# Kars Castle A fortified hilltop stronghold watching over Kars, a city shaped by centuries of overlapping cultures at Türkiye's northeastern edge. The city of Kars occupies a strategic plateau where Türkiye meets the borders of Armenia and Iran. Its castle has stood on a hill above the town for centuries, a presence in the landscape long before the city below took its current form. The fortifications visible today are layered — built, rebuilt, and adapted by successive powers who controlled this corner of Anatolia, each leaving their imprint on the walls and towers. ## Layers of stone and history The castle's oldest sections draw on older traditions of fortification that predate the medieval period. Over time, different builders reinforced its walls, adjusted its layout, and added structures suited to their military needs. Walking the perimeter, you can trace how the character of the stonework shifts — some sections more massive and blocky, others lighter and more regular. The castle's position gives it command of the valley routes below, the reason any power passing through this region found it worth maintaining. ## The cityscape and surrounding landscape From the castle's high ground, the view extends across a wide, open plateau bordered by mountains. Kars spreads below, a city whose streets and squares reflect a more recent history — a period when Russian imperial forces occupied the region in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, leaving behind distinctive red-brick buildings that still stand in parts of the town. The landscape itself is expansive: treeless steppe, patches of agriculture, and ridges rising in the distance. In winter, snow lies heavy on the ground and temperatures drop sharply, recalling why this region has always been a hard place. ## A city at a crossroads Kars has long existed where cultures meet. Its markets, its cuisine, and its architecture carry traces of Ottoman, Armenian, and Russian influence — not as museum pieces but as living elements of a working city. Visiting the castle, you are walking a place whose significance was understood by every army and administration that passed through. The walls are old, but the landscape they watch over remains much as it has been: open, exposed, and consequential. ## Tours that visit Kars Castle - Eastern Anatolia & Ancient Kingdoms — https://www.smallvoyage.com/tours/eastern-anatolia-ancient-kingdoms/index.md (page: https://www.smallvoyage.com/tours/eastern-anatolia-ancient-kingdoms/) - From Mesopotamia to the Caucasus — https://www.smallvoyage.com/tours/from-mesopotamia-to-the-caucasus/index.md (page: https://www.smallvoyage.com/tours/from-mesopotamia-to-the-caucasus/) - The Ultimate Eastern Turkey Expedition — https://www.smallvoyage.com/tours/ultimate-eastern-turkey-expedition/index.md (page: https://www.smallvoyage.com/tours/ultimate-eastern-turkey-expedition/) - The Ultimate Journey Across Turkey — https://www.smallvoyage.com/tours/ultimate-journey-across-turkey/index.md (page: https://www.smallvoyage.com/tours/ultimate-journey-across-turkey/95/2026-10-30/) ## Before you book you should know ### 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. ### 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. ### 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. ### 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. ### 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. --- Full page: https://www.smallvoyage.com/destination/kars-castle/