
A Half-Day on Akdamar Island
April 10, 2026 · Local Guide
The tenth-century Church of the Holy Cross sits alone on an island in Van Lake, its sandstone reliefs softened by a thousand winters. A short boat crossing and a slow afternoon reveal why it endures.

An Afternoon at Van Fortress
March 4, 2026 · Local Guide
Van Fortress rises above the city on a limestone ridge, its walls carved with three thousand years of Urartian cuneiform. Below lies the ghost of Old Van — a destroyed city of mosques, empty streets, and long sight lines, walkable in an afternoon.