Konya Travel Guide

It is known that Konya has been inhabited since 1700 BC. The historic Silk Road passes through this city. The region has had many different names in history. These names are; Claudiconium, Colonia Selie, Augusta Iconium, Iconium, Conium, Stancona, Conia, Cogne, Cogna, Konien and Coni. The first settlement is known to be in the Neolithic era. In Canhasan, Catalhoyuk and Erbaa regions, historical artefacts from Neolithic Age, in Canhasan and Catalhoyuk regions historical artefacts found to belong to the Chalcolithic Age. Also in Aladdin Hill and Karahoyuk regions, ancient artefacts were found from the Bronze Age. Also, excavations revealed the first houses and the first sacred buildings in the Catalhoyuk area. The paintings on the walls of these structures are said to be the first examples of ancient people. The figurines found during the excavations provide information about the mother goddess culture. The rocks at Eflatunpinar and Eregli regions show signs of the Hittite period. So, we can say that Konya homed many civilizations throughout history, including the Lydian and Persians, has many historical buildings and ruins worth seeing. Here are some places to visit;

Museum of Mevlana

This place was formerly used as the dervish of Mevlana. Mevlana's supporters gathered in this building and held meetings.

Karatay Madrasa

The structure dates back to the Seljuk period. Madrasah is located at the foot of the Aladdin hill. The most important thing that distinguishes the madrasah from others is the characteristic of the tiles used in its construction. It is possible to visit the madrasah, which was used as a gathering place for dervishes in history.

Japanese Kyoto Park

Known as the most extensive Japanese garden in Turkey, the park was built in 2010. The purpose of the park is to strengthen the brotherhood ties between Konya and Kyoto.

80 Thousand Devr-i Alem Park

The park opened for use at National Sovereignty and Children's Day. The park has three separate sections. These sections are T-Rex, Cotton Candy and Cihan-i Turk.

Konya Tropical Butterfly Garden

The garden of flying butterflies area is a must-see in Konya. This place has 15 different species of butterflies. Apart from butterflies, you have the opportunity to recognize some other insects in the insect village in the area.

Konya Archaeological Museum

This place has the distinction of being the second oldest archaeological museum in Turkey. The museum was founded in the 1900s. You can see the Neolithic, Early Bronze, Middle Bronze and Iron age, Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine works in the museum.

Sultan Selim Mosque

It is one of the most beautiful examples of Ottoman architecture which was constructed in the 1500s. The mosque is located next to the Mevlana Museum.

Aya Eleni Church

According to legend, the construction of the mosque from the 300s. Helena, the mother of Byzantine Emperor Constantin, have been to Jerusalem for pilgrimage. Seeing the first signs of Christianity, Helena decided to build a place of worship for Christians.

When to Visit

Konya is located in the Central Anatolia region. In this region, winter months are cold and snowy summer months are hot and dry. For this reason, we recommend you to visit here in spring.

Where to Stay

Unlike other big cities, it is very difficult to find a seasonal rental house in Konya due to its culture. We, therefore, recommend that you look for a hotel directly near the city centre for your accommodation. The most preferred hotels in this area are Anemon, Hilton Garden Inn, Ozkaymak, Ibis, Dedeman, Pasapark, Gherdan Gold, Novotel hotels.

What to Eat

Due to its location, meat dishes are predominant. The most famous dish in the city is meat and bread(pide). In addition to this, okra soup, cebic, water pastry(borek), oven kebab, sacarasi, Mevlana pastry, are tastes you should try. Among the best restaurants in Konya where you can eat local dishes are Kandil meat bread, Ali Baba oven kebab, Kuzucu Ali, Somatci Fihi Ma Fih Restaurant.

How to Get Around

You can reach a place you want in Konya by bus, tram or minibus. In addition, there are taxis nearly everywhere. Konya is a big city, so you might need to use more than one public transport for your destination, you can choose to go by taxi to save time.

How to Get to Konya

By Plane: Since 2000, Turkey's flights are being held in many places to Konya. During the summer season, it is viable to find flights directly from Konya to some cities abroad.

By bus: Turkey has many bus services to Konya.

By train: There are trains from Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir.

By car: You can go Konya from Antalya and Adana in approximately four hours. You can reach Konya from Ankara with a 3-hour car ride.