How To Reach Konya

Konya is a large city in Turkey and is the 7th most populated. Being a thriving city, it's safe to say that they have all the public transport, which makes it easy to travel in and out of Konya. Konya is the home of the mystic Sufi scholar and poet Rumi, a land of the Whirling Dervises and a city of much cultural importance for Turkey. The best way to reach Konya is by flight. The domestic flights are not too expensive and save a lot of time. Though other modes of transport are also available once you arrive at Turkey's Istanbul airport.

Konya can easily be reached by air from most of the main cities in Turkey. Istanbul has several flights every day to Konya, with a flight duration of only about 1 hour. If you are planning to travel to Konya from India, you can fly from Mumbai or Delhi airport, directly to Istanbul via Turkish Airlines and then take a domestic flight to Konya. This is the best route which saves you a lot of time.

The railway network in Turkey is usually quite slow and is not a preferred method of transport. However, there are a few High-Speed Connections that have started recently, which get you to your destination very fast and the trains are also quite modern. From Istanbul, there is a high-speed train to Konya with a change over at Eskişehir. This route takes roughly 4 and a half hours. There are also many trains throughout the day from Ankara to Konya, which is a direct train route and takes less than 2 hours.

The bus network in Turkey is very strong and you can get a modern coach to practically anywhere across the country. From Istanbul, there are many coaches that can take you to Konya. The journey is 10 hours and would be better if you do this journey overnight, in order to make maximum utilisation of your time. It is best to reserve your bus seats a day or two in advance just to be safe. The distance between Istanbul and Konya is more than 600 km directly. If you have the time for a road trip and are planning to drive down or hire a private vehicle, it would be better to take the longer route via Ankara and have a stopover there, so that you can visit both cities.

Most of the main sightseeing attractions in Konya are located in the city centre and can be explored on foot. However, to generally travel within Konya, you can use one of their many public transportation systems. You can travel by Tram, which takes you to the old city as well as other places of Interest in its 25-stop route. The minibus service (Dolmus) is a cheap and convenient way of travelling around as well. Using a local taxi is of course always an option, and is not too expensive either.