Places to Visit in Cappadocia – Brief and Concise

Cappadocia It is one of the most special, beautiful and must-see places in Turkey. If I made a list of must-see places in Turkey -I think I didn't--it would definitely be in the top five. Cappadocia; The name given to a large region that includes the borders of Niğde, Nevşehir, Kayseri, Kırşehir and Aksaray. The miracle of nature met with human art when the magical rocks formed by the mutual spraying of the lavas of Erciyes and Hasandağı and the erosion of this volcanic region by millions of years of wind and rain, were used for settlement and worship over time. Cappadocia itinerary for those who do Places to visit in Cappadocia This article came up when I wanted to make a short and concise list like a pill. If you have any suggestions, don't forget to add them in the comments!

Map of Places to Visit in Cappadocia

Since Cappadocia covers a large area, it can be a bit confusing to create a sightseeing route for those going for the first time, especially if you are going by yourself rather than with a tour, it would be good to do a good preliminary research. In below Cappadocia map, will guide you to clearly understand the locations of the places to see in the region. If you have limited time, I recommend you to visit the points on the red line, and if you have time, include the green line in your route.

Places to Visit in Cappadocia

What I have listed below are the most popular places in the Cappadocia region, in fact, you need 4-5 days to visit these places properly. Apart from these, there are great hiking and trekking routes. It takes days to visit all the mansions one by one, or it can be kept shorter by removing some from the list.

Goreme Open Air Museum

Göreme is the most central and lively place in Cappadocia, so I tried to share the places to see in the rest of the article according to their distance from Göreme. In addition to being the intersection point of places to see, it also hosts the Göreme Open Air Museum. This museum definitely deserves to be seen. You can enter with your museum card, but you pay separately for some churches. If you travel with a guide, use Piri Guide or get a guidebook, it will be more meaningful when visiting the museum.

If I count the main places to see in and around Goreme;

• Goreme National Park,
• lmali Church, 
• st. Barbara Chapel, 
• Serpentine Church, 
• Buckled Church, 
• Sandal Church, 
• Dark Church.

Göreme National Park is one of the places on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list in Turkey. 19 Places from Turkey on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List The article may interest you.

Göreme is also the place where hot air balloons are most common. It is an amazing experience to take off with a balloon at sunrise and watch the magical valleys of Cappadocia from above. If your budget allows, I definitely recommend you try it.

Ortahisar and its Castle

Ortahisar Castle is one of the best sunset spots in the Cappadocia region where you can watch the sunset. Many hotels, restaurants and cafes have been opened around Ortahisar in recent years. Although it is possible to watch the sunset from here, it is best to go up to the castle.

Ürgüp

Temenni Hill, Asmalı Konak, Wine Producers' Places (Turasan and Kocabağ), Mustafapaşa, formerly Sinasos are the most beautiful places to see in Ürgüp and its surroundings. You can add Altınkapılı Tomb, Temenni Hill Tomb, Greek Bath to your list.

If you want a romantic restaurant proposal in Ürgüp; ZIGDY Cafe.

Uchisar

Uçhisar Castle is the highest point where you can see the region panoramically. If you go to the castle towards the sunset, you can watch a beautiful view.

Cavusin Open Air Museum

Çavuşin Open Air Museum is often not on the list of those who come to Cappadocia. However, I think it should be among the must-see places.

Pasabucak – Zelve Open Air Museum

One of the regions where fairy chimneys are most concentrated is Paşabucağı. For this reason, Cappadocia is one of the must-see places on your route. Zelve Valley, Zelve Open Air Museum, Camel Rock you can see in that area.

Pigeon Valley

Another point where you can watch the view of Cappadocia is the entrance to Güvercinlik Valley. This is one of the places where you can take a walk in the valley in Cappadocia, which is beautiful in summer and winter. If you go in the evening close to sunset, you can watch a beautiful view.

Walking Routes Between Cappadocia Valleys

You can come to Cappadocia for a walk among the fairy chimneys in spring and autumn. Güvercinlik Valley, Love Valley and Red Valley are different routes for hiking. I walked the Red Valley route starting from Çavuşin, it is a very pleasant, not challenging, beautiful route.

Avanos

Avanos is a very beautiful city, only 8 km from Göreme, with the Kızılırmak river flowing through it. Pottery in Avanos, Alaaddin Mosque, Saruhan Caravanserai, Stone Bridge, the most important church of the region, John the Baptist Church are the places I would definitely recommend you to see. Make sure to take time to wander around the side streets of Avanos.

You can also make your own pots at the potters, you can watch how I couldn't do it in my video below. Don't forget to subscribe to my channel when you go to the video.

You can try it at Bizim Ev Restaurant, where Avanos is famous for its potted beans. Oh, and there's the Hair Museum of Chez Galip, if you're interested, a museum that seems a bit strange to me…

Saruhan Caravanserai

When you go to Cappadocia, you can spend an evening watching the sema show. Whirling dervish shows are held in Saruhan Caravanserai. You can find out by calling without entering the day and time.

Ihlara Valley

Ihlara Valley is approximately 80 km from Göreme. The valley, which is approximately 10 km long, stretches along the Melendiz Stream. The rock churches accompanying the walking line along the valley take you on a journey in history. If you want to walk the valley, you can go down the stairs next to the restaurants at the top of the valley and follow the paths.

Underground cities

Cappadocia Region is famous for its underground cities. The most famous ones are Derinkuyu, my favorite Kaymaklı, Özkonak and Özlüce (it was closed due to earthquake on my last visit) are the best known ones. It is also estimated that there are many other underground cities that have not yet been opened to tourism.

Derinkuyu, the most well-known of the underground cities, some of which you have to crawl through, is located 35 km from the center of Göreme. While you are in Derinkuyu, I recommend you to visit the Üzümlü Church right at the entrance.

Haci Bektas Veli Museum

The Kulliye of Haci Bektasi Veli, one of the Islamic scholars and philosophers and one of the pioneers of Alevism and Bektashism, is located in the Hacibektas town of Nevşehir. If you have time, another place you can add to your Cappadocia route is Hacibektas. It is located approximately 55 km from Göreme. The places you will see when you go to Hacibektas;

• Hacibektas Veli Museum and Tomb
• Hacibektas Archeology and Ethnography Museum 
• Ataturk house

Gumusler Monastery

Gumusler Monastery, considered one of the most beautiful examples of Eastern Roman art, appears as a rock church dug deep into a solid rock. Located in Gümüşler Village of Niğde, the monastery is 80 km from Göreme. 8-12. The wall carvings of the monastery, which was carved into the rock between the centuries, are also unique. Another lesser-known must-see!

Sultan Marshes National Park

Sultan Marshes, located within the provincial borders of Kayseri, 70 km from the center, have become very popular in recent years with the photography of the horses. In fact, this is a first-degree protected area, which is considered a bird sanctuary. It would not be a lie to say that it is a natural paradise worth seeing with its reeds, many bird species and horses.

Erdemli Village Rock Churches – You won't find this recommendation anywhere!

To see the Erdemli Village Rock Churches; If you drive from Kayseri to see the Gümüşler Monastery or Sultan Marshes near Niğde, you will see the “Rock Churches” sign on the road. After turning towards Erdemli Village from the main road a few kilometers before coming to Yeşilhisar district, you will see the sign again when you continue 4 km inwards from the village.

We left our car and continued towards a waterway in the direction indicated by the sign, and on the way we met a person living there. Besides the rock churches, a rather large settlement awaited us. We had discovered a rock city, probably known only to those who lived there, and waiting to be discovered. When there were no people around, we followed the stream for a bit, accompanied by bird sounds and butterflies. If you continue to follow the stream, you can connect to the walking path known as the "Keşlik" route, according to the signs.

There has been a remarkable increase in the signage of hiking routes in Turkey lately, which is very pleasing.

While you are in Cappadocia, you can consider adding Kayseri to your itinerary; Places to Visit in Kayseri and Kayseri Travel Guide Check out my post too!

Where to Stay in Cappadocia?

Göreme is the center of Cappadocia for me. The most well-known places after Göreme are Ürgüp and Uçhisar. You can stay in any of these and reach the places you need to go. Natural caves or stone hotels are the most authentic places to stay when you go to Cappadocia. As their numbers have increased, the quality of service has also increased. There are many pleasant accommodation options and restaurants.

I would like to suggest you a few hotels;

If you want to stay in a warm and friendly hotel in Göreme, Historical Göreme House, if you want to stay in a concept hotel in Uçhisar, Millstone Cave Suites, if you want to stay in a luxury hotel in Göreme, Cappadocia Hill.

What to Buy in Cappadocia?

If you like to buy local products from the places you go, you can find a lot of things to buy from Cappadocia. Magnificent ceramic works made in Avanos, rag dolls made at home and sold as gifts, onyx stone products extracted from the volcanic lands of Cappadocia and its surroundings, and of course, Cappadocia's now famous wines are what you can buy while you are gone.

Cappadocia is one of the most beautiful regions of our country. I strongly suggest you take the time to see it.

Stay on track!