Phrygian Way hiking guide: route map, stages & where to stay

The Phrygian Way (Frig Yolu) is a waymarked long-distance trail through the Phrygian Highlands of inner western Türkiye, the plateau between Afyonkarahisar, Eskişehir and Kütahya. It links the rock-cut monuments of the Phrygians, who ruled central Anatolia in the 9th to 7th centuries BC, with Roman and Byzantine rock churches, fairy chimneys, Seljuk tombs and quiet farming villages. The full network is 506 km, waymarked in red and white in 2013 by a volunteer team for the Phrygian heritage union FRİGKÜM. It has three branches that meet at Yazılıkaya, the "Midas City", with its carved Midas Monument.

The route

This guide joins the two branches that cross the heart of the highlands into one walk, south to north. Route 1 starts at Seydiler near İscehisar (Afyonkarahisar), with its castle rock and fairy chimneys, and climbs over open steppe to Alanyurt and Selimiye. It reaches Ayazini, the ancient Metropolis, where Byzantine churches and houses are cut into the tuff, then passes the Phrygian lion tombs of Aslantaş and Yılantaş and the Maltaş tombs on the way to Demirli and Döğer, which has an Ottoman caravanserai. From the Circassian village of Sarıcaova the trail crosses into Eskişehir province and climbs through Gökbahçe and Oynaş to Midas City. Route 2 then leaves Yazılıkaya past Çukurca and the Phrygian forts of Doğanlı and Deveboynu, goes west by Kümbet and Büyükyayla to Salihler, crosses the higher ground of the Türkmen Dağı foothills to Sandıközü and Lütfiye in Kütahya province, and follows the valleys past the İnli caves and Fındık castle to Sabuncupınar and the trailhead at Yenice Çiftliği, 15 km from Kütahya.

Officially Route 1 is about 140 km and Route 2 about 147 km. The line used here, rebuilt through the official villages and waymark posts, measures about 254 km and is split into 13 stages of about 19.5 km. The third branch, from Gordion near Polatlı via Pessinus to Yazılıkaya (about 220 km), is not part of this guide. The trail stays between about 900 m and 1,600 m; the highest ground is between Salihler and Lütfiye. In total you climb about 3,800 m, spread over long, gentle ascents.

Highlights

• Seydiler: a castle hill and fairy chimneys at the start, with the Kırkinler rock monastery nearby
• Ayazini: a Byzantine town cut into the rock, with a domed rock church and dozens of cave houses and tombs
• Aslantaş and Yılantaş: Phrygian tombs guarded by huge carved lions, among the best-known monuments of the highlands
• Midas City (Yazılıkaya): the 17 m carved facade of the Midas Monument, rock altars and a fortified plateau; open daily, free
• Doğanlı and Deveboynu: rock forts above Çukurca, close to the trail
• İnli and Fındık valleys: caves, springs and a castle in the greener Kütahya section at the end

When to walk the Phrygian Way

The best months are mid-April to June and September to October. Spring brings green fields and flowers; autumn is dry and clear. Summer days on the shadeless plateau are hot, and the dry season is when fountains can fail. Winters are cold, with snow and frost, and the Culture Routes Society advises against walking from mid-December to the end of January. Midas Han in Çukurca, the main guesthouse in the valley, is closed in July until 15 August.

How many days do you need?

The 13 stages in this guide take 13 to 14 days, or 15 to 16 with time for the monuments at Ayazini and Midas City. Four days are long (25 to 28 km): stage 1 can be shortened at Olukpınar, stage 2 at Selimiye or Eskieymir, stage 9 near Fethiye and stage 10 at Sandıközü. With a week, walk Route 2 from Yazılıkaya to Yenice Çiftliği, or Route 1 from Ayazini to Midas City, with a car or taxi for the transfers.

Accommodation and booking

There is no chain of hotels along the trail. You sleep in restored village houses with a "Frig Evi" sign (Demirli, Sarıcaova, Lütfiye, İnli and Sabuncupınar), in a few guesthouses such as Midas Han in Çukurca and İncinin Konuk Evi in İnli, or in your tent. Several stage ends have no listed place at all; carry a tent, ask the muhtar (village head) for the village guest room (köy odası), or take a taxi to a hotel in the spa village of Gazlıgöl (about 12 km from Ayazini), Afyonkarahisar, Eskişehir or Kütahya. There are no hotels in Seyitgazi, Kırka or Han. Most village houses have no published phone number, so ask in the village coffee house. Tour operators such as Mithra Travel sell self-guided walks on Route 2 with rooms, half board and luggage transfer.

Getting there and away

Afyonkarahisar, Eskişehir and Kütahya are on the main bus network, and Eskişehir has high-speed trains to İstanbul and Ankara. Seydiler is on the main road from Afyonkarahisar to Ankara, about 30 km from Afyonkarahisar: take a local bus from Afyonkarahisar or a taxi. Yenice Çiftliği, at the end, is on the road between Kütahya and Eskişehir, about 15 km from Kütahya. For the middle of the walk, Seyitgazi has regular buses from Eskişehir (45 km), and Midas Han runs paid transfers from Seyitgazi.

Money and phone signal

Carry Turkish lira in cash. Village houses, shops and tea gardens take cash only, and there are ATMs only in the towns (Afyonkarahisar, İscehisar, İhsaniye, Seyitgazi, Kütahya). Larger villages such as Seydiler, Ayazini and Döğer have a shop (bakkal), but walkers found none between Sabuncupınar and Salihler: carry food for two days there. Mobile signal is generally good in and near the villages, but can drop in the deeper valleys.

Difficulty

The Phrygian Way is moderate: the paths are not technical, but days are long, and much of it is on farm tracks and quiet roads across open country. Waymarks have faded or gone missing in places, so carry the Phrygian Way app or a GPS track and check it at every junction. There is little shade or water between villages: carry 2 to 3 litres, sun protection and a hat. Large sheepdogs guard the flocks; stand still, call for the shepherd and walk on slowly.

Safety

In an emergency call 112, the single number for ambulance, fire, police and the jandarma, which covers the countryside; since 2021 the old numbers (155, 156, 177) all go to 112. Hospitals with emergency departments are in İscehisar (7 km from Seydiler), Afyonkarahisar, Eskişehir and Kütahya, 10 to 80 minutes by road from the trail; Kırka and Han have small health centres. Tell your next host when you expect to arrive, keep away from the cliff edges at the rock monuments, and never climb on them.

History

Phrygia was a kingdom of west-central Anatolia whose people farmed the plateau and carved temples, altars and tombs into the soft volcanic tuff. The Midas Monument at Yazılıkaya, carved with an inscription in Phrygian, is named after the legendary King Midas. Later, Romans, Byzantines, Seljuks and Ottomans reused the rock towns, which is why Ayazini and Kümbet mix Phrygian tombs with churches, chapels and cave houses. The Phrygian Way was opened in 2013 to bring walkers back to these villages.