Cappadocia is a fabulous place in Turkey! After the bustling Istanbul, you will find yourself as if on another planet, where nature together with people created a bizarre landscape. Cappadocia is a hot air balloon ride at dawn, romantic cave hotels, walks among unusual rocks. Intrigued? Then find out how to get from Istanbul to Cappadocia!
Attention! To plan an independent route, it is important to know that the Cappadocia region unites 4 cities: Kayseri, Nigde, Nevsehir and Aksaray. Goreme National Park, where the famous rocks are located, is located closer to Nevsehir.
Excursions from Istanbul to Cappadocia
The most comfortable way to travel from Istanbul to fantastic Cappadocia is to take an all-inclusive tour. Just do not take a one-day one, because in such a short time you simply will not have time to enjoy all the beauty of the place. In addition, it is worth seeing the rocks in different lighting conditions.
A two-day excursion is usually enough for tourists, because they have time to explore the most beautiful places in North and South Cappadocia, live in a cave hotel and, if they wish, fly on a balloon.
Watch this excursion from Istanbul to Cappadocia for 2 days - it has great reviews, and the price includes almost everything: a tour from Istanbul to Cappadocia on Tripster for 358 €.
In Cappadocia itself, there are also interesting excursions in Russian. The green tour is a tour of South Cappadocia, the red tour is a tour of the northern part. There are combined walks with elements of red and green routes. See them below.
But the most coveted excursion for tourists is a dream balloon flight over Cappadocia. Such an excursion costs from 57 € per person and lasts 1.5 hours. The reviews are all rave! If you want to fly, be sure to book in advance.
Plane from Istanbul to Cappadocia
Plane is the fastest and most convenient way to get from Istanbul to Cappadocia. Take your tickets to Kayseri (ASR) or Nevsehir (NAV) airports. The flight lasts 1 hour and 20 minutes.
You can fly from both airports of Istanbul by Turkish Airlines, as well as by low-cost airlines Anadolu Jet and Pegasus Airlines. Tickets for Aviasales cost from 5,000 rubles round trip. Buy them in advance!
Transfer to Goreme... After the flight, you need to get to Goreme. If you arrived in Kayseri, go to the Havaş bus stop, which is located at the exit from the terminal. Buses to Goreme run at intervals of 1-2 hours. The journey takes about an hour and the ticket costs 12 liras. A taxi from Kayseri Airport to Goreme costs 35 liras.
If you have landed in Nevsehir, from the terminal get off at the stop of Turkish minibuses - dolmush. For 15 liras you will be taken to the city center, to the bus station. There, buy a ticket to Goreme, and in 20 minutes the bus will take you to the place. Taxi from Nevsehir airport to Goreme will cost 30 liras.
How to get by bus from Istanbul to Cappadocia
Intercity bus is the most popular way to get from Istanbul to Cappadocia. This is about three times cheaper than flying by plane, but much longer. Buses cover the distance of 800 km in 12 hours or more, so it is more convenient to take a night flight.
Here is the bus timetable to Cappadocia by three carriers.
Buses Nevşehir Seyahat depart for Nevsehir at 20:30 and 20:45. The ticket costs 80 liras.
Buses Kamil Koç run from Istanbul to Kayseri at 0:15, 10:00, 11:30, 15:00, 18:00 and 20:30. The fare is 90 liras. Flights to Nevsehir leave at 5:00, 20:00 and 22:30. The ticket costs 85 liras.
Buses Metroturizm travel from Istanbul to Nevsehir at 0:25, 10:30, 14:30, 18:00, 19:00, 21:00, 22:00 and 23:00. The fare is 90 liras.
Where to buy a ticket and check the schedule... Locals and tourists alike buy tickets at the bus station ticket offices. It is convenient to take tickets online on the Russian-language Omio service. You can also purchase them on the websites of the carriers Nevşehir Seyahat and Metroturizm, but they are only in Turkish and English.
How to get there by train
This is the most inconvenient and time consuming method, we do not recommend it. Haydarpaşa Garı Istanbul railway station has been closed for several years, so trains from Istanbul to Cappadocia do not run.
If you definitely want to go by rail, you will have to get there with transfers. First, take the YHT high speed train, plane or bus to Ankara. In the capital, you need to get to the railway station, which is located at Gar Sokak, Altındağ. There, take train tickets to the city of Kayseri - Kayseri. There are 5 flights per day, the fare is 52 liras. The journey takes about 6.5 hours. Look for the exact train schedule on the website, buy tickets online on the Omio service.
From the Kayseri train station, go to the bus station, which is 15 minutes away. From there, take a bus to Goreme.
Istanbul to Cappadocia by car
A trip from Istanbul to Cappadocia by car is suitable if you are relaxing with your family, in the company of friends, or if you want to arrange a small car trip and diversify your vacation by looking at other interesting places along the way.
Economy class car rental is inexpensive - a car costs from 14 € per day. Trusted sites car rental in Turkey and around the world, which we ourselves and thousands of other tourists use: Rentalcars.com (a well-known international service) and Myrentacar.com (a Russian service with a very convenient website). They compare the prices of different rental companies so that we can choose a car on the best terms. On these sites, you will find cars at a lower price than directly from the distributors - this is due to wholesale discounts for services and competition for a client between the distributors themselves.
Consider the cost of fuel - you will spend about 40 liters on a one-way road. In addition, highways in Turkey are toll, so take a refillable plastic card from the rental office, with which you can pay for the fare.
The distance from Istanbul to Goreme Park in Cappadocia is about 733 km, that is, by car you can get there in about 9 hours.
BlaBlaCar ride
If you are young, active and like to chat, use the popular BlaBlaCar travel companion search service. Drivers who drive from Istanbul to Cappadocia post suggestions for finding passengers every day. We managed to find a fantastically cheap option - only 73 lira per person.
What is the best way to get from Istanbul to Cappadocia
The most comfortable option is to take a ready-made tour from Istanbul for 2 days.
The most economical and easiest way to get from Istanbul to Cappadocia on your own is by intercity buses. The road takes a long time, but along the way you will see many picturesque places. To save on hotel costs, choose night flights.
A convenient and quick way is to fly by plane. Book your tickets in advance and you will not lose the price!
If you want to arrange a small autotrip or if you are traveling with family or friends, then rent a car. Route through the cities of Eskisehir and Konya.
Young and sociable tourists are looking for a ride and share the costs - this is the cheapest option, but you have to communicate with the driver.
Traveling by train is an exotic and difficult option with transfers, we do not recommend using it.
