Why visit Avanos
Townapedia lists 4 museums and landmarks, 7 parks and trails, 87 places to eat, 40 places to stay and 2 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Güray Underground Ceramics Museum and Zelve village.
Weather in Avanos
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Avanos
Avanos is a town in Nevşehir Province in the Cappadocia region of Central Anatolia, Turkey, located 18 km (11 mi) north of Nevşehir, the capital city of the province. It is the seat of Avanos District. Its population is 14,968 (2022). Historically known as Venessa, modern Avanos stands on the banks of the longest river of Turkey, the Kızılırmak (Red River), the ancient Halys.
From the Wikipedia article Avanos (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Travel tips from other travellers: Avanos on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Things to do2
Museums and landmarks4
Güray Underground Ceramics Museum
Museum · 1.2 km
Zelve village
Monument and historic site · 5.3 km
Byzantine-era settlement in Cappadocia
Parks, trails and playgrounds7
Restaurants and cafes87
Piccolo Coffee & More
Cafe · Coffee Shop, Cookies, Pastry
64/A Atatürk Caddesi, Nevşehir
Mo-Su 09:00-22:00
75 more on the map.
History
Old Avanos is riddled with a network of small underground "cities" which may have once been residential but are now mainly used by the many pottery enterprises. Although there is no documented evidence to prove when these structures were carved out of the earth, it is probable that work on some of them began in the Hittite period.
As Venessa, ancient Avanos was the third most important town in the Kingdom of Cappadocia (332 BC – 17 AD) according to the geographer Strabo. Although it was the site of an important temple of Zeus, nothing remains of it today. In Roman and Byzantine times, Avanos had a large Christian population who were responsible for the rock-cut Dereyamanlı Kilisesi. Unusually, this is still occasionally used even today.
From 1867 until 1922, Avanos was part of Angora vilayet of the Ottoman Empire. Most of the visible remains of Avanos' history date from the 19th and early 20th centuries and take the form of many impressive stone houses, mostly built by the now-displaced Greek and Armenian populations. These houses are found in the older part of the city on the northern bank of the river. Avanos expanded rapidly in the early 2000s and there is now a lot of modern housing on the southern side of the river which was extensively landscaped and developed for recreational purposes in the years after 2010.
From the History section of Avanos on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay40
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Avanos - Cappadocia
Motel and hotel · 1.4 km
1 Kızılırmak Caddesi, Nevsehir
Churches and places of worship12
Shopping31
Gas and EV charging2
Schools, colleges and libraries11
Healthcare6
Map of Avanos
202 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Nevşehir Kapadokya Airport (NAV) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 28 km away.
- Göreme 8 km south, about 8 min by car
- Ürgüp 11 km southeast, about 11 min by car
- Nevşehir 15 km southwest, about 15 min by car
- Derinkuyu 39 km south, about 39 min by car
- Hacılar 53 km east, about 53 min by car
- Kayseri 55 km east, about 55 min by car
- Talas 61 km east, about 1 h by car
- Develi 67 km southeast, about 1 h by car
- Kırşehir 76 km northwest, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Aksaray 81 km southwest, about 1 h 15 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- Mapillary (see each image): photos
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Cappadoce-Avanos, Ludovic Courtès, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Zelve Cappadocia, Noumenon, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Street-level photo, empty, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, empty, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, empty, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, empty, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, empty, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, katpatuka, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, empty, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, mustafaakman, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, asturksever, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, robot8a, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, empty, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, empty, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, empty, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, asturksever, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, robot8a, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, asturksever, CC BY-SA 4.0
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