Kayseri for travellers: the airport, Erciyes and a stopover

Kayseri is the large city in the province east of Nevşehir, and its airport, Kayseri Erkilet (ASR), is the second one that serves the region. None of the 80 hotels in our catalogue is in Kayseri, and no record even mentions it, so this guide is about three things: how Kayseri fits an arrival, what Mount Erciyes is, and what to do if you have a few hours in the city. It gives no flight or transfer times and no prices.

Kayseri Erkilet (ASR) and the road to Cappadocia

The catalogue’s villages are in Nevşehir province; Kayseri is the neighbouring province, so from ASR you cross the provincial border by road. Your choice between ASR and Nevşehir Kapadokya (NAV), which the Nevşehir guide covers, is mostly decided by which airline flies where and when, as how to get to Cappadocia explains.

What the catalogue can and cannot tell you:

• 29 of 80 hotels list an airport transfer. None says which airport it serves, and no record mentions Kayseri Erkilet. Only two give a distance to NAV (about 35 km from Uçhisar’s Hu of Cappadocia and about 52 km from Mustafapaşa’s Yılkı Cave Suites).
• By town, the split is in the table below.
• A paid shuttle is stated by one hotel only, Mimi Cappadocia Luxury Cave Hotel in Uçhisar; for the other 28 the records are silent on price.

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

So before buying a ticket to ASR, ask the hotel in writing: does the transfer collect from ASR, how many people and bags does the fee cover, what happens if the flight is late, and is reception open?

If you land late

Fifteen hotels list a 24-hour reception, and seven of them also list an airport transfer: Artemis Cave Suites & Spa in Göreme, Dream of Cappadocia and My Story Cave Hotel in Uçhisar, Kayata Cave Suites, The Calypso Cave and Ürgüp Evi in Ürgüp, and Nujel’m Cappadocia in Mustafapaşa. Check-in is from 14:00 at 75 of the 80 hotels and check-out at 12:00 at 51 (11:00 at 29), so a morning arrival from ASR means asking whether you can leave luggage first. Luggage storage is ticked at only one hotel in the catalogue, Konak Bezirhane Cave Otel in Mustafapaşa, which does not mean the others refuse; it means you should ask. For a departure by air from ASR, leave generous margin, especially in winter, when the road can be slower than usual.

Mount Erciyes

Erciyes is the highest mountain of central Anatolia, a dormant volcano that rises above Kayseri and has a ski area on its slopes. It belongs to the same volcanic story as Cappadocia: ash from Erciyes and neighbouring volcanoes hardened into the tuff in which the region’s cave rooms are carved. On clear days it can be seen from parts of Cappadocia, and one catalogue record, Karlık Cave Suite in Uçhisar, lists views of both Güvercinlik Valley and Mount Erciyes. If you plan to ski, check the snow conditions and opening of the lifts with the resort; in Nevşehir the average January minimum is −3.6 °C (MGM, 1959–2025), and the best time to visit article shows the winter picture.

A few hours in the city

Kayseri is much larger than Nevşehir, and a stopover can be built around four things:

• The citadel. A fortress of dark volcanic stone in the centre of the city; the walls have been rebuilt more than once.
• Seljuk monuments. Kayseri has important Seljuk buildings, among them the Hunat Hatun complex, the Çifte Medrese and the Döner Kümbet tomb. Check which are open.
• The covered bazaar and hans. The old trading quarter near the citadel is the place for a walk and a break.
• Further afield. Kültepe, ancient Kaneš, is a Bronze Age Assyrian trading settlement known for its clay tablets, and Mimar Sinan, the Ottoman court architect, was born in a village of Kayseri province.

Opening days and entry arrangements change; check the official source and do not plan around a single site.

What to eat

Kayseri is known for mantı, very small dumplings served with yoghurt and a sauce; for pastırma, an air-dried beef cured with a paste of ground fenugreek (çemen); and for sucuk. Yağlama, a thin flatbread with minced meat, is another local dish. Ask restaurants which items they make themselves. For the Cappadocia side of the table, including testi kebab, see what to do in Cappadocia.

Where to stay after landing at ASR

None of these records says it serves Kayseri, so the point is the combination that suits a late or long arrival. My Story Cave Hotel in Uçhisar, Kayata Cave Suites in Ürgüp and Nujel’m Cappadocia in Mustafapaşa all list an airport transfer together with a 24-hour reception. For Uçhisar, see the Uçhisar guide; for Göreme and Ürgüp, the hotel list. After choosing, you can book through gocappadocia.com, the regional booking platform created through the combined efforts of 175 Cappadocia hoteliers, with a best-price guarantee; this guide takes no commission.