Eastern Türkiye - the region encompassing Erzurum, Kars, Doğubayazıt, Van and the territories stretching to the Iranian and Armenian borders - is one of the most dramatically underdeveloped travel regions in the country. The rewards are proportional: Mount Ararat (the biblical mountain of the Flood, 5,137m), the medieval Armenian churches on Akdamar Island, the abandoned city of Ani (an exceptional UNESCO-listed medieval capital on the Armenian border), and landscapes of extraordinary scale. Accommodation is functional rather than luxurious across most of the region, and logistics require planning - distances are large and connections infrequent.
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Budget Hotels in Eastern Turkey (₺700–1,800 per night / approximately €21–54 as of 2026)
Budget accommodation across the east is practical and honest - clean rooms, simple meals and helpful owners who know the terrain. Don’t expect design hotels; do expect genuine hospitality.
İshak Paşa Sarayı Hotel (Doğubayazıt) near the famous İshak Paşa Palace - the most photographed building in the east - offers simple rooms and a terrace with views of the palace and Ararat. Rates run approximately ₺900–1,600/night.
Hotel Kristal (Kars) is a reliable city-centre budget option in Kars, well positioned for the early morning dolmuş to Ani. Rates are approximately ₺700–1,400/night.
Van Gölü Hotel (Van) near the city centre offers functional rooms for the Van base. It’s within reach of the ferry to Akdamar Island. Rates are approximately ₺800–1,500/night.
Mid-Range Hotels in Eastern Turkey (₺2,000–5,000 per night / approximately €60–150 as of 2026)
Grand Derya Hotel (Doğubayazıt) is the best mid-range option in Doğubayazıt - a functional but comfortable three-star property with reliable service and Mount Ararat views from upper-floor rooms. Rates run approximately ₺2,500–4,500/night.
Kars Hotel (Kars) is a well-run city-centre property with comfortable rooms, a restaurant and concierge services for organising Ani tours and guided visits to the Sarıkamış ski area. Rates are approximately ₺2,200–4,000/night.
Büyük Urartu Hotel (Van) is Van’s best mid-range option - a well-equipped property near the city centre with a restaurant, bar and comfortable rooms. Akdamar Island tours can be arranged from here. Rates are approximately ₺2,500–4,500/night.
Luxury Hotels in Eastern Turkey (₺5,500–14,000+ per night / approximately €165–420+ as of 2026)
Dedeman Erzurum Hotel is the most complete upscale hotel in the region, with a full spa, indoor pool, conference facilities and reliable international standards. Erzurum serves as the regional hub city. Rates start from approximately ₺6,000/night.
Erzurum Hilton Garden Inn provides consistent modern comfort and good transport links to Palandöken Ski Resort (8km), one of the best ski centres in Türkiye. Rates are approximately ₺6,500–12,000/night.
Kars Boutique Hotels - a small number of boutique properties in Kars’s distinctive 19th-century Russian-era stone buildings offer a more atmospheric premium experience. Rates start from approximately ₺5,500/night.
Best Areas to Stay in Eastern Turkey
Doğubayazıt is the best base for Mount Ararat trekking (permits required - most treks are multi-day and need a licensed guide) and İshak Paşa Palace. It’s a frontier town with a raw, authentic atmosphere.
Kars is the best base for Ani, one of the great medieval cities of the world - abandoned Armenian capital with churches, citadel and mosque on the Armenian border, visited by a fraction of the tourists it deserves. Kars itself has a distinctive identity shaped by its Russian imperial period (1877–1918).
Van provides access to Lake Van (Türkiye’s largest lake, an endorheic salt lake with extraordinary blue water), Akdamar Island’s 10th-century Armenian church, and Van Castle. The distinctive Van cat (white with odd-coloured eyes) is a point of local pride.
Erzurum is the regional hub with the best transport connections - daily direct flights to Istanbul, good bus connections east, and access to the Palandöken ski area and the Kaçkar mountains north.
Getting Around Eastern Turkey
Distances are large - Erzurum to Van is 380km (approximately 5 hours by bus). Erzurum Airport (ERZ) has daily connections to Istanbul; Kars Airport (KSY) and Van Airport (VAN) also operate scheduled services. Intercity buses connect the main cities but journey times are long. Renting a car in Erzurum is the most practical way to explore the region independently. Dolmuş services run to Ani from Kars (35km, approximately ₺80 one-way) and to Doğubayazıt from Ağrı.
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Practical Booking Tips
Eastern Türkiye is strictly seasonal: the mountains around Erzurum, Kars and the Kaçkar range receive heavy snow from November to April, closing mountain roads and making much of the region logistically difficult in winter. The prime visiting window is June to September. Mount Ararat trekking requires permits obtained through licensed agencies (the mountain is in a military zone); five-day treks operate throughout summer. The region’s low tourist infrastructure means solo women travellers should exercise the usual awareness that applies to any conservative eastern Anatolian city - the east is hospitable but more traditional than the west.
For more on what to see, read our eastern Turkey guides: Van.