Townapedia
City of Van (view from Van Kalesi)
City of Van (view from Van Kalesi) · EvgenyGenkin, CC BY-SA 4.0
Van Museum building
Van Museum building · Clemens Schmillen, CC BY-SA 4.0
Urartian fort in Çavuştepe
Urartian fort in Çavuştepe · Martijn Munneke from Netherlands, CC BY 2.0
Van Fortress From Northwest
Van Fortress From Northwest · Bjørn Christian Tørrissen, CC BY-SA 3.0
OTAltVanOsmanMoschee
OTAltVanOsmanMoschee · Ziegler175, CC BY-SA 4.0
Van Ulu Cami 4535
Van Ulu Cami 4535 · Dosseman, CC BY-SA 4.0

Van, Turkey

Van is a regional capital of 525,016 people in Van, Turkey.

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Population525,016 GeoNames
RegionVan
Elevation1,730 m 5,676 ft
Time zoneEurope/Istanbul
Land area1,938.0 km²
Nearest airportVan Ferit Melen International Airport (VAN) 5 km

Why visit Van

Townapedia lists 13 museums and landmarks, 10 parks and trails, 79 places to eat, 45 places to stay and 3 attractions in and around town.

Highlights include Van Museum and Van Fortress.

About Van

Van is a city in eastern Turkey's Van Province, on the eastern shore of Lake Van. It is the capital and largest city of Van Province.

From the Wikipedia article Van, Turkey (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Travel tips from other travellers: Van on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Things to do3

meskenler mevsim manavı

Farm and orchard · 1.6 km

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Paribu Cineverse

Cinema and theater · 1.0 km

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Van National Theatre

Cinema and theater · 1.4 km

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Museums and landmarks13

Van Museum

Museum · 3.6 km

Museum in İpekyolu District

Tu-Su 08:00-18:30

Open in Google Maps · Wikipedia · +90 432 216 1139

Van Fortress

Monument and historic site · 3.9 km

Massive stone fortification in Turkey

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Çavuştepe

Monument and historic site · 17.1 km

Fortification

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Horhor Medresesi

Monument and historic site · 4.4 km

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Van Castle

Monument and historic site · 3.8 km

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KEDİ EVİ

Monument and historic site · 2.9 km

Melen Cd

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Meher kapi

Monument and historic site · 2.6 km

From wikitravel: An Urartian sanctuary from the 9th century BC cut into the cliff face. Rituals here likely involved animal...

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Van-K'aghaghak'amej

Monument and historic site · 3.8 km

One of the oldest districts of Van, which was famed by self-defense in 1915. Completely destroyed after the genocide. Now it is...

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Breakfast street

Monument and historic site · 1.3 km

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Can Kedi Evi

Monument and historic site · 2.9 km

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Nuda sanat merkezi

Museum · 2.0 km

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Rusahinili

Monument and historic site · 2.6 km

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1 more on the map.

Parks, trails and playgrounds10

Ada Parkı

Park · 0.7 km

Umman 1. Sokak

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Atatürk Kültür Parkı

Park · 3.1 km

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Demokrasi Parkı

Park · 1.8 km

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Doktor Sadık Park

Park · 1.6 km

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GAP Botanik

Park · 0.8 km

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Gülistan Parkı

Park · 3.4 km

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İpekyolu Belediyesi Feqiyê Teyran Parkı

Park · 1.2 km

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Kent Park

Park · 0.7 km

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Kurtuluş Parkı

Park · 1.1 km

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Parqa Aşıtıyê a Musa Anter

Park · 1.4 km

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Restaurants and cafes79

bak hele bak kahvaltı kültür sarayı

Restaurant · Breakfast, Kahvaltı · 1.0 km

37 Sıhke Caddesi, Van

Mo-Fr 08:00-17:00

Open in Google Maps · +904322142938

Royal Koç Çağ Kebabı

Restaurant · Turkish · 1.4 km

Mo-Su 09:00-22:00

Open in Google Maps · +90 553 300 25 65

Aşiyan Ev Yemekleri

Restaurant · 1.2 km

Mo-Su 10:30-21:30

Open in Google Maps · +90 432 212 4190

Merkez Et Lokantası

Restaurant · 1.7 km

Mo-Su 08:00-22:00

Open in Google Maps · +90 432 216 9701

Miroğlu Ocakbaşı

Restaurant · 1.9 km

Mo-Su 09:00-19:00

Open in Google Maps · +90 432 216 0025

Surdibi Ciğercisi

Restaurant · 0.9 km

24/7

Open in Google Maps · +90 530 631 1465

Breakfast hall - süctü selim

Restaurant · Turkish · 1.2 km

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Desotti

Restaurant · Sandwich, Sushi, Tea, Persian, Pasta, Pizza, Spanish, Turkish, Thai · 0.6 km

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Gloria Jean's

Cafe · Coffee Shop · 0.9 km

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Hacıbey

Restaurant · Turkish · 1.7 km

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Kopi Tüwak

Cafe · Turkish · 1.4 km

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67 more on the map.

History

Archaeological excavations and surveys carried out in Van Province indicate that the history of human settlement in this region goes back at least as far as 5000 BCE. The Tilkitepe Mound, which is on the shores of Lake Van and a few kilometres to the south of Van Castle, is the only source of information about the oldest culture of Van.

From the History section of Van, Turkey on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Where to stay45

Churches and places of worship243

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Shopping35

Gas and EV charging20

Schools, colleges and libraries9

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Healthcare132

Map of Van

250 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.

Getting there and nearby towns

Van Ferit Melen International Airport (VAN) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 5 km away.

  • Edremit 14 km southwest, about 14 min by car
  • Gevaş 33 km southwest, about 33 min by car
  • Kavuştuk 45 km northwest, about 45 min by car
  • Bilgi 46 km south, about 46 min by car
  • Akçıra 47 km northwest, about 47 min by car
  • Aydınocak 48 km west, about 48 min by car
  • Karşıyaka 51 km northwest, about 51 min by car
  • Özalp 56 km east, about 56 min by car
  • Erciş 59 km north, about 59 min by car
  • Adilcevaz 66 km northwest, about 1 h by car

Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.

Reviews, tips and questions

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Sources and licences

Photo credits

Page built November 8, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.