Is Van safe? Turkey travel risk
Is Van safe right now? Checked 16 October 2026
Van scores 49/100 on our travel risk index (Moderate). The US State Department rates Turkey Level 2 (Exercise Increased Caution, updated 9 Jun 2026); the UK FCDO advises against all travel to parts of the country (updated 15 Oct 2026); Canada says: exercise a high degree of caution (with regional advisories). No GDACS or USGS hazard events within 100 km in the last 14 days. No change in government advice in the last 7 days.
Van scores 49/100 (Moderate). The score combines security, crime and scams, health and medical access, natural hazards and current alerts measured for this location and Turkey (how it is calculated). The sections below are specific to Van: nearest emergency and transport facilities, local climate normals, 5-year natural hazard history within 100 km.
Driven by: security (65/100) and natural hazards (51/100).
A score of 49 is higher than the scores of 65% of the 241 countries we cover.
Consult the Turkey travel risk page for nationwide security advisories, entry protocols, and consular warnings.
Territorial & Position Context
Positioned at 38.4942° N, 43.3800° E in Van, Van features an altitude of 1708 m. The settlement is located 920.6 km WNW from Ankara.
Van
38.4942° N, 43.3800° E
1708 m
Europe/Istanbul
525,016
Critical Services & Regional Transit
Adjacent Localities in Turkey
Climate by Month
Hottest: August (29 °C avg high); Wettest: April (62 mm).
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °C | 1° | 2° | 6° | 12° | 18° | 24° | 29° | 29° | 24° | 17° | 9° | 3° |
| Low °C | -8° | -7° | -4° | 1° | 6° | 11° | 16° | 16° | 12° | 7° | 1° | -6° |
| Rain mm | 35 | 41 | 50 | 62 | 57 | 27 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 27 | 37 | 42 |
Normals: Van (0 km away).
Natural Hazard Calendar & History
5-Year Hazard Calendar (100 km Radius)
| Hazard | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floods | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Earthquakes (M5.5+) | 2 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — |
Most earthquake events within 100 km of Van happened in January (2 of 4 in five years).
Source: GDACS, USGS; five years to October 2026.
Significant Earthquakes (USGS M5.5+ within 150 km)
4 major seismic events recorded within 150 km over the past 5 years.
- Largest: M5.9 on 28 Jan 2023 (133 km away) — USGS details
- Most recent: M5.6 on 24 Mar 2023 (128 km away) — USGS details
For consular advice on women's safety, LGBT+ travel, and local laws, see the Turkey travel advice & laws.
Check the official entry requirements for your nationality before you travel. See the Turkey entry requirements.
Regional Centers with Threat Ratings
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