routesTürkiye
ENDERU
The carved stone church of Akdamar on its island in Lake Van
Photo: loiez Deniel / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0, resized

Region · 3 destinations · 19 places

Eastern Anatolia

High plateaus, volcanoes and the biggest lake in the country, with the ruins of medieval Armenian, Georgian and Seljuk kingdoms scattered across them.

The east is Türkiye at altitude. Kars and Erzurum stand around 1,800–1,900 metres, Lake Van lies at 1,600 and Mount Ararat rises above 5,000. The landscape is wide and empty — steppe, basalt gorges, snowy ranges — and the monuments are few but remarkable: the cathedral city of Ani on the Armenian border, the carved church of Akdamar on its island, the palace of Ishak Pasha facing Ararat, the Seljuk madrasas of Erzurum.

Distances are long and the seasons are extreme. Winter brings deep snow, the Eastern Express train and ski resorts around Erzurum and Sarıkamış; summer is short, green and pleasantly cool.

Kars Van Erzurum

Destinations

Is eastern Turkey safe and worth visiting?

It is worth it for travellers who like big landscapes and few crowds: Ani, Akdamar and Ishak Pasha Palace are among the most memorable sights in the country, and you often have them almost to yourself.

On safety we do not give our own verdict. The summary of the UK and German governments' travel advice for the region is below, with links and the date we checked it; read the full pages before you go.

The region suits independent travellers, rail fans (the Eastern Express to Kars), winter sports and road trips. It is less suited to a short break: plan at least a week to see Kars, Van and Doğubayazıt without rushing.

Best for
Travellers who have seen the west of Türkiye, history lovers, photographers, rail and winter travellers.
How long
7–10 days for Kars, Van, Doğubayazıt and Erzurum; 3–4 days for Kars and Ani alone.
Getting there
Fly to Kars, Van, Erzurum or Ağrı from Istanbul or Ankara. Kars and Erzurum are on the Eastern Express line from Ankara. Long-distance buses link the cities; a hire car helps for Ani, Akdamar and the lake shore. General directions, not checked against timetables.

Best time to go Jun–Sep · Dec–Mar for snow

June to September is the green, mild season for Ani, Lake Van and the Ararat views; spring and autumn nights are already cold. From December to March the plateau is snowbound — the season for the Eastern Express, skiing and frozen Çıldır Lake, but some mountain roads close.

Also worth a look

  • Muradiye Waterfall Van — A broad waterfall over black basalt north-east of Lake Van, on the road towards Doğubayazıt.
  • Hoşap Castle Van — A Kurdish lord's castle on a rock above a village, south-east of Van.
  • Çavuştepe Van — An Urartian citadel with temple foundations and inscriptions on a ridge south of Van.
  • Van Cat House Van — A breeding centre at the university for the white Van cat, known for its odd-coloured eyes.
  • Doğubayazıt meteor crater Ağrı — A crater near the Iranian border road east of Doğubayazıt.
  • Durupınar site Ağrı — A boat-shaped rock formation that some link with Noah's Ark, south of Ararat.
  • Devil's Castle (Şeytan Kalesi) Ardahan — Ruins on the edge of a deep canyon near Çıldır.
  • Yakutiye Madrasa and the Three Tombs Erzurum — More Seljuk and Mongol-era monuments in central Erzurum, a short walk from the Double Minaret Madrasa.

Not checked in detail yet: no ticket, hours or opening information for these places on turkeyroutes.

Safety: what government travel advice says

A plain summary of two governments' advice, as published when we checked. We do not rate safety ourselves; read the full pages before you go and check again close to your trip.

UK government (FCDO) — Turkey travel advice ↗

  • Advises against all travel within 10 km of the Turkey–Syria border, because of fighting in Syria near the border and a heightened risk of terrorism. Roads towards the border in Hatay province can close at short notice.
  • Mount Ararat (Ağrı province) is a special military zone: climbing needs a permit from the Doğubayazıt government office and a fee.
  • In Hakkari province, visits near the borders with Iraq and Iran need permission from the local Governor's Office.
  • Nationwide: terrorists are likely to try to carry out attacks in Turkey, and most attacks have been in the south-east, Ankara and Istanbul. Avoid demonstrations and follow local authorities.
  • The FCDO does not advise against travel to the rest of Turkey; read its full page before you go.

Page dated 21 Sep 2026 · read by us on 30 Sep 2026.

German Federal Foreign Office — Türkei: Reise- und Sicherheitshinweise ↗

  • Advises against all non-essential travel to the immediate border areas with Syria (the provinces of Şanlıurfa and Mardin) and with Iraq, because of the fighting across the border.
  • A terrorist threat has to be assumed in all parts of Türkiye; since 2015 the PKK and a splinter group have carried out attacks mainly in the south-east, but also elsewhere.
  • In the south-east and east it recommends avoiding large crowds, the surroundings of government and military sites, remote areas and little-used country roads.
  • Two strong earthquakes hit the south-east in 2023 (among the provinces named: Adıyaman, Diyarbakır, Gaziantep, Malatya and Şanlıurfa); many buildings were destroyed or badly damaged.

Page dated 18 Sep 2026 · read by us on 30 Sep 2026.

On this region: Neither office advises against travel to Kars, Van, Doğubayazıt or Erzurum as such. Climbing Mount Ararat needs a permit; the areas near the Iraqi and Iranian borders (Hakkari) need permission.

Emergency number in Türkiye: 112. Travel advice changes quickly; your own government's page is the one that matters for your insurance.

All places in Eastern

Kars & Ani

Van, Lake Van & Mount Ararat

Erzurum

Ticket = foreign-visitor price from the operator's own page; “Not verified” means we could not confirm it there.

Also in this area

Caves & waterfalls

Hidden gems

Viewpoints

Operator, status and season for each cave and waterfall are on its page — only where a public page states them. Adventure pages give only what the authorities' own texts say.

Camping & bungalows in this region

5 private places on our camping map — 2 bungalows, 2 campsites, 1 glamping. 1 nature or national park with a camp area.

Camping in Eastern →Wild-camping rules

Practical

Eastern ExpressWinter in TürkiyeMuseum PassPublic holidaysAll destinationsTrip planner

Independent guide, not affiliated with any government body. Region texts are our own; ticket prices, hours and closing days on the place pages come only from the operators' pages.