Cappadocia Travel Guide: What to Know Before You Go

Cappadocia isn't one town. It's a spread of villages and valleys across roughly the triangle between Nevşehir, Avanos and Ürgüp, with the underground cities further south. Understanding that saves a lot of confusion when you book.

The lay of the land

Göreme sits in the middle, a village packed with guesthouses, tour agencies and restaurants, surrounded on three sides by valleys you can walk into from the main street. Uçhisar, a few kilometres west, is built around a huge rock castle and is the highest point in the area. Ortahisar has its own, smaller rock castle and a more everyday village life. Ürgüp to the east is a real town of stone mansions. Avanos, to the north on the Kızılırmak (the Red River), is known for pottery. Derinkuyu and Kaymaklı, the two main underground cities, are about half an hour to the south.

How long to stay

Three nights. Two is possible, but balloons are cancelled whenever the wind is too strong, and with only one sunrise you're gambling. A third night also gives you time to walk a valley properly rather than just stand at a viewpoint.

Getting around

Göreme works well without a car: walk the valleys, join a day tour for the south, and use the local buses and minibuses between villages. A rental car makes sense if you want Ihlara, Soğanlı or quiet sunset spots without a group. Roads are easy, traffic is light, and parking is simple outside Göreme's centre.

Tours

Agencies sell the same three day trips everywhere, known as the Red Tour (the north: Göreme museum, Paşabağ, Avanos, Uçhisar), the Green Tour (the south: an underground city, Ihlara Valley and Selime) and sometimes a Blue Tour. The Green Tour earns its fee, because Ihlara is awkward to reach by public transport. The Red Tour covers places you can easily do on your own.

Money and practicalities

Cards are accepted in most hotels and restaurants. Carry some Turkish lira for minibuses, small cafés and the fruit sellers at viewpoints. State sites such as the Göreme Open Air Museum price tickets for foreign visitors in euros and change them regularly, so check the official museum website before you go.

It's a dry, high plateau, over 1,000 metres up. Nights are cool even in July, sunshine is strong, and you'll drink more water than you expect on the trails.