Kayseri is a city in the Turkish region of Central Anatolia.
Understand
Kayseri is an old and large city with a strong economy. It carries lots of monuments from the days of Seljuks and Ottomans, and is also the home town of the most accomplished architect Mimar Sinan. Population has been steadily increasing and nowadays is around 800,000 in the urban center.
Kayseri was also on the Silk Route and Karatay and Sultanhanı posts on this route reside in Bünyan town's borders. Bünyan is also famous for their carpet which makes Kayseri a popular purchase-stop for tourists visiting Cappadocia.
Get in
By plane
Turkish Airlines and other domestic airlines have daily flights from Istanbul to Kayseri.
By train
Trains from Ankara and Sivas run to Kayseri but they are not very popular as other means of transport are more comfortable.
By car
Getting to Kayseri from other major cities is quite comfortable. The new 2x2-lanes roads make car travel much safer. Ankara to Kayseri takes 4 hours, Konya to Kayseri takes 5 hours.
By bus
It is very easy to get to Kayseri from other major towns. Among other Kent Seyahat is a Kayseri based bus company, and many other cities that have a route through Kayseri also offer quality service.
Eat
Kayseri Mantısı is the most famous dish Kayseri is known for. It's made from minced meat, wrapped in tiny bits of dough and boiled. It's served with a special sauce and yogurt. It's pretty difficult to find a restaurant to eat it as locals always eat this at home and they are prepared much better. However, Kaşıkla has now established a well deserved name in the city also for locals and if you can't get a local to invite you home, is definitely worth trying.
Pastırma is Kayseri's another well-known product. It's dried, salted beef covered with çemen, prepared by a special process. Pastırma is served both as a spicy starter or used in dishes (e.g. in pastırmalı kuru fasulye) or böreks. Kayseri is the major source of production in Turkey. If cannot afford the restaurants, try buying 100 grams from a large supermarket or from old shops in the old shopping district behind the castle (Kale).
İskender is a kebap variant, and its name is associated with Alexander the Great. Its meat is prepared similar to that of döner, but is server in dish, and with a butter sauce. Although others come quite close, a local restaurant called İskender is the best place to eat this, and is located on the opposite side of Hunat Hatun Camii.
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