The Church of the Holy Cross located on Akhtamar Island in Van Lake.

The church was built between 915 and 921 AD by Architect Bishop Manuel, under the supervision of Gagik I Ardzruni, an Armenian King who reigned over the Kingdom of Vaspurakan as a vassal under the Abbasids (see more at Wikipedia). The church is in the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Akhtamar Island is 13 km from Gevas boat pier. Gevas is at south coast of Van Lake, in the middle of Tatvan (90 km) and Van (45 km). Closest train station is Tatvan train station.

Take bus from Tatvan main bus station (next to train station) to Gevas or Van. Tell bus driver that you’d like to get off at Akhtamar Boat Pier, which is 9 km before Gevas. There are boat services to Akhtamar Island from pier (13 km).

How to get to Akhtamar Church from Istanbul by train?

To	By	Duration	Links
Ankara		4:30	İstanbul Ankara HST
Tatvan		26:00	Vangolu
Akhtamar Port		1:20	Tatvan bus terminal
Akhtamar		0:20	Akhtamar Port

How to get to Akhtamar Church from Ankara by train?

To	By	Duration	Links
Tatvan		26:00	Vangolu
Akhtamar Port		1:20	Tatvan bus terminal
Akhtamar		0:20	Akhtamar Port

How to get to Akhtamar Church from Adana by train?

To	By	Duration	Links
Elazig		10:30	Firat
Tatvan		6:00	Vangolu, Elazig Tatvan
Akhtamar Port		1:20	Tatvan bus terminal
Akhtamar		0:20	Akhtamar Port

• You can wait until boat is full, or pay for all free seats not to wait.
• If you prefer faster way for return, you can take plane from Van, which is on east coast of Van Lake, 45 km from Akhtamar Port.
• Akhtamar Church is open everyday (muze.gov.tr)

Prepared based on personal experiences and timetables of preparation date. Please read disclaimer statement.