Middle East - Anthony Ham [503]
Scattered about Kayseri are several conical Seljuk tombs.
Sleeping & Eating
Hotel Sur ( 222 4367; Talas Caddesi 12; s/d/tr TL40/60/75) Beyond the dark reception and institutional corridors, the Sur’s rooms are bright, comfortable and some overlook the city walls.
Elif Hotel ( 336 1826; elifotelkayseri@elifotelkayseri.com; Osman Kavuncu Caddesi 2; s/d/tr TL40/70/90) Despite their slightly worn bathrooms, the rooms are a bargain, with satellite TV and minibar. Ask for a spot at the rear of the building, which is quieter.
Hotel Çapari ( 222 5278; www.hotelcapari.com; Gevher Nesibe Mahellesi Donanma Caddesi 12; s/d/tr/ste TL60/90/110/120; ) With thick red carpets and friendly staff, this three-star hotel on a quiet street off Atatürk Bulvarı is one of the best deals in town.
Bent Hotel ( 221 2400; www.benthotel.com; Atatürk Bulvarı 40; s/d/tr TL75/100/120) Its name may not inspire confidence, but the Bent is a good midrange choice overlooking the pedal boats in Mimar Sinan Parkı.
The western end of Sivas Caddesi has a strip of fast-food joints that still seem to be pumping when everything else in town is quiet, including the fish-loving İstanbul Balık Pazarı ( 231 8973; Sivas Caddesi; mains TL3; 8am-11pm).
Kayseri’s best restaurants are Tuana ( 222 0565; 2nd fl, Sivas Caddesi; mains TL7), with views of the citadel and Erciyes Dağı and a roll-call of classic dishes such as kebaps and Kayseri mantı; and Elmacioğlu İskender et Lokantası ( 222 6965; 1st & 2nd fl, Millet Caddesi 5; mains TL8-13; 9am-10.30pm), where İskender kebaps are the house specialty, available with köfte or in ‘double’ form. Mmmm…
Getting There & Away
Turkish Airlines and Onur Air have daily flights to/from İstanbul. Sun Express serves İzmir twice a week.
On an important north–south and east–west crossroads, Kayseri has lots of bus services. Destinations include Sivas (TL18, three hours) and Ürgüp (TL6, 1¼ hours) and Göreme (TL10, 1½ hours).
By train, there are useful services to Adana, Ankara, Diyarbakır, Kars and Sivas, mostly daily.
Return to beginning of chapter
THE BLACK SEA & NORTHEASTERN ANATOLIA
Travel no further: you’ve found what you’re looking for. A place where resorts are nonexistent, where you can really feel a sense of wilderness and adventure, and where superb archaeological sites and hidden treasures are set among eerie landscapes – welcome to the Black Sea coast and eastern Turkey.
If you’re overlanding to Iran, Iraq or Syria, you will certainly need to transit parts of these fascinating areas; bear in mind that the weather can be bitterly cold and snowy in winter, especially in eastern Turkey.
It’s only travellers that have been slow to catch on to the appeal of the Black Sea. The craggy and spectacular coastline is scattered with the legacy of the civilisations and empires that have ebbed and flowed in this historic region. Often bereft of other travellers, the local castles, churches and monasteries, as important as the must-see sights in other parts of Turkey, remember the kings of Pontus, the Genoese and the Ottomans.
From the Black Sea coast, it’s fairly straightforward to get to northeastern Anatolia. This far-flung outpost is almost a void on the tourist radar due to its remoteness, making it a red flag to those hungry for the unknown. Here the flavours of the neighbouring Caucasus, Central Asia and Iran are already palpable. The saklı cennet (secret paradise) is a perfect blend of nature and culture, with many palaces, castles, mosques and churches dotted around the steppe.
* * *
DRIVING THE BLACK SEA COAST
To see some of the Black Sea region’s best views, looking north out to sea, travel the glorious, vertigo-inducing curves on the coastal road from Amasra, with its Roman and Byzantine ruins, to beachy Sinop.
Continuing east, Samsun has little of interest for tourists, but there are excellent beaches around the cheerful resort town of Ünye, on a wide bay 95km east of Samsun.