Konya is the centre of Sufi culture in Turkey and the burial site of Jalal al-Din Rumi — the 13th-century mystic poet known as Mevlana — whose Mevlevi Order gave the world the whirling dervish ceremony. The Mevlana Museum, housed in the original tekke (dervish lodge), is Turkey’s most visited museum after Hagia Sophia. Beyond the spiritual core, the city is surrounded by significant Neolithic and historical sites: Çatalhöyük — one of the world’s oldest urban settlements, dating to 7500 BCE — lies 50 kilometres southeast, and the ancient Byzantine village of Sille sits 8 kilometres north. Below we map the best Konya tours by traveller type.
We have identified 8 top-rated tours across the main visitor categories. Prices are approximate in EUR/USD as of 2026 and vary by operator and group size.
Top Konya Tours at a Glance
| Tour | Duration | Approx. Price | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private Mevlana Museum Tour & City Highlights | Half day | from €40 | Culture seekers |
| Private Full-Day Konya Sightseeing with Lunch | Full day | from €70 | Comprehensive visitors |
| Konya City Tour with Lunch (Sille Village included) | Full day | from €45 | History lovers |
| From Cappadocia: Konya Full-Day Tour with Mevlana Museum | Full day | from €80 | Cappadocia-based travellers |
| From Istanbul: Çatalhöyük & Konya Day Trip with Flights | Full day | from €350 | Day-trippers from Istanbul |
| Konya: Private Walking Tour — Hidden Gems & Highlights | 1–3 hrs | from €20 | Solo travellers & walkers |
| Cappadocia: Whirling Dervishes Show | 1 hr | from €25 | Ceremony seekers |
| Konya Archaeology Museum Visit | 1–2 hrs | Self-guided | History enthusiasts |
Browse all Konya tours on GetYourGuide
For Culture and Spiritual Seekers
Private Mevlana Museum Tour and City Highlights
The Private Mevlana Museum Tour and City Highlights is the most focused option for travellers visiting Konya specifically for the Rumi connection. A private English-speaking guide leads you through the Mevlana Museum — the tekke complex where Rumi lived, taught, and is buried — including the dervish cells, the semahane (ceremonial hall), Rumi’s tomb with its distinctive turquoise dome, and the display of Sufi artefacts including a hair of the Prophet Muhammad’s beard.
The guide contextualises the Mevlevi Order’s philosophy, the practice of sema (the whirling ceremony), and Rumi’s poetry — content that the museum’s own signage covers only partially. The tour then continues to the Alâeddin Mosque (one of Konya’s oldest, built on the Alâeddin Hill) and the Karatay Medrese, a 13th-century theological school housing the city’s tile museum. Duration is a half-day, typically three to four hours. Prices from approximately €40 per person as of 2026, based on private group pricing.
Private Full-Day Konya Sightseeing Tour with Lunch
The Private Full-Day Konya Tour with Lunch extends the museum visit to cover the full range of Konya’s historical layers in one day. In addition to the Mevlana Museum and Alâeddin Hill, the route typically includes the İnce Minare Medrese (Slender Minaret Medrese, 13th century), the Sahip Ata Mosque complex, and the Sille Village excursion. Lunch at a Konya restaurant is included — the local speciality is etli ekmek (a long, flatbread-based meat dish cooked in a wood-fired oven) and Konya tirit (meat broth over bread).
This tour is most suitable for travellers spending a single day in Konya — either on a direct visit or as a stopover between Ankara and Cappadocia on the central Anatolia route. Prices from approximately €70 per person as of 2026.
For History and Archaeological Interest
Konya City Tour with Lunch (Sille Village Included)
The Konya City Tour with Lunch including Sille Village pairs the urban monuments with Sille — a village 8 kilometres north of the city that has been continuously inhabited since the 8th century BCE and retains a substantial Greek Orthodox Christian heritage. The 4th-century Hagia Eleni Church, built at the request of Helena (mother of Constantine the Great), stands largely intact. The village also has rock-carved chapels, Ottoman-era bridges over the Sille stream, and a quieter, less visited atmosphere than the city centre.
The combination of Seljuk, Byzantine, and early Christian layers in a single day’s itinerary makes this one of the most historically layered tours available from Konya. Duration is a full day with lunch included. Prices from approximately €45 per person as of 2026.
From Istanbul: Çatalhöyük and Konya Day Trip with Flights
The Istanbul to Çatalhöyük and Konya Day Trip is a full-day excursion including return flights from Istanbul, transport between sites, and guided entry to Çatalhöyük — the UNESCO World Heritage Site that preserves a 9,000-year-old Neolithic settlement dating to approximately 7500 BCE. Çatalhöyük has no above-ground architecture remaining, but the excavations reveal mudbrick houses entered through roof hatches, wall paintings, and burial practices under house floors. The site museum contextualises the finds with original artefacts and reconstructed room models.
After Çatalhöyük, the tour visits the Mevlana Museum in Konya. This is the most efficient way to see both sites in a day without overnight accommodation changes. Prices from approximately €350 per person as of 2026, including flights, which places it in the premium category but eliminates two travel days. Confirm current pricing and availability directly — flight-inclusive tours are subject to schedule changes.
For Travellers Based in Cappadocia
From Cappadocia: Konya Full-Day Tour with Mevlana Museum
The Cappadocia to Konya Full-Day Tour covers the 235-kilometre route from Göreme to Konya by minibus, with stops at the Mevlana Museum, Alâeddin Mosque, and the Karatay Medrese tile collection. This is the standard day-trip route for travellers exploring the central Anatolia circuit who are staying in Cappadocia and want to add a cultural day in Konya without relocating.
The Cappadocia–Konya drive passes through the Anatolian plateau, a landscape of flat agricultural land interrupted by occasional volcanic formations, and takes approximately two and a half to three hours each way. Departure is early morning; return is early evening. Prices from approximately €80 per person as of 2026.
For the Whirling Dervish Ceremony
Konya’s Mevlana Cultural Centre hosts authentic Sema ceremonies — the whirling meditation practice of the Mevlevi Order — on Saturday evenings at 19:00 (free entry, but arrive early for seats). This is the most authentic venue to see the ceremony; the Konya performance is a continuation of an unbroken tradition rather than a tourist show.
If you are visiting Konya outside Saturday, or are based in Cappadocia rather than Konya, the Cappadocia Whirling Dervishes Show runs in Göreme — a one-hour performance in an atmospheric underground venue. While not the Konya ceremony, it provides a clear and explained introduction to the Sema. Prices from approximately €25 per person as of 2026.
For Solo Travellers and Walkers
Konya’s central monuments are compact enough to explore on foot. The Mevlana Museum, Alâeddin Hill, Karatay Medrese, and İnce Minare Medrese are all within a 1.5-kilometre radius. A private walking tour with a local guide — bookable via GetYourGuide — runs from approximately €20 per person and provides the cultural depth that the monuments themselves don’t always surface. Duration is one to three hours depending on pace.
Practical Information for Konya Tours
Mevlana Museum visiting hours. The museum is open daily 09:00–17:00 (last entry 16:30). Entry costs approximately ₺400 as of 2026 — verify the current fee at the site before visiting. The museum is busiest on weekends and during Islamic holidays. Dress modestly: shoulders covered, no shorts; headscarves are available at the entrance.
Saturday Sema ceremony. The free Sema performance at Mevlana Cultural Centre runs approximately 75 minutes. Arrive 30–45 minutes early for a seated view. No booking required. Photography is generally permitted without flash.
Çatalhöyük logistics. The site is 50 kilometres southeast of Konya, on a flat agricultural plain with no public transport. A rental car or a tour with transport is the practical approach. The site museum is worth at least 90 minutes.
Konya cuisine. Etli ekmek is Konya’s most distinctive dish — a one-metre-long flatbread with minced meat, baked in a wood-fired oven and served by weight. Tandır (slow-cooked lamb) and Konya tirit (bread soaked in meat broth) are the other signature dishes. The restaurant district runs along Alaaddin Caddesi and the streets immediately north of the museum.
Getting to Konya. High-speed rail (YHT) connects Ankara to Konya in approximately 1 hour 45 minutes, and Istanbul Söğütlüçeşme to Konya in approximately 4 hours 15 minutes. Turkish Airlines and Pegasus fly from Istanbul to Konya in approximately 1 hour 15 minutes.