Travel from Ankara to Cappadocia, Turkey

From Ankara to Cappadocia

Esbelli Evi Cave Inn
Ürgüp, Cappadocia

There are no non-stop flights to make the 285-km (177-mile) trip between Ankara and Cappadocia (map), the trains (see below) are slow and run mostly at inconvenient times, so the best way to go is by road: bus or car.

By Bus

Nevşehir Seyahat and Kamil Koç buses depart Ankara's AŞTİ main bus terminal about every two hours for Nevşehir (and vice-versa). The journey takes between 3-1/2 and 4-1/2 hours, with the longer time including a 25-minute stop about 1-1/4 hours into the journey to stretch your legs, use the toilet, have a glass of tea, a meal or a smoke (no smoking on the bus). The one-way fare is TL60 to TL65.

Buy your ticket at Nevşehir Seyahat, AŞTİ ticket counter no. 50, or Kamil Koç at ticket counter 74. (Here's how to buy bus tickets in Turkey.)

Metro Turizm, at Nos. 16, 30, 41, 50 & 78, also has several buses to Nevşehir.

The city of Nevşehir's bus terminal (Adnan Menderes Otogarı; map) is 25 km (16 miles) west of most Cappadocian towns such as Göreme, Uçhisar and Ürgüp. When you arrive at Nevşehir otogar, you may be transferred to a shuttle minibus (servis) for the final part of your journey to another Cappadocia's town. The cost of the minibus trip is usually included in your bus ticket fare.


	Cappadocian cave houses

By Car

Fight your way through Ankara traffic to the E-90 highway south, following signs for Aksaray, 219 km (136 miles, 3 hours). At Aksaray, turn left (east) following signs for Nevşehir, 73 km (45 miles, 1 hour).

Just at the junction of E-90 and the Nevşehir highway in Aksaray is the Ağaçlı Turistik Tesisi (map), an elaborate commercial highway rest stop with a 4-star hotel, restaurant, cafeteria, snack stands, toilets, souvenir shops, fuel and service stations, even a small mosque.

By Train

The main railway line runs from Ankara to Kayseri, then splits, one line running east to Sivas, the other south to Niğde, Karaman and Adana, skirting Cappadocia to the east and south.

Express trains take 7 hours to cover the distance between Ankara and Kayseri. (Compare this to the bus's 3-1/2 to 4-1/2 hours from Ankara to Nevşehir.)

High-speed trains (Yüksek Hızlı Trenler) speed between Ankara, Istanbul and Konya, so if a visit to Konya is in your travel plans, you may want to take the High-Speed Train from Ankara, then a bus from Konya to Nevşehir and your chosen Cappadocian town.

Train <—> Bus Station by Taxi

A taxi between Ankara Gar (railway station) and AŞTİ (main bus terminal) takes about 10 minutes in light traffic, and costs about TL40. You can also take the Metro and Ankaray, transferring between lines at Kurtuluş station.

—Tom Brosnahan

Getting to Cappadocia

Best Tours of Cappadocia

Towns of Cappadocia

Cappadocia Hotels

Cappadocia Restaurants

About Cappadocia

Cappadocia Region Map

Central Anatolia

Istanbul Love Bus...the new novel by Tom Brosnahan

Above, view from a cave room in Ürgüp.

AŞTİ Bus Terminal, Ankara.