a bit of a pain in the butt to organize accommodation. I personally used Air BnB, even though I am not a huge fan of this once-quirky-and-cheap-now-boutique-and-pricey-booking-engine. Writer’s pick: I Couchsurfed.

Couchsurfing: allows you to stay with locals. Nowadays it has a moderate sign-up cost (unless you put a third-world country as homebase), but paying extra for verification is unnecessary: Positive reviews are way more important. Once active, there are no costs for staying at someone’s house. In order to get accepted, make sure to write an elaborate review explaining why you applied to this specific profile and think you and your host are a good match (copy-pastes tend to be ignored).
Housesitting: is an amazing exchange allowing you to stay short- or long-term in somebody’s house, while looking after their house and pets. There are many different websites, most of them paid… but once you landed a sit, the subscription fee is pays itself back quickly. The main housesitting site is Trusted Housesitters.
Wild Camping: is technically forbidden, but this is not enforced.

Mama Said

Safety: Turkey is pretty safe, and assaults are uncommon. But like everywhere, use common sense, pickpocketing happens in busy areas and on public transport.
Drugs are illegal, and sentences are high.
Even though Turkey is Islamic, Turkey is quite liberal and all types of dress are common. Be respectful of course, but don’t worry about covering up unless it is in a mosque.
Haggling is common and expected.
The ‘okay’-sign means ‘homosexual’. Just saying.
Tap Water: is drinkable, but however contains lots of chlorine. You don’t often see locals drinking the tap water, but during my 7 visits I never I always did and never had any issues.
The best credit/debit card for traveling is Wise, as they use the live conversion rates without any extra fees. Wise also has the lowest fees for sending money to foreign accounts. A very useful feature is the option to create wallets in different currency with very low conversion fees. Like this, you can cash out or pay in the local currency directly (straight from your wallet). Sign up here!
Simcard: The tourist simcards at the airport are, as always, the most expensive packages. Instead, go to a phone shop in the city, preferably accompanied by a local, to make sure they give you a local package. Vodafone and Turkcell are the main brands. Prices vary from store to store, so shopping around is recommended if you have some time on your hands. Passport is needed.

Transport

Walking: is an easy option in Kars. To get from one town to another, alternative transport is recommended.
Cycling: is a possible way to get around. Be aware that the summers are incredibly dry and hot. Traffic doesn’t pay much attention to cyclists and roads aren’t great for bicycles.
City Buses / Tram / Metro: Kars does not have an extensive public transportation network. The main way to get around is by minibus (dolmus), operating between 06:00-21:00. You pay the driver in cash. There are no fixed stops: Minibuses can be hailed down anywhere en-route and drop-offs are on demand.
Taxi / Uber: Taxis are available, but as a foreigner you are prone to be overcharged.
Intercity Buses: Buses sell out quickly and prices rise as the date comes nearer. The website Obilet is the official Turkish site giving insight to the ‘real’ prices, but unfortunately they don’t accept foreign credit cards so you’ll have to make some Turkish friends to buy it for you. Alternatively, you can buy the ticket at Busbud, the bus station or at the bus offices downtown. The Kars bus station is about 6km away from the city centre, but most companies also pick up passengers from their downtown offices (where you can also buy the ticket in person).
Train: The main reason why tourists stop in Kars is because it is the departure point of the famous Eastern Express. Take into account that tickets have to be reserved months in advance! The ticket can be bought here (website only in Turkish).
Car rental: Car rental is generally not very cheap in this area. You are more likely to get affordable deals from the bigger airports. Be aware that the minimum rental age is 21, with at least 2 years of driving experience.
Airport: Kars Harakani Airport (KSY).
Hitchhiking: Hitchhiking is not too common nor safe in Turkey (speaking from experience). It’s better to use apps like Blablacar to get a cheap(er) ride.

Next?

National Destinations Close By: Van, Trabzon, Gaziantep, Igdir.
International Destinations Close By: Georgia, Armenia, Iraq, Syria, Bulgaria, Greece.

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