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Cappadocia itinerary

Every place in “12 Top Things to Do in Cappadocia”. Save places in the guide to make this list yours.

  1. 1

    Hot Air Balloon Sunrise Flight

    A pre-dawn balloon flight over Goreme is the single most iconic experience in Cappadocia. Pickup from your hotel happens around 04:30, and you watch the burners spark to life as the basket inflates beside roughly 100…

    Address
    Goreme Balloon Launch Field, Goreme, 50180 Nevsehir
    Nearest transit
    Free hotel pickup at 04:30 - 05:00 from all Goreme cave hotels; private transfer from Urgup adds 15 minutes
  2. 2

    Goreme Open Air Museum

    Carved into a cluster of volcanic tuff cones, the Goreme Open Air Museum holds the densest concentration of frescoed cave churches in Anatolia. The complex was a Byzantine monastic settlement between the 9th and 12th…

    Address
    Muze Caddesi, Goreme, 50180 Nevsehir
    Nearest transit
    30-minute walk from Goreme otogar; dolmus to Open Air Museum runs every 45 minutes for TRY 80
  3. 3

    Uchisar Castle

    Towering 60 metres above the surrounding plateau, Uchisar Castle is the highest point in Cappadocia and the easiest panoramic viewpoint of the region's geology. The fortress is a hollowed volcanic outcrop riddled with…

    Address
    Tekelli Mahallesi, Uchisar Kalesi, 50240 Nevsehir
    Nearest transit
    Goreme to Uchisar dolmus runs every 30 minutes for TRY 30 from the Goreme otogar; 8-minute ride
  4. 4

    Derinkuyu Underground City

    Derinkuyu plunges 85 metres below the surface across at least eight excavated levels, making it the deepest of Cappadocia's roughly 200 underground cities. Carved by Phrygians in the 8th century BC and expanded by early…

    Address
    Derinkuyu Yeralti Sehri, Hurriyet Meydani, 50700 Derinkuyu, Nevsehir
    Nearest transit
    Nevsehir to Derinkuyu bus departs hourly from Nevsehir otogar (08:00 to 18:00) for TRY 70; 35 minutes
  5. 5

    Pasabag Valley (Monks Valley)

    Pasabag, also called Monks Valley, holds the most photographed multi-headed fairy chimneys in the region. Three- and four-capped cones rise 15 to 20 metres above the floor, formed when erosion stripped softer tuff from…

    Address
    Pasabaglari Mevkii, Zelve Yolu, 50500 Avanos, Nevsehir
    Nearest transit
    Goreme to Avanos dolmus passes the Pasabag turnoff every 45 minutes for TRY 40; 6-minute ride from Goreme
  6. 6

    Devrent Valley (Imagination Valley)

    Devrent earned its nickname Imagination Valley because the rock shapes resemble animals: visitors point out a camel (the most photographed), a seal, dolphins, and a Virgin Mary cradling Jesus. The site has no churches…

    Address
    Devrent Vadisi, Goreme-Urgup Yolu, 50500 Avanos, Nevsehir
    Nearest transit
    Goreme to Avanos dolmus stops on request at the Devrent layby every 45 minutes for TRY 30
  7. 7

    Avanos Pottery Workshops

    The town of Avanos has produced terracotta pottery for at least 4,000 years, drawing red iron-rich clay from the Kizilirmak (Red River), the longest river in Turkey. Traditional Hittite-style kick wheels still operate…

    Address
    Firin Sokak 24, Orta Mahalle, 50500 Avanos, Nevsehir
    Nearest transit
    Direct dolmus from Goreme to Avanos otogar runs every 45 minutes for TRY 50; 15-minute ride
  8. 8

    Love Valley Walk

    Love Valley owes its name to the unusual phallic-shaped fairy chimneys that rise 30 to 40 metres above the valley floor, the tallest of any Cappadocian valley. The 4 km hiking trail starts at the Love Valley viewpoint…

    Address
    Love Valley Trailhead, Goreme-Uchisar Yolu, 50180 Goreme, Nevsehir
    Nearest transit
    Goreme to Uchisar dolmus drops at the Love Valley viewpoint sign on request, every 30 minutes for TRY 30
  9. 9

    Kaymakli Underground City

    Kaymakli is the wider, shallower counterpart to Derinkuyu and the most accessible underground city for travellers nervous about tight spaces. The site descends across four open levels (a fifth and sixth remain closed…

    Address
    Kaymakli Yeralti Sehri, Belediye Caddesi, 50760 Kaymakli, Nevsehir
    Nearest transit
    Nevsehir to Derinkuyu bus stops at Kaymakli centre every hour for TRY 50; 20-minute ride
  10. 10

    Ihlara Valley Hike

    The Ihlara Valley canyon cuts a 14 km gorge 100 metres deep through volcanic plateau, carved by the Melendiz River and lined with around 105 rock-cut churches dating from the 6th to the 13th centuries. Most visitors…

    Address
    Ihlara Vadisi, Belisirma Mevkii, 68580 Aksaray
    Nearest transit
    No direct bus from Goreme; Green Tour coaches run daily from Goreme for EUR 50 to 65 with hotel pickup at 09:30
  11. 11

    Selime Monastery

    Selime Monastery is the largest religious cave complex in Cappadocia, often described as the regional Star Wars set because the rock-cut domes and corridors inspired Tatooine moisture farms in the 1977 film. Built…

    Address
    Selime Manastiri, Yaprakhisar Yolu, 68580 Guzelyurt, Aksaray
    Nearest transit
    Final stop on the daily Green Tour from Goreme (EUR 50 to 65, includes lunch and entries); no public bus
  12. 12

    Red and Rose Valley Sunset

    The adjoining Red Valley (Kizil Vadi) and Rose Valley (Gul Vadisi) form Cappadocia's signature sunset destination, where iron-oxide-rich tuff turns deep crimson and rose-pink as the sun drops. The Red Valley sunset…

    Address
    Kizil Vadi Manzara Noktasi, Cavusin Yolu, 50500 Cavusin, Nevsehir
    Nearest transit
    Goreme to Cavusin dolmus runs every 45 minutes for TRY 30; viewpoint is a 25-minute walk from Cavusin centre

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