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Voykit pocket guide · Türkiye (Turkey)

Sivas

Give Sivas one night for the Seljuk madrasas and the 1919 Congress building, or use it as a rail break between Ankara and eastern Turkey.

Sivas sits on a high plain 450 km east of Ankara at 1,278 m, and its reason to stop is a tight cluster of 13th-century Seljuk madrasas around Meydan square, plus the building where Atatürk launched the independence struggle in 1919. It is an industrial city and a transport hub: high-speed trains from Ankara take 2 h 30 min, and the same station sends conventional trains on to Divriği, Erzurum and Kars. Most travellers need one night, or a half day between trains.

AdanaAdapazarıAfyonkarahisarAkçaabatAkçakocaAkhisarAksarayAkşehirAkyakaAlaçatıAlanyaAlaşehirAmasraAmasyaSivas200 kmdots: other places in this guide
Sketch, not to navigate by: shapes follow this guide’s areas and places, not official boundaries. North is up.
Country
Türkiye (Turkey)
Best months
May–Jun, Sep–Oct
Avoid
Dec–Mar (snow and hard frost); Jul–Aug midday heat
Stay
1 night

Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.

Essentials

Currency
TRY
Money
Currency is the Turkish lira (₺, TRY). About ₺56 to €1 in late September 2026 — check; inflation was still in the double digits, so prices rise several times a year.
Daily spend
Budget ₺700–1,200 excl. bed · Mid ₺1,200–2,200 excl. bed · High ₺2,200+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
SIM and data
Turkcell, Vodafone and Türk Telekom sell tourist SIMs at airports (passport needed); they are dearer than in town shops — check.
Emergency
All emergencies 112
Plugs
Types C, F · 230 V · 50 Hz · Standard European two-pin; UK and US plugs need an adapter.
Tipping
Lokanta / simple café: Leave the coins or round up.; Sit-down restaurant: 5–10% in cash, even if the card machine does not offer a tip; check for a 'servis' charge first.; Taxi: Round up to the next ₺10–50.; Hamam: 10–15% to the attendant (tellak/natır).; Guide / driver day: €10–20 for a guide, €5–10 for a driver per day.; Hotel porter / housekeeping: ₺50–100.
Water
Tap water is treated and chlorinated but tastes of it; locals buy bottled or 19-litre dispenser water. Restaurants charge for bottled water.
Toilets
Western toilets in hotels, malls and restaurants; squat toilets (alaturka) in older mosques and bus stops. Public toilets (WC) cost ₺10–30 — carry coins or small notes. Most toilets have a bidet spray; paper goes in the bin in older buildings.

What things cost

ItemPrice
Tea (çay) in a café₺15–30
Sivas köfte plate₺150–250
Taxi across the centre₺40–80
Museum entry₺20–100
eSIM or data SIM, about a week₺300–600

Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.

Get in

By air

VAS · Sivas Nuri Demirağ Airport
Two flights a day from Istanbul IST and SAW, about 90 min; roughly 20 km (12 mi) from the centre, taxi about ₺250 at 2022 rates (check current fare)

Typical fares

Ankara → Sivas, YHT high-speed train
about 2 h 30 min, three departures a day (check fare and times)
Sivas station → Meydan, taxi
about ₺30 at 2022 rates (check)
Airport → centre, taxi
about ₺250 at 2022 rates (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card

Get around

The centre is small enough to walk: Meydan to the Gök Medrese is about 15 minutes on foot. City buses cover the railway station, the coach station and Cumhuriyet University; taxis are cheap by European standards (2022: ₺6 flagfall plus ₺11/km, so about ₺30 from the railway station and ₺40 from the bus station — check current rates).

See and do

Known for

  • Seljuk madrasas (Gök, Çifte Minareli, Buruciye, Şifaiye)
  • 1919 Congress building
  • Sivas köfte
  • Rail junction for eastern Turkey

Day trips

WhereHowTime
DivriğiTrain from Sivas station toward Erzincan or Kars; bus also runsAbout 3 h each way by train
KangalBus or car on the Divriği roadAbout 1 h 30 min
Soğuk ÇermikCar or taxi east on the D200About 30 min
Yıldız DağıCar north of the cityAbout 1 h

Sleep

Meydan (Cumhuriyet Square) and around
The madrasas, the city museum and most cafés are within a 10-minute walk; best for a one-night stop.
Railway station side (Istasyon Cd)
Walkable to the centre in about 20 min; pick this if you arrive or leave by train with bags.
Highway belt (Çevre Yolu)
Chain hotels with parking, 3 km (1.9 mi) out; only worth it if you are driving.

Phrase card

EnglishSay or show
HelloMerhabamer-hah-BAH
Thank youTeşekkürlerteh-shek-kewr-LER
How much is it?Ne kadar?neh kah-DAR
The bill, pleaseHesap, lütfenheh-SAHP, lewt-FEN
Where is the station?İstasyon nerede?ees-tas-YON neh-reh-DEH
I don't eat porkDomuz eti yemiyorumdoh-MOOZ eh-TEE yeh-mee-YOH-room

Etiquette, safety and scams

Etiquette

  • Greeting: Handshake; 'Merhaba' (hello) or 'Selamün aleyküm' in conservative areas; cheek kisses between friends of the same sex; avoid: Offering a hand to a conservative woman first — wait for hers
  • Mosques: Covered clothing, headscarf for women, shoes in hand, quiet voice; avoid: Walking in front of people praying; visiting during Friday midday prayer
  • Hospitality: Accept tea or at least a sip; bring sweets or pastries to a home; avoid: Refusing food repeatedly; showing the soles of your feet
  • Politics and history: Listen; let hosts raise it; avoid: Opinions on Atatürk, the Kurdish issue, Armenia or Cyprus with people you just met
  • Ramadan: Eat discreetly in conservative towns during the day; avoid: Eating, drinking or smoking in front of fasting people in small towns
  • Gestures: A slight upward head nod with a tut means 'no'; avoid: The OK hand sign (can be read as rude) and a thumb between fingers
  • Dress in town: Shorts are fine in Istanbul and resorts; longer clothes in the interior and east; avoid: Swimwear away from the beach
  • Names: First name plus Bey (men) or Hanım (women): 'Ahmet Bey'; avoid: Using the surname alone

Scams and watch-outs

  • Winters are bitterly cold and snowy at 1,278 m; summer nights can still be chilly, so pack a layer even in July.
  • Some museum and madrasa signage is Turkish only; the City Museum has no English labels.
  • The castle is essentially a hilltop park with scant remains — do not plan a visit around it.
  • Carry small lira notes; card readers fail in small esnaf shops.

Sivas is a conservative inland city and feels safe by day and early evening; the practical risks are winter ice, unlit side streets after dark and long-distance road travel in snow.

One and two days

No timed day plan for Sivas yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.

  • Seljuk madrasas (Gök, Çifte Minareli, Buruciye, Şifaiye)
  • 1919 Congress building
  • Sivas köfte
  • Rail junction for eastern Turkey

Sources

Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.

Pocket card

Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.

Sivas

Bu adrese, lütfen

To this address, please

My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)

  • All emergencies112

No embassy in Sivas; the US, UK and most others keep embassies in Ankara and consulates in Istanbul.

Sivas is a conservative city: dress modestly at mosques and during Ramazan, and avoid eating or drinking on the street in daylight during the fast.

Voykit · checked 2026-09

Printed from Voykit (/sivas). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.