Ortahisar guide: castle rock, old quarter and citrus cold stores

Ortahisar is a town in the Ürgüp district, between Uçhisar and Ürgüp, built around a rock outcrop known as the castle and known for rock-cut cold stores in which citrus fruit is kept. Our catalogue lists only 2 of its 80 hotels here, both in the cave category, so it works better as a stop than as a base. This guide covers the rock, the old quarter, the cold stores, and what the two hotel records say, and it gives no prices or opening times.

The castle rock

Ortahisar Castle is a natural rock mass, hollowed out with rooms and passages, that rises above the town like an oversized fairy chimney. The name means “middle fortress”. Like Uçhisar’s, it is a rock honeycombed with rooms rather than a built castle, and it is usually described as a refuge and lookout over the surrounding land. It is smaller than Uçhisar’s, and the town has far fewer hotels. Check the official source for whether it is open and how you reach the top, since access arrangements change and the way up can involve steps. As at Uçhisar, climbing in the midday sun is tiring, so choose the morning or the hours before sunset.

The only hotel record that measures the castle is Fosil Cave Hotel, which puts it about 253 m away and calls it an easy walk.

The old quarter and the nearby valleys

Around the rock lie the old streets, with stone houses climbing the slope and rock-cut rooms behind them. Some of the old houses are reported to stand empty, and parts of the quarter are best seen by walking slowly rather than by planning a route. Treat empty and ruined buildings as unsafe: do not enter, and do not climb walls or rock faces.

The valleys around Ortahisar hold rock-cut churches, among them Pancarlık Church, near Ortahisar. Many are small, some are hard to reach and access arrangements vary; this guide gives no route. If churches interest you, the Göreme Open-Air Museum guide covers the museum-run group of rock-cut churches near Göreme, and both Ortahisar records give a distance to it.

The cold stores

The cold stores are what set Ortahisar apart. The rock keeps a steady, cool temperature through the year, and chambers cut into it have long been used to store fruit; the town is best known for citrus. You cannot count on seeing inside: many are working stores, not visitor attractions, so ask locally and do not walk onto private land. The idea is simple and still instructive: the same tuff that keeps cave rooms cool in summer also keeps the fruit fresh.

Getting there and getting around

Neither Ortahisar hotel lists an airport transfer; 29 of the 80 catalogue hotels do, and none of them is in Ortahisar (see how to get to Cappadocia). Both list parking, so a hire car suits the town best. Without a car, ask the hotel how to reach a taxi or the bus station in Ürgüp, and agree your arrival plan in writing: neither hotel lists a 24-hour reception. In both records check-in is from 14:00 and check-out at 12:00, so on a flight-day ask about leaving your luggage.

The two hotels, side by side

Field	Fosil Cave Hotel	Vita Cave Suites
Neighbourhood	Yeni	Yukarı
Rooms	not recorded	14, each decorated individually
Castle distance	about 253 m	not stated
Open-Air Museum	about 2.9 km	about 4 minutes by car
Heating and cooling	air conditioning	heated floors
Family rooms / honeymoon	both listed	neither listed
Other facilities	garden, terrace, wake-up service	garden, shared lounge, minibar, concierge
Breakfast	included	buffet, 08:30–10:30
Parking	free private parking	free

Neither hotel lists a balloon view, a valley view, a pool, a spa, an airport transfer, a restaurant or a 24-hour reception. That is the catalogue’s data, not a verdict on the hotels: their pages are short, so ask about the things you care about. The two hotels are 2 of the 15 in the three Ürgüp-district towns covered together in the Ürgüp, Mustafapaşa and Ortahisar guide.

Ortahisar or Uçhisar?

Both have a rock castle. Uçhisar’s is the highest point in the region and its town has 19 hotels, 8 of them listing a balloon view; Ortahisar has 2 and none does. For the museum, Wings Cappadocia in Uçhisar gives about 3.4 km, Fosil about 2.9 km, and Göreme hotels give 300 m to 1.8 km. A short stop at Ortahisar fits between Uçhisar and Ürgüp, which is how the 3-day itinerary uses it. For the larger village, see the Uçhisar guide.

Where to stay in Ortahisar

There are only two choices in the catalogue, so the decision is short. Fosil Cave Hotel has air-conditioned rooms with private bathrooms, family rooms and a honeymoon concept, and puts the castle at about 253 m. Vita Cave Suites has 14 rooms with heated floors, a garden and a shared lounge. Both are listed in the Ortahisar section of 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.