Istanbul to Cappadocia: How to get to Cappadocia?

From Istanbul to Cappadocia is 8 hours 30 minutes by road, and 1 hour 20 minutes by air. You can go in about 10 hours by bus or about 17 hours if you want to travel by train.

Transportation by train is made only via Kayseri. First, you must go from Istanbul to Kayseri by train, and from Kayseri to Cappadocia by bus or taxi.

If you want to go by air, you have two options. First, you can go to Nevşehir Cappadocia airport by direct flight from Istanbul or to Kayseri airport from Istanbul, which is the second option. If you choose Kayseri airport, you need to go to Cappadocia from Kayseri by bus or taxi. Of course, renting a car is an option.

Istanbul and Cappadocia host thousands of tourists every year. Since airline companies do not have any direct flights to Cappadocia, those who want to visit prefer to come to the big cities of Turkey such as Istanbul and Ankara first and then travel to Cappadocia from these cities.

Cappadocia is a tourism center full of fairy chimneys and valleys formed thousands of years ago by river waters and winds. You can stay in the hotels formed in the fairy chimneys and take a ride with hot air balloons in the valleys.

If you are asking what I can do in Cappadocia, you can take a look at our Top 10 Things To Do in Cappadocia article. If you are wondering about the Cappadocia balloon festival, you can read our Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon Festival article. It may also be helpful to take a look at where to stay in Cappadocia and the best restaurants in Cappadocia.

If you are wondering how to get from Ankara to Cappadocia, you can read our article “Ankara to Cappadocia“.

Or you can choose to go from Izmir to Cappadocia.

If need to tell Cappadocia in Turkish, if you are wondering about the pronunciation of Cappadocia, you can check Cappadocia Pronunciation blog post as well.

If you have time to visit Istanbul, you might want to check out the Budget Friendly Istanbul Tourist Guide: 7 Secret Travel Tips.

If you are looking for detailed answers to the question of how to go to Cappadocia, continue reading.

Table of Contents

• How to get from Istanbul to Cappadocia by plane? (Istanbul to Cappadocia flight)
  • Flight from Istanbul to Kayseri
  • Flight from Istanbul to Nevşehir
• How to get from Istanbul to Cappadocia by car?
• How to get from Istanbul to Cappadocia by bus?
• How to get from Istanbul to Cappadocia by train?
• Frequently Asking Questions About Istanbul to Cappadocia

How to get from Istanbul to Cappadocia by plane? (Istanbul to Cappadocia flight)

Flight from Istanbul to Kayseri

There are two ways to go from Istanbul to Cappadocia by plane. Your departure from Istanbul International Airport (IST) or Sabiha Gökçen Airport (SAW) to Kayseri Airport (ASR). We recommend this option.

Actually, although Cappadocia is located in Nevşehir, Turkey, Kayseri Airport is closer to Cappadocia and Kayseri is a larger city than Nevşehir. For this reason, it is possible to find more flights.

During the summer and winter seasons, there are approximately 10 flights a day and the flights take approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes. You can easily find flight tickets to Kayseri from companies such as Turkish Airlines, Pegasus, and Anadolu Jet.

After this plane trip, you need to go to Cappadocia by road. The distance between Kayseri airport and Cappadocia is approximately 75 km and takes 58 minutes by road.

There are direct shuttles from Kayseri to Cappadocia and their fees are approximately 60 TL. Since it will be busy, especially in the summer season, you can talk to the hotel you have booked and ask them to make a service reservation on your behalf. These shuttles will pick you up from the airport and drop you off at your hotel. These services are usually for 18 – 24 people.

Another option is to go to Cappadocia by taxi after getting off the plane. You can take the taxis waiting in front of the airport and you will pay a fee of approximately 230 – 250 TL. It will be a more comfortable and faster transportation option than the service.

Another method is to rent a car. You can rent a car from corporate companies such as Enterprise, Garenta, and Avis at the airport. Depending on the vehicle you want to rent, you can rent a vehicle for an average of 450 – 500 TL per day.

Flight from Istanbul to Nevşehir

The second way to go to Cappadocia by plane is to go to Nevşehir Cappadocia Airport(NAV) from Istanbul International Airport(IST) or Sabiha Gökçen Airport(SAW).

This journey takes approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes from both airports. Turkish airlines have 3-4 daily flights during the summer months. In the winter season, it is only once a day.

You can buy flight tickets from the Turkish Airlines website. Another alternative airline is Pegasus, but Pegasus may not always have direct flights.

Well, I came to Nevşehir by plane, but how do I get to my hotel?

Nevşehir Airport is located in Tuzköy, 107 km from Cappadocia, and takes approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes by road. Unfortunately, there is no direct public bus from Nevşehir Airport to Cappadocia.

You can go from the airport to Cappadocia with the shuttle vehicles of the airline companies. Service fees vary between approximately 15 – 20 TL. Another option is to go to your hotel by taxi and private shuttle vehicles. But this method will be more expensive.

Pegasus Airlines does not have a shuttle service, but you can take the Turkish Airlines service.

How to get from Istanbul to Cappadocia by car?

Another way to travel from Istanbul to Cappadocia is by car. There are two different routes to go to Cappadocia by road.

The first of these is the Istanbul Airport – Düzce – Ankara – Cappadocia route. This route is 795 km and takes 8 hours and 19 minutes. Although this route is longer, it is more advantageous because it is a highway.

The second route is Istanbul Airport – Niğde – Ankara – Cappadocia. This route is 789 km and takes 9 hours and 22 minutes. On this route, the road between Sakarya – Niğde is narrower and slightly rougher than the Düzce – Ankara road. For this reason, although it is shorter, you will reach Cappadocia approximately 1 hour late.

If you are traveling from Istanbul to Cappadocia by car, there are some important things you should know.

One of them is toll fees. There are many tolls passes on the roads between cities and you must use them. If you are going to rent a car from Istanbul and set off, be sure to ask the rental company whether it is integrated into the vehicle recognition system called HGS. Rental companies usually register the plate and ask you to pay for the toll roads you pass on the day you deliver the car.

Another is traffic fines. The average speed limit on Turkish roads is 90 and there are radars that monitor your speed in many places. If you have a traffic ticket, you will be asked to pay them while delivering the car you rented, as in the road fee. The rental company takes the ticket fees from you and pays the ticket.

As we mentioned under the heading of air travel, if you want to rent a car, we recommend you to choose corporate companies located at the airports.

You can go to Cappadocia by taxi from Istanbul, but it will be a bit expensive. Currently, taxi fares in Turkey are 5 TL per 1 km. It can cost approximately 5 thousand Turkish Liras (288 Dollars) with highway fees. However, you can get a discount if you bargain with the taxi driver.

It may be a more suitable option to rent a car from Istanbul Airport and leave it at the branch of the company you rented at Nevşehir Airport.

How to get from Istanbul to Cappadocia by bus?

Another way to go to Cappadocia is to travel by bus. If you came to Turkey via Istanbul airport, you can get on from the Esenler bus terminal on the European side.

If you have arrived at Sabiha Gökçen Airport, you are on the Anatolian side of Istanbul. There is not a single bus terminal on the Anatolian side and companies have their own private areas.

You can find a bus from Istanbul to Nevşehir or Ürgüp. If you have chosen the Istanbul – Nevşehir bus, you can go to Cappadocia by shuttle vehicle or taxi from Nevşehir or Ürgüp bus stations.

The most popular bus companies you can choose when traveling to Nevşehir are Metro Turizm, Kamil Koç, and Pamukkale.

You can get to all of these companies from Esenler bus station, but if you are going to take the bus from the Anatolian side, the terminals are in different places and you have to go there. For the metro tourism company, the bus station is in Istanbul Sultanbeyli, and the Kamil Koç and Pamukkale Turizm bus stations are in the Dudullu district of Istanbul.

It takes 10 hours from the Anatolian side and 11 hours and 30 minutes from the European side by bus from Istanbul to Nevşehir. Bus ticket prices are around 500 TL for 2023.

How to get from Istanbul to Cappadocia by train?

Unfortunately, there is no direct Istanbul to Cappadocia train. The closest train station to Cappadocia is in Kayseri.

Going from Istanbul to Cappadocia by train is a bit grueling, but many beautiful views await you along the way. If you have time, you can consider it.

To go from Istanbul to Cappadocia by train, you must first take the Istanbul – Ankara high-speed train and get off in Ankara. Then you can take the Ankara – Kayseri train and go to the Kayseri station, from there you can go to Cappadocia by renting a bus, taxi or car.

From Istanbul to Ankara in 4 hours and 15 minutes. It takes 7 hours and 30 minutes by train from Ankara to Kayseri, and approximately 1 hour by road from Kayseri to Cappadocia. You can go to Cappadocia from Istanbul by train after a total of 12 hours and 45 minutes.

Istanbul – Ankara train fee is 84 TL, Ankara – Kayseri train fee is 69 TL, bus fee from Kayseri to Cappadocia is 20 TL. Traveling by train costs 173 TL in total.

To buy Istanbul – Ankara, and Ankara – Kayseri train tickets, you can visit the Turkish State Railways (TCDD) website.

Frequently Asking Questions About Istanbul to Cappadocia

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