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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.
- 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
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| 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 from the centre, taxi about ₺250 at 2022 rates (check current fare)Two flights a day from Istanbul IST and SAW, about 90 min; roughly 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)
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
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Divriği | Train from Sivas station toward Erzincan or Kars; bus also runs | About 3 h each way by train |
| Kangal | Bus or car on the Divriği road | About 1 h 30 min |
| Soğuk Çermik | Car or taxi east on the D200 | About 30 min |
| Yıldız Dağı | Car north of the city | About 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 out; only worth it if you are driving.Chain hotels with parking, 1.9 mi out; only worth it if you are driving.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Merhabamer-hah-BAH |
| Thank you | Teşekkürlerteh-shek-kewr-LER |
| How much is it? | Ne kadar?neh kah-DAR |
| The bill, please | Hesap, lütfenheh-SAHP, lewt-FEN |
| Where is the station? | İstasyon nerede?ees-tas-YON neh-reh-DEH |
| I don't eat pork | Domuz 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.
- TCDD (Turkish State Railways) e-ticket: ebilet.tcddtasimacilik.gov.tr/
- Sivas Nuri Demirağ Airport (DHMI): www.dhmi.gov.tr/Sayfalar/Havalimani/Sivas/AnaSayfa.aspx
- Sivas Congress Building and Ethnography Museum (Ministry of Culture): www.ktb.gov.tr/TR-96382/sivas---kongre-binasi-ataturk-ve-etnografya-muzesi.html
- Wikivoyage: Sivas, revision 5266100 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5266100
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.