Skiing in Türkiye where to ski, and how to choose

Read the table across a row to see what each mountain gives you, then down a column to compare one thing at a time.

Three questions settle most choices.

What standard are you? Beginners are well served almost everywhere. Strong skiers get the most from the bigger vertical and steeper ground at Palandöken and Erciyes.

How far will you travel? Uludağ, Kartalkaya and Kartepe are drives from Istanbul. Palandöken, Erciyes and Sarıkamış mean a domestic flight or a long train journey, and in exchange you usually get higher terrain and a longer season.

Where will you sleep? Palandöken and Erciyes sit close to Erzurum and Kayseri, so you can stay on the mountain or in the city. Uludağ and Kartalkaya are self-contained hotel zones on the mountain.

• Best for: All levels; open, high terrain; pairing skiing with Cappadocia
• Access: Kayseri Airport (ASR), close to the city, then a road transfer
• Base: Kayseri city, or a hotel on the mountain
• When to skip: You want tree runs, shelter from wind or a village atmosphere
• From our film: From Kayseri's centre up by gondola, a day snowboarding, and an evening torchlit session

Erciyes is a dormant volcano and the highest mountain in central Anatolia. The ski area spreads across its upper slopes in broad, treeless bowls that suit confident intermediates and give strong skiers room to move. Over the past two decades it has become one of Türkiye's most developed resorts, with a modern gondola and chairlift network.

Choose Erciyes over Palandöken if you are a mixed-ability group, want a shorter airport transfer, or want Cappadocia in the same trip. Erciyes and Hasan Dağı are among the volcanoes whose eruptions laid down the deposits later eroded into Cappadocia's fairy chimneys, and on clear days it stands on the horizon across much of the region.

Kayseri rewards an evening: a compact Seljuk centre around the citadel and covered bazaar, and a food culture built on pastırma and mantı. Read our Kayseri guide for the city and the Cappadocia guide for the other half of the trip.

• Best for: A hotel-based ski break; snowboarders; groups from Istanbul or Ankara
• Access: By road via Bolu; nearest major airports are Istanbul and Ankara
• When to skip: You want a cultural side to the trip, or non-skiers need things to do

Kartalkaya, in the Köroğlu Mountains, is the opposite of a city resort. A small number of large hotels sit together at the base, the lifts start at their doors, and most guests arrive on Friday and leave on Sunday. Snowboarders like it for its terrain and off-piste options.

Choose Kartalkaya over Uludağ if you want a quieter, self-contained mountain and don't need a city. Choose Uludağ instead if you want Bursa, or a cable car rather than a mountain road. Show Me Türkiye has no Bolu guide yet; the Yedigöller and Abant lakes nearby are the area's other winter scenery.

These are the mountains many Turkish skiers grow up on: smaller and quieter than the big names, and often just a drive from home. Each one has its own snow and its own season, so it is worth looking at them one by one.

Kartepe (Kocaeli). The closest skiing to Istanbul, on the forested ridge above Lake Sapanca. A small resort with a short, weather-dependent season. See our Kocaeli guide for Maşukiye, Kuzuyayla and the lake.

Ilgaz (Kastamonu–Çankırı). A small ski centre inside Ilgaz Mountain National Park, in old fir and beech forest. A quiet weekend that pairs well with Kastamonu's Ottoman old town. See our Kastamonu guide.

Davraz (Isparta). A mid-sized resort above Lake Eğirdir in the Lakes Region, inland from Antalya. The sensible option for skiers based in south-western Türkiye.

Saklıkent (Antalya). A small ski area on Bakırlı Mountain inland from Antalya, famous because in a good snow year you can ski in the morning and reach the Mediterranean by afternoon. Snow cover there varies a lot from year to year, so check conditions close to your dates. It is not the Saklıkent canyon near Fethiye.

Nikfer (Denizli). Denizli's own ski centre sits on Bozdağ, above the village of Nikfer in the Tavas district, and is run by the city's metropolitan municipality. Chairlifts and a drag lift serve the slopes, and there are lessons if you are just starting out. If you are already in the area for Pamukkale, this is the closest place to put on skis. The centre has been closed in some seasons, so it is worth checking that it is open before you drive up. See our Denizli guide.

Çambaşı (Ordu). High on the Çambaşı plateau above Kabadüz, in the mountains behind Ordu, this is one of the few places in Türkiye where you can leave the coast in the morning and be on the snow a short drive later. The road climbs from the hazelnut groves of the Black Sea shore up to the plateau, and at weekends you will find families from across the region skiing, sledging and simply enjoying the snow. Chairlifts serve the pistes, and there is a sledging area for children.

Snow and terrain come first. If two resorts suit you equally, what lies around each one can break the tie.

Cappadocia under snow. The fairy chimneys look entirely different in winter, and balloons fly on calm winter mornings, weather permitting. Erciyes is the natural ski pairing. See our Cappadocia guide.

The Eastern Express (Doğu Ekspresi). The regular Doğu Ekspresi is a scheduled train from Ankara to Kars that crosses the snow-covered eastern plateau via Erzurum, linking Palandöken and Sarıkamış into one journey. The separate Turistik Doğu Ekspresi is a seasonal, sleeper-only tourist service with longer sightseeing stops; its winter cabins sell out quickly once booking opens. Book either only through TCDD Taşımacılık. The Erzurum guide covers the route for now.

Thermal water after skiing. Bursa's long hot-spring bathing tradition makes Uludağ a natural resort to pair with a hamam. Further afield, Afyonkarahisar is Türkiye's best-known thermal town.

The coast for non-skiers. The Mediterranean coast stays mild in winter. For the full seasonal picture, see when to visit Türkiye.