Travel guide to Cappadocia – This fantastic place is known for its incredible picturesque fairy chimneys and skies covered with hundreds of colorful hot air balloons during beautiful sunrises. It is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful destinations we’ve ever been to. We are super happy to write this travel guide to Cappadocia as we put it on our top 5 most awesome destinations across the globe.
The hot air balloon rides have a fantastic role and give a special touch to this magical place, but once you are there, you will find out that Cappadocia has much more to offer than you could ever imagine.
Did you know that the Fairy Chimneys were formed due to the erosion of this tufa layer, sculpted by wind and flood water, running down on the slopes of the valleys? Water has found its way through the valleys creating cracks and ruptures in the hard rock.
Without further ado, let’s start virtually exploring the beautiful and magical Cappadocia together. Shall we?
When to visit?
The best time to visit Cappadocia is from March to June or September to November when the crowds are thinner, and the weather is milder. July to August is the peak season, so that it can get crowded and bitterly cold during the winter months from November to late February.
Also, if you’re coming to Cappadocia and intent to do the hot air balloon ride, they are year-round; however, from December to March, there are usually solid winds, and flights can get canceled more often.
We visited Cappadocia in July 2021, and it was a great time. It wasn’t crowded, but maybe that was due to COVID times.
How long should I stay in Cappadocia?
Cappadocia has plenty of options for your vacations. From hot air and balloon rides to ATV trails, horseback riding, excellent local cuisine, and much more. In our opinion, 4 to 5 days is a reasonable amount of time to experience the beauty of this fantastic place.
Remember that the hot air balloon rides only happen once a day, in the mornings. So it’s better to try and do it on your first day in Cappadocia because if they cancel it for any motive, you still have other days to rely on.
COVID Situation?
Today – 07-09-21: Masks are not obligatory on the streets or inside restaurants, hotels, and stores. Although all staff will probably be using masks, guests are not required to do so.
Best things to do
1- Hot Air Balloon ride
This is one of the things Cappadocia is famous for, and it attracts thousands of tourists every year. The hot air balloon is indeed a must-do when in Cappadocia. We recommend it 100%.
The Balloons only take off once a day, early in the mornings. So be ready to wake up early (around 3 am -4:30 am depending on the season) and for occasional cancelations if the weather conditions are not favorable on the day of the flight.
Prices are from 130€ – 250€ and include:
Free pick from your hotel (4:00 am for our season)- a light breakfast before your flight – Minimum 1h flight – Insurance – Flight certificate – Medals – Champagne celebration after the flight and transfer back to your hotel.
They have several packages with different options. The differences are usually related to flight time and the number of people per ride. If you’d like, you can even have this experience privately.
We chose TURQUAZ BALLOONS, and we had a unique and smooth flight! As Fred and I are helicopter pilots, we asked our pilot many questions and observed every flight move, especially the takeoff and landing. We recommend them as they were all very professional and friendly.
Click here for more info about them.
2- Watch the Balloons Take Off at Love Valley
You can still go where the balloons take off even if you don’t want to get a ride in one of them. The place is called “Love Valley” and is just a 10 min drive from Göreme (where all the hotels are usually located).
It’s an excellent spot for pictures; because of that, it gets crowded with brides and grooms in their gowns, but it’s worth it. Please make sure you go early and get there before the balloons take off, as it’s your best chance to get a picture with them close.
3- Watch the Hot Air Balloons on a Terrace
Who has never seen a photo or video on Instagram of a terrace full of hot air balloons in the back? This is for sure another must-do when visiting Cappadocia. Even if you are not too much into photos, it’s an incredible experience to see the balloons taking off and flying so close to you. If you are lucky, you can see them flying over your hotel.
There are two hotels we recommend ( on this Travel guide to Cappadocia) going to check the balloons in the morning and that are famous for having the best pictures captured on their terraces: Sultan Cave Suites and Koza Cave Suites. For sure, the best two decks to watch the balloons. And anyone can go there; you don’t need to be a hotel guest to have access to their terraces.
4- Classic car photoshoot
This is perfect for you if you want to add a special touch to your photos. We were looking for different things that we could make our pictures look better and more attractive when we found out about this company that rents beautiful classic cars for a photo shoot.
The company name is Skyway Travel, and the prices start from 70€, and this is what it’s included:
A classic car of your choice (ask for the available vehicles on the day) – a driver who will pick you up at your hotel, go to the photo shoot location, and then back.
We got the most amazing driver ever, and he gave us all the incredible tips on where we should go and get the shots. And this is the result. Click HERE and check their Instagram.
5- Horseback riding
For this experience, we chose The Dalton Brothers Horse Ranch. There are different things you can do at the ranch. The ranch owner and operator are well known in the area as a mix between The Horse Whisperer and Doctor Doolittle. His ranch, located just minutes from the center of Göreme, is the perfect place to relax and have a glass of Turkish tea while enjoying the fantastic panorama of Sword Valley with horses grazing among the ancient rock formations.
Click HERE to check their website and prices.
6- Carpet Store – Galerie Ikman
The Galerie Ikman is a family-owned Turkish carpet boutique that has become an Instagram famous spot for videos and pictures. They have a fantastic selection of carpets, and the carpet business has been running for five generations.
There’s a small fee at the entrance if you want to take pictures at the store. One of the owners, Sergio, can also take amazing photographs and professional drone shots, depending on your package.
It’s definitely worth the visit, and they also have a jewelry store with some beautiful stones, including the typical Cappadocia “Sultan stone.” Click HERE to check their website.
7- Hiking Trails in Cappadocia
As you can imagine, the landscape in Cappadocia is unique, so hiking is a popular and recommended activity, especially if you’d like to watch a fantastic sunset surrounded by mountains.
Ten trekking routes in capadócia to get you started:
• Guvercinlik (Pigeon) Valley and Esentepe Hill.
• Goreme Open Air Museum.
• The interesting spot of Cappadocia, Cavusin Village.
• Ask (Love) Valley and Kizil (Red) Valley.
• The underground cities of Kaymakli and Derinkuyu.
• Gulludere (Rose) Valley and Devrent Valley.
• Zemi Valley and Kiliclar (Sword) Valley.
• Soganli Valley.
• Zelve Valley.
• The jewel of Cappadocia, Ihlara Valley
8-Explore Goreme
Göreme is a town of Cappadocia located among the “fairy chimney” rock formations. 99% of the pictures from Cappadocia are probably in the city of Göreme.
It’s usually the place where tourists stay, the fairy chimneys and the famous cave hotels are located. We 100% recommend staying in Göreme as it’s a magical place near everything you’ll be doing in Cappadocia.
The little town itself is beautiful and easy to walk. From your hotel to where most souvenir & jewelry stores and some restaurants are located where “downtown Göreme” is, it’s just a 5-10 minute walk.
You can find many good restaurants, jewelry stores, carpets stores, souvenirs, and friendly and kind people. Don’t forget to try the pottery kebab, or testi kebab, in Turkish. It’s a meat dish that is cooked inside a sealed ceramic pot. It’s perfect.
Another great advantage about Cappadocia is that it’s an affordable place to vacay. So, appetizers start at 1€ and the main courses at 6€.
9- Professional Photographer
If you are traveling by yourself, you don’t want to miss the perfect shot or don’t want to worry about that. Your best option is to hire a professional photographer who knows all locations and has all the contacts you need in the city.
If you are in Cappadocia and are looking for a photographer, you need to know the name Feder or @cappadocianmood.
Hit him up for pictures like this one:
10- ATV Tour
This was on our do-to-list, but unfortunately, we ended it not doing it. But this is a viral activity and looks like lots of fun.
Where to Eat
Turkish food is excellent, and if you haven’t tried it yet, you’ll have the best opportunity here. Cappadocia is famous for having great local food. In Göreme, there are lots of options for all tastes. We are going to highlight three restaurants that we liked. They are as follows:
1 – Seiten Restaurant
Seven Restaurant is located inside Sultan Cave Suites, where many people, including us, take pictures on its terrace with the balloons in the background. It has a unique ambiance with a fantastic view of Goreme town and the Valleys where the balloons take off. The food is excellent and delicious. We strongly recommend you guys call and reserve a table for dinner at sunset time. They are always pretty busy then, but you will securely thank us later! They also have live music somedays, which is a plus, combined with the stunning view.
2- Turkish Ravioli Restaurant
Ok. This is a Travel guide to Cappadocia. Right? We think that the name says everything. This is a restaurant where the special dish is the famous Turkish Ravioli. Now you must be thinking, Turkish Ravioli? Oh YEAH! It’s super famous in Turkey, and it’s pretty good. A must-try, must-try for sure. This restaurant is renowned for having the best Turkish Ravioli, so we went there to check out. APPROVED.
3- Organic Cave Kitchen
Lastly, this is a fantastic restaurant built inside a cave. The restaurant is split into two parts. One big part looks more like an actual restaurant but doesn’t serve alcohol because it’s faced the Mosque, and the other part is smaller and cozy, which looks like a comfortable bar where you can sit inside the cave. Yes, alcoholic drinks are served here.
You can eat and drink inside the impressive cave. The service and food are also fantastic. They have their sommelier to help you with some unique, excellent Turkish wines. Check them out HERE.
Fun fact: Did you know that Cappadocia is Turkey’s most extensive wine producer?
Turkish Ice-cream
Even if you are not a huge fan of ice cream, this is an experience you should have for sure. The traditional ice cream is delicious and doesn’t have that taste of fat milk, which many ice creams have, but the highlight here is the ice cream man, who is a show apart. You will give lots of laughs before trying your delicious Turkish ice cream. You can spot their little tents on the streets of Göreme. It won’t be hard to find.
Where to Stay
As we mentioned previously, Göreme is where famous cave hotels are located. It’s a magical place close to everything, so we recommend staying there. We stayed in Cappadocia for one week, and our cave hotel was fantastic!! Here is why.
Aza Cava Suites
Imagine waking up in the morning for a second and watching the balloons from your room? Or maybe just outside your room, at the pool area? YES! That was something we did a lot during our stay at Aza cave.
Aza Cave Suites is a luxury cave hotel located in the heart of Göreme, Cappadocia, facing the west, looking through the Pigeon Valley and Uchisar Castle. The balloons quite often – depending on the direction of the wind – fly over the hotel.
Another fantastic thing about Aza Cave Suites is that one of the tallest fairy chimneys is right in Aza’s Garden, just on the side of the swimming pool. Yes, they have a swimming pool by the fairy chimney!
One of the things we loved the most is that Aza Cave is SUPER quiet. If you are looking for a peaceful place to stay close to the hot spots, look no further; Aza Cave is the perfect option.
It’s worth mentioning that they don’t have the typical terrace to take pictures, but its sister property, ‘Sultan Caves,’ is 30 seconds walk from the hotel. Also, the instagrammable ‘Koza Cave Hotel’ is right across the street from Aza Cave Hotel, and you can get there in literally 5 seconds of walking.
Another huge plus of Aza Cave Suites is their staff. So here we go again. Guys, what makes a hotel five stars? If you know the answer, you have probably been following us for a while now – and we are proud of you – if you still don’t know the answer, it’s also OK. Keep reading, and we’ll give it to you.
What makes a hotel/brand five-star is the people involved and the service you get from them. Aza Cave Suites is a five-star hotel for us. ALL staff was incredible and went above and beyond to make our stay memorable. They were always smiling and ready. We were spoiled by everyone and would love to shout out to Ali, Serkan, Zack, and the girls from the reception and housekeepers). Always a unique way to start the morning with these amazing people.
Our room
We got a gorgeous Suite in a cave room, with a beautiful bathtub and a sitting area with a fireplace, with all the comfort you can ask for combined with a cozy decoration. Outside each room, you will find a small patio or balcony.
As we mentioned above, Aza Cave is just a few steps away from its sister propriety – Sultan Cave – where you can go for lunch/dinner or have some drinks in the evening. Click HERE and check it out.
Final Thoughts on our Travel guide to Cappadocia
Cappadocia blew our minds. We weren’t expecting to love this place as much as we did. It became one of our top 5 favorite destinations across this beautiful globe, and we couldn’t recommend visiting this place more!
Now share with us below, is Cappadocia on your bucket list already?
