Urgup is a town located in the Nevsehir province of Turkey, 20 kilometres from Nevsehir. According to 2010 census, the population of the district is 34,372 of which 18,631 live in the town of Urgup. The district covers an area of (217 sq mi), and the town lies at an average elevation of (3,422 ft).
Urgup is a good place to base your travel in the Cappadocia region, with its array of hotels built into caves, wines and busy nightlife. It was one of the first settlements in the Cappadocia regions. The town has had several different names, including Bashisar in the Seljuk period, Burgut Castle during the reign of the Ottoman Empire and was first called Urgup when Turkey became the Turkish Republic.
The oldest part of Urgup town has many well preserved old houses worth visiting and there a Saints tomb on the Temenni Wishing Hill, which offers spectacular views of the town. The fertile volcanic soil makes for delicious sweet grapes, which are turned into wine at the local Ottoman-Greek style wineries.
With many cave hotels and restaurants, Urgup is a useful base for exploring Cappadocia. It is one of the largest towns in Cappadocia, and offers the highest quality accommodations, dining, and nightlife in the area. It is situated in close proximity to the major sights, which are best explored by rental car or by tour as many of them are not easy to reach by public transportation. There are, however, buses during the day to Goreme, Avanos, Nevsehir, Mustafapasa, and other neighboring towns.
The nearest airports are at Kayseri, and Nevşehir, with flights from most, if not all, Turkish airports. Book a transfer to your hotel beforehand otherwise you will be paying for a taxi. Bus services from all over Turkey arrive at Urgup, as well as Nevşehir, the regional capital, and the nearby towns of Avanos, Goreme, Uchisar, and Ortahisar.
The town center is marked by a plaza dotted with cafes, restaurants and a modern clock tower. On the far side lined with carpet and antique shops, and runs past a park inside which you’ll find Urgup’s small and unexceptional museum.
With many cave hotels and restaurants, Urgüp is a useful base for exploring Cappadocia. It is one of the largest towns in Cappadocia, and offers the highest quality accommodations, dining, and nightlife in the area. It is situated in close proximity to the major sights, which are best explored by rental car or by tour as many of them are not easy to reach by public transportation. There are, however, buses during the day to Goreme, Avanos, Nevsehir, Mustafapasa, and other neighboring towns.
Urgup offers the greatest selection for accommodation in all of Cappadocia. Most of the posher hotels are located here, but every year more and more locals decide to cash in on tourism and convert old houses into pensions, assuring that supply is always greater than demand.
In recent years a building boom in Cappadocia has created a surplus of accommodation and driven prices down, so that budget travellers should have an easy time of finding a place to stay. While there are no hostels in Urgup, budget hotels here can be a better value and much more comfortable, especially if you are not travelling alone and can split the cost of a private room.
Staying in Urgup will also put you closer to the heart of the social scene in Cappadocia, which thrives in Urgup’s numerous restaurants, shops, cafes, bars, and discos.
Urgup is a big town and has nightlife too,in the middle of the most beautiful landscape.
Like most Cappadocian towns, Urgup clings to the walls of a valley and tumbles down along the valley floor for some distance. Urgup has shops, a historic Turkish bath, and the Temenni Hill, a high rock ledge looming above the very center of town, with a saint’s tomb at its edge.
Urgup is easily walkable, but if you’re staying in the neighborhood of Esbelli, you may want to know that the hill up from the center of town is quite steep. During the summer months when the municipality fills the streets with clouds of insect repellent to combat the irritating swarms of bees that hover over your breakfast, it’s best to forgo the after-dinner stroll and take a taxi up to your hotel.
Before the Ottoman conquest, Urgup was a Christian centre. The troglodyte dwellings were carved by the early Christians as refuges. The rich Chiristian history gave way to the Islamic tradition and Urgup has many Islamic relics.
Urgup Town is also famous for its many luxury cave hotels and boutique hotel.
Urgup is conveniently located near many of the fairy chimney valleys. The majority of capped chimneys are only one kilometre from town on the way to Nevsehir, perhaps more than others these Fairy Chimneys have become a symbol of Cappadocia.
With a central location and a busy (for Cappadocia) town center due to its higher population (17,000) than Göreme or Uçhisar, Ürgüp is a logical base for exploring the surrounding area. In recent years it has become increasingly known for its boutique hotels, many of which are restored cave houses in the Esbelli neighborhood, a 10-minute uphill walk from the center of town. Hotels in this scenic neighborhood often have breathtaking views of the town and the nearby cliffs dotted with man-made caves. Some beautiful old homes formerly owned by Greeks, who were a significant presence in the town until the Greek-Turkish population exchange in 1923, have also been converted into hotels.
Downtown Ürgüp is a fairly tacky jumble of buildings built up mostly for the tourism industry, but it’s a good place to find banks, money exchanges, travel agencies, trinket shops, and even a Turkish bath and a few nightclubs. During the winter months, some of the hotels and restaurants in Ürgüp close, which means fewer options for travelers but a more tranquil atmosphere for those who are around.