Nevsehir - city in Turkey

Nevşehir is one of the major cities in Cappadoccia Region, which displays a beautiful combination of nature and history. The traditional main sources of income of the city, carpet weaving and viticulture, have been overtaken by tourism, because of its proximity to the underground shelters, the fairy chimneys, monasteries, caravanserais and the famous rock-hewn churches of Göreme.

Understand

Since the war in Afghanistan, many Afghan refugees have settled in Nevşehir.

• Tourist Information office, Ataturk Bulvarı, +90 384 2131137.

Climate

Nevşehir has a semi-arid continental climate, typical of the Central Anatolian plateau. It experiences very warm, dry summers, cold and snowy winters, and a storm season that spans from early-April to mid-June.

Summers are very warm during the day, but cool to chilly during night-time, so much so that temperatures below 10°C (50°F) are not that uncommon, and definitely cold enough to bring more than light, summer clothing. Rain is not common during this time, falling once or twice a month.

Winters are cold and snowy, and temperatures can dip to -15°C (around 5°F) on the coldest nights of the year. Most winter days, however, bring temperatures around freezing and mostly cloudy skies.

Spring and fall are both mild, with cold to chilly nights. Spring brings frequent thunderstorms to the region, which can cause frequent lightning and heavy rain, while fall is relatively dry.

Get in

By bus

• Nevşehir bus station, 38.589739°, 34.678593°. There are direct connections to Adana, Alanya (1 night bus, 90-110 TL), Antalya, Ankara, Kayseri, Konya, Mersin, Istanbul, Izmir and Pamukkale.<br/>From Aksaray a local minibus to here is no more than about €3 (50 TL as of May 2022). Larger bus companies should also take you along the ride, just don't pay more than for the minibus.
• Urban Bus Exchange (Urban Dolmus), 38.62804°, 34.71503°. For all connections to nearby towns and important places in Cappadocia like Avanos, Göreme, Kaymakli and Derinkuyu (underground cities), Urgup and Nigde. 2019-12-09

Destinations:

• Ankara – Coach operator Nevtur has buses running every 2 hr from the main bus terminal Isletmesi Sehirlerarasi to Nevşehir and vice versa. The trip takes 4 hr including a break of 30 min and costs 20 TL.

Nevşehir Seyahat runs buses 6 times a day from Ankara to Nevşehir (departures from Ankara between 05:00 and 18:30, travel time: 4½ hr) and 2 buses per day from Istanbul to Nevşehir at 20:00 and 20:30, taking 11½ hr.

• To Kaymakli (5 TL) and Derinkuyu: 07:35, 08:15, 09:00, 09:30 10, 10:30, 11:00, 11:30, 12:00, 12:30, 13:00, 13:30, 14:00, 14:30, 15:00, 15:30, 16:00, 16:30, 17:00, 17:30, 18:00, 18:30, 19:15, and 20:15. Since Kaymakli is on the way from Derinkuyu and Nigde, on the way back buses go pretty much every 15 min to Nevşehir, 07:00-20:10.
• To Nigde: 07:35, 08:15, 09:00, 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 13:00, 14:00, 15:00, 16:00, 17:00, and 18:00.

By road

Nevşehir is:

• 75 km (1 hr) from Aksaray
• 140 km (2 hr 15 min) from Aladaglar National Park
• 17 km (20 min) from Avanos
• 30 Km (40 min) from Derinkuyu
• 10 km (15 min) from Göreme
• 95 km (1 hr 45 min) from Guzelyurt
• 110 km (2 hr) from Ihlara Valley
• 20 km (25 min) from Kaymakli
• 100 km (1½ hr) from Kayseri
• 90 km (1½ hr) from Kirsehir
• 75 km (1 hr 25 min) from Nigde
• 8 km (10 min) from Uchisar
• 23 km (25 min) from Urgup

By plane

• Nevşehir Kapadokya Airport (IATA: NAV), 38.770942°, 34.521294°, +90 384 421 4455.

• Turkish airlines has flights from Istanbul on W, Th, F and Su evening, and flights to Istanbul on Th, F, Sa and M morning. Flight time is 1 hr 15 min.

By train

The nearest railway station is located in Kayseri. The railway line runs from Ankara to Kayseri and then splits into a line towards Sivas in the east and towards Nigde, Karaman and Adana in the south. Express trains take about 7 hours from Ankara to Kayseri. The Erzurum Express (Erzurum Ekspresi) departs in the early afternoon from Ankara and comes in the evening to Kayseri, the Güney Express (Güney Ekspresi) leaves early in the morning from Ankara and comes in the afternoon to Kayseri. The Çukurova Mavi Tren and Dogu Ekspresi go in the evening from Ankara and come in the middle of the night to Kayseri.

Get around

Nevşehir is quite small and can be explored on foot.

Tourist Information office and the Museum is located on Ataturk Bulvarı. Lale Caddesi crosses Atatürk Bulvarı. Following this line in a southern direction from the old town, Damat İbrahim Paşa Külliyesi and citadel can be found.

See

• Nevsehir castle. Ruins of the Ottoman citadel. It comes from Seljuk period and provides a good overview of the city. Free entry
• Damat İbrahim Paşa complex. It was built in 1727 by the eponymous Grand Vizier. The complex constitutes library, 18th century Kursunlu mosque and hammam.
• Nevşehir Museum, 1, Turbe Sok., 38.628104°, 34.725027°, +90 384 2131447. Depicts archeological, historic and ethnographic life of the region. Free admission

There are underground cities used by Christians hiding from enemies in the vicinity. In them, there were rooms for grain storage, sleeping chambers, kitchens and ventilation shafts.

• Kaymakli.
• Derinkuyu.
• Mazi.
• Ozkaynak.

Do

• Sauna - Try one of the affordable Hamams (turkish baths) of Nevşehir, for a real authentic non-tourist experience. There is one near the main intersection, next to the stop of the minibuses to Goreme. Prices 15 TL for Sauna, 25 TL for sauna + scrub and foam massage.

Buy

Eat

Drink

Sleep

• Hotel Altınöz, Ragip Uner Cad. No:23, +90 (384) 213 99 61, info@altinozhotel.com. double room €65
• Hotel Şems, Atatürk Bulvarı. No:29, +90 (384) 213 35 97. double room €25
• Kapadokya Balayı, Fatih Caddesi, 83/1 Uçhisar / NEVŞEHİR, 38.62714°, 34.8028°, +90 (384) 219 20 41, info@kapadokyadabalayipaketleri.com. €30 2021-03-12

Connect

Nevsehir and its approach highways have 4G from all Turkish carriers. As of Nov 2022, 5G has not rolled out in Turkey.

Go next

• Göreme and Urgup are two lively tourist centers. There are cave dwellings, and rock cones in and around these cities.
• Avanos, on the banks of Kizilirmak river, and Ortahisar are less visited towns.
• Superb views of the Cappadocia valley can be seen from the castle located in Uchisar.
• Hacıbektaş, 45 km north, is the site of the shrine of Hacı Bektaş Veli, a 13th century Sufi saint. A large Alevi semah ceremony is held annually in August in commemoration of him.