Cappadocia in Turkey is one of the most magical places on earth with its hot air balloons and surreal stone formations. Cappadocia’s landscape with all its famous fairy chimneys was formed by volcanic erosion around 60 million of years ago. When you want to visit this magical place keep in mind, that Cappadocia is not a city or a state, but it is a historical region. To make your trip to Cappadocia perfect, don’t miss my insider tips.
BEST TIME TO VISIT Cappadocia
The best time to visit Cappadocia is late spring and early autumn. This is from April till early June and September till October. The weather is more pleasant. It is not so hot like in summer, but it is also not so cold like in winter. Another advantage of these months is, that it is less touristic, so the prices are also not that high and you avoid the crowds.
WHERE TO STAY in Cappadocia
The best city to stay is Göreme. It is an ancient city with a lot of caves that is still inhabited and most tourists stay there. So you have a lot of travel agencys, restaurants, gift shops and ATMs around this village. Also it is the perfect place to watch the hot air balloons. The hot air balloons start and land at sunrise close to Göreme, so you have the perfect view of this spectacular event. When you are lucky and the wind comes from the right direction, the hot air balloons even fly about Göreme.
HOW LONG TO STAY in Cappadocia
The perfect duration for a stay in Cappadocia are 2 days. Watch the hot air balloons start on the first morgen and the other morning fly with one yourself. At day visit the valleys with its surreal stone formations around Göreme. If you want to see some sights more far away like the Lake Luz, Selime or the Ihlara valley you should better plan 3 days and book the green tour.
TRANSPORTATION in Cappadocia
You can rent a car and drive to all the sights by yourself. That is the more flexibel way and we only had positive experiences when handing over the rental car. But please be careful, people drive a little faster in Turkey.
Alternatively you can book the green and red tour at any travel agency, hotel or online. Both tours stop at the main sights of the region, but you have to reckon with a lot of people during these trips. In terms of price, it makes no difference whether you take a rental car or book a tour.
MONEY in Cappadocia
The local currency is Turkish Lira (TL). You can pay a lot with your credit card, but cash is also necessary (e.g. for parking or snacks). You find ATMs everywhere to pick up some cash.
Watch the hot air balloons in Göreme
Discover the area around the Open Air Museum Göreme
10 best things to do in Cappadocia
1. Visit the area of the Open Air Museum Göreme
Many travel guides say that you should visit the open-air museum in Göreme. We didn’t do that and instead went our own way for free. I’ll tell you why in a moment, but first let’s go to the open-air museum.
In the Open Air Museum Göreme you can see ancient Byzantine monasteries with churches, chapels and wall frescoes carved into the stone caves by Christian monks and nuns. In the UNESCO World Heritage site you get a comprehensive impression of the typical ancient caves of Cappadocia and this beautiful wall paintings. The Göreme Open Air Museum is a 15-minute walk or about 5 minutes by car from Göreme. There are sufficient parking spaces available for a fee. The visit costs around 15 euros per person, this includes 10 euros (300 TL) for the entry plus 4 euros (100 TL) to enter the dark church.
Why didn’t we go to the open-air museum? First of all, the museum is extremely crowded. The flow of tourists, who are delivered in huge buses, does not stop. So you can’t enjoy the museum in peace. We also found the entrance fee quite overpriced considering that there are some smaller churches and caves around the museum that are freely accessible. For example, on the way to the museum you can visit the Buckle Church (Tokali Kilise) for free and in the hills behind it you can admire many typical cave dwellings.
During my research I also read that the museum was getting quite old. So we preferred to explore the area around the open-air museum ourselves and enjoyed the viewpoints above the open-air museum.
2. Experience the Hot Air Balloons
The hot air balloons are the sights of Cappadocia. Everywhere on social media and in travel magazines you can see the photos of hot air balloons flying over beautiful rock formations at sunrise. You too shouldn’t miss this unique event. Either you fly with a hot air balloon or you watch them take off.
You can easily book a hot air balloon flight anywhere online, at your accommodation or at a travel agency in the streets of Göreme. A one-hour flight to sunrise with around 20 to 30 other people costs 100 to 200 euros (the prices fluctuate extremely depending on whether it is high season or not). Pick up is around 4 a.m. You start near Göreme and fly over the city and the surrounding valleys. It is definitely a once in a lifetime expierence you should add to your bucket list.
But it’s also worth watching the hot air balloons fly. I guarantee you fantastic photos. Find out when the sunrise is and be at your view a quarter of an hour beforehand. You can see the hot air balloons from a rooftop terrace in Göreme, from Love Valley, from the hot air balloon starting point and from the Asiklar Tepesi viewpoint.
The view over the valley close to Göreme
Explore the Devrent Valley and its caves
3. Explore the valleys
Cappadocia is full of impressive valleys with unique rock formations. Each valley looks different and offers new caves, rocks and history to explore. You should definitely visit Love Valley, Pasabagi Valley, Rose Valley, Devrent Valley, Red Valley and Pigeon Valley. All valleys are a maximum of 15 minutes away from each other by car and are spread around Göreme. Each of these valleys is perfect for a hike. Rose Valley, Pigeon Valley and Devrent Valley are free. At the Love Valley you pay around 20 TL for parking. Entrance to the Pasabagi Valley costs around 10 euros.
4. Go on a quad tour
A very popular activity in Cappadocia is a quad bike tour through the rocky valleys. If you like action, this is the way to explore the Goreme area. We saw these tours everywhere. The most popular are the sunrise or sunset trips. A tour of 2 hours costs between 20 and 30 euros per person.
5. Explore the valleys on horseback
Cappadocia is home of wild horses. So you can also explore the valleys on a horseback ride. For every horse fan, this is a unique experience in a surreal stone environment. Horse tours are offered everywhere in Göreme and also online. For a ride of around 2 hours you pay 30 to 50 euros per person. These tours are also often offered at sunset.
Go under earth in Kaymakli Underground City
See the stunning view from Uchisar Castle
6. Visit Kaymakli Underground City
There are probably around 200 underground cities in Cappadocia and 36 cities are discovererd. Three cities can be visited: Özkonak, Derinkuyu and Kaymakli. I’ll tell you about my experience in Kaymakli.
Kaymakli Underground City is just half an hour’s drive from Göreme. This is one of the largest and best preserved underground cities in the area. There are eight floors in total. However, only four floors are accessible to the public. Entry costs around 10 euros and you can walk through the underground city on your own or in a guided small group. I would recommend you to take the group tour so that you can find out the exciting background of the city. At the entrance, an employee will ask you whether you would like a tour or explore the caves alone. He then puts together a small group of up to 5 people.
This is an exciting experience you shouldn’t miss. Walking through this millennia-old city with its thin air, without any sunlight and imagine how about 3.000 people lived there. At that time, Christians hid in the caves from persecution and lived in poor conditions in very small spaces. Be careful: In some places you have to bend over for a while and everything is of course very cramped, so be careful if you suffer from claustrophy.
7. Enjoy the view from Uchisar Castle
For me, Uchisar Castle is one of the best viewpoints in the area. The sunset from the top of the castle must be a dream. The castle awaits you just ten minutes by car from Göreme. There is parking at the top of the castle or you can park below and walk out the mountain through the small village of Uchisar. The castle was built into a rock formation and probably around 1000 people lived there. The castle is no longer inhabited, but can be visited. Entrance costs around 4 euros (120 TL). I didn’t find the castle very impressive, but the view is amazing. You need about half an hour on site.
Watch a magical sunrise or sunset in Cappadocia
How about a ceramic as a souvenir?
8. Relax in a Turkish bath
Turkey is known for its hammams, so take the chance and visit one in Cappadocia. For around 50 euros you can pamper yourself in a Turkish bath. During this spa visit, you first relax in the steam room or sauna, followed by a full-body massage, a peeling and a facial mask.
9. Watch a magical sunset or Sunrise
Where we talk about the sunrises and sunsets. Both are incredibly magical in Cappadocia. Watch at least one sunrise and one sunset while you’re there. We mostly viewed both from a vantage point over the Valleys. We particularly liked the plain above the Devrent Valley, but the Love Valley and the viewpoints around Göreme are also particularly good for seeing sunrises and sunsets.
10. Shop at a ceramic store
When you are in Cappadocia, you will see little shops selling handmade ceramic pottery everywhere. The city of Avanos is particularly known for its terracotta ceramics. Ceramics have been produced in this region since the Hittite period. This is a tradition almost four thousand years old. How about a little practical souvenir from your vacation to Cappadocia? For 5 to 20 euros you can even attend a traditional pottery workshop and do your own artistic work.
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