In our childhood days, bet many of us have read the captivating fairy tales and the enchanting magical atmosphere that used to mesmerize us. Imagine if you get a chance to visit such a fairy tale just like Alice did in her wonderland. Isn’t it a superb experience? Cappadocia in Turkey is such a place where you can feel the incredible vibes of a bewitching fairy tale kingdom.
So if you wish to explore the wondrous city, here are 10 awesome things to do in Cappadocia. The town is small, quaint, and beautiful yet wrapped with well-maintained and well-curated infrastructure and all the modern amenities.
1. Riding on a hot air balloon
Riding on hot air balloons is one of the most popular and awesome things to do in Cappadocia. While visiting the city, you will witness the sky almost filled with balloons of myriad colors, a soulful treat to the eyes. Travelers from various parts of the world arrive in numbers to experience the ride. Almost 100 balloons can be seen at sunrise floating across, transforming the entire place into a fairyland. The balloons float over Goreme town and as you look beneath you can watch the historic cave dwellings existing for years.
Millions of people visit the city to immerse themselves in the thrilling and fun-filled hot balloon ride. There are various tour packages available with several tour operators. You can either opt for a classic tour or a luxury tour. It is advisable not to book the tours in advance as sometimes the rides get canceled due to bad weather. Since it is very popular in the country, you will not miss the chance to avail a ticket for a ride. Indeed a breathtaking experience to fly like a bird while enjoying the soothing breeze, freshness in the air, the blue sky above, and the scenic views as you look down into the plains.
Price: Ranging between EUR 140 and EUR 200 per person
Duration: Approximately 1 hour
2. Hiking along Red Valley
For adventure enthusiasts, Cappadocia is alluring when it comes to hiking. There are several opportunities and trails in the town, one such is the Red Valley hiking trail. One of the best and most thrilling things to do in Cappadocia, walking past the sandstone ridges especially during sunset at dusk. The sun’s glowing rays brighten up the red ridges, casting an unusual spell on the passersby. The unique landscape blooms and illuminates in brilliance much to the awe of the visitors.
The hike is not very tough, moderate in the category, passing through yellow sandstone formations and cave dwellings. You will enjoy watching the different formations carved out by nature and its natural phenomenon. The diversity in the trail is something to enjoy, entertaining the hikers with nature’s vivid characteristics. You won’t feel monotonous or tired throughout the hiking trail.
3. Hiking along Rose Valley
Another superb hiking trail in Cappadocia is along the Rose valley. The trail connects the Red valley trail and together offers an enthralling experience and feel. The ridges of the trail meander like a river, transforming into stretches of pink as the sun’s rays descend throughout the valley. The landscape is a bit sharp and rough, but that adds to the beauty. At sunset, the bright rays break through the crinkled and grooved surfaces with a pinkish tinge.
It’s a marvelous treat to the eyes to watch this incredible phenomenon. The pinkish tough brightens slowly and steadily as the sun moves down to the horizon, transporting the entire area into a magical fairyland. You will love to watch the transformation as walk along the trail. The difficulty of the trail is moderate with few rough walks here and there, not very tiring though. The scenic views around will seldom permit you to feel exhausted. Indeed it is one of the spectacular things to do in Cappadocia.
4. Visit the Goreme Open-Air Museum
One of the most interesting and best things to do in Cappadocia is a visit to the Goreme Open-air museum. The museum houses several historic relics and artifacts with both guided and audio tours. It is truly amazing to be acquainted with the ancient churches, paintings, and cave dwellings several years back. The museum has been listed among UNESCO’s World Heritage sites.
The key attractions inside the museum are:
- Chapel of St Basil of the 11th century
- Chapel of St Barbara of the 11th century
- Apple church with nine domes
- Snake church or Church of St Onuphrius
- Pantocrator chapel
- Nameless chapel
- Dark church adorned with stylish frescoes
- Sandal church of the 13th century
- Buckle church outside the museum but allows entry with the same ticket
Price: 100 Turkish Lira per person
Note: Photography is not allowed inside
5. Visit the Zelve Open-Air museum
Another beautiful site to visit in Cappadocia is the Zelve Open-Air museum has a lot of historical and ancient structures and artifacts in its store. It’s comfortable and easy to stroll, walk and explore the museum as the walking trails and pathways are curated well. The museum hosts many ancient churches, residential areas, and religious chambers. It experiences a huge amount of footfall as compared to other areas in the town. Besides relishing the artifacts, you will love to immerse yourself in the scenic beauty around the museum.
The various artifacts inside the museum belong between the 9th century and the 13th century when essentially the place was a monastery. The interiors inside the museum are embellished with artistic decor that speaks about the expertise and genius ability of the ancient artists.
The key attractions of the museum are:
- The walking trail meandering with loops, curves, and caverns
- The old mill or değirmen with a grindstone
- The Grape church
- The Fish Church
- A rock-cut mosque
6. Explore the incredible Ihlara Valley
Ihlara valley is an astounding destination in Cappadocia with deep gorges, stunning rivers, historic churches and cave dwellings, lush greenery, and enchanting walking trails. Exploring the valley is one of the awesome things to do in Cappadocia. There are 105 churches in the valley of which 16 are open to the public. You will be spellbound to see the intrinsic artwork and decor inside the churches, portraying the brilliance of the ancient craftsmen, artists, and painters.
You will be completely transported to a pristine and quaint environment encompassed by trees, boulders, pathways, and sprawling cliffs. The sounds of the river, the chirping of the birds, and the freshness around create a unique feeling. It’s tough to divert your eyes and mind from the beauty encapsulating the place. Besides, there is a waterfall in the valley whose gushing waters splashing the rocky walls of the cliffs create a misty effect. You can swim in the water pool beneath the fall. A visit to the valley is a complete refreshment from the daily busy city life.
7. Explore the Imaginary or Devrent valley
A valley with unique rock formations resembling animal figures, a visit to the Devrent valley also known as Imaginary valley is one of the captivating things to do in Cappadocia. It is incredible and thrilling to walk past the rock formations and earth pillars and find yourself amid camels, seals, dolphins, and snakes. Well, that is the specialty of the place, the remarkable animal figures carved out of rocks.
The natural formations due to erosions and other phenomena invoke the imaginative power of the human mind to spot the formations. You must not miss clicking photos capturing the formations mostly pinkish in hue and color.
8. Hiking from Love valley to Uchisar castle
Cappadocia is truly a hiking arena for adventure lovers. One of the fun-filled treks is from the Love valley to the Uchisar castle. You can walk past various rock formations and trails and enjoy the picturesque landscape. The walk is comfortable, pleasing, easy, calm, and peaceful.
The sandstone formations with vivid shapes are astounding. As you move within the caves, you will surely wonder about these amazing creations by nature and also the ancient history behind them. The end part of the hike is best at the Uchisar castle, which was supposed to be the main defense arena of the town. However, now you won’t find soldiers but women selling different kinds of local handmade products and souvenirs. Do not expect a majestic castle with intrinsic carvings. It is a simple odd castle with rock structures, which differentiates it from the other grand churches.
9. Trekking along the Pigeon valley
Pigeon valley or Guvercinlik valley is a very prominent trail for trekking, extending from Goreme to Uchisar. The entire route is filled with various rock formations, ancient carvings and paintings, earth pillars, cliffs, and cave dwellings. Over and above, you can find flocks of pigeons, the very reason for the name of the valley.
Furthermore, the greenery along the trail is also fascinating. The ancient paintings and carvings reflect the lives of the people belonging to the Byzantine era. You can find them inside the caves, so be alert to focus your eyes on them and not miss spotting them.
10. Walking along the Meskendir trail
The Meskendir trail is another astounding trail in Cappadocia which will lead the way past the ancient rock formations, historic sites, and cave dwellings. You need to plan the trip during the day as it’s not very brightly lit. You can find plenty of tunnels throughout the route. The tunnels are quite long with high roofs hence movement is easy and the view is also superb.
Each tunnel has an opening that led to a cave dwelling or a historic site. The walls are huge with windows and pigeonholes that proved the massive structural planning done by the people residing in the ancient eras. It’s astonishing to believe that people had thought about such a design years ago when technology was not advanced and the excessive amount of labor required to create such structures. The tunnels are all made of sandstone, with stairs for accessing the different areas. You can spot the rock paintings on the walls which showcase the lifestyle of the people 100 years ago.
Hope you have enjoyed reading about the amazing things to do in Cappadocia, Turkey. For adventure lovers and nature admirers, the place is a paradise.