| Travel / Destinations |
Cappadocia, Turkey
View of Cappadocia landscape. Cappadocia, Turkey. 
Cappadocia (Kapadokya) is an area in Central Anatolia in Turkey best known for its unique moon-like landscape, underground cities, cave churches and houses carved in the rocks. The area is a popular tourist destination, as it has many areas with unique geological, historic, and cultural features.
Touristic Cappadocia includes 4 cities: Nevsehir, Kayseri, Aksaray and Nigde. The region is located southwest of the major city Kayseri, which has airline and railway service to Ankara and Istanbul and other cities.
The most important towns and destinations in Cappadocia are Ürgüp, Goreme, Ihlara Valley, Selime, Guzelyurt, Uchisar, Avanos and Zelve. Among the underground cities worth seeing are Derinkuyu, Kaymakli, Gaziemir and Ozkonak. The best historic mansions and cave houses for tourist stays are in Urgup, Goreme, Guzelyurt and Uchisar.
Hot-air ballooning is very popular in Cappadocia and is available in Goreme. Trekking is enjoyed in Ihlara Valley, Monastery Valley (Guzelyurt), Urgup and Goreme.
Sedimentary rocks formed in lakes and streams and ignimbrite deposits that erupted from ancient volcanoes approximately 9 to 3 million years ago, during the late Miocene to Pliocene epochs, underlie the Cappadocia region.
The rocks of Cappadocia near Göreme eroded into hundreds of spectacular pillars and minaret-like forms. People of the villages at the heart of the Cappadocia Region carved out houses, churches and monasteries from the soft rocks of volcanic deposits. Göreme became a monastic centre in 300–1200 AD.
The first period of settlement in Göreme goes back to the Roman period. The Yusuf Koç, Ortahane, Durmus Kadir and Bezirhane churches in Göreme, and houses and churches carved into rocks in the Uzundere, Bağıldere and Zemi Valleys, all illustrate history and can be seen today.
The Göreme Open Air Museum is the most visited site of the monastic communities in Cappadocia (see Churches of Göreme, Turkey) and is one of the most famous sites in central Turkey. The complex contains more than 30 carved-from-rock churches and chapels, some having superb frescoes inside, dating from the 9th century to the 11th century.
Cappadocia lies in central Anatolia, in the heartland of what is now Turkey. The relief consists of a high plateau over 1000 m in altitude that is pierced by volcanic peaks, with Mount Erciyes (ancient Argaeus) near Kayseri (ancient Caesarea) being the tallest at 3916 m. The boundaries of historical Cappadocia are vague, particularly towards the west.
To the south, the Taurus Mountains form the boundary with Cilicia and separate Cappadocia from the Mediterranean Sea. To the west, Cappadocia is bounded by the historical regions of Lycaonia to the southwest, and Galatia to the northwest.
The Black Sea coastal ranges separate Cappadocia from Pontus and the Black Sea, while to the east Cappadocia is bounded by the upper Euphrates, before that river bends to the southeast to flow into Mesopotamia, and the Armenian Highland. This results in an area approximately 400 km (250 mi) east–west and 250 km (160 mi) north–south.
Due to its inland location and high altitude, Cappadocia has a markedly continental climate, with hot dry summers and cold snowy winters. Rainfall is sparse and the region is largely semi-arid.
Get in
By bus. Most of the bus companies have bus services to Nevsehir and Göreme: Istanbul - 12 hours, Ankara - 5 hours, Bursa - 11 hours, Izmir - 12 hours, Konya - 4 hours, Antalya - 9 hours, Çanakkale - 17 hours.
By plane. The fastest and most comfortable way of reaching Cappadocia is using the airway. There are two main airports that you can use to reach Cappadocia:
— Kayseri Erkilet Airport (ASR) located in Kayseri and nearly one hour driving to the center of Cappadocia region. Turkish Airlines operates several direct (nonstop) flights from Istanbul Atatürk Airport (IST) to Kayseri Erkilet Airport. There are also daily flights from Izmir into Kayseri via Istanbul. It's easy to arrange a transfer or shuttle bus from Kayseri Airport to Cappadocia.
— Nevşehir Kapadokya Airport (NAV), which is located in Gülşehir town of Nevşehir Province. Turkish Airlines operates direct (nonstop) flight from Istanbul Atatürk to Nevsehir Kapadokya twice a day.
By train. Kayseri is on a busy railway route. It is possible to find suitable trains to Kayseri from almost all the train stations of Turkey. From Kayseri, you can take bus to go to Göreme.
Get around
Due to the very low population density which leads to limited public transportation, and spread out nature of the sites (Cappadocia is a region, not an area), one may want to consider either renting a car or hiring a tour package. However, you may come across car rentals trying to rip off exorbitant prices as much as 100 TL per day. Bargaining is the way to go in such instances.
See
• Old Greek houses in Sinasos.
• Göreme Open Air Museum and Dark Church - is a complex of churches and chapels, dating back to 10th century. There are great frescoes in many, Yilanli Church, Tokali Church are among the most important.
• Mustafapaşa and İbrahimpaşa towns.
• Ihlara Canyon - beautiful canyon with cave churches dug out of the walls of the valley. You are urged to walk along the valley and explore the churches and its numerous frescoes.
• Zelve Open Air Museum - a ghost town with lots of caves. It's about 10 km from Goreme or 5 km from Avanos.
• Zelve is also one the most impressing valleys in the region offering a more disorganised and rough hike.
• Gümüşler Monastery (10 km from Niğde in the village of Gümüşler). Spectacular monastery carved in rock, hidden from the outside world. Dated at 10-11th century and only recovered in the 1960s. The ticket seller speaks some English and can give you a tour. The monastery has some well preserved frescoes, including the only smiling (Mona Lisa style) Madonna in the world. 3 TL
• Underground cities. Also there are a number of ancient underground cities which have up to 8 stories of underground tunnels and caves, about 85 m deep. There were rooms for grain storage, sleeping chambers, kitchens and ventilation shafts. Long time ago they've been used as hiding places during times of raids. But now they work as museums and are open to the public.
— Derinkuyu, Derinkuyu town (29 km from Nevşehir, on the road to Niğde). April–October 08:00 - 19:00, November–March 08:00 - 17:00. Largest excavated underground city in Turkey built in the 8th–7th centuries B.C. About half of it is accessible to visitors now. 20 TL.
— Kaymaklı, Kaymaklı village (19 km from Nevşehir, on the road to Niğde). April–October 08:00 - 19:00, November–March 08:00 - 17:00. Kaymaklı's structure and layout is different from Derinkuyu: the tunnels are lower, narrower, and more steeply inclined. It has 4 floors opened for visitors. 20 TL.
— Özkonak (N 14 km of Avanos). April–October 08:00 - 19:00, November–March 08:00 - 17:00. Features only one underground floor, although it covers a large area. 10 TL.
— Gaziemir (between Kaymakli - 35 km from it - and Ihlara valley - 25 km). 08:00 - 20:00. It has two underground churches, camel staying place (which is the only one underground caravansary in the Cappadocia) and a large agora.
— Mazıköy.
Do
• Hiking. Following the paths along the valleys is an amazing (and free) option. Check with your hotel owner or the tourist office for a map of the area with suggested walks and trails. There are several nice loops on packed dirt, sand and rock, that maintain a constant elevation and pass through the scenic valleys. However, please be aware of your surroundings, as some less-traveled trails are frequented by packs of stray dogs who may exhibit aggression toward perceived threats.
• Güvercinlik (Pigeon) Valley. You can hike the Pigeon Valley between Göreme and Uçhisar. The 4km trail starts from the road near the Ataman Hotel on the south side of Göreme or on the paved road on the north side of the hill where Uçhisar Castle sits in Uçhisar. Both trailheads are signed. Stick to the more traveled trails and you will have no trouble finding your way on this moderately hilly hike. The path through the valley offers spectacular views of the natural cliffs and the man-made caves and passes through a few tunnels carved into the rock.
• Gulludere, the Rose Valleys. Follow the road out of Goreme towards the Open Air Museum and Ortahisar. Shortly after the Open Air Valley you will come to a look out point on the left. Here you can apparently find a marked rock, and from there you should apparently take the right hand trail. However if you cannot find the marked rock, just look over the edge and you should see paths marked with the word "Rose" and red arrows. Take the arrows to the right away from the paths heading to Goreme (because they point to the left and right) so that you can get good views of the valley and descend into Rose Valley II. In Rose Valley II, there are plenty caves you can explore.
Notably is a 4 level one deep in the valley, on the right hand of the path if you walking away from Cavusin. As of November 2015, you may be able to ask the gentleman at the cafe at the entrance of Rose Valley II for help finding this cave, his English is all right. There are many different trails and caves to explore in this area. Afterwards, continue heading towards Cavusin.
Eventually you will pass the entrance to Rose Valley I on your right. Eventually you will end up at Cavusin- the trail essentially takes you from the lookout at Ortahisar to Cavusin. If you are staying in Goreme, you can take a dolmush/mini bus back to Goreme by walking through Cavusin until you are at the highway, and then wait on the side of the highway (opposite Cavusin Seramik).
• Rose Valley (from Çavuşin, Ortahisar and Kızılçukur). Beautiful green valley.
• Cross Golf. Cappadocia is a national park and its natural environment must be protected for everyone to enjoy today and in the future. Cross Golf uses the natural features of the landscape to challenge even the most experienced golfer. The fairy chimneys, fascinating rock formations and flora and fauna in the unique environment of Cappadocia remain unaffected by Cross Golf.
• Cappadocia trekking in Ihlara Valley, atv safari, monestry valley trekking in guzelyurt.
• Ballooning. Cappadocia is known around the world as one of the best places to fly with hot air balloons. The spectacular surrealistic landscapes combined with excellent flying conditions allow the balloons to gently drift over and between fairy chimneys, pigeon houses hewn into the unique rock formations, orchards and vineyards – through impressive valleys, each with distinctive rock formations, colors and features – and then float up over rippled ravines for breathtaking views over the region.
Eat and Drink
• Dried apricots and grapes.
• Mantı (kind of ravioli with minced meat served with yoghurt and garlic sauce).
• Testi Kebap (jug kebap)- Meat and vegetables cooked in a clay pot (or jug) sealed with bread dough. The pot is broken when serving.
• Pastirmali kuru fasulye (white beans with spiced meat)
• Local wines - Cappadocia is one of the biggest wine-producing regions in Turkey, and many wineries thoroughout the region's towns offer winetasting options. A trip to Cappadocia is not complete without visiting the Turasan Wine Factory. The grapes which are collected from local farmers are used for producing the world wide famous Cappadocia wines.
• Sweets.
Sleep
You are strongly recommended to stay in one of the cave hotels which are the specialty of the region. There are also many accommodation options in Urgup, Goreme, Uchisar, Ortahisar and Avanos towns for every budget of traveler. You can find also bewitching historical Greek mansions and cave hotels in Güzelyurt.
In Cappadocia from five star hotels to little hostels there is a variety of accommodation facilities. However, the towns of Ibrahim Pasa (Babayan) and Ayvalı are probably the most authentic ones. The restored Greek houses offer cave and arched rooms for those who want to stay in a pleasant accommodation. (Wikitravel/Wikipedia)
Kaymakli underground city. Christians fled the enemies and hid in this underground cities. Cappadocia, Turkey.
View of Uçhisar from a hot air balloon. Cappadocia, Turkey. )
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
