Afyonkarahisar

AfyonkarahisarorAfyonis a city inCentral Anatolia250 km southwest of Ankara, with a population in 2020 of 245,405. Its fortress or citadel perches on a black volcanic crag, an obvious defensive position. The area is dotted with similar volcanic plugs, and underground heat makes this a geothermal area, with many hotel spas. These and the collection of mosques around the foot of the citadel are the main reason to visit.

Understand

Afyon - kara - hisarliterally means "opium black fortress". This is a large growing area for opium poppies - the open fields have been burned out to curb the illegal trade but production continues under tight control for medicinal opiates such as morphine.

Afyon produces fine marble, the Docimian Pavonazzetto variety being white with purple veins. The quarries are ugly places and the best place to admire the marble is in the many grand buildings it has gone to adorn, such as the Pantheon and St Peter's in Rome, and Hagia Sophia in Istanbul.

In 2004 the Turkish parliament decided it didn't like having a city called Opium (maybe too much confusion with YSL perfume?) and changed the name to Afyonkarahisar. "Afyon" is what it remains locally and on this page, but you might want to give it the full name when explaining your travel plans to border guards.

Get in

38°45′36″N 30°32′6″E

Map of Afyonkarahisar

By bus

Buses from Istanbul run every hour or two, taking 7 hours viaGebze,Izmit,AdapazarıandKütahya,for a fare in 2022 of 230 TL. Some continue toAntalyaorKonya.

Buses fromAnkararun every 30 min, taking 3 hr 30 min via Polatlı for a fare of 180 TL. Some continue toIzmir,another 5 hours.

Buses fromBursarun every two hours viaİnegöl,Bozüyük,EskişehirandKütahya.

Bus lines on these routes areMetro Turizm,Flixbus andPamukkale Turizm.

38.790730.51051Otobüs Terminaliis the bus station just off the bypass 3 km northwest of town centre. It's modern and spacious with cafes and shops, and long-distance buses often take a rest stop here. Take a taxi or dolmuş to get downtown.

By train

Konya Mavi Trenruns daily fromKonyaat 19:00 to reach Afyon shortly after 23:00. It trundles on through the night viaUşakandManisato reachIzmirby 07:30. The eastbound train leaves Izmir towards 20:00 to reach Afyon at 04:30 and Konya at 08:30.

A regional train runs fromEskişehirat 17:45 viaKütahyato reach Afyon by 21:00; the return train leaves Afyon at 07:30. Two other trains down this line only run as far as Kütahya, and trains no longer continue from Afyon to Konya.

A YHT line under construction towards Izmir may one day bring high speed trains from Istanbul and Ankara. Don't hold your breath.

38.764130.55252Afyon Ali Çetinkayais the town railway station, an Art Deco structure of 1939 named for the minister of transportation of that era. It's 1 km northwest of the castle.

Şehir Garı (City Station) 1 km west off Atatürk Blv was the terminus of trains from Izmir until it closed in 2017. The area has been redeveloped for industry, so its Ottoman chalets have been swept away.

By road

From Istanbul follow O-7 east onto O-5 then O-22. Continue on D200 via İnegöl and Bozüyük, then D650 / D230 south past Kütahya.

From Ankara take E90 / D200 / D260 via Polatlı and Sivrihisar.

Get around

AFRAY is a city suburban railway under construction. There's no word on when it might open.

See

38.756630.53211Afyonkarahisar Castle.It perches atop the crag above the town. It was built by the Hittites in 1350 BC and rebuilt several times since. It's reached by a 226 m climb up some 800 steps, starting from the southwest on Kale Cd above Ulu Camii; the project to build a cable-car has stalled. The site is open 24 hours free and has extensive citadel walls, cisterns and views but not much else within except trash.
38.755130.52962Ulu Camii(Great Mosque) near the start of the castle ascent was completed in 1277. Its roof is supported by an array of 8 by 5 wooden pillars that were originally richly carved. It's one of fiveworld heritagelisted wooden mosques in Anatolia.
38.753730.53353Sultan Dîvânî Mevlevîhâne Museum,Zaviye Türbe Cd.Daily 09:30-18:00.A lodge for the Mevlevi, the Sufi "whirling dervishes", now a museum.Free.(updated Nov 2022)
38.7630.53494Sülüm Mosqueon Birlik Cd north of the castle was built in 1813.
38.7580530.53825Victory Museum(Zafer Müzesi),Ordu Blv 7.Closed.This museum dedicated to the Turkish War of Independence is closed long-term for rebuilding.(updated Nov 2022)
38.753630.54036Gedik Ahmet Pasha Imaret Mosqueon Kurtuluş Cd is centrepiece of akulliye,a religious complex with a medrese (seminary), imaret (hospice) and hamam. It was built in 1472 and restored in 1795.
The Archaeological Museumat the foot of Kurtuluş Cd has closed down. It's not known what will become of its extensive collection.
38.769630.54867Altıgöz Brigewas built in 1209, and is still used by light vehicles.Altıgözmeans six eyes or arches. The setting is scrappy and not scenic.
38.764330.51858Tarihi Değirmenmeans "old windmill", a wooden tower. You mostly come for the view, as it's not as tough a climb as the castle.
38.9330.59Gazlıgölis a geothermal area 25 km north of town on D665. Lots more spa hotels here.

Do

Football:Afyonspor play soccer in 2. Lig, Turkey's third tier. Their home ground Afyon Kocatepe Stadyumu (or Zafer Stadyumu, capacity 15,000) is 5 km northwest of town centre.
Lunaparkamusement park 2 km northeast of town centre is in poor shape in 2022, with many broken rides.

Buy

Supermarkets are mostly in the residential areas northeast towards the railway station. The closest to the old town is Migros, corner of Kadınana Cd and Yeşil Yol Cd, open daily 09:00-22:00.

Eat

Cheap eating places cluster in the lanes radiating southwest from the roundabout on Birlik Cd.

Drink

Kızılay and other brands of mineral water are produced from sources around Afyon, but the tap water is safe to drink.

Many cafes and restaurants serve beer. A couple of free-standing bars remain closed in 2022.

Sleep

38.764630.5311Grand Arı,Milli Birlik Cd 108,☏+90 272 212 3535.Value for money hotel within walking distance of old town. No a/c and cleaning erratic.B&B double 800 TL.(updated Nov 2022)
38.756830.53992MCG Marble Hotel,Süleyman Gönçer Sk 2,☏+90 272 333 3196.Near the castle, this is a decent mid-range place, though the a/c doesn't work and cleaning is sometimes indifferent.B&B double 720 TL.(updated Nov 2022)
38.771130.5433DoubleTree by Hilton,Ali Çetinkaya Blv 25A,☏+90 272 220 0303.Chain hotel by riverside with spa, comfy enough.B&B double 1600 TL.(updated Nov 2022)
38.771130.5434NG Afyon,Atatürk Blv 14,☏+90 272 220 2222.Now you've arrived - comfy upmarket spa hotel west side of city.B&B double 3000 TL.(updated Nov 2022)
38.792630.45775Ikbal Thermal Hotel,Afyon-Kütahya Yolu,☏+90 272 252 5600.Large spa hotel at the highway junction west of town. Comfy enough but only just worth what you're paying.B&B double 2500 TL.(updated Nov 2022)
38.837130.42966Oruçoğlu Termal Otel,Kütahya Yolu 14 km,☏+90 272 251 5050.As the address indicates, this spa hotel is 14 km northwest of town. It earns reasonable scores for comfort, service and facilities.B&B double 2500 TL.(updated Nov 2022)

Connect

Afyon and its approach highways have 4G from all Turkish carriers. As of Nov 2022, 5G has not rolled out in Turkey.

Go next

Akşehirsoutheast was the home of the fictional Nasrettin Hoca, hero and sly wit of many folk tales.
Konyafurther southeast was the medieval Seljuk capital and main lodge of the Mevlevi "whirling dervishs".
Kütahyanorth makes decorative tiles, which adorn its mosques.
Uşakwest has a collection of preserved Ottoman houses.

Routes through Afyonkarahisar

Izmir←Uşak←	WE	→Akşehir→Konya
Adapazarı←Kütahya←	NS	→Sandıklı→Antalya
END←	WE	→Sivrihisar→Ankara

Thiscitytravel guide toAfyonkarahisaris ausablearticle. It has information on how to get there and on restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but pleasefeel free to improveitby editing the page.