Discover Kars

Kars offers a range of reasons to visit: cheese and regional themes sit alongside museums covering the city’s history and wartime past, as well as buildings with a varied history. The aspect that interests you most can shape the focus of your stay.

Cheese as a theme: the museum and cheese route

The Kars Cheese Museum opened to visitors in 2022 as Turkey’s first thematic cheese museum. Its theme is clearly defined: cheese is at the heart of a dedicated museum visit. For travellers interested in food culture and regional themes, it offers a specific cultural stop in Kars.

The museum is also a tasting stop on the Kars Cheese Route. This was registered as Turkey’s first cheese route and listed as the world’s 18th cheese route. The museum and route are thus part of a shared cheese theme, but remain distinct points of interest: the museum is a place to visit, while the route is a point of interest in its own right. This makes Kars particularly appealing to those who also want to plan their trip around cheese and food experiences.

Museums with different historical perspectives

The Kars Museum was founded in 1959 and moved to its current service building in Kars in 1980. These two dates mark its founding and its subsequent move to its current building. Those interested in the history of museums and their institutions will find a clear timeline here: the museum has existed since 1959, while its current location dates to the 1980 move.

The Kafkas Front War History Museum offers a different perspective. It is interactive and focuses on the battles on the Caucasus Front. Its exhibits include historical documents and re-created scenes from soldiers’ everyday lives under the wartime conditions of the time. The focus is therefore not only on the battles, but also on the conditions of life during the war. The White Wagon is displayed in the museum garden: Kazım Karabekir Pasha used it as a special carriage for two years while travelling between Kars and Erzurum.

The two museums therefore have different focuses. The Kars Museum is defined by its founding and move to its current service building; the Kafkas Front War History Museum combines documents and re-created everyday scenes with the displayed wagon. If you are particularly interested in wartime history, this second subject area is presented in especially concrete detail.

Architectural history and religious sites

Kars’s architectural history also encompasses a range of uses. The Fethiye Mosque in Ortakapı was built by the Russians as a church in the Baltic style at the end of the 19th century. After the first years of the Republic, the building served as a sports hall; in 1985, it was converted into a mosque. The building brings several successive functions and a distinctive architectural style together in one place.

The tomb of Ebul Hasan Harakani and the Evliya Mosque complex belong to the General Directorate of Foundations. By decision No. 227 of the relevant Cultural and Natural Heritage Preservation Council, dated 9 May 1990, both were listed as worthy of preservation and placed under protection. For a trip focused on religious buildings and their history, these sites add another cultural focus to the city’s museum and architectural history.

Shape your stay around your interests

When looking for a holiday apartment in Kars, you can first consider which themes you want to shape your trip: cheese and food experiences, museum visits, the history of the Caucasus Front, or the architectural history of religious sites. The places and themes described offer different reasons to discover Kars without requiring everyone to follow the same itinerary. You can shape your stay around the experiences that interest you most.

For further orientation within this selection: Akyaka, Selim, Dağpınar, Çolaklı, Kağızman, Yukarıdamlapınar, Sarıkamış and Yenice.

For the broader travel overview: Kars.