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train/bus Istanbul to Goreme

Posted by (San Francisco, CA) on

We want to take the high speed train from Istanbul to Ankara, then the bus to Goreme. Some questions:

Should we get our train tickets in advance for an August trip?

I've read that there are plenty of buses headed from Ankara to Goreme, but online I've only found one at 3:30pm. Will we have more choices of tickets if we wait until we are in Ankara? Is there a place to leave luggage at the station? Is the area around Ankara station one that would be interesting to explore for a few hours?

I've read that some buses will leave people at Nevshihir rather than Goreme. How hard is it to find a bus or taxi to Goreme if we got in at 7 or 8pm?

Thanks.

Posted by
183 posts

I went to Göreme a few months ago. We flew from Istanbul to Kayseri. We arranged for our hotel to pick us up at the Kayseri airport. I recommend doing this. The airfare was very reasonable as was the hotel pick up charge.

Once you are in Görme, I highly recommend doing the Red Tour. Give yourself a break the next day, then do the Green Tour. All hotels will arrange the tours for you. The tour van or bus will pick you up at your hotel in the morning and drop you off at your hotel at the end of the tour.

*** Wear VERY comfortable shoes!!! This is extremely important! You will be walking on rocks, uneven surfaces, etc.

Posted by
14 posts

Thanks for all the info!

We're dedicated train riders, so we're sticking with that plan. But we did find that Amber Travel (https://www.ambertravel.com/) helps with both the train and bus tickets. They recommend going through Konya. It's a long trip but should be interesting.

Posted by
16893 posts

The faster-train tickets can't be purchased more than 10 days in advance. If you have a wait at Nevsehir bus station, check whether they still serve a delicious pitcher of fresh ayran (yogurt drink).

People rely on buses pretty extensively and I see a good selection at www.busradar.com, which reflects three operators (plus the car-sharing service Blablacar).

The Museum of Anatolian Civilizations (Anadolu Medeniyetleri Müzesi) is amazing!

Posted by
14 posts

FYI we did the train/bus to Goreme, and it was fine. We took the train to Konya, around 5 hours. Good ride, nice scenery. The bus station is a 20 drive away, though there are buses and taxis. But someone from the train showed us how to walk a few blocks and get a minibus directly to the station. Kamil Koc bus was fine, and it took us all the way to Goreme. Not that scenic on that part, but a good trip. I recommend it as an alternative to flying.

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