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Izmir/Ephesus to Cappadocia, Turkey

 

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Many travelers in Turkey want go between the Ephesus region south of Izmir, and Cappadocia in Central Anatolia.

It's 720 km (447 miles), a drive of nearly 12 hours, so most people going by car or bus break their journey with an overnight in Pamukkale or Konya, or both.

By Bus
You may find a direct bus all the way from Nevsehir (Cappadocia) to Izmir, but it's also possible you'll have to change buses enroute—not a big problem. From Izmir there are frequent minibuses south to Selçuk, Ephesus and Kusadasi.

If you plan to spend a night in Konya or Pamukkale along the way, you may have direct buses for two or all three segments of your journey (that is, from Izmir to Pamukkale, from Pamukkale to Konya, and from Konya to Nevsehir.) Here's how to buy bus tickets in Turkey.

By Car
Most travelers choose to drive via the Meander River valley, from Selçuk (Ephesus) via Aydin to Denizli and Pamukkale, so they can detour to ancient Aphrodisias along the way, then spend the night at Pamukkale. This makes a good first day of travel (190 km, 118 miles, about 3 hours, not counting the detour to Aphrodisias).

On the second day, it's 306 km (190 miles, 5 to 6 hours) from Pamukkale to Konya through Turkey's lake country. Stop at Egirdir for lunch, and enjoy the scenery. Stay the night at Konya to see its great Seljuk Turkish buildings (especially the Mevlana [Rumi] Museum). The next day, continue east along the ancient Silk Road via Sultanhani to Nevsehir, Cappadocia (221 km, 137 miles, 3 hours) on Day 3.

For details, see my 5-Day Ephesus—Cappadocia Driving Itinerary.

By Plane
Sun Express has Izmir-Kayseri and Kayseri-Izmir flights several times weekly from April through October. It's worth planning your Cappadocia visit around these flights, because if you don't fly directly, you must fly via Istanbul, which takes more time and expense. See my 5-Day Fly-Drive Itinerary.

By Train & Bus
If you're not in a great hurry, one of my favorite ways to do this journey is by sleeper train from Izmir to Ankara, then bus from Ankara to Cappadocia. You board the train in late afternoon, dine aboard, bed down in your private sleeping compartment, breakfast on the train, and arrive in Ankara in the morning. A quick taxi ride (10 minutes, YTL10) takes you from the Ankara Gar to Ankara's ASTI main bus terminal, where you buy a bus ticket for the 4-hour ride to Nevsehir. More...


Getting to Cappadocia

Ephesus

Izmir

Pamukkale

Konya

Towns of Cappadocia

Cappadocia Hotels

Cappadocia Restaurants

Cappadocia Region

Cappadocia Region Map

Central Anatolia

Transport in Turkey

Where to Go

 
 

Pamukkale, Turkey

Above, calcium travertines at Pamukkale.
Below, Ihlara Valley, Cappadocia.

 

Ihlara Valley, Cappadocia, Turkey