Visiting Cappadocia in Türkiye is probably on many people’s bucket lists. This is a destination that has become extremely popular in recent years (largely due to social media!), and in particular due to the hot air balloon rides.

The truth is that Cappadocia is much more than a hot air balloon ride. Although it’s an unbelievable experience (you can read all about it here), there are many things to do in Cappadocia. If you’re like me, this will quickly become your favourite destination in Türkiye🥰.

Cappadocia is not a city, but a region in the centre of Türkiye. And what makes this region so unique are its rock formations that sometimes almost transport you to another planet.

Millions of years ago there were volcanoes that, at one point, covered the region with various materials. In the meantime, erosive agents acted, eventually creating today’s rock formations. The softer material at the base disappeared and the top of the formations (made of more resistant material) remained. In a nutshell, this was the process that created the formations that are so typical of the region, such as the fairy chimneys.

Cappadocia’s landscapes are unique in the world, so get ready for an unforgettable trip. Throughout this blog post, I’ll show you how you can visit the best of Cappadocia in 2 days. In addition to this Cappadocia itinerary, in this post you’ll find more information on:

• Best places to stay in Cappadocia
• Best time to go to Cappadocia
• How to get around Cappadocia
• How long to stay in Cappadocia

The answer to this question is probably one of the easiest I’ve given in all of the posts on this blog. The answer is an easy yes! Believe me when I say that Cappadocia is VERY much worth a visit.

In addition to the hot air balloon rides that make the experience of visiting Cappadocia even more magical, the landscapes of this Turkish region will leave you in awe 😍. Cappadocia’s landscapes look like something out of a movie, so if you have the time, it would be foolish to visit Türkiye and not take the opportunity to visit Cappadocia.

As I’ve already mentioned, Cappadocia is much more than the hot air balloon rides (although that may be one of the most exciting things about this visit! 😄). For example, there are loads of hiking trails in Cappadocia, as well as lots of fun and interesting activities to do there.

Even if you don’t want to walk some trails, there are several attractions in Cappadocia that can be visited without too much effort.

For a first visit to the region, I believe that 2 full days in Cappadocia is the minimum amount of time you need to visit the main points of interest (and quite calmly!). For example, I spent 2 full days there and was perfectly able to check out the top things to do in Cappadocia (which I’ll tell you about in a moment).

However, if you want to include some activities other than the balloon ride, I suggest an extra day or two. To be honest, I think it’s hard to get bored with this part of Türkiye.

Cappadocia is located at an altitude of around 1000 metres and in the interior of Türkiye. This means it has rather harsh winters. For example, snow is quite common from November to March.

Even when it’s not winter, the hottest days are usually marked by a wide temperature range, and the nights and early mornings are cool, so I always recommend taking some kind of warm clothing when travelling to Cappadocia.

However, any time of year is a good time to travel to Cappadocia. Even covered in snow, the region is absolutely magical. Nonetheless, it goes without saying that snow can make some of your plans impossible, such as hiking trails and hot air balloon rides (if it’s snowing at the time of your flight, for example).

The best months to visit Cappadocia are from April to early June and late September and October. July and August are the months with the highest temperatures (it can get quite hot during the day) and also those with the highest volume of tourists.

Even so, I’d like to point out that it’s a bit difficult to avoid tourism in Cappadocia, given the popularity of this region. To give you an idea, the low season only lasts from November to March. For example, I chose to visit Cappadocia at the beginning of October and there was plenty of tourism still. As for the temperatures, during the day it was pleasant (not too hot, not too cold) and at night and early in the morning, the thermometers already hit 3 °C – 6 °C.

As a Portuguese citizen, I only needed a valid passport to enter Türkiye (ideally with 6 months validity from the date of arrival in the country). As I didn’t need a visa, I could stay for a maximum of 90 days every 6 months.

For other nationalities, I strongly recommend checking the conditions of entry into Türkiye on the official website of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Firstly, you can get to Cappadocia by car or bus. The region has bus connections with cities like Istanbul, for example. However, these journeys are quite long (at least 8h30). You can see the timetables and prices available directly at Flixbus.

However, flights often have similar prices to buses and are much quicker (a journey between Istanbul and Cappadocia takes about an hour). There are two airports in Cappadocia:

• Nevşehir Kapadokya Airport – the closest airport to Cappadocia
• Kayseri Erkilet International Airport – about 1 hour from Cappadocia by car, but with more flights available

While Nevşehir airport only has connections to Istanbul, Kayseri has other destinations available, such as Izmir, Antalya in Türkiye and other cities in Europe (many flights are only available during the high season). For example, although I arrived in Cappadocia by car, I ended up flying from Kayseri to Istanbul. I flew with Turkish Airlines and the flight cost just 28€.

Although the best things to do in Cappadocia are located relatively close together, the easiest option for travelling in Cappadocia is by car. The roads are in good condition and parking is relatively simple.

In my case, as I was on a road trip through Türkiye, I had already brought the car from the Turkish Riviera and kept it while in Cappadocia. But it’s perfectly possible to hire a car directly in Cappadocia, either at one of the city’s airports or in one of the main towns.

There are also guided tours to visit the highlights of Cappadocia. This is an excellent option for those who don’t have a car or don’t want to worry too much about what to visit during the day.

The best-known tours are the Red Tour and the Green Tour. In fact, you only have to walk around the main tourist areas in the region and you’ll quickly realise that there are several operators offering this service. Although there are obviously some exceptions, the tours are fairly standardised and these two are the most popular.

The Red Tour is the most popular as it passes through the main points of interest in Cappadocia. You can buy the Red Tour directly from Get Your Guide, which allows you to cancel free of charge up to 24 hours before the activity. Besides pick up and drop off at the hotel, this tour lasts around 7 hours and stops at emblematic sites such as Love Valley, Monks Valley, Zelve Open Air Museum, Uçhisar Castle, Devrent Valley and also includes a pottery workshop.

The Green Tour is for those who prefer nature and less touristy places, although this tour also includes well-known places such as the underground city of Derinkuyu or the Ihlara Valley. During the 9-hour tour, you’ll also visit the Pigeon Valley, an onyx factory, Lake Narlı, Belisirma village and Selime Cathedral. Check availability for the Green Tour here.

It’s important to note that the places visited on each tour may vary slightly depending on the tour operator you choose.

💡 EXTRA TIP: Although I didn’t do any of these tours because I had a car, if I had to choose one, I would go for the Green Tour because it takes you to places that are more difficult to reach if you don’t have a car. Some of the Red Tour sites are more accessible from the main towns in Cappadocia.

One of the most popular areas when it comes to looking for accommodation in Cappadocia is the town of Göreme. This small town has plenty of accommodation and is home to many souvenir shops and some of the best restaurants in the region. What’s more, the scenery around Göreme is absolutely idyllic.

However, if you plan to rent a car in Cappadocia, any accommodation in the vicinity of Göreme (i.e. a few minute’s drive) is actually an excellent choice. Other popular locations include Uçhisar, Çavuşin, Ortahisar or even Ürgüp. For example, I chose to stay in Çavuşin and it took less than 10 minutes by car to get to the centre of Göreme.

💡 EXTRA TIP: Although many of the best accommodations in Cappadocia are located in Göreme, I must warn you that some are located on streets that are too narrow for cars, which can make it difficult to carry luggage, for example.

If Cappadocia wasn’t already a dream in itself, there are lovely accommodations in this Turkish region too. How many times have you imagined staying in a cave hotel? 😱 Well, there are several cave hotels in Cappadocia and some of them are even some of the best hotels in Cappadocia to see balloons (almost) every morning.

Although I haven’t stayed in a hotel of this kind (I loved my hotel, I’ll tell you all about it in a moment!), I saw quite a few while I was researching accommodation and I’m going to share with you what I think are the best cave hotels in Cappadocia:

• Divan Cave House
• Mithra Cave Hotel
• Koza Cave Hotel
• Sultan Cave Suites
• Aza Cave Cappadocia

In my case, I stayed for two nights in Çavuşin, located less than 10 minutes by car from Göreme, at In Stone House. Compared to the cave hotels, this accommodation was much cheaper (26€/night with breakfast) and is absolutely incredible.

Besides the excellent location, the service was excellent and the hotel’s outdoor space was really lovely as well. In addition, the room was very spacious (especially the bathroom) and very comfortable. The room was always warm, which was great when I returned to my room at the end of the day.

The breakfast service was relatively simple, but it changed throughout the days and was good. In addition, there was always hot tea available at any time of the day. This hotel was a bargain in terms of value for money and for that reason I highly recommend it.

Even so, I’d like to share other accommodation options in Cappadocia, apart from those mentioned above:

Although I felt safe in all the places I visited in Türkiye (I only went to the most touristy parts of Türkiye, in the western part of the country), Cappadocia was the one where I felt the safest.

In any case, I highly recommend previously purchasing travel insurance for Türkiye. However, this recommendation is especially related to possible health expenses and not to any insecurity you may feel while travelling around the country.

The Turkish currency is the Turkish lira (TRY). As of October 2023, the exchange rate against the Euro is 1€ = 29.85 TRY. Please note that this currency has been suffering from historic levels of inflation, so any price mentioned throughout this post in lira may no longer be valid. In fact, this is the most likely thing to happen. When preparing for this trip, I came across recent prices online that no longer match the current prices.

As for how to pay, I was pleasantly surprised by the number of places that accept card payments (even in remote locations and for insignificant amounts). Even so, you should always carry some cash, as there may be some places that don’t accept cards.

For card payments, I always used my Revolut card, which has several advantages. One of the biggest advantages of using a Revolut card when travelling is that it doesn’t charge fees for transactions in different currencies.

If you still haven’t learnt about all the advantages of having a Revolut card, you can find out more here.

As soon as I arrived in Türkiye, I opted to buy a SIM card at the airport. There were three different options, but I was recommended Turk Telecom and the service worked quite well.

• Vodafone 20 GB – 999 TRY
• Türk Telecom 30 GB – 999 TRY
• Turkcell 20 GB – 1199 TRY

Alternatively, you can choose to buy an e-SIM just before your trip, thus saving some time when you arrive. For example, this e-SIM option has several plans for different journey durations.

Entrance to some of Cappadocia’s points of interest is paid. However, most of the paid attractions are free with the Museum Pass Cappadocia. This card costs 1500 TRY (~50€) and can be purchased at the first place you visit in Cappadocia where they accept this card. It is valid for 3 days after first use.

You can see all the places included on the card here. Since I was on a road trip through Türkiye, I opted to buy the Museum Pass, which gives you access to several museums in the country (and not just in Cappadocia) for 15 days.

In my case, I can confirm that it really paid off! However, it really depends on what you want to visit. So, I suggest you add up all the entrance fees to see if it’s worth it in your case.

Before starting this Cappadocia 2-day itinerary, I’ll share with you a map with the main points of interest to help you with your planning.

This 2-day itinerary in Cappadocia has been put together so that you can get to know the most important points of interest in the region and make the most of what Cappadocia has to offer 😉.

It’s also important to note that the itinerary assumes two full days, excluding departure and arrival in Cappadocia.

Let’s start with one of the unique things you can do in Cappadocia. Come to think of it, it’s actually THE thing in Cappadocia: hot air ballooning!

The reason for including this experience on the first day is very simple. Hot air balloons don’t always take off if the weather conditions don’t allow it. So it’s important to try and fly as early as possible on your trip to ensure that you have the highest chance possible of changing your flight to the following day(s) in case you don’t get to fly on the original date.

As much as I can try to write about it, a hot air balloon ride in Cappadocia is truly magical and it’s quite difficult to describe 🥰. In my case, I chose to book directly with Royal Balloon, which is probably the best hot air balloon company in Cappadocia!

If you’d like to know more about the ballooning experience in Cappadocia, have a look at the post I wrote with all the details.

💡 EXTRA TIP: I recommend booking this experience as early as possible! Given its popularity, it may sometimes sell out.

After a busy start to the day and a return to your accommodation for breakfast (and perhaps some rest, as the hot air balloons start very early), it’s time to get started on this first day in Cappadocia.

I suggest starting in Love Valley! Forget this valley’s romantic part of the name (“love”). In fact, its name has quite a naughty meaning due to the phallic shape of the rock formations that form this valley😅.

Joking aside, this valley is one of the most incredible in Cappadocia and an excellent example of the unique rock formations in this region of Türkiye.

To begin with, you can enjoy the valley from above. This is the viewpoint I recommend, and there are several parking spaces available nearby. There are some facilities near the viewpoint, namely some cafés and also some props with which you can take photos!

📝 USEFUL INFORMATION: There is a small fee to visit the viewpoint. In October 2023, it was 20 TRY (~0.67 €). Remember that, given inflation, these values are extremely volatile.

After realizing how beautiful the valley is, you’ll be easily tempted to go down to the valley itself. And the best part is that it’s quite easy to do so. You can park your car on the side of the road (here) and from the car park, it’s about a 15-minute walk (1 km) to get close to the iconic rock formations. Nearby, you’ll also find a small café.

💡 EXTRA TIP: It is supposedly possible to walk a trail from Love Valley to Uçhisar. Although I didn’t walk it myself (I only went as far as the rock formations and back), you can check out this post for more details.

There are plenty of incredible viewpoints in Cappadocia. From some of the viewpoints, you can both observe the towns from a higher point as well as the famous rock formations. So, I suggest a relatively quick stop at Salkim Tepesi Panorama.

The viewpoint is easy to access (it’s located on the side of the road) and there’s plenty of parking available. What’s more, if you like it, there are lots of “props” you can use in your photos.

The next stop is the small town of Uçhisar. Although it’s fun to explore a bit of this town on foot (include some time in your itinerary for this part!), Uçhisar’s ex-libris is its castle.

The castle is the highest point in the Cappadocia region and is well worth a visit. This is probably the most unusual castle I’ve ever visited, as it’s the result of several excavations and internal passages in a large rock formation.

One of the castle’s must-sees is the 360º views of the surrounding area. You have to climb a few steps to get to the top of the castle, but I promise you it will be worth it 🥰!

📝 USEFUL INFORMATION: Entrance to Uçhisar Castle costs 120 TRY (~4€) and they don’t accept cards or the Museum Pass. Car parking is also paid, but I managed to find a free space outside the park.

After stopping for a well-deserved lunch, I suggest a visit to the Pigeon Valley. There are pigeons all over Cappadocia, but this is the area with the highest concentration of this animal. A few metres from the car park, you immediately come across several rocks carved along the valley.

Besides the old houses where people once lived, there are also several pigeon houses carved out of the rocks. In fact, the rocks in Pigeon Valley were easier to carve because of their composition.

Pigeon poop was used as fertiliser by the inhabitants of the region. Although pigeons no longer play as important a role as they used to, dovecotes are still maintained by the locals and so, that’s why you’ll still find a large concentration of these animals in this valley.

You can admire an interesting part of the valley from the viewpoint, located high up next to the car park. However, you can also walk in the valley itself. The trail connects Uçhisar to Göreme and is 5 kilometres long (one way). It’s best to start in Uçhisar, as most of the route is downhill/flat.

Although I didn’t walk the whole trail, I did walk 1.5 kilometres to the rocks in the image on the top right and back. The trail is quite simple up to that part (although the terrain is uneven), except for the descent from the car park to the valley, which is very steep and extremely uneven.

Monks Valley is another of the places to visit in Cappadocia, as this is where you’ll find the largest concentration of the famous fairy chimney rock formations.

The name of this valley comes from the fact that many of these rock formations have been a place of refuge for many monks. You can walk through the valley between the various cone-topped pillars, but you can also explore some of the rock formations inside.

Unlike other valleys, this one isn’t very big, so the visit should take between 1 hour and 1.5 hours. If you have some extra time, you can combine this visit with the Zelve Open Air Museum as they have a joint ticket.

📝 USEFUL INFORMATION: Entry to the Monks Valley costs 280 TRY (~9.4€), but is included in the Museum Pass. It’s open every day from 8 am to 5 pm, but I suggest you check the most up-to-date information here.

After a full day, I suggest ending this 2-day itinerary in Cappadocia in the town of Göreme. This is a great place to find a restaurant for dinner and also to buy a souvenir (or more! 😄).

Waking up late in Cappadocia is quite a waste because the sunrise is one of the most magical moments of the day, especially when the hot air balloons are allowed to fly.

So, as well as taking a balloon ride on one day, on the other I suggest watching the sunrise with the balloons on the horizon. There are several places to watch this unforgettable spectacle, but I suggest doing it at the Lover’s Hill viewpoint. This is one of the best places to watch the balloons in Cappadocia!

Despite my suggestion to visit this viewpoint at sunrise, don’t expect to be there alone. As the viewpoint is located in the centre of Göreme, many tourists end up walking from their hotels to this viewpoint.

And, even if the balloons don’t go up that day, don’t miss this viewpoint, as it has one of the best views in Cappadocia!

📝 USEFUL INFORMATION: The viewpoint costs 10 TRY per person (~0.3€), and you have to pay the entrance whether you’re travelling by car or on foot.

Just like you did on the first day, I recommend that you go back to your accommodation to rest for a while and finally have some breakfast. After that, it’s time to hit the road again to check out Imagination Valley.

This is one of the most popular valleys in Cappadocia due to its uniquely shaped rock formations. The most famous one can be seen immediately from the road (where you can park your car) and opinions are divided. Some say it looks like a camel, others like a giant snail.

Although it’s far from being one of my favourite places in Cappadocia, it’s worth a quick stop to admire the famous camel/snail.

Another must-do in Cappadocia is the Open-Air Museum in Göreme, which is actually a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is one of the most visited sites in Cappadocia because of its vast heritage, but also because it’s one of the easiest places to see the rock carvings up close and there’s no need to hike any trails.

The park is mainly made up of chapels and churches carved out of the rocks. Many of these religious temples still have frescoes inside. Although most of the frescoes have faded in colour, there was one chapel in particular that left me speechless – the Dark Church. It’s important to note that photography is forbidden inside most churches.

The Dark Church has the best-preserved frescoes in the whole complex because it’s the church that receives the least light. However, in order to visit this church, you need an extra ticket.

📝 USEFUL INFORMATION: The Open Air Museum in Göreme is open from 8 am to 5 pm daily. The ticket costs 480 TRY (~16€) + 130 TRY (~4.4€) for the Dark Church. Both entrances are included in the Museum Pass. The car park costs 25 TRY (~0.84€). Check out the most up-to-date information here.

It will probably be close to lunchtime, so I suggest a brief stop in another of Cappadocia’s villages – Ortahisar. It’s quite small and, as well as wandering around its narrow streets, you can always climb to the top of the castle (quite a steep climb).

When I parked the car (20 TRY, 0.7€), I was told that the car park ticket gave access to the castle (30 TRY). Although it wasn’t in my original plans to visit this castle, I ended up going there to have a look as it doesn’t take much time to visit.

Another viewpoint that you should include in your list of what to see in Cappadocia is the viewpoint that gives us a glimpse of the most famous fairy chimneys in Cappadocia. Some say that the three chimneys represent two adults and a child. In fact, there are several myths surrounding this place.

The visit doesn’t take up much time, so I recommend adding this viewpoint to your 2-day itinerary in Cappadocia.

And to say goodbye to Cappadocia, I recommend spending most of the afternoon of your second day in Cappadocia in what was one of my favourite places in the region. If you have two days in Cappadocia, you can’t miss this valley.

Firstly, the Red and Rose Valley is the place where you admire one of the best sunsets in Cappadocia. Many tourists watch the sunset every day in one of the many spaces available around this café. The sunset here is truly magical, as it makes the colours of the valley even more vivid! The Red Valley is definitely one of the best sunset points in Cappadocia.

📝 USEFUL INFORMATION: To get to the various cafés overlooking the Red and Rose Valley, you have to pay for the car park (30 TRY, 1€).

For those with more time on their hands, there is also a trail that connects the Red Valley to the Rose Valley, allowing for more privileged and unique views of these valleys. The trail starts at the café’s car park, from where you can watch the sunset.

The trail is definitely one of the best hikes in Cappadocia. As we make our way through the valley, we get closer to the rock formations which are incredibly colourful 😍. It’s absolutely beautiful!

💡 EXTRA TIP: The best times to visit Red Valley are early in the morning or late in the day, as this is when the valley’s colours become most intense.

That’s why I suggest you get to this valley in time to walk, at least, part of the trail (that’s what I ended up doing). At the end, you can watch the sunset at one of the cafés near the parking lot.

Along the trail, you can find some churches hidden in the various rock formations. Since I didn’t immediately find the right trail and spent a lot of time taking photos, I ended up visiting only one of the churches – Haçlı Kilise. When I entered the church, there were very well-preserved frescoes inside. Absolutely incredible!

Right next to the church, there is a man selling cold drinks. I took the opportunity to drink an orange juice before returning to the parking lot and it gave me a boost of energy to walk all the way back.

The trail is about 7.5 km in total and takes 2-3 hours to complete. As I got lost at the beginning and found the terrain very uneven and steep at times, it took me a long time to reach Haçlı Kilise and I opted to turn back once I got there. But it was incredible nonetheless.

💡 EXTRA TIP: Since I haven’t walked the entire trail, I can’t give you any more tips on it. I will, however, share the post that inspired me to check out this trail.

Although you can visit the main sights, I realize that 2 days in Cappadocia may not be enough. So, if you have more time available, I’d like to share with you some other suggestions of what to do in Cappadocia:

• Çavuşin: a small village, where you can find the Church of St. John the Baptist
• Derinkuyu Underground City: there are several underground cities in Cappadocia, but this is the largest. Most of them were used by the people as a form of protection from the various invasions. Entry is included in the Museum Pass.
• Ihlara Valley: another hike in Cappadocia that follows the course of a river. Here, too, it is possible to explore more caves within rock formations

• Selime Cathedral: the largest religious building in Cappadocia. It’s unbelievable to imagine what life would have been like there hundreds and hundreds of years ago.

📝 USEFUL INFORMATION: The ticket to visit Selime Cathedral (and the Ihlara Valley is also included) costs 330 TRY (~11€), but is included in the Museum Pass. Parking costs an extra 20 TRY (~0.7€). See the most up-to-date information here.

• Soganli Valley: less known than the other valleys and also has churches carved inside rocks
• Zelve Open Air Museum: another valley with houses and churches inside the rock formations and the last to be abandoned after an earthquake made the area unsafe for its inhabitants

In addition to these places that you can add to your itinerary, there are several fun activities in Cappadocia that you can also try. Apart from the balloon ride, these are the most interesting, in my opinion:

• ATV Tour in Cappadocia during sunset: this is one of the best-rated tours of its kind and lasts around 2 hours.
• Traditional Pottery Workshop

Turkish cuisine is exceptional, and you can sample many of the country’s delicacies in the Cappadocia region. So, I’m going to share some of the best places to eat in Cappadocia:

• Turkish Ravioli Restaurant (€€): the space (especially the terrace) is very pleasant and the speciality is manti (a kind of ravioli)
• Kemeralti Cafe Restaurant (€): located in the centre of Ortahisar, outdoor terrace and good food at affordable prices

• Gurme Kebab Restaurant (€): central location in Göreme, fast service and the pide was great
• La Vida A la Carte (€€): a very cosy space with a lit fireplace (perfect for winter days). I tried the tavuk testi and it was divine 🤤.

Visiting Cappadocia is an absolute dream and it’s time you experience it yourself! Whatever the length of your trip, it’s hard to remain indifferent to this Turkish region. I hope this post has helped you organize your trip to Cappadocia or, if nothing else, inspired you to finally book that plane ticket!

Disclaimer: this post may contain some affiliate links, which means I get a small commission if you buy something through my links. This doesn’t represent any additional cost to you and you’ll be supporting my work here on the blog😊