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The Lion Gate of Hattuşa
Photo: Carole Raddato from FRANKFURT, Germany / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0, resized

Region · 8 destinations · 80 places

Central Anatolia

The high steppe at the heart of Türkiye: the capital, the Hittite and Phrygian homelands, Rumi's Konya and the tuff valleys of Cappadocia.

Most visitors know the region through Cappadocia, and it is the obvious base. But the plateau around it holds some of the country's deepest history: the Hittite capital Hattuşa and its rock sanctuary, the Phrygian cities of Gordion and Midas, the Neolithic town of Çatalhöyük, and the Seljuk mosques, colleges and caravanserais of Konya, Sivas and Divriği.

Ankara, the capital, is a practical hub with fast trains to Konya and Eskişehir, and its Museum of Anatolian Civilizations is the best single introduction to everything you will see on the plateau. Distances are large, so a hire car helps for Hattuşa, the Phrygian Valley and the smaller sites.

Cappadocia Ankara Konya Eskişehir Hattuşa Amasya Divriği Ihlara

Destinations

Is central Turkey worth visiting?

Yes. Cappadocia alone justifies the trip, and anyone interested in ancient history will find the Hittite, Phrygian and Seljuk sites around it outstanding — and often almost empty.

It suits travellers who like museums, walking in open landscapes and road trips. It is not a beach region, and outside Cappadocia the cities are working towns rather than resorts.

Best for
History and archaeology lovers, walkers, road-trippers, travellers who want more than Cappadocia.
How long
Three to four days for Cappadocia and Ihlara; a week or more to add Ankara, Konya, Hattuşa or the Phrygian Valley.
Getting there
Fly to Kayseri or Nevşehir for Cappadocia, or to Ankara or Konya; high-speed trains link Istanbul, Eskişehir, Ankara and Konya, and long-distance buses cover the rest. Hire a car for Hattuşa, Divriği and the Phrygian Valley. General directions, not checked against timetables.

Best time to go Apr–Jun · Sep–Oct

Spring and early autumn bring mild days and cool nights. Summer is hot and dry on the steppe but pleasant in the evenings; winters are cold, often with snow, which can close minor roads and makes Cappadocia beautiful but chilly.

Also worth a look

  • Kültepe (Kanesh) Kayseri — The mound of an Assyrian trading colony whose clay tablets are the oldest written records found in Anatolia.
  • Sille Konya — An old Greek village of stone houses and a restored church just outside Konya.
  • Eflatunpınar Konya — A Hittite spring monument of stacked stone reliefs near Lake Beyşehir.
  • Binbir Kilise (Karadağ) Karaman — Ruins of Byzantine churches scattered over an extinct volcano north of Karaman.
  • Güzelyurt (Gelveri) Aksaray — A stone village with rock-cut churches at the head of Ihlara Valley.
  • Kerkenes Dağı Yozgat — The walls of a vast Iron Age hilltop city on a lonely plateau.
  • Mustafapaşa (Sinasos) Nevşehir — A former Greek village of carved stone mansions near Ürgüp, on the way to Soğanlı.
  • Lake Meke Konya — A volcanic crater lake with a cone in the middle, on the plain near Karapınar.

Not checked in detail yet: no ticket, hours or opening information for these places on turkeyroutes.

All places in Central Anatolia

Cappadocia

Ankara

Konya

Eskişehir & the Phrygian Valley

Hattuşa (Boğazkale)

Amasya

Sivas & Divriği

Ihlara & Aksaray

Ticket = foreign-visitor price from the operator's own page; “Not verified” means we could not confirm it there.

Also in this area

Caves & waterfalls

Hidden gems

Viewpoints

Adventure

Operator, status and season for each cave and waterfall are on its page — only where a public page states them. Adventure pages give only what the authorities' own texts say.

Camping & bungalows in this region

7 private places on our camping map — 7 bungalows. 10 nature or national parks with a camp area.

Camping in Central Anatolia →Wild-camping rules

Practical

Museum PassPublic holidaysWinter guideAll destinationsTrip planner

Independent guide, not affiliated with any government body. Region texts are our own; ticket prices, hours and closing days on the place pages come only from the operators' pages.