I’m going to tell you how you can save up to $1,000 on your trip to Cappadocia by avoiding these expensive mistakes.
We spent three months exploring Turkey in our 30 year old self converted Mercedes camper van. During those months we spent two weeks in Cappadocia, and learnt a lot about the area.
We didn’t spend any money on guided tours, or balloon rides, but we still saw and experienced everything that the tours offered. Keep reading and we will tell you how to experience Cappadocia on a budget.
Tip #1: Skip the balloon ride and enjoy the vibe on the ground
The first, and biggest cost saving tip I can give you is to skip the hot air balloon ride. Cappadocia is famous for its hot air balloons, but is it worth spending $300 of your hard earned money just to float in a wicker basket with 30 strangers worth of morning breath?
Being the cheap buggers, I mean frugal, and financially savvy, travellers that we are, we opted not to pay for a hot air balloon tour when we were in Cappadocia. Instead we drove to the top of the cliffs overlooking Love Valley, and parked our van with a fantastic view of the entire valley floor. This enabled us to almost literally roll out of bed in order to watch the hot air balloons rise in the early morning by ourselves.
We were admittedly a little bit nervous about them landing on our van when they slowly began drifting out of the sky after their tours were done, but luckily for us the pilots had not imbibed in the free sparkling wine that the tourists get after completing the flight, and our camper survived.
The best part about staying on the ground, aside from saving money, is that you actually get the best view of the hot air balloons. If you think about your favorite pictures from Cappadocia they are almost invariably taken from the ground, and not from a hot air balloon.
If you want to imitate our experience, but don’t want to drive a 30 year old van from Northern Sweden to Turkey, the good news is that almost any rental car can make it to the top of the cliffs, if you’re careful. If you don’t have a rental car, just grab a taxi as they are more than willing to drive to the lookout spots for you. Of course if you are one of those freaks of nature that likes to exercise at the crack of dawn, then you can simply jog to the top of the valley.
Eating Out in Cappadocia
Now let’s focus on helping you save money on food whilst visiting the Cappadocia region. If you love freshly prepared, tasty, and affordable food then Turkey is an incredible destination to visit. In fact, I could spend a lot of time raving about Turkish food.
Obviously if you’re traveling in your camper like we did, then you can save money by cooking some of your meals in your own home on wheels. But if you’re staying in a hotel, then you don’t really have much choice except to eat out, which honestly is no hardship in Turkey.
Tip #2: Don’t pay tourist prices for eating out
The first money saving tip is to avoid eating at the restaurants in Goreme if you don’t want to pay tourist prices. The main road going through town is lined with restaurants, and they have people standing outside the doors to encourage you inside, before you get a chance to look at the menu, and their prices. We’re pretty seasoned travellers, but being tired, and hungry we fell for this trick on our first night in Goreme.
We had already spent a month travelling in Turkey by the time we got to Cappadocia, so we had a good idea of how much things normally cost, and I can tell you from experience that the prices in Goreme are two to three times more expensive than you would pay elsewhere in Turkey.
In addition, you won’t really find any difference in pricing between the restaurants. In fact it’s almost as if they all agreed on a minimum price? With all that being said, some of the restaurants are very nicely furnished, and in the winter they’ll often have open wood burning fireplaces inside to keep you warm, and cosy.
Although the vast majority of restaurants we went to in Turkey accepted credit cards, the really small local ‘hole in the wall’ places often didn’t. If you’re like us, and think that those types of restaurants are often hidden gems, then you’ll want to have a way to pay. We use a Wise debit card that allows us to hold multiple currencies in one account, and instantly convert currencies at mid market rates. So when we were in Turkey we could go to any ATM and get Turkish Lira out, instead of having to deal with dodgy currency exchange offices.
Tip #3: Avoid eating at tour bus / tourist restaurants
Another restaurant tip is to be wary of restaurants that have a deal with the tour bus operators. There are a few ways to spot these restaurants, obviously if you see a tour bus full of foreign tourists entering the restaurant from the parking lot that is a fairly obvious give away.
However, it’s not always that obvious so here are a few things to look out for:
Now business is business, and I tip my hat off to these restaurants for hitting on a good business model. Unfortunately the food quality does take a hit, since these restaurants are not catering to local repeat customers.
The solution to the price gouging in Goreme, and the tour bus restaurants on the outskirts of town is to go out to eat in the towns around Goreme. We found some good restaurants in Avanos which is also a tourist town but more so for local tourists. This means that their prices are nowhere near as extortionate as the prices in Goreme, and there were fewer tour bus restaurants.
Shopping in Cappadocia Turkey
Alright, enough about food, let’s talk about shopping, and more specifically how you can save money during your visit to Cappadocia.
It’s easy to be tempted by the colourful pottery that’s on display at the numerous pottery shops in Avanos, but as always you can’t just trust a pretty face. Well, except mine of course. Cappadocia was traditionally known for its unique pottery due to the rich clay deposits in the area, but since the area’s rise in popularity with tourists, the vast majority of pottery shops exist for the sole purpose of catering to those tourists. In fact, along the main road between Goreme and Avanos you will find several pottery shops with huge parking lots dedicated to tour buses. Although the owners might be perfectly friendly, you should not expect to find anything unique or traditionally authentic at these shops.
If you go into the town of Avanos you will find a lot of smaller pottery shops, where you can sometimes see the owners creating the pieces they sell. We went into about 6 of these shops, looking for small gifts or souvenirs for family members, but we quickly learnt that every single shop was selling the exact same patterns, and designs. After some kind but firm questioning on our side, we did finally get one of the shop owners to admit that most of the items were mass produced elsewhere, and purchased wholesale. Only the more expensive high end, and intricate pieces are actually produced locally. Naturally, these are the pieces the store owners want to showcase, and get you to buy.
Tip #4: Buy a rice pudding, and skip the pottery shop
Despite our best efforts we simply could not find any authentic pottery within our budget and taste, so if you’ve been to the area, and did manage to find that rare gem of a shop, please share it in the comments to help other travellers. Although not intentional we did actually manage to leave Turkey with one piece of pottery, a little glazed terracotta dish that was used for cooking the local rice pudding in a wood oven. I know it sounds silly, but that little dish actually ended up being the best souvenir as we will always remember the shop we bought it from, and how delicious the pudding was.
Heading to Turkey? Check Out These Helpful Travel Resources
Transportation in Cappadocia
Once you’ve landed in Cappadocia you need to figure out how to get to your hotel.
Now my Danish mother would tell you not to be lazy, and simply walk everywhere. Luckily for you, my Canadian wife has made me a lot nicer, so here are three options, apart from walking, for getting around the Cappadocia region.
Tip #5: Renting a car is pricey, but the flexibility might be worth it
The first transport option is an oldie but a goodie. Renting a car right from the airport is both easy, and convenient.
This option is however surprisingly expensive. For a 4 day trip, which is really the minimum time I would set aside for a Cappadocia trip, the cheapest rental car I could find at Kayseri Airport was $143 USD. Flying into Nevsehir Airport the cheapest rental car I could find was $233 USD. So if you’re flexible, you can definitely save some money by flying into Kayseri Airport.
Asides from the convenience factor, having a rental car will also enable you to explore the different towns in the Cappadocia region, along with giving you some more flexibility on where to stay, since you don’t need to be within walking distance of the major sites.
Another huge benefit of a rental car is that you can visit some of the other attractions in the region. For example, you could easily drive to the fascinating Derinkuyu and Kaymakli underground cities, which are only 39 minutes and 29 minutes by car respectively, from Goreme town. If you want something both scenic, and cultural then I strongly recommend visiting the Ihlara Valley, which is roughly an hour and fifteen minutes drive from the town of Goreme.
Tip #6: Taxis are easy, plentiful, and surprisingly affordable
Our next tip is to take a taxi, which saves you the hassle of driving in a foreign country, but still gives you a ton of flexibility.
Turkey does not have Uber or Lyft, but they do have an easy to use taxi app, called BiTaksi, that essentially serves the same function as the ride sharing apps you’re used to from home, except the vehicles are actually licensed taxis. This means you know the cost of your ride upfront, and pay for it through the app. Using the app eliminates a lot of the typical taxi scam worries, and makes it easy to find a taxi wherever you are. For taxis you should expect to pay a minimum of 20 TRY per km, which works out to just shy of one USD per mile.
For example, ehe Nevesehir airport is about 43 km away from Goreme, which means you can expect that trip to cost around 860 TRY, or roughly $25 USD. For more local trips, if you’re staying in Goreme, and want to visit Avanos for example, that taxi ride will cost you just shy of $6 USD each way. If you’re travelling as a couple or a family, taking a taxi from the airport would definitely be my recommendation as the shuttle is going to be a similar price, since you have to pay per person.
If you want the lowest prices then you need to make sure that you are using the BiTaksi app. There are lots of taxi companies in Cappadocia that cater almost exclusively to tourists, and they naturally charge tourist prices. Some of these taxi drivers can also act as informal tour guides if you want, and you can even hire them for the day.
Just remember, if you’re not using the Bitaksi app make sure you know the price of your taxi ride ahead of time, and whether they accept credit cards.
Tip #7: If you can find it, the bus will save you money
My last tip is to use local transport whenever you can, although fairly limited it does exist. So if you’re an adventurous, and very budget conscious traveller taking the bus is going to be your best bet, as long as you are ok waiting up to 30 mins for the bus to arrive, not including the time it takes you to figure out where the bus stop is. I would personally still splurge on either a shuttle, or a Taxi to get to and from the airport with your luggage, as public transport would involve several change overs.
If you’re planning on spending at least four days in Cappadocia, then I would spend the money, and splurge on a rental car, just to have the freedom to explore everything the region has to offer.
Tip #8: Save money by staying at a hotel close to the major sites
If you’re just planning a lightning trip for a day or two, then I would recommend staying in the town of Goreme, as almost all the famous sites are going to be either walking distance, or a cheap taxi ride, from your hotel.
Hotels in Cappadocia Turkey
How much would you pay for a dark hotel room with no windows?
Cappadocia is famous for its cave hotel rooms that look incredible on Instagram. But just because they look amazing on the ‘gram’ does not mean that staying in a dark, damp room is the best choice for your trip.
Cave hotels are pretty much exactly what they say on the tin, a hotel room that has been dug into the soft cliffs that abound in the Cappadocia region.
The good news is that unlike the long abandoned cave homes you will see everywhere in the region, these caves have been upgraded with all the modern amenities, so that archaeologists in the distant future can look through old instagram reels, and come up with fascinating theories about how people used to live in the 21st century.
Up until fairly recently there was no restriction on buying a plot of land with some old caves in it, expanding them, and making them habitable. Those glory days are no longer, which makes the existing cave hotels that much rarer, and more desirable.
We got the chance to tour one of these cave hotel rooms at the hotel where we did a cooking class, just to see what all the fuss was about. This particular hotel had done a great job making the room very cosy, and inviting with lots of rugs, and soft lighting, but at the end of the day it’s still a cave. If you want to stay in the cave hotel where we did our cooking class, here is the link.
As with all Instagrammable things, cave hotel rooms are a lot less awesome when you actually see them in real life.
Tip #9: Skip cave rooms if you love beans, or if you’re asthmatic
Since you are sleeping in a cave, you will have few or no windows, and without windows it’s going to get stuffy, so go easy on the beans for dinner. I would also say that if you suffer from claustrophobia, then a dark, closed space is probably not your happy place. Likewise if you suffer from asthma then a damp cave with poor ventilation is going to have you performing honeymoon acts on your inhaler, instead of your significant other.
Personally, I would probably go a little bit crazy if I spent four nights in a cave hotel room. With that being said, I think it could be a fun experience for a night or two, so if you’re up for being a little mobile during your trip, you could book one night in a cave room, and then switch to a regular room for the rest of your trip for more comfort.
As with all hotels there is going to be a difference in quality between them, and for a cave room that difference can be exaggerated. I’ve read reports of plaster crumbling from cars driving by, and clothing feeling damp to the touch. Now these are all preventable issues, so make sure you choose a well run hotel, and you should be golden.
Tip #10: Not all rooms in cave hotels are cave rooms
Since cave hotels are so popular it should be no surprise that some hotels will call themselves cave hotels, even though they’re actually not. As always doing your homework, and reading reviews will help you avoid the worst offenders.
The other thing to watch out for is that some genuine cave hotels will have both regular, and cave rooms. So if you do want a genuine cave room, make sure it says it very clearly in the room description, or you can email the hotel you’re considering, and ask them to confirm the room type before you book.
Cappadocia Museums
Now that you know where to stay, let’s talk about what there is to see.
In two seconds I’m going to save you $15. I’m one of those weird people that really likes museums, but when you’re visiting Cappadocia I recommend that you steer clear of them.
Tip #11: Skip the museums, and go for a walk instead
Since the Zelve Open Air Museum that we visited called itself a museum we somehow expected to see something more archaeologically significant than what we had already seen for free on our hikes. That was most definitely not the case, apart from a few placards with some interesting tidbits, walking through the open air museum was a lot less interesting than the hikes we had done in Love Valley, Rose Valley and Red Valley right from our camper van.
Cappadocia Tours
If museums are off the list, then how are you supposed to entertain yourself, and see everything that Cappadocia has to offer? Luckily for you if something can be ridden or driven, then there’s a good chance that someone in Cappadocia is offering a tour on it. But are any of these tours actually worth spending money on?
Tip #12: Skip the ATV tours
When you first arrive into the town of Goreme, and your mind boggles at the hundreds of ATV’s that are everywhere you would be forgiven for thinking that you’ve stumbled onto an ATV convention. Don’t worry you won’t be forced to attend any sales pitches, instead all those ATV’s are there to transport tourists around the National Park on ATV tours.
On the face of it that sounds like a fun outing, getting to ride around the fascinating landscapes where no other vehicle can go. Unfortunately that is not the reality, instead you will be driving around in a dust cloud of up to 50 ATV’s, and then parking to explore some of the more interesting areas. The funny thing is that our 30 year old, 6 ton, 2wd camper was able to drive to all the same places that these ATV’s did. So save your money for some tacky souvenirs, and skip the ATV tours.
Tip #13: Skip the ‘Jeep’ tours
For the next tour that I want to talk about, I will once again add a little disclaimer: if you enjoy being cramped in an old Land Rover Defender with four of your best stranger friends, being bounced around on bumpy dirt roads, and being in a convoy of at least 20 other Defenders, only to end up parking next to a mint green 30 year old camper that has just driven the exact same road, then feel free to ignore my recommendations.
Nonetheless, I would recommend saying no thank you to the Jeep tours. Don’t be confused by the Jeep name though, the vast majority of the SUV’s being used for these tours are actually old Land Rover Defenders.
During our time in Cappadocia we came across these tours all the time, as they liked driving up the cliffs overlooking Love Valley, which is also where we slept with our camper van.
Essentially the experience is as follows: pack as many people as you can into an old Defender, then drive up a bumpy dirt road fast, make you feel that you’re off roading by driving up the embankment on the side of the road (which is flat), then get to a view point, take a smoke break for 5-10 minutes whilst the tourists take pictures, drive off to the next scenic spot, and repeat. Unless old Land Rover Defenders really make you feel warm and fuzzy inside, then there is nothing in this experience that you cannot replicate yourself in a rental car, your own campervan, or even on foot.
Tip #14: Horse riding tours take you places you can’t drive
Now before you accuse me of being a tight fisted grumpy old man in the comments, there is one tour that offers something a little more unique, and that is the horse riding tour. Although you can still walk along all the paths that the horses go, riding a horse along the small hiking paths amongst the hills, is at least a unique experience. Especially in the summer, you may not want to spend 2 hours walking around being slowly baked by the sun, and going on a horse riding tour will save you walking but still take you to the sites that you can’t reach by ATV or Land Rover.
Although I have never managed to fall off a horse, I have tripped, stumbled, and fallen over or off most things. So whenever I’m travelling in a foreign country I always make sure to have health insurance just in case anything happens. We personally use Genki health insurance, and have been really pleased with them.
Best Things to Do in Cappadocia Turkey
Tip #15: Go for a hike
Since I’ve recommended that you avoid pretty much every tour, and suggested that you don’t visit Zelve Open Air Museum, you might be scratching your head a little bit, and wondering what on earth I do recommend doing.
That is a completely fair question, and I will be happy to answer it. My recommendation is to use shanks pony, aka the two stubs at the end of your torso.
Hiking in Cappadocia is an incredible way to experience the landscape, and also get up close to the cultural legacy of the area. During our time in Cappadocia we spent some fantastic hours exploring the different valleys in the area with our dogs. Not only is the landscape incredible, but hidden in the volcanic rocks you will find evidence everywhere of a past era from long abandoned cave homes, to incredible cave churches. One of our favorite hikes in the area was exploring the trails that run through both Red and Rose Valley.
Tip #16: Have a battery backup for Your phone
The hiking trails we wanted to explore were well marked on AllTrails, so we merrily set off for a day of exploring without a worry in the world. Less than halfway through our hike though we discovered that the battery on our phones was draining a lot quicker than we had expected from taking so many photos, and without AllTrails to guide us it would be quite a challenge to navigate our way back.
Of course a portable battery bank would have been terribly useful at that very moment, but ours had ceased to function a while ago, and being the frugal travellers we are, we had neglected to replace it. Luckily between our two phones our batteries lasted just long enough for us to complete the trail, and make it back to the main road before the batteries died.
So if you do plan on hiking in Cappadocia, which you definitely should, make sure you bring lots of water, and also a battery bank for your phone. Here’s the link to the battery bank that we have now.
Most Important Tip for Cappadocia
Tip #17: Make sure you include Cappadocia in your Turkey Itinerary
My last tip is to make sure you don’t miss out on visiting Cappadocia if you ever find yourself in Turkey. Although it is heavily touristed, the amazing history and cave architecture in this region is incredibly fascinating. I would also recommend that you do some reading ahead of time, and learn about some of the fascinating people that inhabited this area. A little bit of reading will also help you understand how this region was shaped, and how different the climate was even just a thousand years ago.
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