The destination in Turkey at the top of many travelers’ bucket lists is undoubtedly Cappadocia. This insta-famous region in central Turkey has gained popularity in recent years primarily due to the stunning photos of hot air balloons rising over the other-worldly landscape.
Sometimes, popular destinations like Cappadocia can be overhyped, and are a bit of a let-down in real life. That is absolutely not the case here, and seeing the hot air balloons every morning 100% lives up to the hype! I remember reading somewhere that Cappadocia is one of the few places on earth that is actually a better experience with more tourists because the more people there are, the more hot air balloons go up. But hot air balloons are far from the only thing so see in Cappadocia, and hopefully this guide will convince you to see this incredible place for yourself.
Getting to Cappadocia
We flew to Cappadocia from Izmir after a few days road tripping between Ephesus and Pamukkale. The flight was quick and easy, but there are a few things to note about flying to Cappadocia. There are two airports in the area: one in Kayseri and one in Nevsehir. The airport in Nevesehir is closer to all the attractions of Cappadocia, but it is smaller, and flights are less frequent and (in our experience) more expensive. We flew into Kayseri, which is about an hour away from the main areas, but it was easy to arrange a shuttle bus to pick us up at the airport and take us to Göreme. There are shuttle buses departing all the time, and you can book a shuttle when you arrive. However, we opted for our hotel to book a spot for us on one of the buses.
It is not necessary to have a car in Cappadocia, and we got around just fine without one, but having your own vehicle would make it easier to visit some of the nearby sites if you don’t want to walk or book a tour.
Where to Stay
There are a few different small towns in Cappadocia where you can stay, but we highly recommend Göreme, which is the main town of the area and the most central. There are more restaurants, shops, and tourism offices in Göreme than in many of the other towns, which makes it a great home base. One of the launch sites for the hot air balloons is also right next to Göreme, so it is easy to find a place to watch them take off.
There are hundreds of different hotel options in Cappadocia, but most tourists want to stay in a cave hotel, which has rooms carved into the mountains. These cave hotels look really cool! However, I read online that they are often not the most comfortable option for accommodation. The rooms tend to be on the smaller side, and because they are literally dug into the ground, they can be dark, damp, and don’t have great temperature regulation. We didn’t actually stay in a cave hotel, so I can’t confirm if this is true or not, but maybe something to keep in mind as you search for places to stay.
I suggest looking instead for a hotel with a beautiful terrace for views of the balloons. Some of the insta-famous hotels with photogenic rooftop terraces can get very expensive, but we were thrilled to find a reasonably priced room with spectacular views at Osmanli Hotel Cappadocia. We loved everything about our stay here and highly recommend it!
Balloon Ride
The number one thing to do in Cappadocia is definitely to ride in a hot air balloon, and it is an experience that should not be missed!
I recommend booking your hot air balloon ride for your first morning in Cappadocia. The balloons go up every day, weather permitting. In case of high winds, they will cancel, so it’s best to book your balloon ride for the first day, so that if the balloons don’t go up, you can reschedule for another day. We booked our balloon ride through our hotel a few weeks in advance of the trip, and thank goodness we booked ahead because when we arrived, the front desk told us that the balloons were completely booked for the whole month!
The price of your balloon ride will vary depending on how many people are in the basket. You can book a balloon all to yourself, which is quite expensive, or book a spot in small, medium, or large basket. In general, the biggest baskets hold about 28 people and the smallest baskets hold about 16 people regardless of the company you book with. We went for a medium sized basket, which was perfect. We saved a little money, but still had enough space to maneuver around the basket and get great photos.
A shuttle bus came to pick us up at some ungodly hour of the morning, 4:30 I think, and took us to their office in Goreme where we checked in and had a light breakfast before being driven out to the balloon launch point. Having grown up in Albuquerque, home to one of the largest hot air balloon festivals in the world, seeing the balloon get blown up wasn’t something I hadn’t seen before, but I’d never actually ridden in a hot air balloon. Once the balloon was inflated, we scrambled into the basket, and then we were off!
I’m not going to lie, taking off in the hot air balloon was a little scarier than I thought it would be. But once we were in the air, I forgot that first jolt of fear and enjoyed the peaceful sunrise over the incredible landscape. Simply seeing the scenery from above would have made this hot air balloon ride worth the price, but it was extra special being up in the air surrounded by all the other hot air balloons.
After about an hour, it was time for our descent, which was also a little frightening. We were one of the last balloons to land, which meant all the good landing spots were already taken, and we ended up pretty far outside of town. We celebrated the successful flight with a glass of champagne before being shuttled back to Goreme.
This was hands down the best thing we did in Cappadocia, so don’t hesitate to book your balloon flight!
Watch the Balloons from Your Hotel
Only slightly less magical than actually flying in a hot air balloon, the next thing you have to do in Cappadocia is watch the balloons from your hotel. Most hotels in the area will have some type of viewing spot, and we loved our stay at Osmanli Hotel because of their beautiful terrace with amazing views of the balloons. Definitely make sure to get up early to watch the balloons every morning of your stay in Cappadocia. We watched the balloons from the hotel terrace our second morning in the area and had the best view! The balloons floated right past us, almost close enough to touch. We also got some of my favorite photos of the trip on this morning.
Watch the Balloons from Red Valley
If, like us, you are staying in Cappadocia for multiple days, it is also worth dragging yourself out of bed before dark to watch the balloons from Red Valley. This valley is often either the launch site or the landing site for the balloons depending on the direction of the wind. On the morning we went to Red Valley, the balloons took off from this spot, and we got lots of incredible photos while watching the balloons take off.
Paşabaği
While the main reason you came to Cappadocia is probably the balloons, there is a lot more to see in the area. Cappadocia is full of historical significance and stunning landscapes, both of which can be enjoyed as Paşabaği . Here you’ll find cave dwellings and a small collection of fairy chimneys, not to mention incredible views of the surrounding areas.
We made the mistake of walking there. Our hotel had given us a map of all the hiking trails when we checked in, and on it, there was a very clear trail going right to Paşabaği. Well, I’m not sure if we just missed the trail entirely, or if we took a wrong turn somewhere, but we definitely got lost, and while we made it in the end, the route was not as clear as I expected. This turned out to be a theme for all of our hikes in Cappadocia, as you’ll see.
Uçhisar Castle
Located about three miles from Goreme, Uchisar is another incredibly scenic and historic part of Cappadocia. Once again, we got there by walking, and once again, we got lost.
Actually, we walked to Uchisar twice, once to see the “castle”, and once to do a wine tasting. The second time, we did manage to find the trail through Pigeon Valley (which I’ll talk about more below), but the first time, we somehow stayed along the top of the valley rather than descending into it. This made for a blistering hot three mile walk, but we made it, and the views were totally worth it!
Uchisar Castle is not actually a castle, but instead a huge rock formation filled with cave dwellings and passageways dating back to the Byzantine era. This is an incredible area to explore and take in the views.
Goreme Open Air Museum
If you want to explore the history of Cappadocia, there is no better place to do it than the Goreme Open Air Museum. A Unesco World Heritage site, this is one of the best places in the area to see cave churches. During the Byzantine era, Christians facing persecution fled to Cappadocia where they built entire cities, including homes, businesses, and churches carved into the soft rock the area is famous for. Some of these cave churches are incredibly ornate, covered in well-preserved frescoes in a rainbow of colors. Some of the best examples can be found at the Goreme Open Air Museum.
Do note that photography is not allowed inside the cave churches, so you’ll just have to come see if for yourselves.
Go for a Hike
As I mentioned before, hiking in Cappadocia was far more challenging than I expected. This is mainly because none of the trails are well-marked, and the maps are confusing at best and outright misleading at worst. Now, we are not novice hikers. We know how to read a trail map. I think that the problem was that lots of dirt paths traverse the mountains that are not drawn on the maps, meaning there were many, many times when we thought we were on an official trail, but we weren’t.
So here is my advice. #1: If you find yourself on a tiny, brush-lined path thinking, “This doesn’t seem like a trail anymore,” turn around. You probably missed a tiny, obscure turnoff somewhere. #2: If you are certain you are on a trail, but then it suddenly dead-ends at the edge of a cliff, turn around. You probably missed a tiny, obscure turnoff somewhere. #3: Assume any hike will take twice as long as you expect because of all the times you will get lost. #4 And finally, bring lots of water, especially if you are visiting in the summer like we did because the heat in Cappadocia can be intense. At one point, when we were the most lost, Ben seemed like he was on the verge of getting heat stroke, and we were out of water, so I forced him to sit in the shade and eat wild grapes that were growing along the side of the trail-that-was-not-actually-a-trail. It was funny, but at the same time, really not funny.
Maybe my description does not make you want to do any hiking in Cappadocia, but I promise that in spite of all our hiccups, the scenery was beautiful and well-worth the effort. Or if you prefer, book a hiking tour or hire a guide who will keep you on the right path, literally.
Love Valley
One of the best places to hike in Cappadocia is Love Valley. We hiked through Love Valley from Uchisar back to our hotel just outside Goreme. This was one of our favorite hikes and one of the easiest to navigate, but you can also see the Love Valley from above if you have a car and can drive to one of the many viewpoints along the top edge of the valley.
Getting to the trail was the hardest part. From Uchisar, walk along the road until you get to a little souvenir store called Ozler. Behind the store, there is a small road that leads to the trail. We initially walked past the turnoff for the trail, but luckily didn’t go too far before we realized it. The road you want to walk down is called Baglidere Yolu on Google Maps. You’ll walk for a couple of minutes on this road until you come across a stand selling fruit juice. This stand is right next to the turnoff you’ll use to descend into the valley. It’s smooth sailing from there. The whole hike takes about an hour and a half.
Love Valley is named for the phallic rock formations that fill the valley. I’ve never seen a landscape like this anywhere else in the world, and it was well-worth the journey to get there. When walking through Love Valley from Uchisar, the most popular viewing area is at the very end of the hike, right before you make your way back to the main road. We enjoyed exploring this area before walking back to our hotel. Note that there is no way to reach the viewpoint on top of the valley from the trail. (Trust me, we tried every different possible way to get up there!) So if you want to see Love Valley from above, you’ll have to come back via the road.
Red Valley
Red Valley (and the adjoining Rose Valley) is probably the most accessible hiking area in Cappadocia if you are staying in Goreme. The scenery is beautiful. The trails (such as they are) are not too steep, and the area is dotted with cave dwellings and cave churches just waiting to be explored. That being said, it is easy to get well and truly lost in this area. So much so that we did it twice! We walked through this valley on our way back to Goreme from Pasabagi, which is when the whole wild grape/ heat stroke fiasco happened. I was also wearing a dress because “we were only hiking like two miles. I can do that in a dress.” Ah, the naivete. Then, we did another hike on our last afternoon in Cappadocia in which our “loop trail” turned into an “out and back” because we simply could not figure out where we were. I will reiterate we are not novice hikers. We would be on a marked trail, and then suddenly, we wouldn’t be anymore.
Nevertheless, as long as you are prepared and have plenty of time, I highly recommend hiking in Red Valley because you’ll see some truly unique things here. The scenery and rock formations (as with the rest of Cappadocia) is stunning, but the hike is extra special because of the cave churches. These cave churches are just like the ones in the Goreme Open Air Museum (minus the intricate paintings) but you can wander in and out as you please and explore every nook and cranny.
Pigeon Valley
Determined not to let Pigeon Valley defeat us, we returned and did this hike from Goreme to Uchisar the right way. By now, we had figured out the possible pitfalls to fall into when hiking in Cappadocia (figurative pitfalls, although I suppose you should watch out for literal pitfalls too), and had a better game plan. I was able to find the trail on Google Maps (note you want Pigeon Valley Trailhead East, NOT Goreme to Pigeon Valley Walk). Along the way, you’ll walk through some rock tunnels, admire amazing viewpoints, and even past a trailside café if you need a cup of coffee or tea to keep you going.
Eat a Testi Kebab
The last thing I have on my list of things to see and do in Cappadocia involves a lot less physical exertion, but might be a nice reward after one of your hikes. Eat a testi kebab. A testi kebab is a local dish cooked for hours in a sealed clay pot. When it’s ready, the pot is brought out and cracked in front of you, releasing a delicious and fragrant stew-like dish. Note that many restaurants that serve testi kebabs actually require you to order a day in advance since the dish takes so long to cook.
We tried a testi kebab at a restaurant in Goreme called Pumpkin, which I highly recommend. This was definitely the best meal we ate in Cappadocia, and their testi kebab has an added flair because it is still on fire when they bring it to your table!
Phew, if that seems like a massive list of things to see and do in Cappadocia, that’s because it is! And yet there are many more things that we didn’t have time for in our three days. (Next time, I definitely want to visit one of the underground cities!) Cappadocia is one of those destinations that is famous for a reason, and I promise that seeing the hot air balloons in real life is even more magical than the pictures you’ve seen online. It’s a destination not to be missed!
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