The Best of the Surreal Landscapes On Our Cappadocia Itinerary

With its unique landscape, superlative hiking, panoramic drinking spots, hot air balloons, and cave hotels, Cappadocia simply rocks. Here’s our complete guide to spending 3 or 4 days in Cappadocia.

LAST UPDATE: 21 Nov 2023

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Our Cappadocia itinerary is an intoxicating cocktail of sights and experiences.

Dramatic canyons form the playground to a mix of excellent activities from hot air balloon rides over sublime landscapes to beautiful valley hikes.

We loved visiting Cappadocia on our Turkey itinerary for the simple fact that it lived up to its online promises. While it’s very touristy, the experiences are truly amazing.

Working out how many days to spend in Cappadocia is tricky. You could see the highlights in two days and get a bit more under the skin of the place in three. But if you want to explore the area more comprehensively, and allow time for an excellent day trip, we suggest spending 4 days in Cappadocia.

Here’s how to see this iconic destination on a 4-day itinerary. For more, read our guide to the best things to do in Cappadocia.

DAY 1 – EXPLORE THE CAPPADOCIA VALLEYS

Begin this 3 or 4 days in Cappadocia by capturing many of the highlights. Take a Hot Air Balloon ride, hike two glorious valleys, and watch the sun go down on canyons of rippling rock.

HOT AIR BALLOON RIDE

Organise your hot air balloon ride in Cappadocia for your first day in case it’s canceled due to poor weather. All tour guides will pick you up from your hotel around 4:30 am and drop you back after the experience.

The feeling of slowly drifting over the sculpted canyons of the Cappadocian landscape in the early morning light is one you won’t forget in a hurry. It’s a definite highlight on any Cappadocia itinerary.

PIGEON VALLEY & UÇHISAR CASTLE

After recovering from the thrill of the balloon ride and while the temperature is still cool, set off on a hike through two of the valleys of Cappadocia.

Start with the narrow canyon walls of Pigeon Valley, before rising up to the panoramic views at Uçhisar Castle. As the highest point in the area, the views are stunning and it was one of our favorite experiences in Cappadocia.

LOVE VALLEY

Leaving Uçhisar Castle descend to the phallic rock formations of Love Valley, one of the most iconic in Cappadocia. Our walk through Pigeon & Love Valley took us around 4 hours, 30 minutes of scenic bliss. All the details including maps are on our hiking in Cappadocia guide.

PANORAMA POINT

As the sunset approaches, drive up to Panorama Point – a stunning location to watch the colour fade from the Red Valley.

Crazy Ali’s Café has couches and swinging chairs literally on the edge of the canyon walls. It’s the perfect place to wind down your first day in Cappadocia.  

Back in Göreme, try dinner at Köy Evi Restaurant serving the traditional clay pot kebabs, which are a great lesson in the wonderfully fragrant spices of the Middle East.

DAY 2 – IHLARA VALLEY & KAYMAKLI

On your second day in Cappadocia, watch the balloons from below before exploring an intriguing valley and an underground city.

SUNSET POINT

This morning, wake up at dawn and walk to sunset point; a few hundred metres from the centre of Göreme. As the sun rises over the valley walls and the sky fills with hot air balloons, it’s a truly memorable way to wake up. Sunset Point is the spot to be if you want the Instagram shot in front of the masses of balloons.

IHLARA VALLEY

After breakfast, drive to Ihlara Village, about 1-hour southwest of Göreme. Ihlara Village is the starting point for a hike up the beautiful narrow canyon of Ihlara Valley. It’s a simple walk that follows a path along the valley floor beside the river. Rock-carved churches provide a few interesting places to inspect.

All the details are on our hiking in Cappadocia guide.

KAYMAKLI UNDERGROUND CITY

On the way back from Ihlara, stop off at Kaymakli Underground City. The construction of this cave city began in the 7th or 8th centuries BCE. Today the city descends 8 levels into the earth and has stables, a church and storage rooms connected by over a hundred tunnels. You can read more about it on our guide to the top attractions in Cappadocia.

PAŞABAĞI

After returning to Göreme, head to Paşabağı. It contains a collection of some of the most striking fairy chimneys and mushroom-topped formations in Cappadocia.

It’s compact and close to the highway so it can get inundated with bus groups. But it only takes 30 minutes to see everything and it’s a worthy addition to your Cappadocia itinerary.

DAY 3 – THE VALLEYS & CHURCHES OF GÖREME

On the 3^rd day of your Cappadocia itinerary, get up close to the most impressive valleys and delve into churches carved into the rock.

RED & ROSE VALLEY

Clock in another early morning to start a hike through the Red and Rose Valleys while the balloons are still drifting overhead. There are several excellent viewpoints perched over oceans of rippling red, rose and white rock.

The only downside is the challenge of finding the trailheads and following the paths, which in spite of a profusion of signs, is not particularly easy. The walk took us about 5 hours and all the details are on our hiking in Cappadocia guide.

GÖREME OPEN AIR MUSEUM

In the late afternoon, drive to the Göreme Open Air Museum. This museum surrounds an area of many of the best-preserved frescoed churches in Cappadocia. Three of the churches are included in the entrance fee, however, the best is Karanik Kilise which has an additional charge well worth paying.

SUNSET POINT

After the museum, head back to Sunset Point to watch the sun set over Cappadocia. There’s a stall selling beer with benches spread out across the top and it’s a beautiful spot to enjoy a sundowner and a magical experience in Cappadocia. For dinner, walk back into Göreme and try My Mother’s Café. It’s honest, hearty Turkish cooking without too much fuss.

DAY 4 – VILLAGE LIFE IN CAPPADOCIA

On your final day in Cappadocia, explore a less visited and very local area with towns untouched by tourism and interesting out-of-the-way valleys.

MUSTAFAPAŞA

Drive to the small village of Mustafapaşa, just 10 minutes south of Göreme. It’s halfway between a rural village and a town coming to terms with tourism. Tractors roam the streets where a few tourist shops, cafes and hotels have slowly started to pop up. It’s an interesting village to stroll around and there are a few carpet sellers who will be happy to chat to you.

CEMIL

Cemil is completely untouched by tourism. It looks like it’s been untouched by everything for a few hundred years. The town is crumbling down the side of a valley with chickens and cows lining the roads. There’s not even a chance of a cup of tea, but it’s a very photogenic place. Cemil is another 10 minutes past Mustafapaşa.

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SOĞANLI

About an hour from Göreme, Soğanlı is a town that has been occupied since Roman times. It was a centre for Christianity in the Byzantine Empire. Check out the pretty Tahtali Church, before making your way to the second valley which has several carved churches. The best are Snake Church, Domed Church and Hidden Church. At the end of the valley, have lunch in the café set up by the river before returning to Göreme.

GORKUNDERE VALLEY & ZEMI VALLEY

After returning to Göreme, have a late afternoon stroll around the Gorkundere Valley. It’s a shorter valley than some of the others in the area but it has some very impressive phallic rock formations that make great photo opportunities. Nearby, in Zemi Valley, it’s worth visiting El Nazar Kilise – a 10th-century church carved from a single piece of rock. The frescoes inside are very impressive.

For dinner try Organic Cave Kitchen (Isali Mahallesi Ali Cavus Caddesi No 15) for very tasty food on their outdoor deck.

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HOW MANY DAYS IN CAPPADOCIA?

Cappadocia is a beautiful region that we loved visiting on our Turkey itinerary. You need at least 2 days to see the main highlights of Cappadocia, allowing for 2 mornings to take the balloon ride in case there are cancellations for weather. Staying for longer will allow you to get a lot more out of Cappadocia.

We’ve constructed this Cappadocia itinerary so that the experiences we think shouldn’t be missed are at the front. Therefore, if you need to amend this itinerary, simply do as many days as you can fit in.

2 DAYS IN CAPPADOCIA

This is a great introduction to Cappadocia and in our opinion is the minimum amount of time you should spend here. This will allow you to do a balloon ride and get a taste for the surreal landscape.

3 DAYS IN CAPPADOCIA

Adding the 3^rd day to this itinerary will allow you to get a little further out of Göreme and see another beautiful valley which has a very different feel. It also means you can see the impressive underground city.

4 DAYS IN CAPPADOCIA

Spending 4 days in Cappadocia will allow you to explore a more local and much less visited side of the area, including the historic cave churches in the Soğanlı Valley.

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WHERE TO STAY IN CAPPADOCIA?

Cappadocia is a large area, but we suggest you stay in Göreme. It’s a unique place with buildings carved into the rock and rooftop terraces overlooking the fairy chimneys and surrounding valleys. Moreover, many of the best hiking trailheads are nearby, sunset and sunrise viewpoints are easily accessible, and the town has plenty of facilities and restaurants. While its sole purpose is tourism, it actually maintains something of a local feel without too much annoying selling.

Here are some recommendations from us.

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HOW TO GET TO CAPPADOCIA, TURKEY

Cappadocia is in central Turkey with two airports nearby. One at Nevşehir (40 mins drive to Göreme) and the other at Kayseri (60 minutes’ drive to Göreme). Both have flights from several popular locations in Turkey.

ISTANBUL TO CAPPADOCIA

The quickest and easiest way to get from Istanbul to Cappadocia is to fly. There are several flights daily from Istanbul to Nevşehir and Kayseri Airports.

There is also a bus which runs from Istanbul to Cappadocia which takes between 10 to 12 hours. The bus runs overnight and costs around ₺90 so it’s a very cost-effective option.

AIRPORT TRANSFERS TO GÖREME

If you’re not hiring your own car to explore Cappadocia, private or shared transfers are available from both airports to Göreme in air-conditioned minivans. Your hotel will be able to organise transfers for you, or you could book a shared airport transfer or private airport transfer in advance.

HIRING A CAR IN CAPPADOCIA

We recommend booking your hire car through rentalcars.com who compare prices across most of the dependable car rental companies. Both airports have car hire facilities although Kayseri has more choices.

Driving in Turkey is also not as hard as many people think and it’s a great way to see the country. Read our tips for driving in Turkey to help plan your road trip.

CAPPADOCIA ITINERARY MAP

To help you plan your Cappadocia itinerary, all the excellent things to do we have listed in this guide can be found on the below map. To save the map, make sure you are logged in to your Google account, then click on the star to the right of the title. This will save the map to your Google account.

BEST TIME TO VISIT CAPPADOCIA

The best time to visit Cappadocia is the shoulder seasons from April to June, and from September to October.

Cappadocia sits on a plateau over 1,000 metres high, so in winter the temperature can drop to around 0°C and in summer it’s often upwards of 30°C.

Rainfall is higher in Spring than in Autumn, and being a little windier, this makes balloon riding a bit more susceptible to cancellations. The upside is the landscape is greener, flowers more abundant and the days longer.

We travelled during Ramadan which meant the valleys were much less busy as locals don’t take holiday during this time. We also had no problems booking hotels late (so we could keep some flexibility) or getting into good restaurants with the best viewpoints.

PLANNING YOUR TURKEY TRIP

Turkey is a fascinating destination with ancient ruins, magical landscapes and one of our favourite cities in the world. Here are more of our guides about this wonderful country.

If you found this guide useful, we’d love it if you could follow us on Instagram.

Our curated guide to the best things to do in Cappadocia

Our complete 2-week Turkey itinerary

How to book your Hot Air Balloon in Cappadocia

What to do in Antalya

20 amazing things to do in Istanbul

3 of the best trail for hiking in Cappadocia

Most interesting ancient ruins in Turkey

Driving in Turkey – All you need to know for your next road trip

Uncovering Istanbul’s might past & uncertain future

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