Ortahisar, Cappadocia, Turkey

Ortahisar means "middle castle," and as its name implies, it is central among the Cappadocian towns of Göreme, Ürgüp, Uçhisar and Nevşehir, and only a few kilometers from Göreme Open Air Museum.

Somehow, when tourism was growing rapidly in Cappadocia during the 1980s and 1990s, Ortahisarstayed more or less on the sidelines despite its central location.

Today it has enough services, including hotels and restaurants, and an intriguing museum/restaurant, for the discerning visitors who stay here, and abundant traditional town life, something that has been challenged in several of the more touristic nearby towns.

So Ortahisar is a good place to come and enjoy the real Turkey of the Turks, and still be close to—indeed, even walking distance, if you're a good walker—of several prime Cappadocian attractions such as the Göreme Open Air Museum, several seldom-visited ancientmonasteries, and a network of walking and hiking trails.

—by Tom Brosnahan

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