A high-altitude city on the shore of Türkiye's largest lake, with an Urartian citadel, a 10th-century island church, legendary breakfasts and the famous odd-eyed cats.
Last reviewed on 27 September 2026.
Van lies on the eastern shore of Lake Van in Eastern Anatolia, at an altitude of roughly 1,700 metres, with snow-capped volcanoes on the horizon and the Iranian border not far to the east. The lake — vast, deep blue and ringed by mountains — dominates everything, and the region around it holds the remains of the Urartian kingdom, medieval Armenian churches, Seljuk cemeteries and Kurdish castles. The city itself is modern and busy, largely rebuilt after the destruction of the old town in the First World War and again after the 2011 earthquake, but it is an excellent base, and its breakfast culture alone draws Turkish visitors from across the country.
Lake Van (Van Gölü) is the largest lake in Türkiye, covering roughly 3,700 square kilometres. It has no outlet: water arrives from rivers and snowmelt and leaves only by evaporation, which has made it strongly alkaline — a soda lake. The water feels slippery and was traditionally used for washing clothes without soap. Its basin was formed when lava flows from the Nemrut volcano blocked the lake's ancient drainage to the west. You can swim at beaches around the shore in summer, though the water stays cool and the soda can sting cuts and eyes.
Very few fish can live in such water. The exception is the inci kefali (pearl mullet, Alburnus tarichi), a small fish found only in the Lake Van basin. Each spring, roughly April to June, the fish migrate from the lake up the freshwater streams that feed it to spawn, leaping up weirs and small falls in their thousands. The spectacle is best known on the Deliçay river near Erciş on the northern shore, where viewing is organised during the migration. Fishing is banned during the spawning season to protect the stocks, which were once heavily overfished. Outside the ban, the fish appears on local menus fried or grilled.
The single most famous monument in the region stands on Akdamar Island, off the southern shore about 40 km from the city near Gevaş. The Armenian Church of the Holy Cross (Surp Khach) was built in the early 10th century, between about 915 and 921, for King Gagik I Artsruni of Vaspurakan, as part of a palace-church complex on the island. It is a compact domed church in pinkish volcanic stone, but its fame comes from the exterior relief carvings that wrap around the walls in bands: Adam and Eve, David and Goliath, Jonah and the whale, Abraham and Isaac, saints and prophets, and a lively frieze of animals, vines and hunting scenes. King Gagik himself appears offering a model of the church to Christ. Inside, fragments of wall painting survive.
The church was restored by the Turkish state and reopened as a museum in 2007. Since 2010 an annual Armenian liturgy has been permitted there, usually in September, which draws pilgrims from Istanbul, Armenia and the diaspora; the island is crowded on that day. Boats leave from a small pier on the southern shore when enough passengers gather, and the crossing takes roughly 20 minutes. In summer and at weekends there is a steady flow; out of season, boats run less often and weather can cancel them. The island itself, with almond trees that blossom in spring, is a pleasant place to linger.
The Kingdom of Urartu flourished in the highlands around Lake Van between roughly the 9th and 6th centuries BC, a rival of Assyria famous for its fortresses, irrigation works and metalwork. Its capital was Tushpa, on the long limestone rock that rises from the plain at the lake's edge just west of the modern city. This is Van Fortress (Van Kalesi).
Climb the rock for rock-cut royal tombs and chambers, Urartian cuneiform inscriptions, later walls and a medieval mosque, and wide views over the lake. At the western foot of the rock, the Sardur Tower (Madır Burç) was built of massive stone blocks by King Sarduri I in the 9th century BC, with inscriptions in Assyrian cuneiform. High on the southern face, a trilingual inscription of the Achaemenid king Xerxes in Old Persian, Elamite and Babylonian records the kingdom's later absorption into Persia; it is visible from below.
On the plain south of the rock lie the ruins of the old walled city of Van, a mixed Armenian and Muslim town destroyed during the fighting of 1915 in the First World War. Little survives beyond mosque shells, minarets and foundations, and the site is a sobering one; the modern city was built afresh to the east. The Van Museum in the city, reopened in a new building in recent years, holds Urartian metalwork, inscriptions and jewellery and is a good introduction before visiting the fortress.
Another Urartian site, Çavuştepe (ancient Sardurihinili), lies on the road south-east towards Hoşap and has well-preserved temple foundations and inscriptions; it combines easily with the castle.
Hoşap Castle (Güzelsu), roughly an hour's drive south-east of Van, crowns a rock outcrop above a small village and river. It was built in the mid-17th century by Sarı Süleyman Bey, a local Kurdish lord of the Mahmudi family, and its gate, towers and long curtain walls stretching across the ridge are dramatic from the road. A small stone bridge crosses the river below. It is typically combined with Çavuştepe as a half-day trip.
Muradiye Waterfall, north-east of the lake near the town of Muradiye, is a broad cascade on the Bendimahi river, reached by a short walk and a small suspension bridge. It is at its most powerful in late spring, with snowmelt, and in hard winters it partly freezes. It is an easy stop on the road to Doğubayazıt and Mount Ararat.
Van's breakfast (Van kahvaltısı) is famous across Türkiye, and there is a whole street of breakfast salons in the city centre, often called Kahvaltıcılar Sokağı, open from early morning. A full spread arrives as dozens of small plates: otlu peynir (sheep's cheese cured with wild mountain herbs), other local cheeses, kaymak (clotted cream) and honey, olives, butter, murtuğa (a rich dish of flour, butter and eggs), kavut (a sweet roasted-grain dish), cacık, eggs cooked with sucuk or with herbs, fresh salad and warm bread, with endless tea. Order the set breakfast for the table rather than individual items, arrive hungry, and plan on at least an hour. See also Turkish cuisine.
The Van cat (Van kedisi) is a white, long-haired breed native to the region, prized for its eyes — often one blue and one amber — and for an unusual fondness for water. Genuine Van cats are relatively rare and protected, and the city takes great pride in them: statues appear around town, and a Van Cat House at Van Yüzüncü Yıl University runs a breeding and research programme that visitors can usually see. Note that the Turkish Van breed recognised by cat fanciers abroad, with coloured markings on the head and tail, is not the same as the all-white Van kedisi.
The Tatvan Nemrut is one of the most striking natural sites in the east. A road climbs from Tatvan to the caldera rim, from which you look down on a large, deep-blue crescent-shaped lake, a smaller warm lake fed by hot springs, and slopes of black obsidian and forest. It was the eruptions of this volcano that dammed Lake Van. The road is usually open only from roughly late spring to autumn; the rest of the year snow closes it. Tatvan is about two to three hours' drive from Van around the southern shore, or a crossing on the lake ferry. On the north-western shore nearby, Ahlat has a remarkable Seljuk-era cemetery of tall carved gravestones and domed tombs, well worth combining with Nemrut.
Van's altitude gives it a continental highland climate. Summers are warm and dry but rarely scorching, making June to September the most comfortable time and the only practical window for the Nemrut caldera. Late spring brings the pearl mullet migration and full waterfalls. Winters are long and cold, with snow and sub-zero temperatures, and some roads and boat services are affected, although the city itself functions normally. See the best time to visit.
Van Ferit Melen Airport, south of the city, has domestic flights, chiefly to Istanbul and Ankara. Long-distance buses connect Van with the rest of the country. By rail, the Vangölü Ekspresi has historically run from Ankara to Tatvan on the western shore, and train ferries cross the lake between Tatvan and Van; passenger services on this route have been irregular, so check the current position with TCDD (Turkish State Railways) before relying on it.
The city centre is compact enough to walk, and minibuses run to Van Fortress and along the shore. For Akdamar, Hoşap, Muradiye and Nemrut, a hired car or a driver for the day is the most efficient option; see driving in Türkiye. The Kapıköy crossing into Iran is east of the city. Van is also a natural stage on an eastern route taking in Kars and Ani to the north and Diyarbakır to the west.
The Van region suffered a deadly earthquake in October 2011, centred near Erciş, and much of the city has been rebuilt since; see earthquakes in Türkiye for background.
Lake Van, the largest lake in Turkey, has no outlet, so water leaves only by evaporation and dissolved minerals accumulate. The result is a strongly alkaline soda lake rather than a simply salty one. Only a few species survive in it, most notably the pearl mullet, or inci kefali, which migrates into freshwater streams to spawn.
Boats leave from a pier on the southern shore of Lake Van near Gevaş, about 40 km from Van city, and the crossing takes roughly 20 minutes. They generally depart when enough passengers have gathered, so start early, especially outside the summer season.
No. The Nemrut near Van is a volcano above Tatvan, in Bitlis province, with a large crater lake. Mount Nemrut with the giant stone heads is in Adıyaman province, several hundred kilometres to the south-west. They are completely separate places.
Van cats are a white, long-haired breed native to the Lake Van region, often with one blue and one amber eye, and they are known for liking water. They are protected, and Van Yüzüncü Yıl University runs a Van Cat House for breeding and research that visitors can usually see.
A Van breakfast is a large spread of small plates: herbed otlu peynir and other cheeses, kaymak with honey, olives, butter, murtuğa, kavut, cacık, eggs, salad and fresh bread, with plenty of tea. The breakfast salons in the city centre serve it from early morning.
June to September is the most comfortable period, and it is the only practical window for the Nemrut crater lake above Tatvan. Late spring is the time to see the pearl mullet migration. Winters are long, snowy and cold at Van's altitude.