5 Nights / 6 Days
Eastern Anatolia & Ancient Kingdoms
5 Nights | 3 Mardin · 1 Van · 1 Kars — honey-colored limestone, Akdamar Island and the haunting ruins of Ani.
Turkey / Museum
Church of the Apostles (Kars)
A 10th-century Armenian stone church in Kars, now serving as a museum displaying regional archaeological finds from northeastern Türkiye.
Nestled within a city where the echoes of multiple empires overlap, the Church of the Apostles stands as one of the most significant surviving examples of medieval Armenian ecclesiastical architecture in eastern Anatolia. Built of locally quarried stone, this cruciform basilica dates to the 10th or 11th century, a period when Kars sat at the crossroads of Armenian, Byzantine and Seljuk domains. Its thick walls, small windows and solid massing speak to the defensive anxieties of its era, while the interior once would have been adorned with frescoes and liturgical furnishings typical of Armenian worship.
Architecture and Form
The church follows a traditional Armenian cruciform plan, with four barrel-vaulted arms extending from a central dome. The dome itself, though partially collapsed and rebuilt, originally rose on a cylindrical drum that admitted light through narrow windows. Ornamental bands of carved stone, including geometric motifs and stylised crosses, run along the exterior at roofline level. The main entrance faces west, with a secondary door on the south side. Much of the original stonework survives intact, though restoration work has stabilised the structure over the decades.
As a Museum
Today the church operates as a museum under the supervision of the Ministry of Culture. Inside, display cases contain archaeological material recovered from excavations across the Kars region: pottery shards spanning centuries, inscribed stone fragments, metalwork and small sculptural pieces. The building's interior acoustics and stone surfaces create a quiet, contemplative atmosphere quite different from the bustling city outside. Informational panels, in Turkish and English, explain both the church's own history and the broader context of the region's ancient settlements.
The Setting
Kars itself occupies a high plateau above the Kartal river, with a skyline dominated by the ruins of a 19th-century Russian fortress and a cluster of stone buildings that recall its imperial past. The church sits within the older urban fabric, accessible to visitors walking the city streets. On cold mornings, frost may linger in the church's shadowed corners, and the scent of woodsmoke drifts from nearby neighbourhoods. The surrounding streets offer a glimpse into daily life in this borderland city, where Turkish, Armenian and Russian influences have accumulated in layers over centuries.
On the map
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Tours that visit Church of the Apostles (Kars)
8 Nights / 9 Days
From Mesopotamia to the Caucasus
8 Nights | 1 Gaziantep · 1 Şanlıurfa · 1 Diyarbakır · 3 Mardin · 1 Van · 1 Kars — Göbeklitepe, Mardin and the haunting ruins of Ani.
11 Nights / 12 Days
The Ultimate Eastern Turkey Expedition
11 Nights | 3 Cappadocia · 1 Gaziantep · 1 Şanlıurfa · 1 Diyarbakır · 3 Mardin · 1 Van · 1 Kars — fairy chimneys, Mount Nemrut, Mardin and the haunting ruins of Ani.
14 Nights / 15 Days
The Ultimate Journey Across Turkey
3 Nights Istanbul | 3 Nights Cappadocia | 1 Night Gaziantep | 1 Night Sanliurfa | 1 Night Diyarbakir | 3 Nights Mardin | 1 Night Van | 1 Night Kars
Good to know
Before you book you should know
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Is this trip right for you?
Our groups are capped at eight travellers, which is about a third of what the industry calls a small group. Eight people share one vehicle, one table at dinner and one guide's attention, and the day can change on the road without anybody being left behind. If you are looking for a coach, a fixed script and a microphone, this is not that.
Most days involve real walking, often on ground that was laid two thousand years before walking shoes: marble worn smooth, cobbles, uneven steps and long site paths with little shade. Bring shoes you can spend a morning in.
Some days move between regions and are largely a drive, with stops along the way. Summers are hot — well over 35°C inland — and winters are colder than most people expect, so layers, a hat and sunscreen earn their place in the bag whatever the month.
How demanding a particular trip is, is written on the trip itself: the physical rating in the header, and the day-by-day itinerary above.
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Rooms, and travelling on your own
Trip prices are per person, sharing a twin room. Each traveller picks their own room while booking, so a party can mix the three:
- Twin share — two single beds, shared with someone you are travelling with or with a traveller of the same gender.
- Travelling as a couple — one double room.
- Individual room — a room of your own, for a single supplement on top of the trip price. Availability is limited, and the supplement for a given date is shown next to the option when you book.
Solo travellers are welcome on every departure, and most of our groups have one or two aboard.
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Accommodation
The hotels named in an itinerary are a guideline rather than a guarantee. Where one is full, or has dropped below the standard we booked it for, we substitute a property of a similar standard in the same area — we would rather change the hotel than the trip.
Check-in is usually mid-afternoon. If you arrive early we will ask for the room, but no hotel can promise one before its own check-in time; luggage can normally be left at reception in the meantime. If you want the room from the night before, ask us and we will add the extra night to your booking.
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Passports, visas and insurance
Entry requirements depend on your nationality and change without much notice, so the only reliable source is the official one: the government of the country you are travelling to, and your own foreign ministry's travel advice. Check both before you book a flight.
Many countries ask for a passport valid for at least six months beyond your travel dates, and for blank pages. It is worth looking at yours now rather than at the airport.
We ask every traveller to carry travel insurance covering medical treatment and repatriation, and we would strongly encourage cover for cancellation and for your luggage as well.
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Your departure is guaranteed — the day can change
Once a departure is on the calendar it runs. We do not cancel a trip for want of a minimum number of bookings, so a booked date is one you can plan flights and leave around.
What can move is the shape of a day. Museums and archaeological sites change their hours, roads close, weather turns, a local holiday lands in the middle of the week. Where that happens your guide reorders the day, or swaps a stop for one of the same weight, and tells you why. Changes to a booked itinerary are covered by our Booking Terms & Conditions.
