Popular Airport | Harakani Airport |
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Popular Airlines | |
Approximate Flight Duration | 4 hour 20 min |
Approximate Travel Distance | 3520 Km |
The airport, which is approximately 6 kilometers of the city center, is located on Bole Road. In the city where public transportation is not very developed, you can use minibuses to reach the airport. Taxi is another transportation alternative that is frequently preferred by visitors. In addition to these, you can get to the airport from the city center by renting a car or by benefitting from the airport shuttle service in case your hotel offers this service.
You can reach the airport by getting on a minibus from the minibus stops located in the city center. Minibuses generally carry passengers to the airport from 5:30 am to 09:00 pm. Although it is relatively cheaper compared to taxi, you should remember that drivers may demand higher amounts from tourists. The fare is about 5 Birr. They may also charge extra amount for each baggage.
Hotel shuttle service is the most comfortable alternative for your travel to the airport. In Addis Ababa city center, there are both small hotels and accommodation centers of chain hotels such as Hilton, Radisson and Sheraton. Some of these hotels offer airport shuttle service. If your hotel offers this service and you want to benefit from this service for your travel to the airport, you should definitely make a reservation in advance.
There are two types of taxis that you can get on to reach the airport. Mercedes taxis of the National Tour Operator (NTO) operate under a company and offer service with more comfortable vehicles. With their predetermined tariffs, they create a more reliable image in terms of the fares. You can ask your hotel to call a NTO taxi for you.
There is no taximeter in the taxis operating in Addis Ababa, so it is advised to agree on the fare before getting on. These yellow taxis are approximately 10 times more expensive than blue-white taxis. You can also reach the airport in a short time with a blue-white taxi which you can find in the city center or waiting in front of hotels. The average fare is between 80 and 100 Birr. The owners of these taxis aren’t companies but individuals. Since there is also no taximeter in blue-white taxis and fares are not standardized by a company, they are more flexible in terms of fares and you should definitely bargain.
You can rent a car from one of the car rental companies that you can find in the city center or from the offices of tour operators. You can also get help from your hotel about renting a car.
Since some roads in Addis Ababa have no name, there isn’t sufficient number of traffic signs throughout the city and there is no traffic light on many roundabouts, traffic flow isn’t in order. For this reason, renting a car during your visit may not be a good option. If you want to rent a car only for travelling to the airport from the city center, you should prefer a company which has an office at the airport.
In order to get to the airport with the car you have rented, connect to Bole Road in the city center, drive southeastward and follow the airport signs.
There are 2 terminals at the airport. Terminal 1, which offers service for domestic flights, is located in the old building. Terminal 2 offers service for international passenger transportation in the new building.
At Bole International Airport, there are many restaurants and cafes in addition to stores and a duty-free shop where you can do some shopping before your flight.
At the airport, there is also a lounge for passengers looking for a comfortable environment and a much larger lounge is now being constructed. Although there is no left luggage service at the airport, you can find other standard airport services such as pharmacy, currency exchange office and ATM.
Kars Airport is only 7 kilometer from the city center. If you want to get to the city center from the airport, you can prefer taxi, municipal bus and rental car as well as the Sınır Tourism shuttle services that provide transportation service in agreement with airline companies. The hotels in Sarıkamış Winter Sports Center also offer airport shuttle service.
You can take a taxi, which is always the easiest way, to go to the city center or the surrounding districts and villages from Kars Airport. You can reach the city center in 10 minutes without waiting. The taxis waiting at the airport according to plane landings are usually used as share taxi by taking more than one passenger.
This is because there is a limited number of taxis at the airport and some taxi drivers would like to earn more by asking for the same taxi fare from more than one passenger. Before taking a taxi, it would be useful to ask if the taxi fare can be shared or not.
The airport shuttle services which provide shuttle service according to landing hours go up to Faikbey Street in Kars city center and drop the passengers off in front of Vergül Tourism agency. The same shuttle company also provides transportation service 30 minutes after landing for the passengers who would like to go Ardahan from Kars Airport. The shuttle services go up to the Sınır Tourism agency on Kongre Street in Ardahan city center.
There is only one car rental company called Öz Sema Otomotiv which serves at Kars Airport. For this reason, you are strongly recommended to book your car in advance if you want to rent a car. You can reach the authorized person by calling the office at 0-474- 212 08 18. If you are going to get to the places like Ani Ören Yeri (Ani Ruins) and Sarıkamış Winter Sports Center and if you travel more than one person, renting a car may be a more flexible and practical solution for you.
You can also prefer to go to the city center by bus from Kars Airport. There is only one municipal bus to the city center and it runs according to flight times. The municipal bus, which departs at the airport, goes up to the Lion Statues (in front of the Zafer Kuyumcusu – Jewelry Store) in the city center. If you are going to the surrounding cities or the tourist attractions like Ani Ruins, you can get to the bus station from the city center.
Since the bus station and the airport are located on different routes, you can benefit from minibuses or the shuttle services of the bus transportation companies once you arrive at the city center. The bus station is 3 kilometers away from the city center. You can take the buses provided by Sarıkamış Municipality, which depart from the city center, to reach the hotels in Sarıkamış Ski Resort. Though most of the hotels in Sarıkamış welcome their guests at the airport by offering shuttle services, you should ask your hotel if they offer shuttle transfer service considering your transportation options. The ski resort is 50 kilometers from the airport and 60 kilometers from the city center.