Car & Van Hire - Kayseri

Kayseri is renowned as one of Turkey's most Islamic cities, boasting a plethora of festivities and events surrounding the Islamic calendar. Aside from religious festivities, Kayseri hosts a wide range of cultural and social events. These include the Efes Pilsen Blues Festival, a travelling musical event with gigs in Kayseri from November, and the Kayseri Film Festival in December.

Kayseri's sports scene has a football (soccer) focus with several clubs, including the one-time Turkish Cup winner, Kayserispor. Games are hosted regularly at their home stadium Kadir Has Stadium. Other football clubs located in Kayseri include Kayseri Şekerspor and the women's football team, Kayseri Kadın FK. Other sports enjoyed in Kayseri include basketball which is largely hosted at Kadir Has Spor Salonu. The resident team is the women's basketball club, Kayseri Basketbol.

Kasyari's centre boasts a wide range of fascinating cultural and historical sites. The Museum of Seljuk Civilisation offers a great introduction to the region's Seljuk past. This works as a great primer for the many Seljuk tombs in the region, like Döner Kümbet and the Mahperi Hunat Hatun Complex dating from the 13th century.

Kayseri Castle is one of the city's chief landmarks. First built in antiquity, its current form dates from the 13th century. This is also where you can view the new location for the Archaeological Museum, which holds a fine collection of artefacts. Other noted areas include Surup Krikor Lusavoriç Kilise, one of the region's last remaining Armenian churches, and the Historic Kayseri Neighbourhood, an area of finely restored Kayseri buildings.

Kayseri's food scene boasts a unique blend of regional specialities and wider Turkish favourites. An iconic local dish is Kayseri Manti, a type of Turkish ravioli that can be eaten at Kaşıkla. Or try Kayseri Usulu Yaglama, a layer of flatbreads with ground meat. Noted traditional restaurants include Taşmekan Et Lokantası, Avlu Restoran and Çemen's Mutfak.

Kayseri boasts several modern shopping centres and charming old-school bazaars. The most iconic shopping space is Kayseri Grand Bazaar, considered the largest covered market after Istanbul during the Ottoman period. Today it's a fine place to shop for gifts, food and textiles. For contemporary, air-conditioned shopping, head to Kayseri Park or Forum Kayseri, two shopping malls with shops, restaurants and cinemas.

Mount Erciyes looms over Kayseri's skyline, beckoning visitors for hikes and adventures. In winter, the mountain offers one of Turkey's best ski resorts. The surrounding region boasts a wealth of mountain trails and scenic valleys, from Koramaz Vadisi in the north to Sultansazligi National Park to the south. Kayseri is also at the heart of Cappadocia, offering excellent driving tours of this captivating, fairy-chimney region. Göreme is just an hour's drive west of the city, providing a perfect day trip with a car hire or van rental in Kayseri.

Driving in and around Kayseri is made convenient by a network of three important state highways. The city itself provides quick connections with these highways with ring roads and overpasses for day tripping. It is generally well-paved throughout Kayseri's centre and suburbs.

Kayseri is on the epic 2,004 km-long D300 state highway that spans the breadth of the country from Izmir to Van. This provides essential cross-country travel while linking with many of the country's most important regional capitals. It's also on the 977 km-long D260 state highway, an important route from Afyonkarahisar to Erzurum for Anatolia travel. A north-south highway, state road D805, provides another useful travel link as it connects with the toll motorway, Otoyol 21, for speedy road connections to Ankara.

While Kayseri's highways provide useful links for travel in Cappadocia and Anatolia, there is a further network of local roads that are among Turkey's most scenic. These include the Kayseri Develi Yolu mountain road that passes through Ercİyes Ski Resort and provides some of the best driving in the region.

When driving a car rental in Kayseri, remember that vehicles are driven on the right side of the road throughout Turkey. Speed limits are expressed in km/h and are well signposted. Traffic limits are enforced by both static and mobile cameras, so always abide by the limits. As a primer, Kayseri and other urban areas of Turkey generally hold a 50 km/h speed limit. Highways and motorways reach 120 km/h, although some sections around Kayseri are limited to 90 km/h.

Parking in both Kayseri and the Cappadocia region is plentiful. Aside from designated car parks with wide berths, on-street parking is very prevalent. Hotels, business addresses and shopping centres provide some of the best parking, including underground and multi-story car parks.

Kayseri is not a particularly congested city. However, the rush hour typically lasts from 06:00-09:00 and 17:00-19:00. Traffic is more likely to run slow within central areas like İstasyon Caddesi. Be mindful of narrow, cobbled streets. While these are scant in Kayseri, they are everywhere in tourist sites like Göreme. Adjust your speed accordingly.