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Though said to be Turkey's richest town,
NEVSEHIR
, at the very heart of Cappadocia, can hardly be accused of ostentatious wealth. It is the regional transport hub: frequent bus services all over Cappadocia run from here, and you'll probably find yourself detouring through when travelling between other apparently neighbouring towns.
The
Ottoman castle
at the heart of the old city, southwest of the modern centre, is a good landmark. The new city below is divided by two main streets,
AtatErk Bulvar
d, on which are situated most of the hotels and restaurants, and
Lale Caddesi
, turning into GElzehir Caddesi to the north, where you'll find the main
dolmus
station. The remains of the citadel are no big deal in themselves but the views are good. On the side of the hill, the impressive eighteenth-century
Damat Ibrahim Pasa Camii
is set in a large precinct surrounded by narrow streets, and has a cool, dark interior enhanced by small decorative details. Opposite, the
Damat Ibrahim Pasa Hamam
(daily 6am-midnight; women only Wed 10am-4pm; men only at other times; $5) is also in good working order and well run. The
Nevsehir Museum
, on Yeni Kayseri Caddesi (Tues-Sun 8.30am-6pm; winter closes 5pm; $1), is worth the visit for a collection that includes three terracotta sarcophagi dating from the third to the fourth century AD, finds from the Phrygian and Byzantine periods, and Turkish carpets, kilims and looms.
The
tourist office
on AtatErk Bulvara, on the right as you head downhill towards ErgEp (summer daily 9am-5.30pm; winter Mon-Fri 9am-5pm; tel 0384/213 3659), will arm you with a hotel price list and a map. There's also a private information office near the bus station, run by a tour company. Local
dolmuses
and those for the underground cities leave from the bus station. Several companies run
organized tours
of the area; try Agami on Lale Cad (tel 0384/212 7854), or Rock City, ErgEp Cad 39 (tel 0384/212 0600,
www.rockcitytours.com
).
Pensions
in Nevsehir are neither as cheap nor as good as elsewhere in Cappadocia.
Hotel Sems
(tel 0384/213 3597; under E5/$8), on AtatErk Bulvara next to the
Aspava Restaurant
, is comfortable and friendly. A step up,
Orsan
, AtatErk Bulvara (tel 0384/213 2115; E5-10/$8-16), is comfortable and has a swimming pool. Just opposite the
Orsan
on Yeni Kayseri Cad is the friendly and clean
Hotel Seven Brothers
(tel 0384/213 4979; E5-10/$8-16). The nicest of the
campsites
in the region, the
Koru Mocamp
, is signposted off to the right as you turn from Nevsehir into EA§hisar. For
food
, the
Aspava Restaurant
, AtatErk Bulvara 29, serves well-prepared dishes, and the
SAślen
, just before
Hotel Sems
on AtatErk Bulvari, has a good choice of
meze
and kebabs. The
Park-Bostan
, in gardens just off AtatErk Bulvara, is more pricey but licensed.
Uzay Internet
is on AtatErk Bulvara opposite the
GAśreme Hotel
.
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