Nevşehir Airport (NAV) to Göreme: Distance, Flights and Transfers

Nevşehir Kapadokya Airport (NAV) is the closer of Cappadocia's two airports: Göreme is about 40 km away by road, roughly 40 to 45 minutes by car, against more than an hour from Kayseri. The catch is choice. NAV has only two scheduled routes, Turkish Airlines from Istanbul Airport and AJet from Sabiha Gökçen, so if your flight fits, it is the easy way in, and our Cappadocia day tour from Nevşehir airport can start the moment you land.

This page is only about NAV: where it is, who flies there, how to get from the terminal to your hotel, and when it makes sense to fly into Kayseri instead. If you are comparing the two, our page on the Kayseri airport transfer covers the other side.

Nevşehir airport at a glance

The airport sits on the plain at Tuzköy, near the small town of Gülşehir, about 30 km northwest of Nevşehir city. It opened in 1988 as Nevşehir Tuzköy airfield and has since been renamed Nevşehir Kapadokya Airport. It has a single 3,000 m runway and a small terminal.

The passenger figure tells you what kind of airport this is. It is almost entirely domestic, used by people flying in from Istanbul. International visitors arrive in Istanbul first, clear passport control there, and take the short domestic hop.

Which flights land at Nevşehir

Two airlines run the regular schedule:

• Turkish Airlines flies from Istanbul Airport (IST), the main hub on the European side. This is the flight to take if you are connecting from a long-haul Turkish Airlines flight, because you stay airside or in the same terminal and your bag can often be checked through. Ask at check-in.
• AJet flies from Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen (SAW) on the Asian side. AJet is Turkish Airlines' lower-cost brand and uses SAW as its main Istanbul base, so this suits people already staying in Istanbul or arriving on another airline at SAW.

There are no regular direct flights from Ankara, Izmir, Antalya or European cities to NAV. If you are coming from any of those, look at Kayseri, which has a much wider network.

Frequencies change with the season and are much thinner than at Kayseri, so check the schedule for your exact date before you plan the rest of the trip around it. Because there are so few flights, a delay or cancellation is harder to fix: there may be no later flight that day.

Nevşehir or Kayseri: when NAV is the better choice

Both airports are used for Cappadocia, and the right one depends on your flight times more than anything else.

Choose NAV when:

• Your flight times work. A morning arrival at NAV gives you a full afternoon in the valleys, which a later Kayseri flight cannot.
• You are staying in Göreme, Uçhisar or Avanos. These villages are on the airport side of the region, so the transfer is short.
• You have a balloon flight the next morning. A shorter evening drive means more sleep before a pickup in the dark.

Choose Kayseri when the NAV times do not suit, when you are flying in from Antalya, Izmir or Europe, or when you are staying in Ürgüp, where the difference in driving time shrinks. Many travellers fly in to one and out of the other, which is perfectly normal.

Getting from the terminal to your hotel

There is no rail link to NAV and no metro, so almost everyone leaves by road. The realistic options are:

• Private transfer. A driver meets you in the arrivals hall with a name sign and takes you straight to your hotel. This is the simplest choice for families, couples with luggage and late arrivals. We arrange private transfers with our tours and packages; send your flight number on WhatsApp and the driver tracks the arrival time.
• Shared airport shuttle. Several Cappadocia shuttle companies run minibuses timed to the flights and drop passengers at hotels in each village. They must be booked in advance, and you may wait for other passengers or stop at several hotels before yours.
• Taxi. Taxis wait outside the terminal for arriving flights. Agree the fare or check that the meter is running before you set off, and keep your hotel's address written in Turkish to show the driver.
• Rental car. Rental desks operate at the airport. A car makes sense if you want to explore the outer valleys and villages on your own schedule.

Whichever you choose, book the transfer before you fly. With so few flights, there are not many cars waiting at the terminal, and the shuttles fill up on busy days.

What to expect on arrival

NAV is a small airport, which makes arrival quick: one baggage hall, a short walk to the exit and a small arrivals area where drivers wait. Because your flight is domestic, there is no passport control at NAV; that was done in Istanbul.

A few practical points:

• Mobile signal and data. If you bought a Turkish SIM or eSIM in Istanbul, it works here. Send your driver a message when you land.
• Cash and cards. Do not count on a choice of exchange counters at a small regional terminal. Bring some Turkish lira from Istanbul for tips and small purchases; most hotels and restaurants in Göreme take cards.
• Weather. Cappadocia is a high plateau, and winter mornings and evenings are cold even when Istanbul felt mild. Keep a warm layer in your hand luggage from November to March.

The drive into Göreme crosses open farmland before the first fairy chimneys appear near Avanos and Çavuşin. If you land in daylight, it is a good first look at the region.

Timing your arrival around a balloon flight

Balloon flights in Cappadocia take off around sunrise, and pickups are in the dark, often more than an hour before sunrise. That has two consequences for your flights:

• Arrive the day before your first balloon morning. A morning or afternoon flight into NAV, a rest at the hotel and an early night is the ideal start. Our guide to the Cappadocia hot air balloon price explains the flight categories.
• Do not book an early departure on your last morning if you might need it as a spare balloon morning. Flights are cancelled when the wind or visibility is wrong, and the decision is made on the day.

If you have two or more nights, book the balloon for the first morning so there is time to rebook. For winter visits this matters more, as the weather cancels more mornings between December and March.

Going back to Nevşehir airport

On the way out, work backwards from your flight time:

1. Check your airline's check-in deadline for domestic flights and add a buffer for the security queue, which can build up when two flights leave close together.
2. Add the drive. About 40 to 45 minutes from Göreme or Uçhisar; allow an hour from Ürgüp or Mustafapaşa, and more in snow.
3. Leave margin for the connection in Istanbul. If you are flying home from Istanbul the same day, leave plenty of time between your NAV flight and the international departure, especially if the two are on separate tickets. If you are staying on in Istanbul, our page on the Istanbul airport private transfer covers the ride into the city.

Most hotels in Göreme will hold your luggage after check-out, so a late afternoon flight still leaves you a morning for a valley walk or a visit to the Göreme Open-Air Museum.

Tours that cover this

• Cappadocia Day Tour from Nevşehir Kapadokya Airport with Lunch: from $68 per person. Picks you up at NAV and covers the north valleys before you check in.
• Cappadocia 2-Day Tour from Nevşehir or Kayseri Airport: Red and Yellow: from $167 per person.
• 3-Day Cappadocia Tour from Nevşehir or Kayseri Airport, 3 Routes: from $297 per person.
• Private 2-Day Cappadocia Tour from Istanbul with Flights and Cave Hotel: from $695 per person, with the domestic flight included.

If you are starting in Istanbul and want the flights handled for you, see our page on the Cappadocia tour from Istanbul. For the full range of day tours once you are there, see Cappadocia tours, the Red Tour, the Green Tour and the Cappadocia destination guide. Still choosing a base? Read where to stay in Cappadocia and our page on Cappadocia cave hotels.

Frequently Asked Questions