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Municipality in Nevşehir, Turkey
Photo: Ji-Elle, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Avanos is a town in Cappadocia, in an area riddled by ancient underground dwellings. Its main industry is pottery and in 2022 its population was 15,000.
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Kapadokya Yaşayan Miras Müzesi
Ethnography museum in the former Hacı Nuri Bey mansion.
And you thought the cave houses were weird? At heart this is another pottery shop, with attractive designs and you can have a go at making your own mug. But the boss also collects visitors' hair and displays the results, to creepy effect.
Art museum in a cave, basically a showroom for the attached pottery.
Village carved out of the rocks near Paşabağ valley, with an ancient mill, winery and churches. It may have been occupied from Hittite times, but the big expansion of such dwellings was from the Byzantine era.
Extensive underground city discovered in 1972. Only one floor can be visited, but it's large.
Charming central hotel in a knock-through of four old houses.
Atmospheric hotel, some rooms are rock-cut.
Pleasant hotel on the slopes north of town, with great views.
Good value small hotel.
Great reviews for comfort and service at this hotel on the north slopes.
Big boxy hotel a short walk to town centre. It got bad reviews in winter 23 / 24 but looks like management have got a grip and smartened the place up. Bland catering, but secretly you were yearning for a respite from full-on Turkish.
Decent mid-price chain hotel often used by tour groups.
Comfy modern hotel with pool by D300, handy for motorists.
Long-distance travel is via Nevşehir, which has flights from Istanbul and buses from all directions. A swarm of dolmuşes buzzes between Nevşehir and the smaller towns of Cappadocia; Avanos is just off Highway D300.
Read in the guideThe old town on the north bank is walkable. The new town sprawls, and you need wheels to reach Zelve and the fairy chimneys. Look for tours, or you could negotiate a taxi to take you around for a few hours.
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Nevşehir · International · NAV
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