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You have a choice of ways to travel
the 730 km (454 miles) from Istanbul to
Cappadocia,
in central
Anatolia.
By Plane
Fastest, though not easiest or cheapest,
there are daily (morning and afternoon)
nonstop flights from
Istanbul to Kayseri's Erkilet
Airport (ASR) on Turkish
Airlines and Onur
Air.
There are fewer flights, mostly by
Turkish
Airlines, from Istanbul to Nevsehir's Kapadokya
Airport at
Tuzköy, but they tend to be cheaper
and less crowded.
Shuttle vans operated
by Argeus
Tourism and others can
take you from both airports directly
to your Cappadocian
hotel (More...) The entire journey
from your Istanbul
hotel to your Cappadocian
hotel can be done in 4 to 5 hours,
if all goes well. Here's
more on Kayseri transport.
If you're arriving from abroad and
you plan to visit both Istanbul and
Cappadocia, consider leaving
your Istanbul visit until the end of
your trip. Arrive
at Istanbul's Atatürk
Airport International Terminal
on your international flight, walk
underground to the Domestic Terminal,
and catch
a flight directly to Cappadocia (if
the connection timing works.) You'll
save yourself a back-and-forth transfer
from the airport and an unpacking and
repacking at your Istanbul
hotel.
Turkish domestic flights are often
much more expensive if
purchased outside of Turkey, so you
should consider having a good
Turkish travel agent make your
internal flight reservations. They
can help with any other arrangements
(private
guides, hotels, rental
cars,
yacht
cruises) you may need as well. More...
By Bus
A night bus from Istanbul
to Cappadocia is usually the cheapest
way to go (about TL65),
but it's a long ride—730
km (454 miles, 10 to 12 hours). Still,
if you can sleep on buses, this may be
your favored way. Several companies run
nightly buses, including Metro
Turizm and
Nevsehir
Seyahat.
Here's how to buy bus tickets
in Turkey.
The most efficient way is
to ask your hotel to help you
reserve your seat. Leaving
from Istanbul, board your bus at the
Harem
Bus Terminal if possible. Your
journey will be almost an hour shorter
than if you board at the main
bus terminal (Büyük
Otogar) in Bayrampasa.
By Train & Bus
It takes a bit longer, but it's more
comfortable and fun: board
the Ankara
Ekspresi sleeping
car train at Istanbul's
Haydarpasa
Station in the late evening,
arrive at Ankara
Gar the next morning,
take a short taxi ride (10 minutes,
TL10)
to ASTI,
Ankara's main bus terminal, and buy
a ticket for the 4-hour ride to Nevsehir in
Cappadocia.
(Here's more
on taking the bus.)
It's a longer trip, but more comfortable
and enjoyable, and not expensive considering
that you save a night's hotel expense
by taking the sleeper
train.
An alternative is to ride the nightly Meram
Ekspresi sleeper
train from Istanbul
to Konya, then take a bus for the 3-hour
ride east to Nevsehir.
By Car
It's a long drive (730
km/454 miles, 11 or 12 hours), and it
only makes economic sense if several
people share the car and the fuel
expense.
Use the otoyol (expressway)
between Istanbul and Ankara to
save time, then follow the E-90
highway south from
Ankara to Aksaray,
then go east along the ancient Silk
Road
to Nevsehir.
Leaving Istanbul is a traffic
nightmare,
but the otoyol then goes through some
mountain scenery. The countryside south
of Ankara is more monotonous.
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