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Central Anatolia Travel Guide

Capital: Ankara

Fairy chimneys near Göreme, Cappadocia. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.

Central Anatolia is the high plateau at Turkey's centre: steppe, salt lakes and the fairy chimneys of Cappadocia, the country's most otherworldly landscape. Göreme's cave churches and the sunrise balloons are the headline; the underground cities of Derinkuyu and Kaymaklı go 60 metres down.

Ankara, the capital, holds Anıtkabir and the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. Konya is the city of Rumi and the whirling dervishes. Hattuşa, the Hittite capital, is the region's deep-history anchor.

Destinations in Central Anatolia

  1. Hot air balloons over Göreme, Cappadocia, at sunriseGöreme Open Air Museum4.9The Byzantine cave churches and their frescoes, a UNESCO site.
  2. Hot air balloons over Göreme, Cappadocia, at sunriseHot air balloons4.9A hundred balloons over the valleys at sunrise.
  3. The courtyard of the Mevlana Museum, KonyaMevlana Museum, Konya4.8Rumi's tomb and the dervish lodge, under the green dome.
  4. Tunnels in Derinkuyu Underground CityDerinkuyu Underground City4.7Eight levels down: the deepest of Cappadocia's underground cities.
  5. Anıtkabir, the mausoleum of Atatürk, AnkaraAnıtkabir4.7Atatürk's mausoleum on the hill above Ankara.
  6. The courtyard of the Mevlana Museum, KonyaWhirling dervish ceremony4.7The Mevlevi sema in Konya, most intensely in December.
  7. Love Valley (Bağlıdere), CappadociaLove Valley and Paşabağ4.6The great fairy-chimney valleys for walking.
  8. A Hittite sun-disc standard in the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, AnkaraMuseum of Anatolian Civilizations4.6Ankara's great museum: Hittite, Phrygian, Urartian finds.
  9. A large room in Kaymaklı Underground CityKaymaklı Underground City4.6The widest of the underground cities, with its great ventilation shafts.
  10. Uçhisar Castle, CappadociaUçhisar Castle4.5The rock fortress and the valley panoramas.
  11. The Lion Gate at HattuşaHattuşa4.4The Hittite capital's walls and gates, a UNESCO site.
  12. Ihlara Valley, CappadociaIhlara Valley4.4The 14-km canyon with rock churches along the Melendiz river.
  13. The Sultanhanı CaravanseraiSultanhanı Caravanserai4.2The great 13th-century Silk Road caravanserai.
  14. Tuz Gölü (Salt Lake), central AnatoliaSalt Lake (Tuz Gölü)4.1The vast white salt flat between Ankara and Cappadocia.
MarmaraAegeanMediterraneanCentral AnatoliaBlack SeaEastern AnatoliaSoutheastern Anatolia

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Top Cities & towns in Central Anatolia

Ankara ›Göreme ›Konya ›Ürgüp ›Uçhisar ›Avanos ›Safranbolu ›Ortahisar ›Mustafapaşa ›Kayseri ›Eskişehir ›

Regional food

  • Testi kebap (the Cappadocian clay-pot kebab, cracked open at the table)
  • Konya's etli ekmek (the long flatbread with minced meat)
  • Mantı in Kayseri, its claimed birthplace

Read the full Turkish food guide ›

Getting there

Fly to Kayseri (ASR) or Nevşehir (NAV) for Cappadocia. Ankara Esenboğa (ESB) is the capital's airport; high-speed YHT trains link Ankara with Istanbul and Konya. Buses connect Konya, Göreme and Ankara; the main sights need a car or a tour.

Find hotels in Ankara ›