Car & Van Hire - Nevsehir

Nevsehir has a stacked calendar of cultural and religious events throughout the year. Cappadox Festival in May/June is one of the region's newest, hosting live music and food over three days. Other Cappadocia-centric events include the Cappadocia Ultra Trail, an international marathon across the region's plateaus and valleys. The spiritual icon, Haji Bektash Veli, is also commemorated every August with local festivities.

Nevsehir's local football team, Nevşehir Belediye Spor, plays in the TFF Third League. There are also plenty of sports facilities across the city, including the iconic University Sports Hall of Nevsehir. By far the most popular sports, however, are based outdoors. Hiking, mountain biking, running and even skiing are exciting activities in the surrounding hills and mountains.

Nevsehir is a central location for exploring Cappadocia, with many alluring attractions nearby. Nevsehir Museum hosts the city's archaeological and ethnographic collections. The Nevsehir Underground City, a newly-discovered and restored area of rock dwellings, is also located to the south. With settlements carved into a hillside, it is marked by Nevsehir Castle on the top, thought to be built by Seljuks in the 12th century.

Nevsehir's food scene is reflective of much of Cappadocia, boasting a wide variety of grilled and skewered meat dishes, stews and meatballs. One of Nevsehir's signature dishes is Manti, a type of Turkish ravioli stuffed with meat, often lamb, and served in a tomato sauce. Taste Turkish dishes at Kanti Cafe, Areni Cappadocia and Sakli Kahve, or enjoy Western flavours at BBQ House and Paprika Burger.

Nevsehir has a number of indoor shopping centres for gifts or fashion sprees. Forum Kapadokua is located in north Nevsehir and provides a one-stop shop for food and shopping. Another highlight is Nissara AVM, a shopping complex with stalls and a cinema. There are no traditional or grand bazaars in Nevsehir, but there are a wealth of small market stalls for fabrics, gifts and jewellery.

Nevsehir is located in the heart of Cappadocia, providing a wealth of day trips and excursions by car. Göreme and its spectacular open-air museum are just 12 km east of Nevsehir. Here, visitors can explore the famous Dark Church, a beautiful monastic cave church constructed in the 11th century. Another highlight of Cappadocia sits just 20 km south of Nevsehir; Kaymaklı Underground City is an underground maze of cave dwellings and one of the best preserved in the country. Whether you're exploring these subterranean structures or heading out on rocky hikes and air balloon rides, a car or van rental in Nebsehir is a convenient way to explore this magical region.

Nevsehir is an exceptionally easy city to navigate with outward travel, thanks to a network of state roads that pass around the city. These include Cappadocia-spanning highways that link major settlements in Central Anatolia. On top of these dual-carriageways, there are many local single-lane roads which provide access to hidden gems and smaller settlements.

Nevsehir's major road link is the D300, a major state highway that spans the entire breadth of Turkey from west to east. Much of this consists of four lanes, although these narrow in and around Nevsehir itself. The D300 connects with the D765 state road at Nevsehir. The D765 is another important road linking Turkey's northern Black Sea shoreline with the south. The D302 provides Nevsehir's final state road, allowing access to Urgup and Göreme's major tourist sites and points of interest, like the Zemi Valley.

For those looking to rent a car in Nevsehir, remember that vehicles drive on the right side of the road throughout Turkey. Speed limits are expressed in km/h, with limits largely sticking to 50 km/h around Nevsehir. This limit increases on highways and state roads to between 90 and 120 km/h. While speed cameras are not that widespread, police cars are active in the area for mobile speed enforcement.

Nevsehir offers both on-street and lot parking options. However, most locals tend to favour street-side parking. Most business addresses, shopping centres and tourist sites have ample parking options. It is worth ensuring your hotel has a parking space to enable easy access to the road for excursions. Nevsehir doesn't have any toll roads surrounding it, making day trips a breeze.

Nevsehir does not get particularly congested, but it does have set rush hour times from 07:00 to 09:00 and 17:00 to 18:00. The roads to Göreme and other major tourist spots can get slightly busy during the high season, so be mindful of manoeuvring coaches and buses. Winter can be icy in Nevsehir and its surrounding roads – always ensure the Nevsehir car rental is prepared for these seasonal conditions.