Cappadocia, Turkey is the world’s top destination for hot air ballooning — and it’s easy to see why. The flights are budget-friendly, and the surreal landscapes feel straight out of a fantasy novel. Over half of all hot air balloon rides worldwide happen right here. Even if soaring in a balloon isn’t your thing, Cappadocia is still worth a visit for its delicious food, cave-style accommodations, rich history, and picture-perfect hiking trails. This travel guide will cover how to reach Cappadocia, where to stay, and the top things to do — including a Cappadocia map and all the key info you’ll need before your trip.
Make sure to catch the iconic Cappadocia hot air balloon rides!
What Is Cappadocia? What’s Its Historical Background?
Cappadocia has been inhabited since prehistoric times, with a long history of being home to various civilizations including the Hittites, Persians, Romans, early Christians, Byzantines, Seljuk Turks, and Ottomans.
It’s most famously remembered as a sanctuary for early Christians fleeing Roman persecution. They secretly carved thousands of homes, chapels, and entire cities into the soft rock hillsides.
Many of these ancient cave structures and underground cities are still intact today and look like they belong in a sci-fi film. In fact, rumor has it that George Lucas wanted to film scenes from the original Star Wars in Cappadocia, but permission was denied by the Turkish authorities.
Now a designated UNESCO World Heritage site, Cappadocia is a major highlight of tourism in Turkey, drawing millions of visitors annually (3.8 million in 2019!) who come to admire its dreamlike terrain, cave dwellings, and unforgettable balloon experiences.
Where Is Cappadocia, Turkey?
Cappadocia is situated in the heart of central Turkey, with the closest major city and airport being Kayseri.
The main tourist region of Cappadocia includes the small towns of Göreme, Uçhisar, and Ürgüp. Most travelers choose to stay in Göreme, as it offers the best selection of accommodations and restaurants.
How To Get To Cappadocia, Turkey
The easiest way to reach Cappadocia is by taking a domestic flight from Istanbul’s Sabiha Gökçen Airport (SAW) to Kayseri Airport (ASR).
There are plenty of daily flights on this route, and the journey takes just 1.5 hours. One-way fares can be as low as 150 Turkish Lira (around $20 USD). You can browse flights to Kayseri on websites like Skyscanner.
Once you land in Kayseri, it’s about a 1-hour drive to the center of Göreme. You’ll need a van transfer, which can be booked through your hotel or online.
I recommend booking this highly-rated Cappadocia shared airport transfer — it starts at just $7 USD per person. Private transfers are also available for around $30 USD. We’ve used this service ourselves and had a fantastic experience!
Where To Stay
Most hotels in Cappadocia are found in the towns of Göreme, Uçhisar, or Ürgüp.
Göreme is often considered the best area to stay, thanks to its wide range of eateries, travel agencies, and cave-style accommodations that suit every budget — from affordable hostels to luxurious boutique hotels.
Here are some of our favorite Cappadocia cave hotels below! You can explore even more options here.
Top Cappadocia Cave Hotels
Cappadocia Map
Here’s a Cappadocia map below showing the main towns and some of the top tourist sights (click to enlarge).
The 4 popular tours in Cappadocia are color coded and each one covers a different area. My personal favorites are the Red Tour and Green Tour (more on that later).
Best Things To Do In Cappadocia
• Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon Ride
You can’t miss the famous Cappadocia hot air balloon rides. More than half a million tourists do this every year. The balloons are fun to watch from the ground, and even more fun to fly in!
You can wait and book your balloon ride once you arrive in Cappadocia, but I would recommend pre-booking online because it’s a very popular activity that can sell out.
Here’s a top rated 1-hour Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon Ride with free hotel pickup starting at $70 USD. We’ve used this company ourselves and had a great experience!
Book Now: Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon Ride
Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon
The famous Cappadocia Turkey balloon rides (© GetYourGuide)
• Devrent Valley
This is a neat valley with a lot of uniquely shaped natural rock formations.
Some of them look like the typical chimney rocks, while others are shaped like animals or humans. The most popular one is Camel Rock, which has a neck and humps like a camel!
Devrent Valley is part of the Cappadocia Red Tour.
• Monks Valley (Pasabag)
This was one of my favorite stops on the Cappadocia Red Tour.
Like the name implies, Monks Valley was inhabited by monks in ancient times who carved their own homes and windows into the steep chimney shaped rocks.
• Avanos
This is a historic town just a short distance north of Goreme, and a lot of Cappadocia visitors stop here as part of the historic Red Tour.
Avanos is known for its pottery and artistic plates and mugs, and even if you don’t plan on buying souvenirs it’s definitely worth a visit to see their wares being made. Lots of talent!
• Love Valley
This valley gets its name from the natural phallic shaped rocks. There are a bunch of short, easy trails in the valley if you want to do some easy hiking!
Love Valley is part of the Cappadocia Red Tour.
• Goreme Open Air Museum
This area is full of interesting cave churches from the 11th and 12th centuries. You can go inside them, and some of the frescoes on the walls are fantastic.
The Goreme Open Air Museum is part of the Cappadocia Red Tour.
• Uchisar Castle
Uchisar is a town just a short distance southwest of Goreme, and the central landmark is a 60-meter tall ‘castle mountain’ carved into rocks.
It’s the highest point of Cappadocia Turkey, and you can get some amazing panoramic views from the top of the tower.
Uchisar Castle is part of the Cappadocia Red Tour.
• Derinkuyu Underground City
There are 36 underground cities in Cappadocia and the deepest one is Derinkuyu.
This city is 85 meters deep in the ground, and it has stables, churches, storage rooms, and thousands of ventilation ducts that gave it fresh air when people were living in it. It’s a fascinating place to explore!
Derinkuyu is part of the Cappadocia Green Tour, but some companies go to Kaymakli instead. Kaymakli is the deepest underground city, and Derinkuyu is the widest.
• Ihlara Valley
This is a 100 meter deep valley formed by the Melendiz River.
At one time, this valley was home to 80,000 people, and thousands of their cave houses and churches can still be seen in the rock walls. It’s an amazing area that can be seen on a day trip with some light trekking.
The Ihlara Valley trek is part of the Cappadocia Green Tour.
• Melendiz River
This is a peaceful clear river that runs through the Ihlara Valley, and most day tours stop by the river for lunch.
In the autumn season (mid-October), you can see bright yellow fall colors here.
• Selime Monastery
This is the biggest religious structure in the Cappadocia area, and it’s one of my favorites.
It looks just like a Star Wars set, and you can go inside most of the buildings, which date back to the 8th or 9th centuries.
Selime Monastery is part of the Cappadocia Green Tour.
• Pigeon Valley
This is a great hiking valley near Uchisar with lots of easy walking trails that wind through the chimney rocks and cave houses.
Pigeon Valley is part of the Cappadocia Green Tour.
How To Get Around Cappadocia
- Walking: If you’re staying in Goreme and want some exercise, a bunch of nice sights will be in walking distance from your hotel. Some ideas would be Rose Valley, Lovers Hill (sunrise point), and the countless cave houses and churches.
- Horseback: This is another fun way to go sightseeing in Cappadocia. You can find 2-hour horseback riding tours online starting at $50 USD.
- Car + Driver: The most comfortable and efficient way to explore Cappadocia is to hire a private driver. Prices for a 4-8 hour tour start at $60 USD. If you have a couple of friends joining you, this can be very economical. If your group is bigger than 3, you can even hire a private van for even better savings.
- Scooter: As a solo traveler, renting a scooter in Goreme can be cost effective sometimes. Prices run about $30-$40 USD for the whole day.
- ATV: Quad biking can be another fun way to see Cappadocia, and the terrain is perfect for it. You can find Cappadocia ATV tours online starting at $25 USD for 2 hours.
- Group Tour: There are lots of Cappadocia group tours that you can join if you’re a couple or solo traveler. These normally include hotel pickup, lunch, and a full day of sightseeing. Read the section below for some more info on recommended Cappadocia tours!
Best Cappadocia Tours
The 4 popular tours in Cappadocia are color coded (Red, Green, Blue, Orange) and each one covers a different area of Cappadocia. My personal favorites are the Red Tour and Green Tour.
The Red Tour covers sights like Devrent Valley, Monks Valley, Avanos, the Goreme Open Air Museum, and Uchisar Castle. The Green Tour covers Ihlara Valley, Melendiz River, Selime Monastery, Pigeon Valley, and the Derinkuyu Underground City.
The Blue and Orange tours are less popular, and they cover sights like Ortasihar and the Gulsehir Open Air Museum. I didn’t do these tours, but we plan to try them next time we visit Cappadocia.
For the Red and Green tours, you can book them with a tour agency on the street in the Cappadocia, or you can pre-book the same tours online, which is what I did.
GetYourGuide has the Cappadocia Red Tour for $35 USD, or the Green Tour for $55 USD, with free lunch and hotel pickup included. We’ve used GetYourGuide for lots of tours and activities around the world, and they’re great! Highly recommended.
Book Now: Cappadocia Red Tour / Green Tour
SUNRISE Hot Air Balloon, Göreme & Fairy Chimneys
RED Tour with Entrance Fee and Lunch
NEVŞEHIR or Kayseri Airport Private-Shared Transfer Service
How Long To Stay
At least 2 full days in Cappadocia are needed if you want to do both Red and Green tours and see the highlights of the countryside.
I’m sure you could spend longer too if you want to hit up more of the hiking paths and leave no stone unturned. Besides, Goreme town is a great place to get stuck, with loads of good Turkish restaurants!
If you plan to do the Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon ride, I would add at least 2 extra days to your itinerary in case the weather doesn’t cooperate. The balloon rides can get canceled on windy days, so it’s good to have a little extra time as a safety buffer.
Best Time To Visit Cappadocia
The best time to visit Cappadocia Turkey just depends on what you’re looking for. It’s a nice place all year round, but the temperatures go up and down quite a bit with the seasons.
More Turkey Travel Guides
Thanks for looking! I hope you enjoyed this Cappadocia Turkey travel guide.