Whether you came to Cappadocia for the famous hot air balloon ride and have some extra time, or you are here to explore one of the most eye-catching geographical regions in Turkey, there are plenty of great things to do while you’re here!
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We spent five days in Cappadocia exploring what I think is truly one of the most interesting places I’ve ever been. Hotels built into caves, open air museums, hot air balloons in the skies each morning, and questionably shaped rock formations… more on those later.
Not only is the region of Cappadocia incredibly geographically unique, there are also so many amazing things to see and do when you visit.
I want to share with you a few ideas of things to add to your itinerary that you can either do in place of a hot air balloon ride (if it isn’t quite in the budget) or in addition to it!
How Long Do You Need To Enjoy Cappadocia?
My husband and I spent 5 days in Göreme, the most popular spot to stay in Cappadocia. In that time we were able to do a lot and see much of the town we stayed in.
When people refer to Cappadocia, they’re often referring to the 5 towns of Göreme, Nevşehir, Uçhisar, Ürgüp, and Ortahisar. But, there are many other small towns in the area as well.
Because we stayed in Göreme, that is where I recommend you stay and where most of the activities I’ll be sharing are easily located from
I think that 3 days is enough to do the main activities in Cappadocia, but ideally you would want to stay for at least 4 or 5 days to fully enjoy it.
If you’re planning your trip to Turkey, check out these other blog posts:
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How To Get Here
Cappadocia is fairly easy to get to, and you have a few options to choose from to get you there depending on your budget and itinerary.
Fly to Kayseri
Flying from Istanbul or another spot in Turkey is definitely the easiest way to get to Cappadocia.
You can fly to Kayseri on Turkish Airlines or one of the local budget airlines like Pegasus (which we enjoyed and had a great experience with!)
We flew into Kayseri from Antalya, then flew to Istanbul from Kayseri at the end of our trip. It was definitely the fastest way to get around in Turkey, and affordable within our budget as well.
Once you arrive in Kayseri, you can hire a transfer to drive you to your hotel in Göreme or whichever town you chose to stay in. Our hotel offered us a transfer when we booked, and we figured this was the easiest way to get there from the airport.
If you are wanting to save some money, you can also get a taxi at the airport and likely save a few bucks. Definitely the least expensive option will be taking the bus from the airport to Göreme. You can book this bus with Flixbus, which is a great company for bus travel in Turkey!
However, I think setting up a transfer with your hotel is by far the simplest way to do it.
Take a Bus
A more budget friendly option is to take a bus to Cappadocia from your starting destination.
If you decide to take this option, the typical bus ride is about 13 hours from Istanbul to Göreme and 9 hours from Antalya.
A popular option is to take the overnight bus from Istanbul or Antalya to Cappadocia, then back to Istanbul.
This way, you aren’t missing out on valuable day time to explore. Plus, we’ve been told that this overnight bus is quite comfortable!
We did take a Flixbus once while in Turkey and it was a comfortable experience. The buses are very nice and Flixbus is such a large company that the service standards mean you’re going to have a good experience..
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What To Do In Cappadocia
Alright, into the great activities that Cappadocia has to offer other than a hot air balloon ride!
Like I said before, many of these activities are most easily accessible from Göreme, so we recommend you use the town as a jumping off point for these activities.
Open Air Museums
The region of Cappadocia has an incredibly interesting history. In particular, we found the open air museums to be fascinating.
There are two main museums to check out, though the Göreme Open Air Museum is the most popular. The other to check out is the Zelve Open Air Museum, just outside of town.
Essentially, these museums are outside, and you are exploring settlements that were built into the soft rock that the region is well known for. Most of these communities were settled by Christians in the Byzantine era, then later used by Ottomans and Turks.
Here are a few quick hit facts:
- There were people living in the rock caves up until the 1950’s, when they were relocated by the Turkish government out of fear that the structures were not safe to occupy.
- Part of the UNESCO World Heritage list as of 1984.
- About 600 churches have been uncovered in the region, with many more suspected to have not been found yet.
Entrance fees: 15-50 lira per person.
It seems to me from what I have found on the internet that the entrance fees can change based on the time of year or day of the week, but be prepared to spend around 50 lira per person, which is a few US dollars.
Horseback Ride
Another very fun activity to do while in Cappadocia is a sunset horseback ride through the valley and up to a lookout.
We highly recommend riding with The Dalton Brothers. We felt that the horses were very well taken care of and the experience was really fun!
The price listed online is €35, however I believe you can negotiate a slightly lower price at the office located in Göreme, which is a short walk from the middle of town. We actually stopped by on our way back from the open air museums.
They have lots of options for the time of day and duration of your ride, but we really enjoyed the sunset ride.
We were led through the valleys and incredible rock formations, then led up to the top of a lookout to watch the sunset. There was a snack cart and refreshing drinks for purchase at the top.
The horses were adorable, and it was an incredibly relaxing experience!
ATV Tour
ATV tours are very popular in Cappadocia, and we saw groups of riders heading out to explore at all times of the day.
Though I am mentioning this possible activity as something you could do while in Cappadocia, I don’t recommend it at the top of the list of things to do.
Not only is the ATV noise incredibly disruptive in town, they are also destructive to the local environment. On top of that it’s a much more dangerous way to see Cappadocia, as there are often people in the group operating these large vehicles with little to no experience.
So, those are some reasons to maybe reconsider your ATV ride in Cappadocia, if those things don’t quite sit right with you.
However, if you do decide to take an ATV tour, choose a company that you feel comfortable with and be very careful!
Hike Love Valley
Remember how I said that some of the rock formations in Cappadocia are… questionable? Well, welcome to the Valley of Love.
Love Valley gets its name from the overtly phallic rock formations that it is so famous for.
You can’t unsee it!
It is possible to walk to the valley from Göreme where you can then hike through the, um, towers…
If you’re looking for directions, I’ve added the coordinates for the trailhead to the map at the top of this post!
Hunt for Turkish Rugs
Turkey is obviously famous for Turkish rugs. They are colorful, handmade, and one of a kind. Though we weren’t in the market for a rug to take back home with us, we wanted to see what all of the hype was about.
Well, as it turns out, there are some spots in Cappadocia where you can pay to take pictures with rugs. Yes, I really mean that.
There are some very popular photo opportunities made famous by instagrammers back in the height of the late 2010’s when curated travel photos were the backbone of Instagram.
So, now you can pay to have someone take your picture in these rug shops that cater to photo tourists.
And look, if you desperately want one of these pictures, knock yourself out. We, however, decided to forego the photo op and find some Turkish rugs for ourselves.
After wandering around Göreme for a while, we realized there are a lot of rug shops, and to find out whether or not one is a tourist trap, just walk in and scope it out.
We ended up finding a few that were just regular old rug stores, and we got to walk around and admire the beauty of such artwork.
The nice thing is, this can be an entirely free activity, unless you of course decide to purchase a rug for your place back home!
Watch the Sunrise/Sunset From a Viewpoint
There are a few very popular viewpoints in Göreme, either to watch hot air balloons take to the skies in the morning, or watch the sunset bathe Cappadocia in soft orange light.
We walked up to the highest point in Göreme to watch the sunset on our last night in Cappadocia, and it did not disappoint. This would also be an incredible spot to watch the balloons in the morning.
Just note that this spot does get fairly busy and you will have to pay to access the viewpoint. While it is a small amount, be sure to keep some lira on you because they collect cash.
We didn’t have any cash on us, and a super kind Turkish man who worked near the ‘tollbooth’ offered to pay for us to get in because he wanted us to see the sunset. This is why I say the Turkish people are some of the nicest people we’ve ever met!
The viewpoint is located at the very top of a road called Aydan Kiragi, and I’ve also listed it on the map that accompanies this post, located at the top and bottom of the page.
You can also always ask your hotel concierge or one of your guides for any activities you do where they recommend that you watch the sunrise/sunset! The locals will always know the best spots!
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Where To Stay In Cappadocia
I recommend that you stay in Göreme if you can. It is affordable and centrally located, with most of the hot air balloon rides and other activities starting from here.
There are a ton of AMAZING hotels in Göreme. The best thing to do when here is stay in a cave hotel built right into the rocks. Luckily, there are options for every budget!
Luxury: Sultan Cave Suites OR Şah Saray Cave Suites Halal Hotel
Mid-Range: Göreme Valley Cave House
Budget: The Dorm Cave by Travelers
Where We Stayed: Maron Stone House
Where To Eat
Dinner: Organic Cave Kitchen
Wester Style Coffee Shop: Hopper Coffee House
