Things to do in Cappadocia: our top picks

After discovering the city of Konya, we headed to the neighboring region. In total, we spent 6 days in Cappadocia, and the least we can say is that we fell hard for this region of Turkey. In this article, we offer a rundown of practical information, maps, sightseeing ideas, and also some figures on our budget during this stay.

Where to stay to visit Cappadocia?

It’s a question we asked ourselves a lot before arriving. To be honest, we changed our minds one last time while on the bus. But what are the options?

1. Staying in Göreme, the most touristic place in Cappadocia. Right in the heart of the tourist attractions, this small village is a little bit at the crossroads of all the valleys. There is very little local life in Göreme… It is more a succession of hotels, guesthouses, restaurants, and small shops. That said, the setting is superb.
2. Staying in a nearby small village: We’d heard a lot of good feedback about Cavusin, Avanos, or Uchisar. Uchisar is the village with the most beautiful view, but accommodations there are clearly a bit more upscale. In Avanos and Cavusin you’ll find everything, but their location isn’t ideal for hiking. On the other hand, these villages are more authentic than Göreme.
3. Staying in a larger city like Nevşehir: We mention this option because it exists, but frankly we don’t really see the point… Nevşehir has no particular appeal in the sense that it’s just a city. Since Cappadocia is a nature destination, it’s a real shame to stay in a big city.

In the end, we chose Göreme and were delighted with our choice! Yes, it’s touristy, but it’s also stunning! And above all, being touristic implies that there’s a huge range of accommodation for every budget, many restaurants, 2 supermarkets for picnic supplies and a very well developed bus network.

So no, it’s probably not the village that has the most “cachet”, but its location right at the heart of Cappadocia really makes it an ideal starting point to explore independently! If you stay in smaller villages or in more remote accommodations, it is often recommended to rent a car to get around.

Göreme: a small tourist town in the heart of Cappadocia

Where to stay in Göreme?

In Göreme, there is no shortage of accommodation options! 🙂 From a dorm bed for under 20 euros to an exclusive suite with a terrace overlooking the village for more than 500 euros a night, you can find pretty much everything. 🙂

We tried 2 accommodations during our trip. When we arrived, we found a room for 200 TL at a small guesthouse, Ali’s Guesthouse. This little inn was very pleasant.

After 3 nights there, we had to change accommodation because they were fully booked. Since the owner runs several guesthouses, we ended up at the Kose Pension, a newer building with a pool. The rooms are noticeably nicer. Since we were already staying at his other hotel, he let us stay there for the same price of 200 TL. Breakfast is included in the price.

Note: the property also offers rooftop dorms! It’s a great setting, and you get a front-row seat for the sunrise!

If you’re looking to book something, though, your best bet is still to compare prices on Booking. Since the center of Göreme is really quite small, location doesn’t really matter as you can easily get around on foot.

Note: we noticed that the prices are sometimes a bit higher when booking online. For our part, we chose to book a hotel once we arrived. That said, if you’re visiting during high season, expect limited availability. You may also end up having to switch guesthouses partway through your stay (which is exactly what happened to us).

Here’s a map where you can find the different hotels but also the apartments in Cappadocia at a glance. Remember to adjust the filters to refine your search:

Eating in Göreme: a few addresses

When we asked the manager of our guesthouse if he had a recommendation for food, he looked at us with a smile:

“Well… the quality is very good everywhere and the prices are all about the same! Frankly, anywhere will do!”

Ha, thank you! Don’t worry, we’ll still be a bit more specific than that in our recommendations. In the end, he wasn’t entirely wrong; we really did eat very well pretty much everywhere. Restaurants are relatively expensive in Göreme compared to the rest of Turkey.

Our favorite addresses in Göreme:

Büyük Adana Kebab: located on the square, across from the bus station. We ate very, very well there and the staff was super friendly! Their meats are fantastic and come with plenty of side dishes. 2026 update: it seems this kebab shop has closed for good :(.

Viewpoint Cafe: this restaurant has a magnificent view over Göreme. Perched on the roof of a building, we also ate very well there. We took the kebab cooked in the clay pot and it was delicious.

Note: If we can spare you a little fail then, we’d recommend sticking to Turkish cuisine… Gripped by a sudden craving for Asian food, we went one evening to dinner at the Korean restaurant in front of the bus station. Hmmm…. Very expensive and frankly not great! But hey, it’s our fault too; why the hell would we want to eat Korean food in Turkey? 🙂

How to get to Cappadocia: The options

There are many different ways to get to Cappadocia, but the 3 most common are:

Getting to Cappadocia by bus

The bus network is EXTREMELY well developed in Turkey. Buses arrive directly in Göreme from many places, including night buses that connect Istanbul to Cappadocia. When buying your ticket, be sure to ask exactly where the bus will arrive. Some buses arrive right in Göreme, in the centre of the village, while others arrive in Nevşehir instead, even if the ticket says Cappadocia. Arriving in Nevşehir is not dramatic in itself; in fact, that’s exactly what we did! Just know that from the bus station you’ll then need to take a minibus to the centre of Nevşehir, then another minibus toward Göreme. Both bus stations are marked on the map at the end of the article.

Getting to Cappadocia by plane

Flying is the option most often chosen by travelers who are a bit short on time to get from Istanbul to Cappadocia… For obvious environmental reasons, we’d rather encourage you to take the night bus (no more expensive and very comfortable). That said, it’s true that domestic flights in Turkey are really cheap. One-way tickets can be found from 20 euros! The easiest way to find a flight is to check Skyscanner.

When searching, you can look at flights to Nevşehir (just next door) as well as Kayseri (about 1 hour 30 by bus). Kayseri is often a little cheaper, but it’s worth comparing both.

Find a flight on Skyscanner

Arriving by train to Kayseri

The last alternative would be the train. Since we haven’t tried it ourselves, we can’t really tell you how things work once you arrive at Kayseri station. In our opinion, this option definitely isn’t the simplest, but it’s certainly very scenic. Trains in Turkey aren’t frequent, but it’s a lovely way to cross the country. One line connects Istanbul to Ankara, and another connects Ankara to Kayseri. You can find schedules on the official website of the Turkish railway company.

From Kayseri, you then need to allow a good hour’s drive to reach Göreme.

Cappadocia: How many days should you plan?

Here is a question we’ve already been asked a lot on social media. Hmmm… As is often the case, it’s hard to answer on your behalf. It all depends on the time you have available and the things you want to see. I would recommend planning for a minimum of 3 days and 2 nights on site.

Cappadocia is truly stunning and fairly out of the way compared to Turkey’s other most visited sites, such as Istanbul, Pamukkale or Ephesus. Coming here for 1 or 2 nights seems quite short to us. All the more so if you want to see the hot air balloons (or take a flight), in which case it’s best to plan to stay at least 2-3 nights. That’s because the balloons only take off if the weather conditions are optimal.

For our part, we stayed a total of 7 days and 6 nights and we weren’t bored for a second! There’s actually quite a lot of things we didn’t have time to see yet…. We chose to explore the area on foot to escape the crowds (a very good choice, in our opinion), but of course it also takes more time ;).

Things to do in Cappadocia: our ideas for activities

Watching the sunrise and/or taking a hot air balloon ride

Over the years, hot air balloons at sunrise have become a real attraction in Cappadocia. Almost every morning, 150 to 200 hot air balloons take off and fill the sky over Cappadocia. A hot air balloon ride costs around 150-250 euros per person. The good news? The show is still magnificent from the ground. 🙂

You can see the hot air balloons from almost everywhere, and many guesthouses have rooftop terraces. But if you ask us, it’s definitely worth walking a bit and getting away from the crowds. On that note, Ben put together a great article with all his best spots to watch the sunrise in Cappadocia.

Climbing up to Uçhisar Castle

This is probably the most panoramic view of Cappadocia! Climbing to the top of Uçhisar Castle is really worth it. There’s an entrance fee: 400 TL per person as of 2026.

There are several ways to get to Uçhisar. The easiest is by bus. All buses connecting Göreme to Nevşehir pass through Uçhisar and can drop you off there for just a few cents. These buses leave Göreme every 30 minutes.

That said, if you have time, we definitely recommend walking there! We did a loop, going up via Love Valley and coming back down through the Pigeon Valley. It’s a great 3-4 hour itinerary that passes by the castle.

Visiting the underground city of Derinkuyu

To change a little bit of the hikes, we also went to visit the underground city of Derinkuyu (Derinkuyu Yeraltı Şehri). Located 30 kilometres south of Nevşehir, this underground city is the largest of its kind in the world. Its construction most probably began around the 8^th century BC.

Derinkuyu is a genuine underground city! To give you an idea, only 10% of the city is open to the public… It is just totally crazy to imagine that people once lived entirely underground like this, to protect themselves from persecution (it was mainly a refuge for Greek Christians). During the visit, we descend up to 85 meters underground, passing through various living spaces along the way. The whole site is ventilated by 52 air shafts.

We’ll admit this visit was impressive, but we also found that there were clearly too many people. The corridors are narrow, and you quickly end up having to move at the pace of the crowd. Tip: try to come early in the morning or at the very end of the day, when the organized tour groups have left.

Valleys not to miss in Cappadocia

Cappadocia is really a maze of valleys. What’s genuinely striking is how close together they are geographically, yet how radically different they all are.

Love Valley

Love Valley is probably the most photographed valley in Cappadocia. It’s known for its tall peaks shaped like… um… asparagus? Yes, yes, let’s say they’re asparagus! 😉 Many travelers come to admire this valley from the viewpoint accessible by road, which looks down over the peaks. The viewpoint is lovely, but believe us, it is also well worth going down into the valley to see these giants from below.

White Valley

Located just past the Love Valley in the direction of Uchisar, White Valley is also very beautiful. Here the penises (let’s call a spade a spade) give way to huge white rock formations. (Who would have guessed, given the name of the valley? ;))

Pigeon Valley

Now here, the name isn’t quite obvious. Don’t expect to find pigeon colonies in this valley! 🙂 In fact, the name comes from the many dovecotes that are still visible there.

These dovecotes were carved directly into the rock between the 19^th and 20^th centuries. At that time, pigeons were used as messengers but were also very appreciated because their droppings were used to fertilize the fields. Well, rest assured, there are still a few pigeons in the area, but let’s say that’s not the main feature of the place.

Zemi Valley

A very beautiful valley at the end of the Pigeon Valley. Very green and shaded, it’s great for a walk! In Zemi Valley, you’ll also find several cave churches that can be visited freely!

Red Valley and Rose Valley

Located on the other side of Göreme, these two valleys, Red and Rose, are best visited together. Here you walk through utterly enchanting rock formations with many vines in the surroundings. It’s a total mystery to us how grapevines can grow in such dry places. But anyway, I think images speak louder than words!

Sword Valley

Now, I saved the little linguistic twist for last… Sword Valley, the valley of swords? Hmm, you might think you’d find sharp rocks shaped like swords there? Well, no! Sword Valley actually looks more like a small field of morei mushrooms. I guess that name was already taken, or not glamorous enough :).

Devrent Valley (Imagination Valley)

Unlike the others, Devrent Valley was never inhabited, so there are no caves or churches around here. It’s especially known for its very special geological shapes, which certainly stimulate the imagination of travelers passing through. It’s located on the other side of Mount Akdag, and it’s the only valley we didn’t visit on foot.

For more pictures of the valleys and the hiking routes that we suggest exploring on foot, check our last article.

See our article about hiking in Cappadocia

Visiting Uchisar, Avanos or Cavusin and Göreme

The villages are also very lovely to visit in Cappadocia! Here we don’t have any particular recommendations for you, except to walk around… I know that sounds a bit simplistic, but I swear it’s by far the best thing to do! Strolling among the cave houses and stopping for a nice cup of chai on a terrace: pure happiness!

We didn’t take the time to visit any museums during our stay in Cappadocia. However, at our guesthouse we became friends with a group of travelers who came back quite enthusiastic about the pottery and ceramics museums in Avanos (Chez Galip and Güray Müze). Ceramics isn’t really our thing, so we didn’t make it a priority, but if you’re interested, then we’re told they’re very good. The craftsmen give demonstrations and you can even try your hand at pottery making.

On a completely different note, there’s also the Hair Museum (Chez Galip Hair Museum)! Fair warning, this one is 100% strange and unusual. A potter named Galip (yes, the same one whose work is shown in the pottery museum of the same name) once received a lock of hair from a woman as a keepsake. That’s already odd in itself, but here’s where it gets truly strange: since then, tens of thousands of women have done the same. In short, this free museum is essentially an exhibition of tens of thousands of locks of hair. Enthusiasts, take note :)! One girl at our guesthouse came back absolutely delighted by the visit. She happened to be a hairdresser by trade, so maybe that explains it, haha.

The Zvelve open air museum

If there’s one open air museum we’d recommend, it would be Zvelve. We arrived here in the early morning, right after admiring the sunrise, and the site was absolutely deserted. Admission costs 12 euros (September 2026 price), and it’s well worth it because the site is very well preserved. You can go inside some of the dwellings (not all of them). Access is limited to help preserve the site, which is a very good thing.

The visit follows a trail with numerous information panels along the way. Allow about 1 hour for the visit.

The Göreme open air museum

This ope air museum is located just next to Göreme. We didn’t go, but we passed by it many times. Each time, there were too many people for our taste… In our opinion, the appeal of Cappadocia doesn’t really lie in these open-air museums. All the more since, to us, the entire region can somehow be seen as one big open air museum ;). That said, it is obvious that you don’t get information panels explaining the history of the sites while hiking…

Tasting Cappadocian wines

We had already tasted Turkish wines over in Sirince. You might remember that first experience wasn’t exactly a resounding success ;). So, let’s be honest, Cappadocia isn’t quite Bordeaux yet, BUT there’s clearly been improvement.

During our hikes, we came across quite a few grapevines growing among these volcanic rocks. So naturally, after making us walk for several hours near vineyards, we simply had to try the wine that evening! We can’t really say whether ALL the wines come exactly from the Göreme area (we’d assume so). Either way, the wines of Cappadocia are clearly the best we tasted in a country that has much more of a tea culture than a wine culture.

Visiting Cappadocia independently: a huge YES!!!!

In Göreme, there’s an impressive number of travel agencies. In fact, each hotel owner also runs a small agency… Listening to some people, you’d really think you had to take an organized tour to see Cappadocia. Well, first point: the answer is clearly NO!

We didn’t take a single organized tour, and all the photos in this article come from viewpoints and places that are easily accessible on foot or by public transport :).

Aside from getting to Derinkuyu, we didn’t take any local buses and did everything on foot. Benoit actually wrote a very detailed article on the most beautiful hikes in Cappadocia. Even if you don’t feel like walking 15 km, it’s entirely possible to just do parts of the hikes. All 4 loops we did passed, at some point or another, through villages with regular bus service to Göreme.

In Göreme, they mainly sell 3 tours, classified by colour:

• The red tour covers the must-sees, including the open air museum of Göreme, Uchisar, Avanos, Pigeon Valley, and Love Valley. This tour can VERY easily be done independently (on foot or by local minibus).
• The blue tour is the most “historical” one, including visits to Mustafapasa, Keslik Monastery, Soganli.
• The green tour includes the underground cities, Acigöl and the Illara Valley. This tour goes the “furthest” and is therefore the most “complicated” to do independently.

See the tours on GetyourGuide

Taking a tour is a good idea if you:

• have very little time and you want to see as much as possible;
• don’t want to do a lot of walking. Tours mostly stop briefly at viewpoints and then move on to the next one.
• love crowds :)! Who says tour, says bus. And who says bus, says road, meaning access is also available to people traveling by car… So quite often you’ll end up at the same viewpoints as many, many, many, many other people (yes I said “many” a lot on purpose :)).

As for price, we can’t tell you exactly since we didn’t take any tours ourselves. It seemed to run around 35 to 55 euros per day depending on group size and the tour itself. If you’re pressed for time and want to book a tour, don’t worry, you can easily book one on the spot. It will be cheaper, and above all, you’ll be able to compare agencies! But if you want our honest opinion, if you’re going to pay 35 euros anyway, we’d suggest renting a car instead. The roads are in excellent condition and easy to navigate. Car rentals run around 35 to 50 euros per day from the airport and 50 to 70 euros per day from Göreme. If there are 2 of you or more, it’s well worth it, and above all you’ll have much more freedom!

Find a car on Rentalcars

Travel budget for Cappadocia: our numbers

Before wrapping up this article, we wanted to share a quick summary of our expenses in Cappadocia. Göreme and its surroundings is clearly one of the most expensive regions in Turkey due to its popularity with tourists. Nevertheless, Turkey is and remains a country where you can easily travel on a moderate budget.

Here’s the average daily budget by spending category during our trip to Cappadocia (for 2 people)

For reference: at the time of our visit, the exchange rate was about 1 euro to 6.5 TL (May 2019). In 2026, it’s closer to 1 euro to 56 TL.

The total budget for our 6 days and 6 nights in Cappadocia was 347.5 euros for 2 people, which works out to an average of about 29 euros per person per day.

For this budget, we:

• Slept in simple guesthouses, but in private rooms with a bathroom (breakfast included);
• Ate at a restaurant once a day (between 60 and 120 TL) and had a picnic lunch
• Didn’t take any tour! We did everything on foot except for getting to Derinkuyu
• Had a few drinks now and then (I’m writing this because, compared to everything else, alcohol remains expensive in Turkey because of taxes). 😉

Our map of Cappadocia

To help you visualize all the things to do that we’ve mentioned (and also to add a few extra viewpoints and addresses), we’ve put together an interactive map with all our recommendations. Feel free to click on the pins for more details.

All that’s left is to wish you wonderful discoveries in Cappadocia! We can only encourage you to take the time to visit this truly stunning region. And if you have any good addresses or activities to suggest, don’t hesitate to leave us a comment :).

We’re also grateful for all the comments that let us know, for example, about changes in opening hours or prices. It helps us to keep our content up to date and help future travelers.

To go further, check out our tips for taking a hot air balloon flight and where to watch them, the hiking itineraries we recommend in Cappadocia, and finally, the summary and budget of our 40 days in Turkey.

Happy travels,

Fabienne & Ben

P.S. To plan your next trip to Turkey, find all our tips in our travel guide. Happy reading!