Things to do in Bitlis
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Bitlis
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best months, crater road open, lake and tombstone light at their best.
Hot in the gorge, glorious at altitude and on the lake, with the Malazgirt surge in late August.
Worst for the standard triangle, crater road snowbound, but ski and snow city season.
Shoulder months, green valleys in April and fast cooling in November.
What's on
- Malazgirt Victory commemorations in Ahlat 25 August
Ceremonies in Ahlat ahead of the Malazgirt anniversary, with tents, archery and equestrian games.
- Malazgirt Victory Day at Malazgirt 26 August
The main 1071 anniversary ceremonies in neighbouring Mus province, filling Ahlat and Tatvan hotels.
Best things to do in Bitlis
Ahlat Selçuklu Mezarlığı
A vast early Islamic necropolis of carved tuff tombstones between Lake Van and two volcanoes.
Ahlat Müzesi
The small museum that decodes the cemetery and Ahlat's years as a major Seljuk city.
Emir Bayındır Kümbeti
An elegant colonnaded Akkoyunlu tomb and mosque at the edge of the great cemetery.
Çifte Kümbetler
Twin Seljuk tombs anchoring a circuit of scattered kumbets across old Ahlat.
İhlasiye Medresesi ve Külliyesi
Bitlis's finest madrasa, restored by Serefhan, with family tombs in its garden.
Bitlis Ulu Camii
The great mosque anchoring the five minarets walk through the gorge city's lanes.
Bitlis Kalesi
The castle rock above the gorge, visited for the definitive view over the stone city.
Şerefiye Camii
The mosque of the 16th century Serefiye complex, one of the famous five minarets.
Where to stay in Bitlis
Tatvan
default base, transport, crater and whole triangle
Railhead, bus crossroads and hotel row on the Lake Van promenade, with every service.
Ahlat
cemetery first trips, photographers, quiet lake nights
Walk to the museum and kumbets and swim in summer, with thin simple hotel stock.
Bitlis city
old town atmosphere, one connoisseur night
Madrasas and minaret lanes on the doorstep, with steep streets and fewer hotels.
Think twice about
- Isolated highway motels between towns
Without a car you strand yourself between Tatvan, Bitlis and Ahlat and see none of them well.
- Hizan and the southern mountain villages as a base
No real hotel stock or evening infrastructure, and current local checks are needed before travelling there.
Best restaurants in Bitlis
Tarihi Bitlis Büryan Salonu
The historic buryan hall serving pit cooked meat from early morning until it runs out.
Büryancı Azmi'nin Yeri
A high volume local buryan master where Bitlis queues for its morning pit meat.
Büryancı Vahit Usta
The third of Bitlis's great buryan masters, strongest at its Yeni Carsi branch.
Meltem Büryan Salonu
Tatvan's buryan address, with avsor soup and meat that sells out by noon.
Mavi Beyaz Restaurant
A large lake view grill house for Tatvan's celebration dinners at sunset.
THE CRATER HOTEL
The hotel dining room is Tatvan's most reliable full service dinner, known for almond soup.
Paşahan Kahvaltı & Restaurant
A full regional breakfast served inside a restored historic han in Bitlis.
Van Kahvaltı Salonu
Tatvan's Van breakfast hall, open very early for herbed cheese, honey and kaymak.
Outdoor things to do in Bitlis
Nemrut Krater Gölü
A huge caldera holding the cold Buyuk Gol and the warm Ili Gol above Lake Van.
Tatvan Sahili
Tatvan's promenade on Lake Van for sunset walks, tea gardens and summer swimming.
Kef Kalesi
An Urartian fortress hill above Adilcevaz with a panorama over the north west lake.
Süphan Dağı
A guided 4058 metre volcano climb with all of Lake Van below the summit crater.
Uzuntaş Köyü
Tiered stone village houses in the Hizan valleys on a mountain villages drive.
Bitlis Kayak Merkezi
A small friendly ski centre with beginner slopes, sledging and a cafeteria.
Tatvan Feribot İskelesi
The train ferry port for the slow lake crossing to Van, a journey in itself.
Best hotels in Bitlis
THE CRATER HOTEL
The best hotel in the province, with lake views, strong food and central position.
Tasar Royal Hotel
A lake view hotel with spa and hammam, the closest to a resort stay in Bitlis.
Tatvan İşletme Oteli
A restored stone lakeside building with garden, quiet rooms and loyal regulars.
Kardelen Hotel
The long standing road tripper default in Tatvan, reliable and welcoming.
Şark Mermer Otel
A modern Bitlis city base with parking, breakfast and easy access to old town.
Dilek Butik Otel
A simple clean budget boutique in central Tatvan with breakfast included.
Ahlat 1071 Otel & Restaurant
A small lake view Ahlat base for dawn visits to the cemetery, with a caution to check reviews.
Is Bitlis expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | TRY 1,800 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | TRY 4,500 a person |
| Splurge | TRY 12,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Nemrut Krater Gölü: a few days ahead
- Süphan Dağı: weeks ahead
- Uzuntaş Köyü: a few days ahead
- Tatvan Feribot İskelesi: a few days ahead
- THE CRATER HOTEL: weeks ahead
- Tasar Royal Hotel: a few days ahead
- Tatvan İşletme Oteli: a few days ahead
- Ahlat 1071 Otel & Restaurant: a few days ahead
- Book train sleeper berths and top Tatvan rooms weeks ahead for late August and public holidays.
- Book a Suphan guide days to weeks ahead in the June to September season.
- Check the Ahlat Museum closed day, the crater road snow window and El Aman Han status the day before.
Is Bitlis safe?
- Carry passports for provincial checkpoints and never photograph military sites or convoys.
- Check the US and UK advisories again in the week you travel as wording can change quickly.
- Emergency number in Turkey is 112.
Bitlis travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Buryan sells out by early afternoon and is not a dinner dish.
- Bitlis Nemrut with crater lakes is not Adiyaman Nemrut with stone heads, some 300 km apart.
- Very cheap Ahlat walking sticks in generic racks are factory sticks, buy in a workshop.
Getting around Bitlis: public transport and more
- Dolmus links Tatvan to Bitlis in about 25 minutes and to Ahlat in about 45 minutes.
- The Van Golu Ekspresi train ends at Tatvan and the Tatvan to Van road bus via Gevas is the reliable lake link.
- The Tatvan to Van train ferry sails freight first with no reliably published passenger timetable, so do not build a tight connection on it.
- Hire a rental car or hotel arranged driver for Nemrut Crater, Suphan trailheads and Hizan.
Who Bitlis suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Bitlis your trip
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