The Eastern Express train from Ankara (24 hours) is the most atmospheric way to arrive. Kars also has an airport (KSY) with direct flights to Ankara and Istanbul on Turkish Airlines and Pegasus — the flight takes about 1h45m from Istanbul. Bus services from Erzurum (3 hours) and Trabzon connect Kars to the wider eastern Turkish transport network.
From Kars, Ani is 45km east on the D080 highway, reachable by taxi or dolmuş (shared minibus) in about an hour. There is no direct public transport to the Ani site itself; most independent travellers hire a taxi from Kars for a half-day excursion.