Nevşehir-Kapadokya Airport, Turkey

Cappadocia has two airports: Kayseri Erkilet (ASR) and Nevşehir-Kapadokya (NAV).

If you prefer small, uncrowded airports as I do, you’ll like Nevşehir-Kapadokya Airport (Nevşehir-Kapadokya Hava Limanı; NAV) in Tuzköy 31 km (19 miles) northeast of Nevşehir (map). It has other advantages as well.

—It’s closer to the major towns of Cappadocia—Nevşehir, Göreme, Uçhisar, Ürgüp, Avanos—than is Kayseri‘s Erkilet Airport.

—Fares tend to be lower.

—The ride to and from the airport is easier, faster, prettier, and more characteristic of the Cappadocia moonscape, with rock pinnacles and caves easily visible from the highway. You can start your explorations of Cappadocia right on the way from the airport.

Airlines & Flights

Turkish Airlines, Anadolujet and Pegasus Air all have flights from Istanbul to Nevşehir-Kapadokya Airport, most from Istanbul’s Sabiha Gökçen Airport, but also some from Atatürk Airport.

In summer 2016, Anadolujet offers daily flights between Antalya and Nevşehir-Kapadokya. In 2016, there are also nonstop flights between İzmir (for Ephesus) and Nevşehir-Kapadokya Airport.

Ground Transportation

Airport Shuttle Vans

Airport shuttle vans are an easy way to travel between Nevşehir-Kapadokya Airport and any of the towns of Cappadocia. More…

Car Hire/Rental

If you arrive in Cappadocia on a morning flight and are not jet-lagged, you may want to rent a car at NAV and drive to your destination. On the 4-lane road from the airport, signs point the way to Avanos and to Nevşehir, a 30-minute drive. From the center of Nevşehir, signs point the way onward to Ürgüp, Göreme and, a bit farther along this road, to Uçhisar, Ortahisar and other Cappadocian towns.

That having been said, unless you will use the car again on the same day that you receive it at the airport, or if you arrive at Nevşehir-Kapadokya Airport in late afternoon or evening, you may decide to use an airport shuttle van to reach your Cappadocia hotel, settle in, and hire a car on the next morning.

By the way, I don’t recommend renting a car at Cappadocia’s other airport (Kayseri’s Erkilet Airport) because of the need to drive from the airport through a busy, unfamiliar city and over roads with inadequate and sometimes confusing signage, but Nevşehir-Kapadokya Airport is different: no big city, and a pleasant, easy drive to any of Cappadocia’s towns.

Here’s full information on how to travel to Cappadocia.