Doğu Express (Kars Station)
Doğu Ekspresi / Kars Garı
A sleeper train that runs about 25 hours from Ankara to Kars and crosses the Anatolian snowfields in winter. It has become a Turkish cult favorite.
The Doğu Express is a long-distance train run by Turkish State Railways between Ankara and Kars. The journey covers roughly 1,300 km in about 25 hours, passing through Kayseri, Sivas, and Erzurum. In winter, the view from the window is of endless snowfields and frozen river valleys, and in recent years the train has become a social media sensation. There is also a tourist version of the Doğu Express, which stops at several cities along the way for sightseeing. Tickets go on sale on the Turkish State Railways website, and winter compartments often sell out within minutes. Kars is the final stop, and many travelers take the train there and then visit Ani on a side trip.
Opening hours
Daily departures (check Turkish State Railways timetable)
Nearby sights
- Fethiye Mosque
- Kars Museum
- Russian-era Old Town (Baltic Architecture)
- Church of the Holy Apostles (Kümbet Mosque)
- Kars Cheese Museum
- Taşköprü (Stone Bridge)
- Caucasus Front War History Museum
- Kars Castle