Eviano

Turkey · Road trip · 10 days

Eastern Turkey Round Trip

Plateaus at 1,700 metres, a lake the size of the canton of Bern, Armenian churches, a palace in front of Ararat and the ruins of a capital on the border river. Eastern Turkey is vast, empty and hospitable.

The route, day by day

  1. Day 1 to 3

    Van: Breakfast, Akdamar and the Castle above the Dead City

    You fly via Istanbul or Ankara to Van, around seven hours in total, and collect the car at the airport. The first day belongs to the Van breakfast: 20 to 30 small dishes with herb cheese, kavut, honey with clotted cream and murtuğa, two hours at the table, after which you need nothing more until evening. In the afternoon visit Van Castle with its Urartian cuneiform inscriptions; from the top you see the flat ground where the old town stood until 1915. On the second day drive 45 kilometres to Gevaş and cross to Akdamar Island in the morning before the buses arrive: the 10th century Armenian Church of the Holy Cross with reliefs on its outer walls, the image everyone knows of Van. On the third day see Hoşap Castle to the south or the Muradiye waterfalls to the north; the latter lie on your onward route. Sleep in Van town in a mid-range hotel, around CHF 55 (about EUR 59) per night; the city is modern and lively. On to Doğubayazıt: 170 kilometres via Muradiye and Çaldıran on the D975, two and a half to three hours with the waterfall stop.

    Tours at this stop: Akdamar Island and Lake Van ↗Van breakfast and city tour ↗

    Open the Van travel guide →

  2. Day 4 to 5

    Doğubayazıt: İshak Pasha Palace and Ararat

    Doğubayazıt is a Kurdish border town with lorries heading for Iran, tea houses full of men and a view that makes up for everything: Ararat rises to 5,137 metres directly behind the town, snow-capped in summer, clearest in the morning light. On the first afternoon drive six kilometres up to the İshak Pasha Palace, an 18th century blend of Ottoman, Persian and Armenian architecture with a harem, mosque and throne room in honey-coloured stone. Stay until sunset, when the palace turns red and the buses have gone. On the second day repeat the view in the morning, visit the meteor crater on the Iranian border and the Noah's Ark site, both honestly more curiosities than sights, but the drive across the plain with the mountain at your back is worth it. In the afternoon there is time for the market and çay with the carpet dealers. Sleep in a simple hotel in town, around CHF 45 (about EUR 48) per night; there is nothing better here. On to Kars: 240 kilometres via Iğdır and Tuzluca on the D080 and D070, along the Armenian border, just under four hours.

    Tours at this stop: İshak Pasha Palace and the Ararat plain ↗

    Open the Doğubayazıt travel guide →

  3. Day 6 to 8

    Kars: Ani, Russian Houses and Cheese

    Kars lies at 1,750 metres and looks like no other Turkish town: the Russians built it between 1878 and 1918, with wide streets and stone houses of black basalt. You sleep in one of these old houses, now boutique hotels, mid-range around CHF 60 (about EUR 64) per night. The first afternoon belongs to the town: the castle with its view over the rooftops, the Armenian Church of the Apostles, today a mosque, and in the evening Kars cheese, oven-roasted goose and honey in one of the restaurants on Faikbey Street. The second day is Ani: 45 kilometres east, and then you stand on an empty plateau among the cathedrals, churches and walls of the 10th century Armenian capital, right on the gorge that today forms the border. Allow four hours, water and a hat; there is no shade. On the third day drive to Lake Çıldır, frozen in winter, or into the forest of Sarıkamış. On to Erzurum: 205 kilometres on the D060 via Sarıkamış and Horasan, around three hours, or six hours on the Eastern Express if you return the car in Kars.

    Tours at this stop: Ghost city of Ani with a guide ↗Lake Çıldır excursion ↗

    Open the Kars travel guide →

  4. Day 9 to 10

    Erzurum: Seljuks, Cağ Kebab and Flight Home

    Erzurum lies at 1,900 metres and is the city of the Seljuks: the Çifte Minareli Medrese with its two fluted minarets, the Yakutiye Medrese with its museum, the Ulu Camii and the castle, all doable on foot in two hours, as the old town is compact. Afterwards you eat cağ kebab, lamb from a horizontal spit, ordered by the number of skewers; one skewer costs around CHF 2 (about EUR 2), and five will fill you up. On the second day you have a choice: in winter skiing at Palandöken, ten minutes from the centre, where a day pass costs a third of the Swiss price; in summer the drive to the Tortum waterfall and into the valley towards Georgia with its Georgian churches, 120 kilometres each way, so a full day. If you are tired, stay in town and buy Oltu stone jewellery, the region's black amber, in the Taşhan. Sleep in a mid-range hotel in the centre, around CHF 70 per night. Return journey: Erzurum airport, 15 kilometres, drop the car, flight via Istanbul or Ankara to Zurich, a good six hours with the change.

    Tours at this stop: Seljuk Erzurum on foot ↗Tortum waterfall and Georgian churches ↗

    Open the Erzurum travel guide →

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What the route costs

Rough total per person for the whole route, mid-range, travelling as a pair. Flights and hotels vary by season; details are on the destination pages.

  • Getting there 449 EUR
  • Accommodation 278 EUR
  • Food 268 EUR
  • Local mobility 428 EUR
1,423 EUR
Total per person · 10 days

Money & payment: You pay in Turkish lira (TRY). The exchange rate moves a lot, which is why all prices here are given in francs and euros. Cards are accepted almost everywhere; you need cash for the dolmuş, markets and tips.

Rental car for this route

A rental comparison link will follow once the partner programme is live. Until then, compare directly with the rental companies or at your arrival airport.

Tips for the route

The route works just as well in reverse: fly to Erzurum, take the Eastern Express to Kars, pick up the car there and drive via Doğubayazıt to Van, flying home from Van. That is worth it if you want to ride the train, because the Turistik Doğu Ekspresi runs from Ankara towards Kars and you join it in Erzurum. Van also has more flights to Istanbul than Erzurum.

The Eastern Express: the regular Doğu Ekspresi runs daily from Ankara to Kars and takes 24 hours, a sleeper for two around CHF 40 (about EUR 43). The Erzurum to Kars section takes six hours and is scenically the best part. The tourist train with its sightseeing stops runs only in winter, is sold out weeks in advance and costs many times more. Book through the TCDD railway app, not through resellers.

A one-way rental between Van and Erzurum or Van and Kars costs a surcharge of CHF 60 to 120 (about EUR 64 to 128) with the big rental companies; the local firms in Van are cheaper but have older cars. Take a car with enough power for the passes at 2,000 metres. There are no tolls in the east, and fuel costs roughly Swiss levels, as everywhere in Turkey.

The roads are better than their reputation: wide, new main roads with little traffic. There are, however, military and police checkpoints, especially around Doğubayazıt and along the Iranian border. Stop, show your passport and rental contract, stay friendly, and after two minutes you drive on. Animals on the road are the bigger danger, which is why you never drive at night.

Travel between May and September. In winter the plateau lies under snow, Kars has minus 20 degrees and the passes are closed at times, though you get the famous train pictures and skiing in Sarıkamış and Palandöken. Even in July it is ten degrees at night: fleece, windproof jacket and sturdy shoes for Ani and the palace belong in your luggage. Do not forget sun protection; the altitude burns.

You hardly need to book anything in the east; the hotels are rarely full, except in Kars in winter. You pay for the Akdamar ferry, the palace and Ani at the entrance, with Ani costing around CHF 10 (about EUR 11). You need more cash than in the west, for the ferry, small restaurants and village shops; there are ATMs in every town. English is rare, and a few words of Turkish or Kurdish open every door.

Frequently asked questions about Eastern Turkey Round Trip

How many days do you need for eastern Turkey?

Ten days for Van to Erzurum with four bases and a line without a return drive. Eight days works if you cut Erzurum to one night and drop the Tortum excursion. With twelve days you add Hasankeyf and Mardin in the south or stay longer on Lake Van.

When is the best time to travel?

June to September. The passes are then open, the plateau green and the days a warm 25 degrees, with cool nights. May still has snow on the pastures but the plains are in bloom. Winter is a journey of its own: the Eastern Express in the snow, skiing, minus 20 degrees in Kars, but then only by train and taxi, not by hire car.

Hire car, bus or train?

Hire car for Van, Doğubayazıt and Ani, where the sights are 45 kilometres from the towns and taxis are expensive. Between Kars and Erzurum the train is the more beautiful choice. If you do not want to drive at all, take intercity buses between the towns and day tours or taxis on the spot; as a couple that costs about the same but takes two days longer.

What does the round trip cost per person?

Around CHF 1,330 (about EUR 1,420) per person travelling as a couple in mid-range: flight with a change 420, nine hotel nights 260, food 250, hire car for ten days with fuel for 650 kilometres and one-way surcharge 400. The east is the cheapest region of Turkey; only the flight costs more because of the connection.

Is eastern Turkey safe?

For travellers, yes. The region has been calm for years, and Van, Kars and Erzurum are normal Turkish cities with universities and shopping streets. You will see military posts and checkpoints, especially at the borders with Iran and Armenia, which is routine. Check the Swiss FDFA travel advice before the trip, stick to main roads and do not drive at night. The hospitality is the warmest in the country.

Is there a shorter or longer version?

Shorter: Van and Doğubayazıt in five days with the return flight from Van, or Kars and Erzurum in five days with the Eastern Express. Longer: two days in Diyarbakır or Mardin before Van, which gives you Mesopotamia and the plateau in two weeks. Or continue from Erzurum via Artvin to the Black Sea and fly home from Trabzon.

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