Out for the day
Day Trips from Van: 8 Places Worth the Ride
The best day trips from Van are Tigranocerta, Hasankeyf, and Malabadi Bridge. They are 100 to 249 km away: out after breakfast, back in time for dinner.
1Historic & Cultural · Batman
Tigranocerta
232 km away · about 3.5 hours each way
Tigranocerta, also called Cholimma or Chlomaron in late antiquity, was a city and the capital of the Armenian Kingdom between 77 and 69 BCE. There is no common agreement on the precise location of Tigranocerta; it was either near present-day Silvan, or Arzan, east of Diyarbakır, Turkey, or in the valley of the Garzan river as mentioned by T. A.
Also thereArzen
2Historic & Cultural · Batman
Hasankeyf
244 km away · about 3.5 hours each way
Hasankeyf is a town located along the Tigris, in the Hasankeyf District, Batman Province, Turkey. It was declared a natural conservation area by Turkey in 1981. Despite local and international objections, the city and its archaeological sites have been flooded as part of the Ilısu Dam project.
3Historic & Cultural · Diyarbakır
Malabadi Bridge
245 km away · about 3.5 hours each way
The Malabadi Bridge or Karaman Bridge is an arch bridge spanning the Batman River near Malabadi village in Silvan in southeastern Turkey. Construction began in the year AD 1146/47 during the Artuqid period, and appears to have been completed by about 1154. The bridge was commissioned by Husam al-Din Timurtash of Mardin, son of Ilghazi, and grandson of Artuk Bey which one of the important commander of the Oghuz Turks.
Also thereHallan Çemi
4Historic & Cultural · Muş
Saint Karapet Monastery, Muş
249 km away · about 3.5 hours each way
Surb Karapet Monastery of Mush was an Armenian Apostolic monastery in the historic province of Taron, about 30 km northwest of Mush, in present-day eastern Turkey. Surb Karapet translates to "Holy Precursor" and refers to John the Baptist, whose remains are believed to have been stored at the site by Gregory the Illuminator in the early fourth century. The monastery subsequently served as a stronghold of the Mamikonians—the princely house of Taron, who claimed to be the holy warriors of John the Baptist, their patron saint.
5Historic & Cultural · Ağrı
Durupınar site
160 km away · about 2.5 hours each way
The Durupınar site is a geological formation of 164 metres made of limonite on Mount Tendürek, adjacent to the village of Üzengili in eastern Anatolia or Turkey. The site is 3 kilometres north of the Iranian border, 16 kilometres southeast of Doğubayazıt in the Ağrı Province, and 29 km south of the Greater Mount Ararat summit, at an elevation of 1,966 to 2,004 m above sea level. The size and shape of the formation led to its promotion by some believers as the petrified ruins of the original Noah's Ark.
6Historic & Cultural · Muş
Arakelots Monastery
207 km away · about 3 hours each way
Arakelots Monastery was an Armenian monastery in the historic province of Taron, 11 km south-east of Mush, in present-day eastern Turkey. According to tradition, Gregory the Illuminator founded the monastery to house relics of several apostles. The monastery was, however, most likely built in the 11th century.
7Religious Sites · Kars
Cathedral of Mren
245 km away · about 3.5 hours each way
The Cathedral of Mren is a 7th-century Armenian church in an abandoned medieval town site called Mren. 5 km west of the Akhurian River.
8Historic & Cultural
Saint Bartholomew Monastery
100 km away · about 1.5 hours each way
Saint Bartholomew Monastery was a medieval Armenian monastery in the historic province of Vaspurakan, 23 km north-east from the town of Başkale, in present-day Turkey's Van Province, near the Iranian border. The monastery was built on the traditional site of martyrdom of Bartholomew the Apostle, who is reputed to have brought Christianity to Armenia in the first century. Along with Thaddeus the Apostle, Bartholomew is considered the patron saint of the Armenian Apostolic Church. It was a prominent pilgrimage site prior to the Armenian genocide. Today, it is heavily ruined and the dome entirely gone.
Good to know
What is the best day trip from Van?
Tigranocerta is the best-known: 232 km away · about 3.5 hours each way.
What is the closest day trip from Van?
Saint Bartholomew Monastery: 100 km away · about 1.5 hours each way.
Do we need a tour for day trips from Van?
Not necessarily. Most of these places can be reached on our own by bus, train or car; a guided tour simply saves the planning.
Distances and times are road estimates from coordinates; actual travel time depends on traffic and the way we travel.