Cappadocia Travel Guide: 3-Day Itinerary and 15 Best Things to Do

In this travel guide, we’ll share some of the best things to do in Cappadocia, a three-day itinerary, and other essential information to help you plan your trip.

Cappadocia, located in Turkey, is a dream destination for many. The sunrise skies filled with hot air balloons look like a scene straight out of a fairytale. There are stunning landscapes with unique rock formations, fairy chimneys, breathtaking viewpoints, numerous rock-cut churches and houses to explore, and incredible hiking trails. You can also stay in some of the most unique and beautiful hotels. No matter what type of traveler you are, there’s something for everyone.

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What’s Included in This Guide?

Use the links below to quickly navigate to the parts that interest you the most.

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How Many Days in Cappadocia

Two to three days are a good amount of time to explore Cappadocia. If you want to maximize your chances of seeing or going on a hot air balloon ride, I would recommend at least three days. Additionally, if you also want to do some of the hiking trails in the region without rushing, three days is a best bet.

Best Time to Visit Cappadocia

The best recommended time to go to Cappadocia are the shoulder seasons: September to October, and April to May. These are times with more pleasant weather and less crowds.

However, if your dream is to go on a hot air balloon ride, there are other factors to consider. Statiscally, throughout the year, balloons fly around 250 days. According to the balloonscanner website, these are the cancellation rates accordingly to the month of the year.

As you can see, August is the best time if you want to avoid flight cancellations. However, it’s usually unbearably hot throughout the day, with temperatures reaching 40ºC. So, you need to take all of that into account.

We were in Cappadocia at the end of April and our hot air balloon flight was cancelled two times. We couldn’t get a ride because everything was full for the next days. However, we were able to see the balloons in the air twice (unfortunately, those were the days that we didn’t have a ride).

About Hot Air Balloon Rides…

Balloon rides don’t take off every day and can get canceled. Ours was canceled twice, and when they finally flew, everything was sold out. Even with four mornings in Cappadocia, we were unlucky and missed the chance. One of our friends spent three days and didn’t even saw the balloons in the air.

How to Get to Cappadocia?

There are two airports nearby: the Kayseri Erkilet Airport (ASR) and the Nevsehir Kapadokya Airport (NAV) both have connections to Istanbul and domestic airports.

Alternatively, there are also bus rides from main cities like Istanbul and Ankara. One friend of ours got the 10-hour night bus from Istanbul and everything went fine. However, I’m not a fan of long bus rides.

If you’re in Pamukkale or Izmir, the best way is to get a domestic flight to one of the two airports. The same thing if you’re in Antalya.

Since we were on a road trip, we drove our rented car from Antalya to Cappadocia.

Where to Stay in Cappadocia?

In Cappadocia there are several small villages where to base yourself. Göreme is the most famous and more centrally located if you want to go on several organized tours and you don’t have a car. Other great options are Uçhisar (where we stayed), Ortahisar, Ürgüp, and Nevşehir.

Many people recommend staying in a cave hotel, which is quite popular in Cappadocia and there are lots of great options in the region. However, I didn’t fancy much staying in a dark room without windows. So, we choose a castle-style hotel.

We stayed at the Duven Hotel in Uçhisar, and it was the best place we stayed in Turkey (and one of the most unique hotels we stayed at). The place, especially the breakfast room, had a great view of Uçhisar Castle. The hotel was designed in a style that resembles old castles. The rooms were beautifully decorated, really capturing the feel of castles from ancient times. I think this is better than a cave hotel since many of those don’t have windows in the rooms. Here, every room had a window.

The breakfast was superb. We never had such fulfilling and good quality breakfast as we had in this place, and the staff was absolutely impeccable. They even offered us fruit one day when we returned to our room after a tough day. We absolutely recommend.

Where to Stay in Cappadocia?

Here are suggestions of places to stay in Cappadocia—all these options are highly-rated:

• Duven Hotel Cappadocia in Uçhisar (the one we stayed at, super recommended)
• Sacred Mansion in Göreme (elegant cave hotel with panoramic views; features indoor pool, spa, and rich Turkish breakfast — great option if you don’t have a car);
• Kayata Cave Suites Special Class (built on a hill with beautiful panoramic views; rooms built on the stone);
• Woox Cappadocia in Uçhisar (amazing terrace and rooftop with views to the Uçhisar Castle);
• Doda Artisanal Cave Hotel in Ortahisar (charming cave rooms with beautiful decor; stunning valley views);

How to Get Around Cappadocia

The best way to get around Cappadocia is to rent a car. This way you can explore at your own pace and visit more remote sites without relying on tour schedules. The roads are generally in good condition, it’s easy to park, and the traffic is not chaotic.

However, if you can’t or don’t want to rent a car in a foreign country you can rely on taxis, or apps like Uber and Bitaksi, or local buses (which are a bit unreliably and limited).

Another option is to join group tours, which offer full-day itineraries covering multiple key attractions. If you’re staying in Göreme and enjoy hiking, you can also access many of the nearby valleys on foot.

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Best Things to Do in Cappadocia

There are many and varied awesome things to do in Cappadocia. Here’s a list of what we consider to be the best 15 things to do in Cappadocia.

1) Hot Air Balloon Ride

The number one thing to do in Cappadocia is to go on a hot air balloon ride. However, hot air balloon rides can be extremely expensive. But, don’t get disappointed if you can’t afford it. Watching them from the ground is also a unique experience.

If you want a more affordable flight, take these factors into account:

• number of people in the balloon: flights that allow a higher number of people are usually cheaper. This should not change your experience because the balloon is divided by sections. So, everyone will have the chance to be on the border.
• early or late flight: hot air balloon rides happen at sunrise. There are usually two batches of flights, the late one, usually half an hour after the first one. The late flight is usually cheaper.
• souvenirs/champagne: some hot air ballon ride companies offer a souvenir and champagne at the end of the ride. If that’s not that important, checking for a cheaper one that doesn’t have that included would not make much a difference.
• booking in advance: if you book in advance you have a higher chance of finding good deals. You can book in advance using apps like GetYourGuide for example. Another great option is to call your hotel and enquire about prices.
• watch out for the place of the flight: some cheaper flights go to Cat Valley instead of Göreme. I don’t think that’s as magical as flying in Göreme, but can be a great option if you’re on a budget.

2) Watching the Balloons at Sunrise

Whether you go on a hot air balloon ride or not, watching the balloons from the ground at sunrise is also quite a beautiful and unique moment.

Some of the most popular places to see the balloons are the Lover’s Hill (the most popular and most crowded), the Love Valley, Red and Rose valleys and the Uçhisar Castle.

We saw the balloons next to the Uçhisar Castle (where our hotel was located) and at a place called Salkım Tepesi Panorama. Even though the Uçhisar Castle is a bit more far away from the balloons, it’s a quieter experience. In the other place, you can be really close to the balloons and even watching them landing.

3) Explore/Hike the Beautiful Valleys

Besides the balloons, Cappadocia would be worth it just for its beautiful valleys with incredible and unique landscapes. There are several valleys to explore and incredible hiking trails if you’re into that.

Here’s a list of the most popular valleys that you should look to include in your itinerary:

• Love Valley: famous for its unique phallic-shaped rocks;
• Pigeon Valley: many pigeons houses carved on the cliffs;
• White Valley: white rock formattions;
• Red and Rose Valleys: rocks with pink and red hue colors;
• Pasabag Valley: fairy-chimneys with mushroom shape and home to monk shelters;
• Imagination Valley: famous for its rock resembling a snail/camel;
• Ilhara Valley: lush canyon with a river, and several rock-cut churches, it’s next to the Selime monastery.

As for the hikes, we did the Goreme – Love – White – Uchisar – Pigeon Loop. This hike was quite interesting and goes through some of the most popular valleys. This is great if you’re based in Göreme or Uçhisar and you don’t have a car.

We also did part of the Red and Rose Valley hike (we couldn’t finish it because we were caught in the middle of a storm). Even though we couldn’t finish the hike, it seemed more interesting than the previous one because you can explore multiple rock-cut churches, houses and caves. In some of them, you can still see some paintings on the walls and ceillings.

Both hikes are recorded on AllTrails:

• Goreme – Love – White – Uchisar – Pigeon Loop
• Rose Valley – Red Valley

Another interesting hike that we didn’t have the time to include is the Ilhara Valley. This hike is along a river and includes a greener landscape. This is a bit far away from Göreme, a little more than an hour by car. If you don’t have a car, there are several tours that include this place. Usually, it’s included in tours referred as “the green tour”.

4) Take Pictures at the Valleys’ Viewpoints

If you’re not much into hiking, most valleys have beautiful decorated viewpoints where you can take pictures. Additionally, they’ll also have small caffes where you can have a drink and eat something like a gozleme while you appreciate the views.

5) Explore Rock-cut Churches and Houses

In Cappadocia, you’ll find many churches and houses carved on the rocks built by early communities and local inhabitants. You’ll find many of them in the villages, hidden in the valleys, on the Göreme Open Air Museum and many other places.

We found many of them along the Rose Valley – Red Valley hike and next to the Göreme Open Air Museum. Those were all free to wander and visit. If you want to go inside the Open Air Museum, you have to pay an entrance fee, but you’ll find some of the best preserved structures with well preserved frescoes.

6) See the Unique Rock Formations

In this beautiful region, you’ll find many unique rock formations. I’ve never seen landscapes quite like these, filled with such a variety of fairy chimneys: the phallic-shaped rocks in Love Valley, the mushroom-shaped formations in Pasabag Valley, the animal-shaped rocks in Imagination Valley, the Three Beauties (resembling a family of three) and so much more.

7) Visit an Open Air Museum

There are several Open Air Museums in Cappadocia featuring well preserved rock-cut chuches, monasteries, and houses. The most famous one is the Göreme Open Air Museum, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The main highlight is the black church that features well-preserved frescoes depicting scenes from the Bible.

Another Open Air Museums of interest is the Zelve Open Air Museum located in Pasabag (Monks Valley). This is is not as popular as the Göreme Open Air Museum, so if you don’t like crowds, this can be a good option.

8) Explore an Underground City

There are several underground villages in Cappadocia, carved deep into the rock, reaching several meters below the surface. Some have up to 18 levels underground. It is said that these villages were used for defense and refuge during times of invasion and for climate control, as the underground spaces maintain a consistent, cool temperature throughout the year.

Several of the villages were connected via hidden passages. There are 150 to 200 known underground settlements of varying sizes in Cappadocia.

Some of the most popular underground villages are the Kaymaklı Underground City and the Derinkuyu Underground City.

9) Explore the Valleys on an ATV Ride or Horseback Ride at Sunset

Something very popular to do in Cappadocia is to go on an ATV ride or horseback ride at sunset on the valleys. I’m not a huge fans of activities with animals, but the horses I saw seemed well looked-after.

As for the ATV tour, I regret not doing it, because it’s a quite cheap activity and seems a lot of fun. You can reserve your ATV tour in advance on GetYourGuide.

10) Photoshoot with Vintage Cars at Sunrise/Sunset

Something we notice was quite popular in Cappadocia was to do a photoshoot in some of the most picturesque valleys using vintage cars or super cars with pastel colors (pastel blue, pastel pink and even yellow) at sunrise and sunset.

11) Pottery Class

If you’re looking for something different, head to Avanos, a town famous for its pottery. The craft thrives here thanks to the red clay sourced from the riverbanks. The town is filled with workshops and studios where you can observe artisans at work or even join a quick class to try pottery-making yourself.

12) Appreciate the Views from Uçhisar Castle

The Uçhisar Castle in Cappadocia, stands for being one of the tallest structures in the area. Inside the castle you can explore rooms and passages carved on the rock and panoramic views of the valleys. It’s also a great place to watch the sunset.

The hotel we stayed at, the Duven Hotel Cappadocia, had a great view to the Uçhisar Castle from the breakfast room. It was located right in front of the Castle.

13) Explore the Çavusin Village

The Çavuşin Village is famous for its historical cave dwellings and the Church of St. John the Baptist, which dates back to the 5th century. The church is known for its well-preserved frescoes and it is one of Cappadocia’s oldest, largest, and most prestigious cave churches. It’s also worth noting the Çavusin church.

You can also explore the abandoned upper part of the village, with many interesting structures and historical houses carved on the rock that you can freely explore.

14) Try Pottery Kebab

15) Stay in a Unique Hotel

Cappadocia is know for its unique cave hotels built on the ancient rock structures, and hotels with rooftops with some of the greatest views of the valleys, fairy chimneys and hot air balloons at sunrise.

Besides cave hotels, there are also hotels built with rock resembling old castles. In my opinion, these are even more spectacular than the cave hotels. We stayed at the Duven Hotel in Uçhisar, and it was amazing. The staff was amazing, the breakfast was delicious and superb, the rooms were very well decorated with a great vibe, and awesome panoramic views of the Uçhisar Castle.

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Three Days in Cappadocia — Itinerary

Next, we’ll describe the itinerary we had planned for our time in Cappadocia. We didn’t follow exactly this route because we got bad weather in some of the days. But if you’re lucky, you should be able to complete this itinerary successfully and even have some free time to relax at the hotel.

Day 1 in Cappadocia

Book your hot air balloon ride for your first morning in Cappadocia. If you’re not going, make sure to wake-up early to see the balloons (around sunrise time).

It’s better to book your hot air balloon ride in advance. In some days, everything gets full and you’ll just have the super expensive options (if available). There are many options on GetYourGuide. If you look carefully and book in advance for specific days, you may find a good deal.

If you can’t go on a hot air balloon ride, watching them from the ground is also magical. We have a quick video showing what a sunrise in Cappadocia looks like.

After your breakfast, hike and explore the Love Valley, the White Valley, and the Pigeon Valley. We did a 12-km hike that included all those places, including Göreme and the Uchisar Castle. The directions for the hike are available on AllTrails in this link. Alternatively, you can drive to the viewpoints and appreciate the views from there without the need to hike.

Finally, explore the Uchisar Castle for great views of the Valley and the Fairy Chimneys. Our hotel had a great view to the Uchisar Castle.

Day 2 in Cappadocia

Start your day watching the balloons or going on a balloon ride. Explore the Pasabag valley, the Imagination Valley, and don’t miss the Three Beauties (three fairy chimneys that resemble a family).

Explore the caves and churches next to the Goreme Open Air Museum. There are several of them that you can explore for free. We decided to skip the Goreme Open Air Museum because it was super crowded and we had already seen multiple rock formations and interesting buildings carved on the rocks. However, it’s a good option for people with mobility issues.

In the afternoon, explore the Red and Rose valleys. This route is super beautiful and there are very few people there. Along the way, you’ll see several “houses”, buildings and caves carved on the rock and fairy chimneys. Unfortunately, we were caught on a storm in the middle of the hike, so we couldn’t complete it. But, we super recommend it. It is even better than the one we did on the previous day.

Day 3 in Cappadocia

On your third day, explore some of the other places you didn’t have the time to in the previous days or revisit some of the ones you liked the most.

Additionally, we also suggest exploring the Çavusin village and an underground city. There are several of them in this region. We explored the Derinkuyu underground city. We liked to visit this place, but there isn’t any information along the visit, so we recommend going with a guide for a little bit more of context. Additionally, this is not suitable for claustrophobic people as you’ll be walking several meters under the ground in some straight passages.

If you still have time, pay a visit to the Selime Cathedral, if you haven’t already, and hike the Ilhara Valley.

Alternatively, other popular activities to do in this area that I regret not doing them is a pottery class (in which you create your own piece and take it home), a horse ride in the valleys or an ATV adventure tour.

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How to Get Internet In Turkey

When travelling to foreign countries, we always opt for an eSIM to get internet data. We had good experiences with airalo (offers from 4.50€), Maya (offers from $6), and Holafly. Check several providers to see which one offers the best package.

If you decide to go with airalo, you can use the referral code below on your first purchase to get a a 3$ credit:

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Wrapping Up

We hope you find our Cappadocia travel guide useful and that it helps you plan a wonderful stay in this unique region of Turkey.

If you’re visiting Turkey, we have other travel guides that will be useful. Check them below.

Finally, you can use our links to book your accommodation, and activities and find cheap flights. You won’t pay more for it and you’ll be supporting our work.