Kayseri is an old and large city with a strong economy. It carries lots of monuments from the days of Seljuks and Ottomans, and is also the home town of the most accomplished architect [http://www.greatbuildings.com/architects/Sinan.html Mimar Sinan]. Population has been steadily increasing and nowadays is around 800,000 in the urban center.
Kayseri was also on the Silk Route and Karatay and Sultanhan? posts on this route reside in Bunyan town's borders. Bunyan is also famous for its carpets which makes Kayseri a popular purchase-stop for tourists visiting Cappadocia.
[http://www.thy.com Turkish Airlines], [http://www.onurair.com.tr Onur Airlines], and [http://www.flypgs.com Pegasus Airlines] have daily flights from Istanbul to Kayseri. Sunexpress airlines has daily flights from Izmir and from Antalya to Kayseri. Beside the domestic flights there are also direct international flights to Dusseldorf, Stuttgart, Vienna by Pegasus, Onur and Oger. The name of the airport is Kayseri Erkilet and has the IATA code ASR. Taxi to the bust station takes 20 minutes, 27 YTL. 120 YTL for Cappadoccia, there is a good board outside the airport listing taxi prices to various destinations.
Trains [http://www.tcdd.gov.tr] run from following cities but they are not very popular as other means of transport are more comfortable.
Getting to Kayseri from other major cities is quite comfortable. The new 2x2-lanes roads make car travel much safer. Ankara to Kayseri takes 4 hours, Konya to Kayseri takes 5 hours.
It is very easy to get to Kayseri from other major towns. Among other [http://www.kentturizm.com/trindex.htm Kent Seyahat] is a Kayseri based bus company, and many other cities that have a route through Kayseri also offer quality service.
Kayseri bus station is new and bit. It has an internet cafe (.5 YTL for 30 minutes), left-luggage storage, restaurants, hairdresser, etc.
'''Hunat Hatun Camii''' is the most famous mosque in the city that dates back to Seljuks. Seljuks have also left a number of schools (''medrese''), tombs (''kumbet''), and hospitals in the city.
'''Mount Erciyes''' is the second highest mountain (3916 m) in Turkey and a popular domestic skiing location. Nowadays, foreign tourists have also started to visit the location. [http://www.erciyes-zumrut.com/images/pist_big.jpg Erciyes Ski Center] is 25 km. from the city center.
Handwoven carpets are the major touristic merchandise in Kayseri, but they can be quite expensive as some of them are silk.
'''Kayseri Mant?s?''' is the most famous dish Kayseri is known for. It's made from minced meat, wrapped in tiny bits of dough and boiled. It's served with a special sauce and ''yogurt''. It's pretty difficult to find a restaurant to eat it as locals always eat this at home and they are prepared much better. However, [http://www.kasikla.com/iletisim.htm Ka??kla] has now established a well deserved name in the city also for locals and if you can't get a local to invite you home, is definitely worth trying.
'''Past?rma''' is Kayseri's another well-known product. It's dried, salted beef covered with ''cemen'', prepared by a special process. Past?rma is served both as a spicy starter or used in dishes (e.g. in ''past?rmal? kuru fasulye'') or ''borek''s. Kayseri is the major source of production in Turkey. If cannot afford the restaurants, try buying 100 grams from a large supermarket or from old shops in the old shopping district behind the castle (''Kale'').
'''?skender''' is a kebap variant, and its name is associated with Alexander the Great. It's meat is prepared similar to that of ''doner'', but is server in dish, and with a butter sauce. Although others come quite close, a local restaurant called ?skender is the best place to eat this, and is located on the opposite side of Hunat Hatun Camii.
Gilaburu juice is a tradational drink from middle anatolia. Gilaburu (viburnum opulus) is a tiny, red fruit. It has lots of benefits to human body. You can drink Gilaburu juice in Elmac?o?lu ?skender (one of the biggest restaurant in the city).
[http://www.hilton.co.uk/Kayseri Hilton Kayseri] is so far the only 5-star and international hotel in Kayseri.