# Things to see in Van, Turkey (Turkey): 14 places and when to go > Van, Turkey is a city in Turkey with around 372,000 inhabitants, and this site lists 14 places in and around it, mainly History (8), Nature (5), Mountains (5). The best known are Van Fortress, Varagavank and Çavuştepe. The best time to come is April to June and September to October; also possible: November to March and July to August. In June there are 14 h 40 of daylight, and in December, 9 h 20. Here is what there is, when to go, how to get there and what else is nearby. - Address: https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/turquia/van/ - Reviewed on: 2026-10-08 - Language: en ## In a nutshell - **Where:** Turkey · 38.4954, 43.4 - **Population:** About 372,000 - **Places:** 14 places on this site, in the town and around it. - **What people come for:** [History](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/turquia/historia/) (8) · [Nature](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/turquia/naturaleza/) (5) · [Mountains](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/turquia/montana/) (5) · [Temples](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/turquia/espiritual/) (3) · [Museums and art](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/turquia/museos/) (1) - **Best time:** April to June and September to October. - **Also possible:** November to March and July to August. - **Nearest airport:** ESB Ankara, 914 km as the crow flies - **Highest point:** Mount Erek, at 3,181 m. ## What to see in Van, Turkey The places in and around Van, Turkey, best known first, each with its own page: what it is, when to go and what is next to it. Distances are from the centre, as the crow flies. - [Van Fortress](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/turquia/van-castle/): Massive stone fortification in Turkey · 5.2 km - [Varagavank](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/turquia/monastery-of-varag/): Monastery in Bakraçlı, İpekyolu, Van, Turkey · 7.4 km - [Çavuştepe](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/turquia/haykaberd/): Fortification · 17 km - [Van Museum](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/turquia/van-museum/): Museum in İpekyolu District · 5.0 km - [Mount Erek](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/turquia/mount-erek/): Mountain in İpekyolu, Van, Turkey · 9.5 km - [Ayanis](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/turquia/ayanis-kalesi/): Urartian fortress from the 7th century, currently in the Van district of Turkey · 29 km - [Hogots Monastery](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/turquia/hogots-monastery/): Monastery in Turkey · 44 km - [Surp Marinos Monastery](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/turquia/surp-marinos-monastery/): Armenian Monastery in Van, Turkey · 17 km - [Great Mosque of Van](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/turquia/van-ulu-camii/): History · Temples · 5.4 km - [Çat Dağı](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/turquia/cat-dagi/): Mountain in Turkey · 27 km - [Çeper Hill](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/turquia/ceper-tepesi/): Hill in Van, eastern Turkey · 29 km - [Çomaklıbaba Hill](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/turquia/comaklibaba-tepe/): Hill in Van, eastern Turkey · 18 km - [Dilkaya Mound](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/turquia/dilkaya-hoyugu/): Archeological site in Turkey · 27 km - [Ziyaret Dağı](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/turquia/ziyaret-dagi/): Mountain in Van Province, Turkey · 28 km ## When to go to Van, Turkey The best time to visit Van, Turkey is **April to June and September to October**; also possible: November to March and July to August. This comes from its own places: a month counts as the town's best time when it is the best time for half of what there is to see. | Mes | Época | Hours of daylight | | --- | --- | --- | | January | Possible | 9 h 36 | | February | Possible | 10 h 33 | | March | Possible | 11 h 42 | | April | Best time | 13 h 01 | | May | Best time | 14 h 06 | | June | Best time | 14 h 40 | | July | Possible | 14 h 26 | | August | Possible | 13 h 30 | | September | Best time | 12 h 14 | | October | Best time | 10 h 58 | | November | Possible | 9 h 52 | | December | Possible | 9 h 20 | In June there are 14 h 40 of daylight, and in December, 9 h 20. In September, 14 of the 14 places are at their best. When to go to Turkey in general, with its festivals and peak seasons, is in [its country guide](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/turquia/#cuando-ir). ## Getting to Van, Turkey The nearest main airport is Esenboğa International Airport (ESB, Ankara), 914 km as the crow flies. How to get around Turkey (train, car, bus) is in [its country guide](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/turquia/#moverse), and what to sort out before you leave is in [its checklist](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/turquia/#antes-de-salir). - [Where it is](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=38.4954%2C43.4) - [Directions](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/?api=1&destination=38.4954%2C43.4) ## Other towns nearby - [Tatvan](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/turquia/tatvan/): 9 places · 97 km - [Hakkâri](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/turquia/hakkari/): 9 places · 107 km - [Siirt](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/turquia/siirt/): 6 places · 142 km - [Muş](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/turquia/mus/): 5 places · 168 km - [Şırnak](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/turquia/sirnak/): 5 places · 168 km - [Çengilli](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/turquia/cengilli/): 7 places · 186 km And all of Turkey, in [its country guide](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/turquia/). ## Frequently asked questions ### What is there to see in Van, Turkey? The best known: [Van Fortress](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/turquia/van-castle/), [Varagavank](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/turquia/monastery-of-varag/), [Çavuştepe](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/turquia/haykaberd/), [Van Museum](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/turquia/van-museum/), [Mount Erek](https://kokai.app/en/paises/africa-y-oriente-medio/turquia/mount-erek/). In all, 14 places in the town and around it, all on your trip map from day one. ### When is the best time to visit Van, Turkey? April to June and September to October; also possible: November to March and July to August. In June there are 14 h 40 of daylight, and in December, 9 h 20. ### How do you get to Van, Turkey? The nearest main airport is Esenboğa International Airport (ESB), 914 km away. From there, [directions](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/?api=1&destination=38.4954%2C43.4) opens the route on the map. ### How do I add it to my trip? Create a trip with Van, Turkey as the destination and these 14 places are on your map, each with its category. The ones you like go into a day's plan with one tap, and Kokai reminds you when you pass nearby. Data from [OpenStreetMap](https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright), licensed under the ODbL, from [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/), CC0, cities from [Natural Earth](https://www.naturalearthdata.com/) and airports from [OurAirports](https://ourairports.com/data/). Daylight hours are calculated from the latitude. More in [credits](https://kokai.app/en/aviso/#creditos).