Van is a historic city in eastern Turkey set on the southeastern shore of Lake Van — the largest lake in Turkey and one of the world's largest soda lakes at 3,713 km². The city sits at 1,750 metres above sea level, surrounded by dramatic volcanic mountains. Van is famous for its extraordinary breakfast tradition (Van kahvaltısı), its legendary white Van cats with heterochromia, and the nearby Church of the Holy Cross on Akdamar Island. The ancient Urartian fortress of Van Castle looms over the old city ruins, recalling a civilisation that flourished here from the 9th to 7th centuries BC. Van today is a vibrant Kurdish-majority city with a warm, hospitable culture and access to some of eastern Turkey's most rewarding landscapes.
Van is accessible by air (Ferit Melen Airport, 6 km from centre), long-distance bus (Van Otogar), and — more slowly — by train to Tatvan on the western lake shore then ferry across. Within the city, dolmuşes (minibuses) are the main public transport for ₺10–15 per ride. Taxis are numerous and affordable. Car hire is the best option for independent exploration of outlying sites (Van Castle, Akdamar, Muradiye, Hoşap). The Lake Van ferry connects Van Harbour to Tatvan (western shore) for travellers continuing to Bitlis or Diyarbakır.
Transport tips
Travel smarter, not harder.
Download Google Maps and save an offline map of Van province before arriving — mobile data may be slow in rural areas
Carry your destination written in Turkish (from Google Translate) to show dolmuş drivers
For Akdamar Island, the earliest boat from Gevaş departs around 09:00 — to arrive at Gevaş by 09:00, leave Van by 08:00 (minibus) or 08:20 (taxi)
Dolmuşes do not run at night — after 21:00, use taxis
Van Otogar (bus station) is 3 km from city centre — taxi to bus station ₺60–80 (~$1.80–2.40)