Update 2026: The Tรผrkgรถzรผ/Vale land border between Turkey and Georgia is open to international passengers, but I could not verify that the direct Kars-to-Tbilisi VIP Turizm bus described in my 2019 update below is still operating. Treat the exact bus times, fares, and connections in this article as a record of how I made the trip rather than a current timetable, and confirm transportation locally in Kars before setting out.
When I was sitting in my hotel room in Kars, mapping my next move, I did some research on what would be the best way to go to Tbilisi, the capital city of Georgia, from Kars. The result I got was unsatisfactory. Many blog posts illustrated how hard it was to go from Kars to Tbilisi, and everyone recommended going through the northern border via Batumi instead.
The problem was that I recently came from Trabzon, and I did not want to make my way back there. It did not make sense to go even further up away from Tbilisi and increase the traverse time from 4 to 8 hours instead of going through Kars, which would take 4 hours less. For the sake of adventure, I decided to go through with my plan and figured my way into Georgia from Kars. It was not as hard as what people made it out to be, and here is how I did it.
NOTE: I made this journey in June 2015 during Ramadan, so the step-by-step route below reflects my firsthand experience at that time. Public transportation on this route is still limited today, especially around the Tรผrkgรถzรผ/Vale border, and winter weather can disrupt roads in northeastern Turkey. If you are attempting the route independently, confirm each connection locally before leaving Kars.
Important for 2026: Georgia now requires tourists entering the country to carry valid health and accident insurance covering their entire stay, with at least 30,000 GEL of coverage. The policy can be digital or printed and must be available in Georgian or English.
2019 Update: Direct Bus from Kars to Tbilisi, Georgia
In 2019, one of my readers (thank you, Stewart Webb) reported a much easier way to travel from Kars to Tbilisi: a direct bus operated by VIP Turizm that went all the way to Tbilisi without the bus changes I had to make on my original 2015 journey.
At the time, the bus left at 9 AM from the VIP Turizm office, arrived in Tbilisi around 6-7 PM, and cost about 100 TL. Passengers still had to get off the bus to go through immigration at the border.
As of 2026, I have not been able to reliably verify that this direct VIP Turizm service still operates on the same schedule, or at all. Do not rely on the old 9 AM departure or 100 TL fare without confirming it locally. The Tรผrkgรถzรผ/Vale border itself is open to international passenger traffic, so traveling overland is still possible, but public transport connections on either side can be limited.
0. Asked Celil for more information
The further east you go, the less useful it is to rely on an old online timetable, so before attempting this route, ask your accommodation or a bus company in Kars what is actually running that day. This is especially important if you are traveling off-season. When I made the journey in 2015, local advice was invaluable and helped me piece together the connections to Georgia. I would use the same approach today rather than assuming the old bus sequence below still operates exactly as I experienced it.
I would suggest asking Celil Ersoฤlu (Whatsapp: +905322263966.). I went on the Ani tour guide with him, and he helped me out with making my trip possible. Everyone knows this guy, so ask your hotel owners and get in touch with him.
1. Get up early and find the bus station
On my 2015 trip, I asked my hotel for directions to the bus serving the international route to Georgia and took a local bus toward the international otogar. Before sitting down, I asked the driver if he would drop me at the correct station. I said "Otogar to Gurcistan" and made a driving hand sign, and he understood right away.
At the time, the international departure point was not the same station where I had arrived in Kars (Kars ลehir Otogarฤฑ). From Hotel Tamel, it took me only about 5 minutes by local bus. Because bus offices and departure points can change, confirm the current departure location in Kars before following this part of my old route.
2. Spot the "Tiflis, Gurcistan" sign
When you arrive at the Otogar, you will be bombarded with bus companies to choose from. Look around and spot the bus companies that have a sign saying "Tiflis, Gurcistan", and go in there to buy the ticket.
3. Wait and get on the right bus at the right time
On my trip, I stayed close to the person who sold me the ticket and let him tell me when it was time to board. My bus was scheduled to leave at 10:30 AM but did not arrive until 11:15 AM. That timing is purely my 2015 experience, so don't use it as a current timetable; confirm your departure time when you buy your ticket.
4. Switch buses in Adrahan (the driver will tell you to)
On my 2015 journey, the ticket was sold to me as a trip to Tbilisi even though it involved several vehicle changes along the way. After leaving Kars, I eventually had to switch to another bus in Ardahan. There were only two passengers left continuing toward Georgia, which gives you an idea of how lightly traveled this route was when I did it.
5. Crossing the border
The new bus left Ardahan in no time, and we drove past the rolling green hills around Posof before arriving at the Tรผrkgรถzรผ/Vale border crossing. I had to get off the bus, carry my backpack, and go through immigration. Once I was through, the driver was waiting for me on the other side, and we continued toward Akhaltsikhe in Georgia.
The Tรผrkgรถzรผ/Vale crossing is still an official international road border in 2026 and is open to passenger traffic. However, border operating conditions and waiting times can change, particularly in winter, so check the current situation before making the journey.
6. One last bus change
At Akhaltsikhe, my Turkish driver transferred us to a minivan that would take us the rest of the way to Tbilisi. I did not have to pay anything extra because the fare for this final leg had already been arranged by the Turkish driver. That was how my through-ticket worked in 2015; if you piece the journey together independently today, do not assume your onward ride from Akhaltsikhe is included unless the person selling your ticket explicitly confirms it.
7. To Tbilisi!
In Georgia, this type of shared minivan is called a marshrutka, and that was what I took for the rest of the trip to Tbilisi. It was a small, cramped minivan, and my journey from Akhaltsikhe took around 3 hours before I eventually arrived in Tbilisi.
And that was how I traveled overland from Kars to Tbilisi in 2015. The journey itself was much less difficult than the old information online had made it sound, but the exact transport arrangement has changed over the years. In 2026, I would use this article to understand the route โ Kars โ Ardahan/Posof โ Tรผrkgรถzรผ/Vale โ Akhaltsikhe โ Tbilisi โ while confirming the actual buses and fares locally before departure.
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39 Comments
Hey there, how long does it all take? You got any night bus from Kars or from Batumi, to get Tbilisi?
Thanks a lot!
Hey there, how long does it all take? You got any night bus from Kars or from Batumi, to get Tbilisi?
Thanks a lot!
I just went from Kars to Tbilisi by bus a few days ago and ended up finding a way that seemed even more straightforward than you describe here in your post.
In the city center of Kars there's a bus company called 'vip turizm' who sold me a direct ticket from Kars to Tbilisi for ~100 TL- Celil Ersoฤlu put me in contact with them (thanks for the tip-off!). The bus left at 9am from directly outside that shop (which was basically across the road from my hotel) and went all the way to Tbilisi without any changes - although we did have to get off the bus for border control, but we got back onto the same bus. It took nearly the whole day though all up - we arrived in Tbilisi at around 6:45pm. There was some bad traffic at one point so this may have delayed us a bit.
Hope this helps someone else who comes across this page looking for the same info I was - and thanks to Pete for posting the original in the first place!
Thanks Stewart. I was trying to find a way to get to Tbilisi from Kars. I'll give them a try it in mid Oct when i get to that Area.
Hey Stewart,
That's awesome to know and thank you for reporting in with the update. That will be very useful to those who are looking to do the same. I'm glad they have a faster route now and looks like Celil is still doing great there. :)
Thanks again for the report back. I'll update the post accordingly.
Hey Ian,
I wish you the best of luck on your trip! Georgia and Kars are simply awesome. :) Please do let us know how it goes and whether the direct bus still runs in October.
Any information about this would be welcome: I presume it is more or less the same to get from Tbilisi to Kars by bus? Travel by night or by day? We'll be travelling in mid September.
Hi, just a heads up on the VIP Turizm buses (i'm just leaving Kars to go to Tbilisi now) - i was told they only have the bus to Tbilisi Saturday and Tuesday and probably one other day, so it's not a daily bus! We were given another option by Celil to travel on sunday, so as you advised I would get in touch with him if you want to travel on the other days. He'll sort you out.
Hey Richard, from reports I've heard, it's very similar doing the opposite side. I would recommend doing during the day so it is less confusing as you are aware of where you are and it gives you some flexibilities in case you miss a connection (very unlikely but it is always good to prepare for such incident).
Thank you for the latest report, Jan! I'll update the post accordingly. It could also be a matter of season so I'll mention that you traveled in September just in case. Correct me if Celil tell you that is not seasonality and I'll fix it accordingly. Safe journey! :)