Aksaray is a province in Central Anatolia (İç Anadolu), Turkey, on the southwestern edge of the Cappadocia region. It is best known for the Ihlara Valley, a 14-kilometre canyon lined with Byzantine rock-cut churches and frescoes, the towering Selime Monastery, and the Sultanhanı Caravanserai, the largest Seljuk han in Turkey. With the volcanic cone of Hasan Mountain on the horizon, the salt expanse of Lake Tuz to the north, and Göreme roughly an hour east, Aksaray serves as an uncrowded gateway to Cappadocia.
Top day trips
Handpicked excursions within easy reach.
Göreme Open-Air Museum & Cappadocia
Highlights: Byzantine frescoes inside the Dark Church (Karanlık Kilise), preserved in striking colour owing to centuries of darkness · Fairy chimney landscape surrounding Göreme village, walkable from the museum entrance · Tokalı Kilise (Buckle Church), the largest rock-cut church in Cappadocia, 200 m outside the main gates · Views across Rose Valley from the ridge above Göreme, particularly rewarding at golden hour · Monastic complex with rock-cut refectory, kitchen, and wine press still visible in situ
Nevşehir Underground City (Derinkuyu or Kaymakli)
Highlights: 11-storey underground complex once sheltering up to 20,000 people with livestock and food stores · Constant 13°C temperature year-round, offering natural relief from Aksaray's summer heat · Byzantine chapel carved at the third level, with a barrel-vaulted ceiling and stone altar · Massive circular rolling stone doors that could seal each level from the inside · Possible combination with Kaymakli Underground City, 8 km north on the D765, for a full Cappadocia underground day
Lake Tuz (Tuz Gölü) South Shore
Highlights: Vast white salt crust extending to the horizon in summer — one of Turkey's most surreal landscapes · Flamingo sightings from the southern shore access road, particularly from May to August · Sunrise and golden-hour photography with sky-reflecting salt water producing vivid colours · Near-solitude compared to Cappadocia sites; uncrowded even during Turkish summer holidays · Only 50 km from Aksaray with no entry fee — paved road to the access point
Konya (Mevlana Museum & Seljuk Quarter)
Highlights: Mevlana Museum: the tomb and former lodge of 13th-century Sufi poet Rumi, centrepiece of Konya · Alaeddin Mosque (12th-century Seljuk): serene hilltop setting with views across the Konya plain · Ince Minare Medresesi: intricate Seljuk portal carving and a collection of medieval stone sculpture · Konya's etli ekmek (meat flatbread) — a regional speciality served at street restaurants near the museum · December Şeb-i Arus ceremony: annual commemoration of Rumi's death with live sema (whirling dervish) performances
Sultanhanı Caravanserai
Highlights: Largest surviving Seljuk caravanserai in Anatolia, dating to 1229 CE under Sultan Alaeddin Keykubat I · Central kiosk mosque raised on four arches in the open courtyard — an unusual and photogenic Seljuk feature · Grand covered winter hall with barrel-vaulted nave and carved stone portals of exceptional quality · Free road-stop function on the medieval Silk Road: all travellers housed and fed regardless of faith · One of the best-preserved caravanserais in Turkey, with interpretive panels in Turkish and English
Acemhöyük Bronze Age Mound
Highlights: Early Bronze Age mound contemporaneous with the Assyrian karum trade colonies of 2000-1750 BCE · Excavated palace complex with monumental mudbrick architecture visible in trench sections · Ivory furniture inlays recovered here (originals in Ankara's Museum of Anatolian Civilizations) are among the finest known from this period · Open-access site with no entry fee; uncrowded even in peak season · Only 18 km from Aksaray — the closest major archaeological site to the city centre
Hasan Mountain (Hasandağı) Half-Day
Highlights: Summit at 3,268 m with panoramic views across the Aksaray plain, Tuz Gölü, and the Cappadocian valleys · Volcanic geology: scoria, obsidian fragments, and lava flow ridges visible on the upper slopes · Possible connection to the world's earliest known cartographic image — the Çatalhöyük fresco of c. 6200 BCE · Helvadere village springs and shaded valley at the mountain base — pleasant half-day without the full climb · Snow-capped summit visible from Aksaray city, serving as an orienting landmark for the entire region
Ankara (Hittite Museum & Anatolian Civilisations)
Highlights: Museum of Anatolian Civilizations: world's finest collection of Hittite, Phrygian, and Bronze Age Anatolian artefacts · Standards of Alacahöyük: gold and silver sun discs and stag figures from 3rd-millennium BCE royal tombs · Çatalhöyük wall paintings: among the oldest known examples of representational human art, displayed in context · Ottoman bedesten building housing the collection — a double attraction of historic architecture and world-class content · Ankara Kalesi (city castle): 7th-century Byzantine and Ottoman ramparts with views over the capital, a short walk from the museum
Trips by distance
How far you can go in a day.
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Getting there
Transport options for day trips.
Day trip tips
Make the most of your excursions.
Rent a car in Aksaray or from Nevşehir Kapadokya Airport to combine multiple day trips without relying on sparse rural dolmuş connections
Göreme, Derinkuyu, and the main Cappadocia attractions are 60-90 km from Aksaray — easily combined on a long day if driving
Lake Tuz is best July-September; combine it with a Sultanhanı caravanserai stop on the same day (both on the northern D750 highway approach)
The Aksaray Museum is open Tuesday-Sunday; pair it with a Sultanhanı and Acemhöyük car loop on the same day trip out of Aksaray
For Konya, an early departure (08:00) allows time for the Mevlana Museum, Sırçalı Medrese, and a Konya lunch before returning by 18:00