In this guide we outline the 5 best activities to do when visiting Cappadocia, Turkey. Use this information to plan hiking trips to see spectacular rock formations, cave homes and churches, photographing the hot air balloons, and visiting an underground city. You may also want to consider booking a stay at a cave hotel for your trip. If you feel inspired to visit Cappadocia after reading this article, then you can read our corresponding guide on 5 popular activities not worth doing, so you can focus on having the most rewarding visit, and save money at the same time.
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Cappadocia, a Land of Wonder
If you have ever seen a picture of hundreds of hot air balloons rising into the sky at sunrise over unique rock formations, then there is a very good chance that you have seen pictures of Cappadocia, Turkey, known as Kapadokya in Turkish, even if you have no idea where or what that is.
During our three month van life trip in Turkey we spent a week exploring everything that the Cappadocia area has to offer. This area of Turkey has a very rich history that will quickly become apparent as you spend some time visiting the different sites. Although if history has the same appeal to you as a microwaved tuna sandwich, then don’t worry as Cappadocia can fascinate you, and keep you entertained without ever reading a single historical fact.
1. Balloons, Balloons, Balloons!
We should probably talk about the Cappadocia hot air balloons first as they are in all honesty a big part of what has made Cappadocia so popular. The first hot air balloons rose above Cappadocia in 1991 in conjunction with a competition. Since those early days the numbers have increased drastically, and you can now see up to 165 hot air balloons slowly rising into the air every morning before sunrise.
If you have the same healthy scepticism of heights as myself, the good news is that you can enjoy this spectacle with both feet planted firmly on the ground. The hardest part is probably dragging yourself out of bed for sunrise, but we were lucky enough to have found a great spot in the hills overlooking Love Valley to spend the night in our camper van, so Sita did not have to drag me very far. If you do make the effort to get out of bed for sunrise, then make sure you take your best camera equipment with you. There are some incredible photo opportunities to be had as the balloons slowly rise into the glowing sky.
2. Hike Love Valley
Hiking through Love Valley is one of the easier hikes you can do in Cappadocia, and is a great way to get a taste for everything that Cappadocia has to offer. If you are staying in the town centre of Göreme, you can easily walk to Love Valley, if you do not mind adding on some extra time. Alternatively, you can get a taxi from the town to the start of the valley, just make sure you agree on a price first. The main attraction in Love Valley are the phallic rock formations, hence the aptly named ‘Love Valley’. If your only desire is to admire the phallic rock formations, then you can keep this hike very short. We opted to explore further, and kept walking along the valley by following the dry creek bed. There is not a strictly defined hiking trail, and since you will be walking in a canyon you can make this hike as long or as short as you want. If you are visiting in the summer season, make sure to wear a hat, and bring a water bottle, as the dry rocks reflect the heat.
3. Derinkuyu Underground City & Kaymakli Underground City
There is some debate around what the purpose of these underground cities was, and whether they were designed for permanent habitation, or as refuges. Regardless of the academic debate, these cities are incredibly fascinating to see, and read about. Numerous underground cities have been discovered in the Cappadocia region, and recently it was discovered that two of the biggest cities discovered so far, Derinkuyu and Kaymakli, are linked by an underground passage. Even if the historical context of these underground marvels does not resonate with you, I would strongly suggest a visit anyway. Crawling along the numerous passage ways, trying to interpret the function of different rooms, and marvelling at the engineering, and effort involved in creating these cities is honestly the best part of exploring these ancient underground cities.
4. Hike Rose & Red Valley
This is one of the most historically interactive hikes that we have ever done. The hike will not only take you along some incredible scenery, with great view points along the way, but you will also get the chance to explore two cave churches that are over 1,000 years old. The first church you will come across is called the Crusader Church, and it will reward you walking up the rickety staircase by showing you its miraculously preserved religious murals that were painstakingly painted onto the cave walls. After you have taken your obligatory 100 photographs, and the mandatory selfie so you can show your friends how well travelled you are, you can descend the staircase again, and reward yourself with a delicious pomegranate and orange juice from the ‘cave stall’. If you started too late, or the weather is simply too hot, you can turn around at this point, and complete the second leg another day. Since we were hiking in the winter, we decided to press on and do the whole loop. The second half of the hike is in our opinion more spectacular, and along the way you will see a few cave dwellings that have survived the test of time extremely well. The dwellings are completely open and free to visit, so you can walk around inside them, and live out all your Flintstone fantasies to your heart’s content.
As you continue following the path along the second loop, you will come across what at first glance looks like a large cave dwelling with some windows, and a moat-like structure around it. This humble structure is in fact the Direkli Kilise (Column Church). If your curiosity does not naturally compel you to cross the small wooden bridge, then let me give you a virtual nudge in the back, and urge you to cross it, and enter the building. As you first enter you might wonder what the fuss is all about, but cross the threshold through the small doorway on your right, and you will very quickly become breathless. In the main hall of the church the entire cave opens up, and the interior is filled with enough vaults and columns to weaken the knees of the most jaded neoclassical architect. At first it is honestly hard to utter any other words, except wow. The beautiful, and classic church architecture is completely unexpected based on the very plain exterior of the church. I honestly cannot think of a better physical manifestation of the proverb ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ than this magnificent early Christian church.
As with many of the cave churches you will see in Cappadocia this one is not particularly huge, and certainly cannot compete with the sheer grandeur of European cathedrals, yet the space feels more intimate, and somehow more genuine in its worship. After all these churches were not carved out to be glorious examples of the King’s devotion to the Church. Instead the people who built these churches were much more modest, and had the aim of creating an intimate, and beautiful space that reflected the essence of what they worshipped.
It is probably needless to say, but if you find yourself in Cappadocia then I would strongly recommend doing this hike. Even if your fitness levels are not top notch, you can split the hike over two days, and simply take your time. If you are on a budget, and want to minimise how much you spend on attractions, then this completely free hike will enable you to visit much better preserved cave houses, and cave churches, than any of the open air museums.
5. Stay in a Cave Hotel
Since we were travelling in our van, and with three dogs, we did not get the chance/ have the need to stay in a cave hotel. We did however get the chance to take a tour of some when we did a cooking class. This particular hotel had done a fantastic job of making the caves feel modern, and cosy whilst retaining the charm of being a cave. Although the lack of natural light would probably be tough after a few days, it is nonetheless a very interesting concept, and is a fun and unique alternative to a standard hotel room. Before you book, make sure to double check with the hotel that your room will actually be a cave, as some of the cave hotels also have ‘normal’ rooms.
Now that you know which are the best activities to do when you travel to Cappadocia, read our accompanying guide to learn which 5 popular activities are not worth doing in our opinion, and where you can save money.
More Travel Tips & Guides
If you are travelling to Turkey for the first time, check out these helpful guides and travel tips:
If you have travel plans for Europe, check out some of our European posts with unique places to visit and things to do, along with travel hacks that will save you money:
