Planning a trip to Cappadocia and the Interior
In antiquity, Cappadocia included all of central Anatolia, stretching as far as Ankara in the north and Adana in the south. Today the region includes the area in and around a small triangle formed by Ürgüp, Avanos, and Nevsehir, where the canyons are the deepest and the paint pigments in the rock-cut churches are the richest. But the fun doesn't stop at the edge of the triangle. There are plenty of potential excursions: to the underground cities of Derinkuyu and Kaymakli, the Ihlara Valley and surrounding villages, a detour to caravansaries or a thermal bath. With so many options all over the region, an infrequent and inconvenient public transport "system," and the presumed limitations on your time, I highly recommend that you either rent a car when you get there or, barring that, set up base camp at one of the more vibrant (developed) centers mentioned here and buy into a day tour with a local tour operator. This chapter is organized to help the independent traveler choose a base of operations then venture out to explore around the region.
If your time is limited, it's possible to visit the major sites of the area in 2 full days with either your own car or the assistance of a local tour operator. Doubtless, you'll wish you had stayed longer. Tours can be either tailor-made -- and therefore more pricey -- or selected from a stable of standard issues. Typical day tours include 1) a visit to the open-air museums of Zelve and Göreme, overviews of the valleys from Pasabag and Dervent, a climb up to the top of Üçhisar Fortress, and an optional pottery demonstration in Avanos; or 2) visits to the underground cities of Kaymakli and Derinkuyu and a leisurely 4km (2 1/2-mile) hike through the monastery-rich gorge of Ihlara Valley. Tours may also include horseback riding; more challenging sports such as mountain biking can be easily arranged, but these are generally not advertised.
Getting There
By Plane
The major airport serving Cappadocia is Kayseri's Erkilet Airport (tel. 0352/337-5244, about 45 minutes by car from anywhere in Cappadocia. The secondary, Nevsehir Airport (tel. 0384/421-4455), reopened after a number of years out of service, is closer but served by fewer airlines and options for ground transportation. Turkish Airlines (tel. 0212/444-0849; www.thy.com) currently has four to five flights daily from Istanbul's Atatürk Airport to Kayseri and one flight daily to Nevsehir. For passengers traveling from the Asian side of Istanbul, Turkish Airlines flights from Istanbul's Sabiha Gökçen Airport are operated by the THY subsidiary, Anadolu Jet. Pegasus (tel. 444-0737; www.flypgs.com) also flies once daily from the Asian side. One-way fares on all of these airlines (for those who book early enough) begin at 59TL.
The German-based Onur Air (tel. 0212/663-9176 in Istanbul, or 444-ONUR [6687]; www.onurair.com.tr) flies to Kayseri daily from Istanbul and from Düsseldorf. SunExpress (tel. 0232/444-0797; www.sunexpress.com.tr) flies direct four times daily from Izmir and once daily from Antalya to Kayseri in summer.
Many local tour operators will pick you up at the airport or bus station for much less than it would cost you to take a taxi. Argeus was the first in the region to provide transfers from both airports to anywhere in the Cappadocia region in their private minivans. The fare for the 97km (60-mile) trip (1 1/2 hr.) from Kayseri airport or from Nevsehir Airport to Ürgüp is only 15TL; add 2TL for all other towns (infants ride free; children ages 3-12 ride for half price). There is a minimal number of daily shuttles however, so check their website for times (generally coinciding with Turkish Airlines flight arrivals and departures). Because of the reasonable amount of competition this presents to area taxi drivers, travelers arriving and hoping to "wing it" by jumping on the Argeus bandwagon may get some resistance from the locals. To avoid misunderstandings, travelers are encouraged to reserve space in advance with Argeus (tel. 0384/341-4688; fax 0384/341-4888; www.argeus.com.tr). Also be sure to check with your hotel first -- they may pick you up for free. There are no other options for transfers in and out of Kayseri.
By Bus
All long-distance buses into Cappadocia arrive into Nevsehir's otogar. If you've bought a ticket to Göreme, Ürgüp, Üçhisar, or elsewhere in the triangle, the bus company will provide a minibus transfer from the Nevsehir otogar to the station of your final destination. Some bus companies simply pass through Cappadocia on the way to points east and south, in which case it is all too common that the driver will simply dump you off on the side of the highway rather than make the detour into the otogar. Whether your bus company is ending its journey in Cappadocia or not, if you've paid for a ticket to, say, Göreme, be sure at the time of purchasing your ticket that the terms of transport are understood. For insurance, stick to the more dependable Nevsehir (tel. 0212/444-5050), Metro (tel. 0212/444-3455), and Kent (tel. 0212/444-3838) bus lines. Plan B? Carry your cell phone and call your hotel for a roadside pickup.
By bus, expect around 4 to 5 hours from Konya, 2 hours from Kayseri, 5 to 6 hours from Ankara, and 12 hours from Istanbul. If you're headed to the Aegean Coast, you'll have to change buses in either Izmir (13 hr.) or Mugla (14 hr.); for the Mediterranean coast, you'll have to take a bus to either Antalya or Mugla, and then change for minibus service to your final destination. (Certain destinations will require yet another change; for example, to Dalyan, you'll have to change in Ortaca for a dolmus [minivan-type public transportation] into the center of town.)
Day Tours
Operating with the most experience, warmth, and panache is Argeus, Istiklal Cad. 47, Ürgüp (tel. 0384/341-4688; fax 0384/341-4888; www.argeus.com.tr). Argeus is a professional and friendly full-service agency that, in addition to providing expert guidance on Cappadocia and Ankara, also organizes top-quality tours to destinations throughout Turkey. Locally, they offer a choice of the classic Legend Tour (including the Göreme Open Air Museum, Zelve, Dervent and Pasabag), the Mirage Tour to the underground cities, an off-the-beaten-track Dream Tour, and a half-day hiking trip through the Red Valley. The price to join one of their regular day tours is $110 per person for up to eight people, a good value compared to the lower-end outfitters because with Argeus, there are no shopping detours and all museum fees are included. They also organize private tours for $285 for one person, $160 per person for two, $120 for three, and so on. Argeus is also an official agent of Turkish Airlines.
In addition to full-day "crash course" visits to Cappadocia's must-sees, Cappadocia Tours (Istiklal Cad. 59/9, Ürgüp, tel. 0384/341-7485; www.euphratestours.com) sends its guests home from Turkey with a deeper attachment to the heartland thanks to a grass-roots approach that moves beyond the museums. In addition to the must-sees of Cappadocia, they also lead visitors to the lesser-visited (if at all) valleys, on safari tours into the mountains, to waterfalls, and to off-the-beaten-track villages and little-explored underground cities. Expect to pay 160€ per day for between 2 and 10 passengers including the guide and driver. For an additional 20€ per person, all entrance fees will be included (these do add up), as well as vehicle expenses and an a la carte lunch, including wine.
As for more budget-minded outfitters, they come and go, and I hesitate to recommend any particular one because the last time I did, I got shocking feedback describing dubious dealings in the lean times. You'd be better off identifying a company on arrival, and be clear about what services will be included in the tour. Is lunch included? Are all of the admission fees included? Will the tour take a time-sucking detour to a carpet "production" center? (A detour to a carpet shop is not automatically a bad thing.)
Getting Around
By Dolmus
In most parts of Turkey, dolmuses are practical. In Cappadocia, service is infrequent and at best unreliable following a circuitous hourly route from the Ürgüp bus station to Zelve, Avanos, Göreme, Üçhisar, and back.
Dolmuses also run to the smaller villages from select main towns, for example, from Ürgüp to Avanos or from Ürgüp to Mustafapasa (these generally run every other hour between 9am and 5pm). If you're headed further afield to say, Derinkuyu, you'll have to change in Nevsehir. A municipal bus provides service between Nevsehir and Avanos daily on the hour from 8am to 5pm.
Obviously, a day tour will solve the transportation problem.
By Car
Several car-rental agencies offering low daily rates of around 61TL per day are located in the center of Ürgüp, including Europcar, Istiklal Cad. 10 (tel. 0384/341-8855); and Decar, Istiklal Cad. 3 (tel. 0384/341-6760), while Avis has a location in Nevsehir at Istiklal Cad. Belediye Pasaji 10 (tel. 0384/341-2177). You may also save a few dollars by working with one of the neighboring locals. Scooters and beat-up old mountain bikes are also for rent in various shops along the market.
Fast Facts
Airline Information -- Turkish Airlines has an office both in downtown Kayseri, at Sahabiye Mahallesi Yildirim Cad. 1 (tel. 0352/222-3858), and at Kayseri's Erkilet Airport (tel. 0352/338-3353). Within the Cappadocian triangle, the official representative for Turkish Airlines is Argeus, located at Istiklal Cad. 13, Ürgüp (tel. 0384/341-4688 or 341-5207). Pegasus has an office at the airport (tel. 0352/339-9791).
Airport -- Kayseri's Erkilet Airport general number is tel. 0352/337-5494. The main number at Nevsehir Airport is tel. 0384/421-4455.
Bus Companies -- The main bus companies in the region are: Nevsehir (tel. 0212/444-5050), with local offices in Ürgüp (tel. 0384/0341-4302), Uçhisar (tel. 0384/219-2221), and at the otogar (tel. 0384/213-1171). Metro (tel. 0212/444-3455) has offices in Göreme (tel. 0384/271-2411), Ürgüp (tel. 0384/341-5950), and at the otogar (tel. 0384/214-2020). Kent can be reached via their national number (tel. 0212/444-3838).
Car Rental -- Europcar, Istiklal Cad. 10 (tel. 0384/341-8855), and Decar, Istiklal Cad. 3 (tel. 0384/341-6760), have locations in the center of Ürgüp. Avis has a location in Nevsehir, at Istiklal Cad. Belediye Pasaji 10 (tel. 0384/341-2177).
Festivals -- Celebrating Cappadocia's optimal weather and soil conditions for viniculture, Ürgüp puts on both a Grape Harvest Festival at the beginning of October and an International Wine Festival at the end of October. If you can't make it to Cappadocia in October, free wine tastings are a regular attraction in Cappadocia. There's also a Tourism and Handicrafts Festival in Avanos (Aug 31-Sept), when the red clay of the Kizilirmak comes to life in the local pottery.
Hospitals -- The nearest private hospitals are the Özel Versa Hastanesi in Nevsehir (43 Ürgüp Cad., Esentepe; tel. 0384/214-3232) and the Özel Kapadokya Hastanesi, also in Nevsehir (Güzelyurt Mah. Vefa Küçük Cad. 9; tel. 0384/212-1550). There is also a state hospital in Ürgüp, Ürgüp Devlet Hastanesi, at tel. 0384/341-4031.
Post Office -- PTTs are located in Avanos, Göreme, Nevsehir, Ortahisar, Uçhisar, and Ürgüp. The national toll-free number is tel. 444-1PTT (1788).
