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aerial photo of hot air ballooning during daytime

Ürgüp

Go for stone mansions, wine cellars and a town base near Cappadocia's rock churches and underground cities.

Find a room in ÜrgüpStart with the essentialsPlan a trip to Ürgüp

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Ürgüp is a town in Nevşehir province, in the Cappadocia region of Central Anatolia, Turkey. It is the seat of Ürgüp District, and tourism is the district's main source of income, with a wine-growing industry alongside it. The old center has stone houses clustered around Temenni Hill, also called Wish Hill, and many grand 19th-century stone houses are now boutique hotels. Temenni Hill rises above the town center and has a viewing terrace and Seljuk-era tombs on top.

Ürgüp works well as a base for the area's main sights, including rock-cut churches and underground cities, and it has more amenities than many other Cappadocian destinations. The Three Beauties fairy chimneys sit on the road to Göreme, and Mazı Underground City lies about 15 km from Ürgüp. The town was known as Osiana in antiquity and as Prokopi in the Byzantine period. In late Ottoman times it was a mixed Turkish, Greek and Armenian town, and its Greek population left under the 1924 population exchange. The population was 24,647 in 2022, at an average elevation of about 1,068 m.

Ürgüp in five

  1. Pick Ürgüp for evenings, not for the valleysÜrgüp is a real town with wine cellars, stone mansions and a wider choice of restaurants. The trade is distance: the valley trails and the Open Air Museum are a taxi or drive away.Göreme
  2. Check how the balloon pickup works from ÜrgüpFlights leave before dawn, so ask whether your booking includes a hotel pickup and what time it starts. The operator's refund or rebooking policy matters more than the lowest price.Balloon ride guide
  3. Hire a driver or rent a car for the sitesSites such as Göreme, Zelve and the underground cities sit far apart, and local buses are infrequent. Tours and drivers save time; a rental car suits those who like flexibility.Getting around
  4. Book wine tastings aheadÜrgüp sits in a wine district. Some cellars open by appointment, so ask your hotel to call ahead and check opening hours.
  5. Plan winter for snow and fewer peopleCappadocia is cold in winter, with snow on the rock formations and more wind cancellations. Many cave hotels cut prices, and the valleys are quiet.

Need to know

Airport
Nevşehir Kapadokya (NAV) or Kayseri (ASR), about an hour by shuttle
Getting there
Flights to NAV or ASR, then a shuttle; buses to Nevşehir
Getting around
Taxis, tours or a rental car; walk the town center
Best base
Ürgüp center for wine and calm; Göreme for caves
Time needed
2–3 days

Weather by month

  • Rainy days
  • Snowy days
  • Best
  • Good
  • Mixed
  • Poor
  1. JanuaryPartly cloudy9 rainy days3 snowy daysHigh4°Low-4°Cold, snow
  2. FebruaryPartly cloudy7 rainy days2 snowy daysHigh6°Low-3°Cold
  3. MarchPartly cloudy12 rainy days2 snowy daysHigh11°Low1°Cool
  4. AprilPartly cloudy9 rainy days1 snowy dayHigh17°Low6°Spring
  5. MayRain13 rainy daysHigh21°Low10°Warm, green
  6. JuneClear7 rainy daysHigh25°Low14°Warm
  7. JulyClear1 rainy dayHigh29°Low16°Hot, dry
  8. AugustClear2 rainy daysHigh30°Low17°Hot, dry
  9. SeptemberClear2 rainy daysHigh25°Low13°Warm
  10. OctoberClear3 rainy daysHigh19°Low8°Mild
  11. NovemberClear5 rainy days1 snowy dayHigh13°Low3°Cool
  12. DecemberPartly cloudy9 rainy days2 snowy daysHigh7°Low0°Cold

Average daily high and low in Ürgüp, 2016–2025. Rainy day: 1 mm of rain or more.

Right now in Ürgüp

Local time, today's weather and the exchange rate, refreshed through the day.

Cloudy

15

Feels like
14°
Humidity
52%
Wind
4 km/h
Chance of rain
0%

Ürgüp

11:47 PM

Monday, November 2

GMT+3

  1. Today19°8°0%Monday: Cloudy. High 19°, Low 8°. Chance of rain 0%.
  2. Tue18°10°15%Tuesday: Cloudy. High 18°, Low 10°. Chance of rain 15%.
  3. Wed17°9°36%Wednesday: Cloudy. High 17°, Low 9°. Chance of rain 36%.
  4. Thu11°7°50%Thursday: Rain. High 11°, Low 7°. Chance of rain 50%.
  5. Fri8°4°32%Friday: Rain. High 8°, Low 4°. Chance of rain 32%.
  6. Sat7°2°2%Saturday: Cloudy. High 7°, Low 2°. Chance of rain 2%.
  7. Sun6°-1°3%Sunday: Partly cloudy. High 6°, Low -1°. Chance of rain 3%.

Updated 08:41 PM local time · Powered by WeatherAPI.com · Weather data by Open-Meteo.com

Money

Mid-market rate1 USD = 49.94 TRY

TRY · Turkish Lira

Rates from Nov 2, 2026 · Rates By Exchange Rate API

Day trips by train

  • Mustafapaşaabout 10 min by carA village of carved stone houses and old Greek mansions south of Ürgüp.
  • Avanosabout 20 min by carA river town known for pottery workshops and a bazaar.
  • Derinkuyu underground cityabout 45 min by carA multilevel underground city, on the Cappadocia MuseumPass.

Before you go to Ürgüp

eSIM for CappadociaValley maps and driver messagesRead the guide
Insurance for balloon seasonCover for canceled flights and fallsRead the guide

We may earn a commission. It never decides our picks.

Rules for Ürgüp, checked

  • Check whether your passport allows visa-free entry or needs an e-Visa before you travel, on the official e-Visa site.Source
  • Remove shoes before entering mosques, and dress modestly with shoulders and knees covered; women may need a headscarf.
  • Mazı Underground City lies about 15 km from Ürgüp, so arrange transport before you set out.
  • Check drone rules with the Turkish Civil Aviation Authority (SHGM) before you fly one over the valleys.

Ürgüp FAQ

Is Ürgüp a good base for Cappadocia?

Yes if you want a quieter town with wine, stone hotels and easy drives to the main sites. Göreme is closer to the open-air museum and the busiest balloon spots.

How many days do you need in Ürgüp?

Two to three days cover a balloon flight, the Göreme sites and one underground city. Add a day for Ihlara Valley or Avanos.

What is Ürgüp known for?

Wine cellars, old stone mansions and a calmer town center than Göreme. The Cappadocia MuseumPass and the main ticketed sites are covered in the Göreme guide.

Do you need a car in Ürgüp?

No. Tours and drivers cover the main sites, and the center is walkable. A car helps if you want dawn viewpoints or several sites in a day.

When is the best time to visit Ürgüp?

April, May, June, September and October. Summers are hot and dry, and winters are cold with snow and more wind cancellations.