Newsletters
Kars Cheese Museum, Türkiye's first and only thematic cheese museum, hosted around 60,000 local and foreign visitors in the first six months of 2026, becoming one of the first stops for tourists arriving in the northeastern city during the summer holiday season.
Located in Kars, a city registered as the "World's 18th Cheese Route" with more than 30 cheese varieties, the museum brings together the region's dairy culture, local food heritage and tourism potential under one roof.
Standing out as the "world's largest cheese museum," according to the source, Kars Cheese Museum includes a 250-square-meter museum shop and an event area of nearly 5,000 square meters.
The museum sets out the production journey of many regional products, including Kars Gravyer, Kars Kasari, Karin Kaymagi, Cecil cheese, Kars Yagli Tulumu, Kasar Loru, Turkmen Sacak cheese, Kasar Orgusu and Deve Dili.
The museum does not only focus on cheese production. It also presents the natural structure of Kars, where long-running yayla livestock breeding is practiced; yayla refers to seasonal highland pastures used for animal husbandry.
Visitors can walk through sections displaying endemic plants, animal breeds fed with these plants, local recipes made with cheese, workshop areas, sales stands and a cafeteria, all of which have drawn strong interest.
Kayhan Mingan, who came to Kars from Istanbul for the summer holiday, said he had not expected the museum to be so impressive. He said the museum helped present local products, history and the city itself, adding: "Seeing things like this in Kars is very important for tourism."
Museum Director Yesim Koc said the museum has gained strong visitor momentum over the past four years, noting that the first half of this year reached around 60,000 visitors, up from 42,000 in the same period last year.
Koc said Kars is often promoted through winter tourism, but summer tourism has also begun to stand out thanks to the city's cultural assets and social activities. She also noted that visitors arriving by caravan stay in the area and include the museum in their travel route.
Opened in March 2022, Kars Cheese Museum has welcomed nearly 350,000 local and foreign visitors since its launch.
With its historical atmosphere, regional products and interactive exhibition areas, the museum is presented as one of the strongest showcases of Kars' gastronomy tourism, while also passing on the city's long-standing milk and cheese culture to future generations.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
