Cappadocia was on our bucket list long before we started discovering that Turkey has so much to offer beyond this region! The dream came true and it was probably better than we imagined! Below we have for you 10 places to see in Cappadocia, as well as a handful of practical tips on how to organize such a trip and where to eat!
The history of Cappadocia dates back thousands of years. In ancient times, the region was inhabited by various civilizations, whose influence can be seen in the monuments. One of them were the Persians, and it is from the Persian language that the name Cappadocia derives, meaning “land of beautiful horses.” Cappadocia also has a rich cultural heritage associated with the history of early Christianity. Christians found refuge there, fleeing persecution, as the region offered excellent shelter.
Cappadocia is primarily known for its characteristic rock formations called “chimney rocks” or “chimney cones.” These are unique shapes created by erosion, volcanic sediments, and geological activity. The rock towers, cones, and mushroom-shaped formations create a distinctive, surreal landscape for which Cappadocia is famous.
How long to go to Cappadocia? – 10 places to see in Cappadocia
We recommend going for at least three days so if the weather is bad you have more than one chance to fly a balloon, and also because there is so much more to do. Go to Love Valley to observe the balloons, and dedicate one day to enjoy the view from the terrace of your hotel. If you like trekking, a week-long trip will be a good idea but you can easily extend to several weeks, because there is no shortage of routes in Cappadocia.
How to get to Cappadocia? – 10 places to see in Cappadocia
There is an airport in Kayseri, about an hour’s drive from Goreme, where you can fly in both direct or catch a domestic flight from, among others, Istanbul. There you can rent a car or organize a transfer to Goreme – there are private carriers, but we are sure that the hotel will be happy to help you with this. Another option is to get there by car from another part of Turkey, especially if you are on a road trip, we drove over 700km from Istanbul stopping on the way at Tuz Golu Lake.
It would definitely help to have a car on site, because Cappadocia is not one town, but a whole region with a lot to see. If you do not plan to rent a car, you can take advantage of organized trips, there is no shortage of agencies that organize them, and hotels are also willing to mediate in the organization.
When to fly to Cappadocia and what’s the weather like? – 10 places to see in Cappadocia
Balloons in Cappadocia fly 250-280 days a year, and the most cancellations are in December-April, during this period you can get the cheapest balloon flight and have the best availability- in other months of the year it is pretty packed. In the summer it will be the most expensive and the most crowded, in our opinion a little before and after the high season is the best time to go to Cappadocia.
The maximum temperature in July slightly exceeds 30 degrees, but due to the lack of wind and the sun constantly present in the sky, the perceived temperature in Cappadocia is much higher than indicated. At the end of October, during our trip, the thermometers showed 15-17 degrees during the day, and we walked around in shorts and summer clothes. Due to the location, however, it is worth knowing that the temperature in Cappadocia drops a lot at night and at the end of October it was around -2 to 3 degrees. As it turns out, in terms of rainfall, autumn, i.e. September, October and even November, fall out better than spring in Cappadocia.
Balloon flight in Cappadocia – 10 places to see in Cappadocia
Where do balloons come from in Cappadocia? The first non-commercial flights took place already in the 80’s, they were brought there by the Raks Company, which ran a marketing project. The topic clicked and commercial flights began, but the place itself is not without significance. Firstly, Cappadocia has an ideal climate for hot air ballooning most of the year, almost no wind, little rain, and this lunar landscape.
Few people know that balloon flights take place only in the early morning due to the fact that it is the least windy time of the day. The balloon cannot be steered, so every day the take-off and landing depends on the direction of the wind, and the maximum wind speed for safe flight is about 16km/h.
Currently, balloon flights are a showcase of Cappadocia and there are about two hundred of them every day. The first batch of about 100 balloons starts before sunrise and in our opinion this is the best time – you watch the sunrise from the balloon, and 150 balloons fly in the sky at the peak of the season. The second tranche of 50 balloons rises 30 minutes later, and the third also 50 – 30 minutes after the second. The flight itself lasts an hour, the balloon rises to a maximum of 800m above the ground and it is a great experience!
Flights usually take place in baskets of 20-28 people, which are divided into sections of 4-6 people – smaller amount of people means more expensive flight, and even at the end of October there was no shortage of participants. Some complain that nothing can be seen in the cramped and large basket, in our opinion if you are going on a flight as a couple, even if you get one space at the edge, you will easily embrace the “turns” to see everything.
The costs of such a flight during the season are high. In October 2022, it was around 200-250 euros per person in a basket of 24-28 people. It’s much cheaper after the season (referring mostly to winter). By the end of October, we couldn’t find anything below 210 euros. Currently, the costs are reportedly around 300 euros per person, and considering the high inflation, economic crisis, and troubles with the Turkish currency, we wouldn’t expect significant reductions because there is no shortage of people willing to take the flight even at such astronomical prices. After the season, it is possible to find a flight for 120-130 euros. We assume that slightly later flights, when most of the balloons are already grounded, can also be obtained at a lower price.
It’s worth noting that even before the pandemic, prices reached around 200 euros per person, and with its end, tourists returned to Turkey with well-filled wallets, creating a huge demand for flights. We mention this because currently, the pandemic prices of 60-80 euros per person are unattainable, and many people are comparing prices to those levels.
Our flight was arranged for us by the hotel, and thanks to the fact that a group of people gathered, we got a discount. We flew with ‘Brothers’ and we highly recommend them!
Goreme – 10 places to see in Cappadocia
Goreme is the most popular village in Cappadocia and the most touristy part of the region, but it didn’t bother us at all. Despite the fact that there are plenty of luxury hotels, the atmosphere on the street is more like Asian chaos than the glamorous vibe of Oia in Santorini. The advantage of Cappadocia is that almost all hotels are boutique hotels, located in traditional houses, there are no huge resorts with hundreds of rooms. In the town itself, it is worth going to the viewpoint called Sunset View Point on the map, as one of the few viewpoints in the area, it is not free, but it is not a lot of money.
Goreme is a central point and a nice base, but we agree that it is the least peaceful of the surrounding villages. In our opinion, however, this is the best place if you want to watch the balloons from the terrace, because it is the closest to Love and Rose Valley where the balloons take off and land. In addition, the balloons also take off from the mountain just behind Goreme and fly over the town, descending low between the houses. If you are looking for a hotel where the balloons will fly closest, you are looking for the Seten restaurant near the hotel, unfortunately the hotels located there are among the most expensive.
When booking a hotel both in Goreme and throughout Cappadocia, make sure that you have parking included in the price. The town is very tight and parking places are very little, and free parking is scarce. A small free car park can be found in the place marked on the Yama Travel map.
Love Valley – 10 places to see in Cappadocia
If you think that the name of the Valley of Love (Asiklar Vadisi) comes from the fact that it is a romantic place to observe balloons, we must disappoint you. The name comes from rock formations that look like phalluses, so it’s a slightly different kind of love 🙂 The valley itself is a great place for trekking, but if you plan to watch balloons in the morning, it’s one of the best places and we guarantee that you will meet there dozens of photographers. Look for a place marked Peri Bacalari on the map, and when you get there you will see for yourself where the best view is from!
Uchisar – 10 places to see in Cappadocia
Uchisar is the highest village in the area and if you want to watch the balloon show from above, as well as spend the night in a quieter place, Uchisar is a great option. The town is dominated by Uchisar Castle, the top of which is the highest point in Cappadocia.
Red Valley – 10 places to see in Cappadocia
Out of 10 places to see in Cappadocia it’s one of our favorite ones! The Red Valley (Kizicukur Vadisi) was named after the red rock formations. In our opinion, this is a great place to watch the sunset. There are also a lot of trekking routes in the area and one of them can go all the way to the Rose Valley itself, which we highly recommend.
Rose Valley – 10 places to see in Cappadocia
The name, of course, comes from the rocks that are brighter than in the aforementioned Red Valley. Here you can organize a trip on quads or horses, but in our opinion, your own legs will work best. We recommend the 8-kilometer loop that starts here and leads from Rose Valley to Red Valley and back. The route is less than 8 km and without stops it should take about 2 hours, but there is a reason to stop there. It’s not very difficult, but it’s very narrow in some places and there are also a few ladders, so you need to be in moderate shape.
The first place worthy of a stop is Tea Garden, where an old man sells juice from fruit grown in the garden next door, as well as dried fruit. Right next to Red Valley there is a small wine bar (Kızılvadi Restaurant) run by a very friendly family. Then, returning from Red Valley, you must stop at the Direkli Kilise church (Kolonlu), the entrance is completely free.
Another wonder on the route is a church with well-preserved 1000 years old frescoes, the name of which we are unable to find, located right next to the Star Box Cafe, where we also stopped for a rest. The church is accessed by stairs and if you don’t get to the place with frescoes, ask the owner to show you the way, we would have missed by entering the first cave and not noticing the stairs to second one.
Goreme Open Air Museum – 10 places to see in Cappadocia
An open-air museum where you can see some perfectly preserved church frescoes. The first settlers in Cappadocia appeared about 2,000 years before the birth of Christ and discovered that the soft rocks were easily drilled into caves in which they settled. Early Christians fled to Cappadocia during the reign of the Roman Empire to escape persecution, and so from antiquity to the Middle Ages, Cappadocia was the cradle of Christianity. Hence the numerous remains of churches in these areas.
You have to pay to enter the museum of course, and the whole place was extremely crowded even at the end of October. We are wondering if arriving right at the opening or in the afternoon when bus tours go in a different direction would not be the best solution. We wouldn’t mind tourists if it wasn’t for the complete lack of culture – at one point there was almost a collective panic attack in one church, because people were pushing inside not allowing anyone to leave the temple… It’s worth a visit, but if you hesitate, we definitely had better fun on the trail from Rose to Red Valey.
Fairy Chimneys (Paşa bağları) – 10 places to see in Cappadocia
Another “outdoor museum” to see the rock formations, a bit less crowded than Goreme Open Air but definitely not as quite stunning. We liked the white rock formations to the right of the entrance, where no marked path leads and tourists do not get there. That day we were also supposed to go to the Zelve Open Air Museum, but after seeing these two places, we gave up – apparently Zelve is less crowded, but we decided not to check it out and go on the trail, which turned out to be a hit.
Meskendir Vadisi – 10 places to see in Cappadocia
Another valley and another beautiful views, in this place the rocks are bright and the landscape is very lunar. The valley can be seen from many places, we took the road leading to the Red Valley viewpoint and left a car in front of the cashiering booth at the entrance of Red Valley (many viewpoints have parking fees, usually 10-20TL)
Urgup – 10 places to see in Cappadocia
Urgup is one of the larger towns in the area, but it has a local rather than tourist feel to it. There are definitely less hotels there and if you want to save money, you can shop around for accommodation in this area – however, it is worth adding that the balloons will not be visible from there. It is also the place where you will get the cheapest souvenirs.
Ortahisar – 10 places to see in Cappadocia
Another quiet town, much less crowded than Goreme and Uchisar. In the central part, a high rock dominates over the rock houses. A great place for cheaper accommodation if you like peace and quiet.
Where to eat in Cappadocia?
Lavanta Panorama Cafe – one of the many cafes located along the road with a wonderful view and a wide range of set ups for Instagram photos. This part didn’t interest us at all, we came for the wonderful view of Ortahisar and the delicious pistachio coffee! Brewed in a traditional way with the addition of pistachios, it is real heaven, coffee with the addition of hazelnuts wasn’t as tasty but still good.
Chef Kebap Restaurant – affordable prices for Cappadocia and delicious food, plus free meze (appetizers) to start and unlimited Turkish tea.
Dibek – one of the more expensive restaurants we’ve been to, which is famous for Pottery Kebap (Tavuk kebap), a meat stew baked in a clay pot. To spice up the show, a dish burning on a tray is usually brought to the table where the staff “opens” our kebap. Apparently, most of the restaurants in Cappadocia “cheat” by serving reheated kebap, and Dibek is a place serving it fresh, so you need to book it at least 4 hours in advance. The kebap was actually delicious, but is it so delicious that you pay much more than in other establishments? It’s hard to say because we don’t have a pottery kebap to compare with other places, but this place seems a bit overhyped to us.
Topdeck Cave – A family restaurant that has both casual tables and traditional floor seating. In general, if someone told us that we would recommend a restaurant where they heat food in a microwave, we would laugh, but boy, the food was PHENOMENAL! The restaurant mainly serves pre-prepared mezes (various types of spreads and appetizers), which are prepared in advance anyway, and few dishes are prepared just before serving. Very delicious and reasonably priced!
Seten – restaurant and bar with a beautiful terrace where you can smoke shisha on pillows, one of the best views in the area. It’s a bit pricier, but it’s worth it for the view! The food is tasty but rather expensive and the portions are small, so we recommend going for a drink rather than dinner.
TIK TIK Kadın Emeği – Turkish milk bar that blew us away! When we entered the two-room restaurant, the grandmothers sitting on the floor at a small table turned their eyes on us – we thought that we had interrupted their dinner. As it turned out, these old ladies were making pasta by hand, which is sold there on the spot, as well as in takeaway packages. The menu is very short, typical of the region, and the prices are low. The food was delicious, we ate there small and very delicate dumplings with stuffing and sauce, as well as aromatic minced dumplings with homemade pistachio pasta – HEAVEN! We also managed to try an interesting yoghurt soup, halva, but baked and different from the one we know, and dried apricot stew. Felt like Sunday lunch ta grandma’s house.
Kocabag wine – it is worth knowing that Cappadocia is one of the Turkish wine regions with quite tasty local wines. The first winery we visited was Kocabag, we really liked the atmosphere there – the gentleman in the shop was happy to tell us about the wines and let us try a good few before we decided what we were taking with us.
Turasan wine – the largest winery in the region, which is said to have organized tours. We only visited the shop, which is much more touristy than the one in Kocabag. No one talks about the wines or lets you try them, but the prices are much lower than in the other wineries.
Where to stay? – 10 places to see in Cappadocia
In the text, we smuggled you a bit about where to look for accommodation, for us the most famous and touristy Goreme still wins. We slept in the Apex Cave Hotel, which has two nice terraces, which we wanted the most, and the prices were not so scary. The price includes a delicious breakfast (but no one makes breakfast when the balloons are flying, because it’s too early – if you’ve seen such photos, they were probably dummies :)).
