Crossing from Turkey into Georgia is usually associated with the busy Sarp-Sarpi border near Batumi. But there is a lesser-known land crossing between the two countries, further east: Türkgözü-Vale. That’s the one I chose.
I had actually crossed the Türkgözü-Vale border once before, back in March 2017, while hitchhiking through the region. I remembered it as a relatively straightforward crossing, although my memories are a bit like the weather back then: foggy. I remember snow and a completely white landscape.
Nine years later, I was back, this time on a sunny summer day, travelling from Kars towards Georgia.
I’d found a detailed account of the Kars-Georgia journey on another travel blog and figured that, after managing the route by hitchhiking in 2017, doing it by public transport in 2026 should be the simpler option.
Spoiler: no, it wasn’t.
The Türkgözü-Vale crossing connects Turkey’s Posof district with the Georgian town of Vale, near Akhaltsikhe, in the mountains of the Lesser Caucasus. It’s an international land border, but compared with Sarp-Sarpi, it is a much quieter and more remote route.
In this guide, I’ll show you exactly how I travelled from Kars to the Türkgözü border by public transport, what happened when I crossed into Georgia, how I continued towards Tbilisi, how much the journey cost, and whether I would choose this border crossing again.
Türkgözü-Vale border crossing at a glance
| Turkish side | Türkgözü |
| Georgian side | Vale |
| Nearest Turkish town | Posof |
| Nearest Georgian town | Akhaltsikhe |
| Can you cross on foot? | Yes |
| My route | Kars → Ardahan → Posof → Türkgözü → Vale → Tbilisi |
Where is the Türkgözü-Vale border crossing?
The Türkgözü-Vale border crossing is in the mountains of the Lesser Caucasus, connecting Turkey’s Posof district in Ardahan Province with the Georgian town (village more like) of Vale, in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region. The border is about 16 km from Posof on the Turkish side, while Vale is around 12 km from Akhaltsikhe in Georgia.
For travellers coming from Kars, the overland route is roughly:
Kars → Ardahan → Posof → Türkgözü → Vale → Akhaltsikhe
Unlike the Sarp-Sarpi crossing on the Black Sea coast, Türkgözü is a much more remote mountain crossing. It’s an official permanent international border crossing and can be crossed on foot.
Türkgözü vs Sarp: which border should you use?
If you’re simply looking for the easiest way to cross between Turkey and Georgia, I’d choose Sarp-Sarpi. It’s the main Turkey-Georgia crossing, much busier and considerably better connected, particularly if you’re travelling between the Black Sea coast and Batumi.
I’d choose Türkgözü-Vale if travelling through eastern Turkey, particularly around Kars and Ardahan, or if you simply want a much quieter route through some spectacular mountain scenery.
And honestly, Posof itself is surprisingly cute. I only passed through, but I actually regretted not staying there for a night. The surrounding mountains were incredibly green when I visited in July.
Waiting for a taxi in Posof
How to get from Kars to the Türkgözü Border
If you’re travelling from Kars to Georgia without a car, the journey to Türkgözü involves two dolmuş minibuses and, from Posof, a taxi or other private transport. I did the whole route in July 2026 in a day.
Kars to Ardahan
The first dolmuş leaves Kars at 8 am from Köy Otobüsleri Terminalı. I paid 350 TL. no ticket given, just hop on once you paid.
The ticket office was supposed to open around 7:10 am, although when I arrived, the young man had forgotten the keys, so he had to leave and come back. It eventually opened around 7:20 am. If you’re hungry, there’s a couple of small çay evi next door, and on the left side of the ticket office, the friendly owner sells fresh pastries, a great option for breakfast before the journey.
My dolmuş left at around 8:10 am. The road was being improved when I travelled, so some sections were still quite rough, but the scenery more than made up for it. The route climbs onto the high plateaus and the views are genuinely spectacular. In mid-July, everything was incredibly green.
Ardahan to Posof
The next dolmuş to Posof leaves Ardahan at around 11 am. I paid 300 TL, again without receiving a ticket. Ask your Kars driver to drop you off at the Dolmuş station for Posof.
The minibus briefly stopped at Ardahan’s bus station to pick up some packages. At one point, several people got off and the driver nearly left without them, so keep an eye on the dolmuş if you get out!
The journey took only about 1 hour 10 minutes, although the driving was… memorable. At times we were doing well over 110 km/h on narrow, winding mountain roads, with the driver cutting corners on the opposite side of the road. I had a front row seat next to the driver and no seat belt…
We crossed the Ilgar Dağı Pass at around 2 550 metres, one of the highest points on the road between Ardahan and Posof. The scenery was spectacular! And Posof itself is actually really pretty.
Posof to Türkgözü border
There is no public transport running from Posof to the border, so I took a taxi.
I shared it with another Turkish traveller who had been on the same bus as me from Kars, plus another passenger who was continuing all the way to Tbilisi (without a single luggage). What I understood from the friendly Turkish man who spoke no English (and my Turkish is very VERY limited) I was supposed to give my share of 250 TL, although there was some confusion over the change and I ultimately handed over only 70 TL. So, unlike the previous two legs, I can’t give you a reliable current taxi fare for Posof-Türkgözü.
What I can tell you is that the drive itself is spectacular in every way: winding mountain roads through an incredibly green landscape in summer. Once again, we were flying up and down the mountains towards Gürcistan (Georgia), with a Turkish version of a Tina Turner remix blasting at full volume.
Tip: If you’re planning to do this route, leave Kars as early as possible. The connections aren’t particularly frequent, and there isn’t much room for error if you want to reach Tbilisi the same day.
I share the behind the scenes of my travels (real-time stories, messy bits etc) on Telegram
Crossing the Türkgözü-Vale border: my experience
The actual border crossing was quick and straightforward. After arriving at the Turkish side, I went through the usual Turkish exit control before walking between the checkpoints towards the Georgian side, just a minute or so away.
The Georgian immigration was just as uneventful. The officer asked how long I planned to stay in Georgia. There was a small misunderstanding when she initially thought I meant three months rather than three days, and she seemed quite annoyed when I explained that European citizens can stay for up to a year anyway…
She then asked where I was going afterwards. I said Russia, which prompted her to ask whether I had a valid Russian visa. I offered to show it, along with my Georgian travel insurance (it’s mandatory now), but she wasn’t interested in seeing either.
Her male colleague was considerably friendlier. At one point he asked me about my ethnicity. Apparently I didn’t look French enough for him. He eventually sent me on my way with a cheerful “Au revoir, mademoiselle!”
The whole process took around 20 minutes at most, from entering the Turkish border complex to walking out on the Georgian side. For such a remote crossing, it was remarkably painless.
Georgia side of the Türkgözü-Vale border crossing
How to get from Vale to Akhaltsikhe / Tbilissi
The more complicated part came after immigration.
Once I was officially in Georgia, there was no bus waiting to take travellers towards Vale or Akhaltsikhe simply because there aren’t that many travellers using this border. That’s the downside of choosing a tiny border crossing like this one.
A taxi driver offered to take me to Akhaltsikhe for 50 GEL, which I refused because I was on my own.
I ended up hitchhiking instead and, thankfully, didn’t have to wait long. After about ten minutes, a man stopped and drove me as far as Borjomi, where I continued by marshrutka towards Tbilisi (regular marshrutka leaving at 5 pm Georgian time; +1 hour from Turkey).
You could also ask to be dropped off in Akhaltsikhe, where marshrutkas to Tbilisi depart regularly. So if you’re not comfortable hitchhiking, I’d recommend negotiating with a taxi or asking around for other people heading in the same direction.
A small cultural adjustment after crossing into Georgia:
One thing I found unexpectedly awkward after crossing into Georgia was figuring out which language to use.
I hadn’t been back in seven years, and I found myself hesitating before speaking Russian. With some people it sounded truly unwelcomed. Even when English obviously wasn’t the most practical option, I felt as though I had to ask permission to switch to Russian… It was a strange contrast with my memories of travelling in Georgia before.
Road from Kars to Ardahan
How long does it take to go from Kars to Tbilisi?
I left Kars at 8 am and reached Tbilisi at 7 pm – or 6 pm Turkish time, since Georgia is one hour ahead. And I really didn’t waste any time en route.
I took the earliest dolmuş from Kars to Ardahan, the earliest one from Ardahan to Posof, found a taxi to the border within minutes, crossed into Georgia quickly and was hitchhiking away from the border almost immediately.
The whole journey is only around 380 km, but a large part of it goes through the mountains. And despite two of my five drivers apparently believing they were competing in some World Rally Championship, the Turkish side of the journey still took ages.
So don’t look at the distance and assume this will be a quick border crossing. allow the entire day to get from Kars to Tbilisi if you’re relying on public transport.
How much does it cost to travel from Kars to Georgia?
| Route | Transport | Price |
| Kars → Ardahan | Dolmuş | 350 TL |
| Ardahan → Posof | Dolmuş | 300 TL |
| Posof → Türkgöz border | Shared taxi | ~70–250 TL* |
| Türkgöz → Vale border crossig | Walking | |
| Vale border → Borjomi | Hitchhiking | Free |
| Borjomi → Tbilisi | Marshrutka | 15 GEL |
*I’m not entirely sure how much the taxi should have cost: I initially understood 250 TL, but due to a misunderstanding over the change with the men I shared the taxi with, I ultimately paid only 70 TL. So don’t use my fare as a reliable reference.
My tips for crossing Türkgözü-Vale from Kars
• Leave Kars as early as possible. The journey involves several connections, and you don’t want to reach the border late in the day.
• Tell your Turkish drivers you next destination, they will help you find your next minibus or a taxi.
• Don’t rely too heavily on information you find online. Timetables and transport options can change, especially on this less-travelled route. Check locally before setting off.
• Ask locals, they always know best. Turkish people were consistently helpful during my journey, and when there is no obvious sign, timetable or ticket office, simply asking someone is often the easiest solution.
• Keep some cash with you. You’ll need it for things like the taxi to the border, and I’d also recommend getting some Georgian lari before crossing if possible. There were no working ATMs at the Georgian border when I was there, despite having read otherwise online.
Close to Ardahan back in March 2017
Is Türkgözü-Vale worth using? Would I do it again?
Despite the fact that it took me ages, involved several connections, and there was one particularly terrifying stretch where I genuinely thought I was about to die, yes, I’d do it again.
The journey is definitely more complicated than crossing at Sarp, but that’s also part of the appeal. You’re travelling through a much quieter corner of the Lesser Caucasus, with spectacular mountain scenery and green landscapes in July.
I also really liked Posof. I actually regret not spending a night there rather than rushing straight to the border.
So if you’re simply looking for the easiest way from Turkey to Georgia, this probably isn’t it. But if you’re travelling overland through Kars and eastern Turkey, have some time, and enjoy slightly adventurous routes, I’d absolutely recommend Türkgözü-Vale. It was a pain at times, but it was also one of the most memorable parts of my journey.
Happy travels, and iyi yolculuklar!
