Göreme

By plane:

Nevşehir Kapadokya Airport (NAV IATA) is the closest, with flights from both Istanbul airports - in summer these are every couple of hours, taking 90 min. Most package tours to Cappadocia get in this way. It's 30 km north of Nevşehir town and has car hire; otherwise take a taxi.

By road:

From Ankara head south on O-21 (toll). Exit at Alayhan, where a caravanserai recalls the tolls and tribulations of long-ago journeys, and follow D300 east to Nevşehir, then D302 into Göreme.

By bus:

Every tourist town in Turkey markets package tours of Cappadocia. If you were based in one of the Antalya - Alanya coast resorts, that might be the most convenient option.

Buses run frequently from Istanbul (10 hours) and Ankara (3 hours) to Nevşehir's grubby edge-of-town otogar, where you change for the dolmuş to Göreme. Bus lines on these routes are Metro Turizm, Flixbus and Nevşehir Seyahat. If they sell you a through ticket to Göreme you'll probably still have to change, but the onward ride should be included in your fare, check when buying.

It's a similar story with inter-city buses from Konya (3½ hr), Alanya (9 hr), Antalya (9½ hr), Bodrum (13 hr), Canakkale (17 hr), Denizli (10 hr), Kusadasi (12 hr), Marmaris (13 hr), Pamukkale (10 hr), Selçuk (12 hr), Trabzon, and over the hills and far away.

Kayseri 71 km east of Göreme has an airport and ponderously slow trains to eastern Turkey. Buses run every hour or two towards Nevşehir and points west, and from these you change at Avanos 18 km north of Göreme.

A swarm of dolmuşes buzzes between the Cappadocia towns of Nevşehir, Göreme, Uçhisar, Avanos, Çavuşin, Ürgüp and Ortahisar. They run every 30-60 min, with journey times under 30 minutes and low fares.

1 Göreme Otobüs Terminali is central in town. The toilets are authentic squateurs, filthy and fly-blown. Lots of ticket agencies and cafes around, and an ATM across the street.