How to get to Cappadocia: airports, transfers and arriving at your hotel

You can reach Cappadocia by air through two airports: Nevşehir Kapadokya (NAV) and Kayseri Erkilet (ASR). Nevşehir Kapadokya Airport is in Nevşehir province; Kayseri Erkilet is in neighbouring Kayseri province, so travellers from there reach the region by crossing the provincial border by road. From the airport you continue by hotel shuttle, private transfer, taxi or hire car, and 29 of the 80 hotels in the catalogue list an “Airport transfer”. Buses and your own car are also options. This article gives no flight times, distances or prices; check timetables and fares with the companies concerned.

NAV or ASR?

Both serve the region, and your choice is mostly decided by your flight options: look on airline websites for which city flies to which airport, on which day and at what time. Two points matter:

• NAV is in Nevşehir province, and the name carries Cappadocia’s.
• ASR is in Kayseri; you enter the region from the neighbouring province, crossing the provincial border.

The hotel records say little on this: no hotel page mentions Kayseri Erkilet. Only two hotels (Hu of Cappadocia - Special Class and Yılkı Cave Suites) state the distance to Nevşehir Kapadokya Airport; this article gives no distances, so see those pages for the figures. Which airport a transfer covers is not in the records either. So before buying a ticket, confirm in writing that your hotel will collect you from the airport your plane lands at; a hotel with a transfer may still not serve both.

From the airport to your hotel: transfer options

Hotel transfer. 29 hotels in the catalogue list an “Airport transfer”; the table shows the split by town.

Town	Hotels	Listing an airport transfer
Göreme	43	17
Uçhisar	19	4
Ürgüp	9	3
Mustafapaşa	4	3
Çavuşin	3	2
Ortahisar	2	0
Total	80	29

These figures rest on the tick in the amenity list and may be incomplete: the texts for Göreme Cave Lodge, Zara Cave Hotel +10 and Mimi Cappadocia Luxury Cave Hotel mention a shuttle or transfers, but they are not in the amenity lists. Mimi’s record says the shuttle is paid; for the others there is no information on price or coverage.

Shuttle companies. Shuttle companies run from the airports to the region; we name none. In general there are two kinds: a shared shuttle, which several passengers split, and a private transfer reserved for your group alone. A shared shuttle may call at other hotels, so the journey can take longer. Whichever you choose, find out in writing the price and whether you pay on boarding or in advance; if your flight is delayed, ask whether the driver will wait, and what the luggage limit is.

Taxi. Taxis are available at the airports; agree the fare and give the hotel’s address. The catalogue has no fare information.

Buses and car hire

Bus. Intercity buses serve the bus stations of Nevşehir, Ürgüp and Göreme; Göreme and Ürgüp both have a bus station, mentioned on hotel pages. Routes, times and fares vary by company, so verify them on the company’s site. From the bus station you may need a short taxi ride or a walk to the hotel; cave hotels can have steps, so see the cave hotel guide if you are arriving with a suitcase.

Car hire. Hire options exist at the airports and in the regional towns; confirm the pick-up point and time with the company. Before hiring, ask about the licence, deposit, insurance cover and fuel terms. Village streets are narrow and a car may not reach some hotels’ doors; 60 of the 80 hotels list “Parking”, but ask how far the parking is from your room. Getting around without a car is also possible: see the 3-day itinerary.

Arriving in Göreme and Ürgüp

Göreme. The village around the Open-Air Museum and the balloon launch fields has 43 hotels; 17 list a transfer. The village can have narrow streets and steps, and a vehicle may not reach the hotel door; discuss luggage carrying with the hotel. For the neighbourhoods, read Where to stay in Göreme.

Ürgüp. The district centre; the catalogue has 9 hotels and 3 list a transfer. The guide that also covers Mustafapaşa (4 hotels, 3 with a transfer) and Ortahisar is here.

Uçhisar and Çavuşin. 4 of Uçhisar’s 19 hotels and 2 of Çavuşin’s 3 list a transfer. By share, a transfer is listed most often in Mustafapaşa (3 of 4) and Çavuşin (2 of 3); by number, most in Göreme (17). Neither of the 2 hotels in Ortahisar lists one.

Planning your arrival day

Look at three things. Balloon: if you plan a morning flight, be in the region the evening before; hotel pages such as Caftan Cave Suites and Tulip Cave Suites suggest arriving a day early for a balloon morning, since check-in is from 14:00. The decision to fly is made each morning, so for spare mornings see the balloon flight days article. Season: in Nevşehir the average minimum temperature in January is −3.6 °C (MGM, 1959–2025); keep your travel times flexible in winter, and find monthly figures in When to visit Cappadocia. Departure: if your flight out is early in the morning, agree the transfer time with the hotel in advance. In the catalogue check-out is at 12:00 at 51 hotels and 11:00 at 29; if your flight is in the evening, ask whether you can leave your luggage after check-out.

Six hotels with a transfer

These are examples of hotels that list an “Airport transfer”, not a ranking.

• Kelebek Cave Hotel (Göreme): 36 rooms; spa, hamam and a seasonal outdoor pool; balloon view and family rooms.
• Mithra Cave Cappadocia (Göreme): rooms carved into the rock; spa, restaurant and room service.
• Simera In Cappadocia (Uçhisar): nine rooms, six of them jacuzzi suites; a terrace for watching balloons.
• Azure Cave Suites (Çavuşin): balloon and valley views; jacuzzi and fireplace suite options, family rooms.
• Kayata Cave Suites (Ürgüp): nine rooms; 24-hour reception.
• Yılkı Cave Suites (Mustafapaşa): spa, indoor pool and restaurant.

Seven hotels list both a transfer and a 24-hour reception: Artemis Cave Suites & Spa, Dream of Cappadocia, Kayata Cave Suites, My Story Cave Hotel, Nujel’m Cappadocia, The Calypso Cave and Ürgüp Evi. If you will arrive late at night, that combination helps; 24-hour reception is listed at 15 hotels in the catalogue in total.

Ask about the transfer when you book

At 75 of the catalogue hotels check-in is at 14:00. If you land early in the morning, ask whether the room will be ready and whether there is somewhere to leave your luggage (the catalogue lists “Luggage storage” at only 1 hotel). When booking, ask:

• Is there a transfer, is it paid, and does the fee cover a set number of people and bags?
• Which airport does it run from, NAV or ASR?
• How will you give your flight number? What happens if the flight is delayed?
• Is reception open for a late arrival? Who arranges the return transfer time?
• If you need a child seat, is one provided?

The booking button on a hotel page opens the hotel’s page on gocappadocia.com, a booking platform created through the combined efforts of 175 hoteliers in the region. This guide takes no commission. For what to do once you are there, see What to do in Cappadocia, and for every hotel the hotel list.