Dive into Afyonkarahisar's thermal springs, on a cold winter day

Five-star thermal hotels, history, natural beauty and local cuisine are the first things that come to mind when you think about Afyonkarahisar, Turkey's center of thermal and health tourism.

One of the main vacationing centers of western Turkey, Afyonkarahisar draws in visitors especially during semester holidays when hotels are fully booked.

Afyonkarahisar's famed thermal water reaches 42 degrees Celsius and offers its visitors a unique experience regardless of the season.

The province has always been rated as one of the top thermal centers in the country.

The town of Gazlıgöl in İhsaniye district is heralded for its mineral-rich thermal water that is known for its curative effects, while the Omer and Gecek hot springs in Bolvadin district are known to cure many illnesses and the Heybeli Thermal Tourism Center is a tourists draw for its history dating back to the Romans.

Full of vacationers during the winter and autumn time, Afyonkarahisar welcomes not only local tourists but also foreigners who are attracted to the thermal water, mud baths, and physical therapy and rehabilitation centers in the four different regions of the city.

The 5,000-year-old hot springs of the city cure skin and orthopedic problems, kidney diseases and rheumatism and attract day trippers over the weekends.

With a hotel capacity of 25,000 beds, Afyonkarahisar hosted nearly 1 million local and foreign tourists in 2018.

Besides being a thermal health center, the city also hosts many companies and nongovernmental organizations which hold their organizational meetings. The renowned 2,000-year-old Hudai spring waters in Sandıklı district offers mud baths to its local and foreign tourists.

Those who want to benefit from the healing effects of mud therapy prefer the hot springs in Afyonkarahisar.

Tourists can also visit Afyon Castle and the historical mansions in the same neighborhood.

The Mevlevi lodge in Afyonkarahisar is another historical structure, which is among 100 Mevlevi lodges in the world. It is accepted as the most significant Mevlevi lodge after the main one in Konya.

The city is also famous for its lokum (Turkish delight) and sausages - known as sucuk, which is made with ground meat, usually beef or lamb, with a high fat content and added spices.