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Latest Van hotel reviews
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Van is far from Istanbul. Being far from Istanbul is really important because Istanbul is the heart of Turkey. Since reaching to Van by bus takes 24 hours, the best option is airplane. I travelled with Pegasus Airlines. They depart from Sabiha Gokcen Airport and it is closer to my home than Ataturk Airport. Pegasus Airlines' Van flights stop by in Ankara and this makes the flight a little bit uncomfortable, though it is better travel 24 hours.
This is why you'll see lots of travel agencies in Van.
Updated Nov 10, 2008
Website: http://www.flypgs.com/EN/
Van is accessible from many places within Turkey and possibly even outside the country. But keep in mind that it's not a common place for westerners to go through, or so it seemed. The problem was very simple- they thought the lemon-lime Gatorade in my Nalgene was a bomb. They were also freaked out by the carabiners (karabiners) on my backpack- and said I'd have to check them, which I didn't want to do. Fortunately we had our contacts -our local fixer- to keep things running smoothly and argue our case. Anyway, be aware of what you carry through that airport as it may not seem as innocent as you think?
Good times.
Written Mar 11, 2008
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Best is the plane and Istanbul is really proud of his new airport with very varied and good services and large space compared to the previous one.
Still recommend to make another souvenir picture when it is the time you are about to take the return flight
Written Oct 4, 2002
Written Oct 4, 2002
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Lake Van & Isaak Pasa Serail are situated at the east-end of Turkey.
With my little map you might get an idea, where you have to look on your roadmap for these places.
As often in Turkey, the spelling of these villages and sights might be a bit different from one map to the other
Updated Nov 15, 2003
Website: www.rotel.de
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There is also a ferry which runs between Van and Tatvan at opposite ends of the lake. The sharp-eyed among you might be able to spot it in the photo... This would have been a great way to leave Van, but we were convinced by a bus ticket office that the ferry didn't run during the winter. After having booked our bus tickets out of Van, we paid a visit to Van Kalesi, and from the top, lo and behold, there was the Van Ferry just leaving! Offffffffffffff...
Written Oct 4, 2002
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From Van, there are buses to Tatvan until 3pm, and from there, you can get to Diyarbakir, Batman, Bitlis etc...
To get to Mardin, there are frequent buses from Diyarbakir.
The border crossing to Syria between Nusaybin and Qamishle is only 10k from mardin, and a useful crossing point.
The picture shows Van town from the castle...minibuses run between the two quite frequently.
Written Oct 4, 2002
Written Oct 4, 2002
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I went straight there from Istanbul, what I would do is just show up at the otogar in Istanbul, and search for a ticket, you should be on a bus in less than an hour. Look for the Tatvan company, I beleive they are in number 45 (you'll see what i mean). Expect to pay 40 million turkish lira (EUR 25)
Written Mar 21, 2003
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Just off the road, 5 km west of Gevas, the boat leaves for Akdamar Island. There is no timetable, but the boat leaves when there are enough people to share the price. To find people to share the cost with is easiest during summer and weekends, when many families from Van go to the island for pic-nic. While waiting fore more people to arrive you can have a tea at the restaurant on the other side of the road.
Written Nov 1, 2003
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Insider advice and photos on Van flights and airports in the Van area posted by real travelers and locals.
Just off the road, 5 km west of Gevas, the boat leaves for Akdamar Island. There is no timetable, but the boat leaves when there are enough people to share the...
8 members live in Van
Q: hi may i ask which way you advise for going from van to konya ? is there an sleeper train ? if yes i need to know the time table ...
A: hi i ve read your previous post as well if you dont want to spend anytime in van you can take a direct train from tabriz to ankara every thursday for around 40 euros...
Read 2 Replies
1
A big, terrible earthquake hit Van on my birthday in 2011. Lots of places and buildings I've visited destroyed. The area is still dangerous. After shocks are still fatal. Plus the cold is getting...
2
Van (means "place" in Persian) (ancient Tushpa) located on the southeastern shores of Lake Van, the largest lake in Turkey & 200km west of Iranian border. It has often been called "The Pearl of the...
3
The city Van is not a beautiful or picturesque city but quite modern, but nice with great view of the mountains around. It's a good place to stay at while exploring the surroundings and to see, for......
4
Visiting Lake Van was one of the highlights of my week long whistle-stop trip round South-Eastern Turkey. It was somewhere I had always been intrigued by, having seen some photos of it in a National...
5
I don't know about you, but one thing that occupies some of my time is studying maps. This is what took me to Van, I could see a big lake surrounded by mountains far away from Western Turkey. So I...
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