The most spectacular landing in Turkey: flying over Lake Van

Landing in Istanbul is spectacular – getting a bird’s eye view of the city is fascinating enough but it cannot be compared to landing in Van. Van wasn’t really one of the most exciting cities, -however, times are changing - but arriving here by plane is one of the most remarkable travel experiences in Turkey. So despite our ever-lasting love for the dolmuş, we strongly recommend taking a flight. Of course, Van has much more to offer than amazing views from the airplane, but that will follow later, so bear with us. Now, we’re just concentrating on the most scenic route and landing.

Okay, so you are used to flying over mountains. You’ve seen Colorado canyon from above, so you think there is nothing better on offer. Just try this route once, and make sure, on the way there, you sit in the left isle. You will get gorgeous mountains dotted with the blue of rivers and lakes, the white of the remaining snow caps, the golden glitter of the reflecting sunrays on Lake Van.

Arriving over Keban Lake on Euphrates

The area was flooded when the Keban Dam was built

The crater and its lakes of the extinct volcano, Mt Nemrut

Finally, Lake Van. In the background, you can see Mt Süphan towering over the lake.

Ferry going to Akdamar Island

In manouvre. There still is quite a bit of snow covering Mt Süphan in June.

Close to landing. You think, that you really will be landing on dry land...

...but then again you are flying over water...getting very close to it.

The final stretch. Almost touching ground.

Practicalities

The airport is just being extended, so don’t worry when you get the first glimpse of the shabby airport building itself.

Airlines: Van Ferit Melen Airport is being served by 3 airlines: Turkish Airlines (together with its daughter company, Anadolu Jet), Sky Airlines and Sun Express. It is connected to Istanbul, Izmir, Ankara, Antalya. If you book early, your flight ticket may be cheaper than the bus would be.

 
Getting to the city: At the moment, there are no regular minibuses connecting the airport to the city, but you can have a look around and can get lucky. The taxi to the city costs about 20 TL. The cheapest option is to walk out to the main road, and catch a city dolmuş there, taking you to the city centre for about 1.20 TL. However, this isn’t really an option if you have several/heavy luggage.