Things to do
10-
Ani
Start early and give the ruins a whole morning: the churches stand far apart, and the walk between them is longer than it looks from the gate.
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Castle of Kars
Climb up in the late afternoon for the view over the whole town, then walk down to the river for the evening.
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Cathedral of Kars
Pair it with the castle: it stands at the foot of the castle hill beside the Stone Bridge, so one walk covers the castle, the cathedral and the bridge.
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Fethiye Mosque
Look at it on your walk through the centre: it was built as a Russian Orthodox church, and the stonework matches the Russian-era houses around it.
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Kars Museum
Stop here on the way out to Ani, since it sits on the same road: the finds from the site make the ruins easier to read.
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Lake Çıldır
Go in deep winter, when the lake freezes and horse-drawn sleighs cross the ice to the fishing holes; in summer the lake is open water, with empty grazing land around it.
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Caucasus Front War History Museum
Save it for an afternoon if the First World War winter battle at Sarıkamış interests you; some of the reconstructed scenes are hard to look at.
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Kars Cheese Museum
Give it an hour to see how gravyer and çeçil are made, in the halls of an old fort a short walk south of the centre.
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Sarıkamış
Come for a day's skiing in winter: the train from Kars stops in Sarıkamış, and a taxi takes you from the station up to the lifts.
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Stone Bridge
Cross it on foot on your way up to the castle; from the riverbank below, you see the arches with the castle walls above them.
