Cappadocia - Nevşehir & Kayseri
www.madeeasierguides.com

Picture
Cappadocia: a must place to see.

The region of Cappadocia lies in Anatolia, what is now the middle of Turkey. It is on a high plateau over 1000 m high and is a very popular tourist destination, as it has many areas with unique geological, historic, and cultural features. After the eruption of Mount Erciyes about 2,000 years ago, ash and lava formed soft rocks, covering a region of about 20,000 km2. The softer rock was eroded by wind and water, leaving the hard cap rock on top of pillars, forming the present-day fairy chimneys.
Cappadocia is famous for its fairy chimneys, cave Hotels and the underground cities.

> Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia are part of the UNESCO World Heritage list since 1985

Getting there:
The closest airport to the main attractions is in Nevşehir (NAV). Turkish Airlines flys  into it. The airport is located about 45 minutes from Göreme or 40 min from Uçhisar
Kayseri:
Kayseri Airport (ASR), will take you 1:30 hours approximately to Göreme/Cappadocia, but many national and International flights fly to this airport. There are several car rental companies at the airport like Sixt, Avis and others.

Driving from Ankara, it will take you about 3 hours.
Kayseri is a large Industrial city in central Anatolia. The city lies next to the extinct volcano of Mount Erciyes. Mount Erciyes is a skiing resort in Winter and a nice trekking mountain in summer months.
Places to stay:
  • Radisson Blu Hotel: Hunat Mahallesi, Sivas Caddesi No. 24/1, Melikgazi.. Tel: (0352) 315 5000.
  • Novotel: Yenipervane Mahallesi, No, 1. Sokak, Kocasinan. Tel: (0352) 207 3000

What to buy: Pastirma! The best Pastirma comes from Kayseri. Here are two places where they sell the best:
  • Somtaş Pastırma:Gevher Nesibe Mah. Tekin Sok. No:1/A (next to the Hilton Hotel). Tel: (0352)  222 6030
  • Şahin Pastırma: Oruç Reis Mah. Karpuzatan Cad. No: 89. Tel: 444 1371 or one minute from the airport away where there is also a restaurant called Beyaz Saray: Mustafa Kemal Pasa Bulv. No.300. Tel: (0352) 339 1313 (They also sell online and deliver)
Cappadocia

Weather in Cappadocia: click here.

The main attractions in Cappadocia are in the following cities:
Ürgüp, Uçhisar, Göreme, Avanos, Derinkuyu.

Cappadocia is also famous for its cave hotels, valleys for trekking and the Hot Air Balloon flights

Museum Pass:
With MuseumPass Cappadocia, you can visit more than 10 museums and archaeological sites that belong to Türkiye Ministry of Culture and Tourism and enjoy your journey through history.
Museum Pass Cappadocia is valid for 3 days starting from your first museum visit and costs €65. You can purchase the Museum card online at: https://muze.gov.tr/MuseumPass.


In general, what you should not miss while visiting Cappadocia (Main Attractions):
  • The Göreme open Air Museum
  • Uçhisar: Walk up the castle and enjoy the amazing views
  • Love Valley with its fairy chimneys (outside Göreme)
  • The views from a panoramic Restaurant (between Uçhisar and Göreme)
  • Çavusin village and Vaftizci Yahya Kilisesi in Çavuşin (near Göreme)
  • The old Zelve Village and Museum (between Çavusin and Avanos)
  • Fairy Chimneys (near Zelve Village)
  • Devrent-Imaginary Valley.  (between Avanos and Ürgüp)
  • The three Graces (outside Ürgüp)
  • Ortahisar: Walk up the castle and enjoy the amazing views
  • Visit the Güray Museum and a Ceramic factory in Avanos
  • Visit a Carpet factory to see how they are done
  • A trip on a Hot air Balloon
  • Visit an underground city
and 45 minutes drive out of Nevşehir and really worthwhile going:
  • Ihlara Valley
  • Selime Monastery, (In the Yaprakhisar Village/Güzelyurt)


Museum Pass:

​https://muze.gov.tr/MuseumPass
If you purchase a Museum pass (valid for 72 hours) you will be able to enter the following sites:
Göreme Open Air Museum with the Göreme Karanlik Church, Özkonak Underground City, Nevşehir Museum, Çavuşin Ruin, Hacıbektaş Museum, the Zelve-Pasabaglar Ruins, Ihlara Valley & Selime Monastery, Derinkuyu Underground City and the Kaymaklı Underground City
You can purchase the Museum Pass at any of the places where you can enter with it.
Where to find what :

In Ürgüp:

Ürgüp is a small market town that can be a very good base to explore the area. This town is known for its nice hotels and very good restaurants. On Saturday they have an open market day.

What to see and do:
  • Turasan Wine cellars: Çimenli Mevkii. Tel: (0384) 341 4961.  Open from 8am to 8pm. You can taste (and buy) their Cappadocian wines there.
  • SilkRoad carpet Shop: Kayseri Caddesi N° 30. Tel: (0384) 341 4126. Rugs and Kilims.
  • Galeri Yunak: Yunak Mahallesi. Tel: (0384) 341 4325. High quality carpets and Kilims.
  • Asmali Konak: Ürgüp, Tel: (0384) 341 8930. Old Greek House and art Museum.

Where to sleep
  • Selçuklu Evi, Yunak Mah. Tel (0384) 341 7460 . Old house totally restored, nice rooms and beautiful garden.The owner speaks french.
  • Serinn: Esbelli Sokak No. 36. Tel: (0384) 341 6076. Only 5 guest rooms, very upscale. A peaceful oasis.
  • MDC Hotel: Karangandere Mah. Karagandere Sk. No:20. Tel: (0384) 341 4415. Cave Hotel
  • Yunak Evleri: Yunak Mahallesi.Tel: (0384) 341 6920. Very nice cave Hotel.
  • Hotel Surban: Yunak Mah. Tel: (0384) 341 4603
  • Esbelli Evi Otel: Dolay Sokak No:8. Tel: (0384) 341 3395. Cave Hotel
  • Gamirasu Cave Hotel: in Ayvali. Tel: (0384) 341 7485. Very nice Hotel 10km south of Ürgüp on the way to Kaymakli (unerground city)

Where to eat:
  • Şömine: Cumhuriyet Meydanı, 9 Tel: (384) 341 8442 . Famous for its Testi Kebab (Lamb cooked inside the terracota pot). Worthwhile a try!
  • Ziggy's Cafe & Restaurant: Yunak Mah., Tevfik Fikret Caddesi No. 24 Tel: (384) 324 7107. European cuisine. Very Nice food and great ambience. They have also a beautiful terrace for the long summer nights where you can enjoy the Food & View
  • Cappadocia Home Cooking: Ayvalı Köyü. Ürgüp. Tel: (0384) 354 5907. 10km away from Ürgüp. You can have traditional lunch or dinner here and they also do cooking classes.

The three Graces , also known as the three beauties. Just outside Ürgüp you will find this three fairy chimneys. There is a big parking for the car and some souvenir shops. Walk up the hill to see the three beauties and the views from the top!

The legend of this three graces, is that the daughter of one king fell in love with a shepherd. The King disapproved that marriage, so the daughter escaped and married the shepherd and had a child.
The king ordered his soldiers to kill them, so the princess prayed to God to convert them to stones and that is what he did. So these three fairy chimneys represent the shepherd, the princess and their child.

Mustafapaşa: 
This town is only 4km away from Ürgüp and is worthwhile visiting it. In the Seljuk and early ottoman period this town was called "Sinasos" where mainly Byzantine greeks and christians lived. At he time they were allowed to build their churches and until today some of them are still there and can be visited. ( 25 churches in total) . There are also some valleys that you can explore from there. (Monastry and Beydere Valley)

In Uçhisar/ Nevşehir:

Uçhisar is famous for its rock-citadel. If you walk up there, you will have the most amazing views over Cappadocia and even see Mont Erciyes! This very hilly town is known for its luxury hotels, but quiet in the evening as there are no bars or nightclubs here

What to do:
Uçhisar castle:  Walk up the 200 stairs and enjoy amazing 360* views over the Valley. The castle is open from 8am to 8pm and the entrance fee is 8 TL (in May 2018) The best time to go is at sunset or early in the morning. The village at the entrance of the castle is also nice to visit.
At the entrance of Uçhisar, there is also a nice view point overlooking the pigeon valley and the castle. There are some places to have a coffee and buy some souvenirs, but specially enjoy the view. Great for photography also. Several buses stop there, so it will be easy to recognize

Pigeon Valley: It connects Uçhisar with Göreme
White Valley: It connects Uçhisar to Çavusin

Where to sleep
  • Museum Hotel:  Tekeli Mah. Goreme Cad. No 1. Tel: (0384) 219 2220. One of the most beautiful hotels in Cappadocia. From here you can see all the hot air balloons leaving in the morning. Their Restaurant is also very good.
  • Lale Saray Hotel: Tel: (0384) 219 2333, in front of the Museum Hotel. Nice views
  • Hermes Cave Hotel: Tekeli mahallesi. Karlık Sok. Numara 14. Tel: (0384) 219 3020. They have a nice big terrace looking at the castle.
  • Sakli Konak Cappadocia: Tekelli Mahallesi, 2. Karlık Sk, Uçhisar. Tel: (0530) 568 1498. Small traditional boutique Hotel
  • Argos in Cappadocia: Tel: (0384) 219 3130. Beautiful gardens and amazing views from here!
  • Les Maisons de Cappadoce: Tel: (0384)219 2813. They have studios and houses to rent.
  • Karlık Evi Butik Otel: Karlık Mah. Karlık Sok. No:1,Uçhisar. Tel: (0384) 219 2995. Traditional Anatolian style hotel

Where to eat:
  • Restaurant: Elai: Tel: (0384) 219 3181. Very good. They also have a nice terrace with beautiful views

Panoramic Restaurants:
If you drive from Uçhisar to Göreme, between the two cities there are several big restaurants on top of the cliff with amazing views.
The known ones are: a)  'O ağacın altı' (under that tree), 'Salkım Tepesi Panorama restaurant' and 'Panorama Cafe'. If you have time, have a stop, drink a Turkish coffee, a french orange juice or have even breakfast there. Enjoy the view!! Many tourist buses stop there.. they know why

www.madeeasierguides.com
In Ortahisar:

Ortahisar is a nice little town with nice narrow streets, churches and a castle-like rock formation. It is worthwhile going there, walk up the castle (90 meters high) and enjoy the view. On a nice day you will be able to see the snow peaks of Mount Erciyes. There are also some restaurants at the entrance of the castle with nice views if you want to relax a little bit.

Where to sleep:
  • Elaa Cave Hotel: Esentepe Mahallesi Tahir Bey Sokak No:4, Ortahisar. Tel: (0384) 343 225. In a traditionally restored Anatolian home.

www.madeeasierguides.com
Contact Us
In Göreme:
Göreme is located in the heart of some beautiful valleys and is surrounded by the famous rock-formations that made Cappadocia world famous. 
The city if full of live and you will find there lots of hotels, restaurants, bars, travel agencies, hot air-balloon companies and more. From here you are in walking distance to many attractions, specially the Open-Air Museum is a must.

What to see and buy:
  • Göreme Open-Air Museum. This museum is one of Turkey's World Heritage sites. Very nice and interesting- a Must see! It has several rock-cut (cave) churches, some of them still with amazing frescoes. You can enter with the Museum Pass. We recommend to go early in the morning or late afternoon to avoid all the big tourism buses as it gets very crowded. Open from 8am to 5pm.
  • Göreme Karanlik Church: Inside the Göreme Open-Air Museum, don't miss it. You have to pay 10 TL extra (May 2018) or enter with the Museum Pass.
  • Buckle (Tokali) Church: Outside the complex of the open-Air museum, inside the rocks (50m from the entrance). Beautiful frescoes not to be missed! The ticket of the open-air museum is valid for this one as well.
Valleys:
  1. Love Valley : Don't miss seeing it. It starts west of the Göreme Open-Air Museum (About 2km long)
  2. Pigeon Valley: It connects Göreme with Uçhisar (About 4km long)
  3. Rose Valley: Located between Göreme and Cavusin villages, and it is divided into many smaller valleys: Gulludere, Kizilcukur, Meskendir and Zindanonu valleys. (About 3,5km long)
  4. Honey Valley: From Göreme/Cavusin Road to Uçhisar.(About 5km long)

Where to sleep:
Where to eat: 
  • A'la Turca.  Gaferli Mahallesi N°20. Tel: (0384) 271 2882. Very nice food and good terrace. (Cuisine from Anatolia)
  • Seten Restaurant:  Aydinli Mah. Aydinli Sok. No:40. Tel: (0384) 271 3025. Cuisine from Anatolia.
  • Orient: Tel: (0384) 271 2346. Very nice food from the region
  • Anatolian Kitchen Restoran: Müze Cd. Tel: (0384) 271 2740
  • Topdeck Cave Restaurant: Hafiz Abdullah Efendi Sokak No 15. Tel:(0384) 271 2474. Traditional Turkish cuisine
  • Kale Terrasse Restaurant: Roma Kalesi Yanı, Müze Cad, Tel: (0384) 271 2808. Authentic Turkish cuisine
  • Cappadocian Cuisine: Uzundere Caddesi NO:2. Cell: (0536) 964 6225. Traditional Turkish cuisine
  • Pumpkin: Sali Mah. iceri Dere Sok. 7/A. cell: (0542) 808 5050
In Avanos:

Avanos is a very quiet town, mainly known for its pottery and ceramic shops.  On Fridays they have a busy covered market in town.


What to do and buy:
  • Güray Museum: Fikri Saglar Caddesi. Tel: (0384) 511 5091. Underground ceramic Museum (15 meters). They display nearly 500 pieces! 
  • Kapadokya Seramik: Bahçeli Evler Mah. Çavusin Yolu. Tel: (0384) 511 4088
  • Venessa Seramik: Cumhuriyet Mah. Kapadokya Cad. No: 83. Tel: (0384) 511 5003. You can try to do pottery yourself and they have a huge selection of pottery to buy.
  • Sultans Seramic: Alaaddin Mah. Cavusoglu Sk No:1. Tel: (0384) 511 3686. You can try to do pottery yourself and they have a huge selection of pottery to buy.
  • Galerie Yörük: Ali Fuat. Yukari Mah. No.31. Tel: (0384) 511 4020. Good quality/price for Kilims and Rugs.They speak English and French.
  • Avanos Halı: Kızılırmak Cad. No: 8 Avanos. Tel: (0384) 511 3333. A huge workshop and showroom for Carpets. Very interesting to visit.

Between Çavusin and Avanos:  There is the  Zelve Open-Air Museum. Don't miss stopping there

Where to sleep
  • Doubletree Hotel. Tel.: (0384) 511 4317. Good for bigger groups. They have also a big swimming pool.

Where to eat
  • Uranos & Sarikaya: Akbel Mevkii, Kopru Basi No:88, Avanos, Tel: (0384) 511 5655. The place is entirely carved into the stone and has also some evening entertainment. Also good for bigger groups.
  • Benzade Konak Kafe: Yukari Mahalle, Edip Akbayram Sokak, No:7, Avanos. Not fancy, but delicious home made Food
  • Sofra: Merkez cadde, Avanos. Known for its Testi kebab.
  • Akhal Teke: Tel: (0384) 511 5775. Children can go riding there, very nice place and in its Restaurant they serve very good Testi kebab

Hot air balloons

Picture
Hot air balloons in Cappadocia:

To fly with an hot air balloon over Cappadocia is a very spectacular thing to do. You can ask your hotel to organize it, otherwise, the best known companies that organize it are:



> Most of the Balloon companies will pick you up at your hotel and drop you back after the flight. Depending of the time of the year, they will pick you up between 4am and 4:30am, as you will be at the balloons for sunrise. They take you first to their base where they serve you breakfast, and after the balloon ride, they will bring you back to your Hotel, most of the times it is between 7:30am and 8am

>> Don't forget to take something warm with you, as in the early mornings up in the air it can get cold!


We recommend:

Underground cities

Picture
 There are 36 underground cities in Cappadocia. The most known ones are:

Derinkuyu: (the deepest), Kaymaklı: (the widest), Özkonak: (less known but very nice), Saratlı: (less known but nice) 

The underground cities are very well indicated inside. If you don't have a guide, just follow the red arrows to enter and the blue ones to exit. The two main ones, have tunnels of 10-15m long and only one meter high, so be ready to be walking bent for a short time.

  • Derinkuyu yeraltı şehri: Bayramlı Mahallesi, Niğde Cd., Derinkuyu. Huge, Byzantine-era underground city with 8 levels of tunnels & rooms, many of them are open to visitors. This one is very popular and many groups will be visiting it, so try to go early morning or late afternoon to avoid the crowd. You can enter with the Museum pass or pay 25TL (May 2018). Open from 8am to 5pm. In the summer months until 7pm.
  • Kaymaklı yeraltı şehri: Cami Kebir Mahallesi, Belediye caddesi-Kaymaklı yeraltı şehri  in Nevşehir Merkez. This is a very beautiful one. If you go early in the morning you can be lucky and be alone inside, an experience highly recommended. You can enter with the Museum pass or pay 30TL (May 2018). Open from 8am to 5pm. In the summer months until 7pm.
  • Özkonak yeraltı şehri: Özkonak village, north of Avanos. This is a smaller one and less popular, so there is a big chance that you will be alone. You can enter with the Museum pass or pay 10TL (May 2018). Open from 8am to 5pm. In the summer months until 7pm.
  • Saratlı yeraltı şehri: Saratlı / Gülağaç / Aksaray

The Ihlara Valley and the Selime Monastery:
Picture
The Ihlara Valley is a very beautiful 14km long Valley situated near Mount Hasan and Mount Melendiz and worth a hike. The Ihlara Valley is like a gorge/canyon that was formed by the Melendiz river several thousand years ago. When you walk along the valley, you will have the river in the middle and several wooden bridges to cross it from time to time. You can enter the Valley with the Museum Pass

If you want to walk the Valley, there are several entrances you can take. The first one, where the valley starts, is at the Ihlara Village.

The second and main one (the most popular entrance) is few km further. This is the main entrance where also most of the touristic Buses stop to drop of the people and therefore it can get a bit crowded. Entering here, you will start by walking down more than 300 steps but having great views going down.

The third entrance is 4 km further. Between the second and third is where most of the people walk as there are several rock-caved churches on the way that you can visit.  Have way to the next exit, there is a very nice place where you can sit, relax, drink coffee, tea and have even gözleme next to the river bed, a very popular place to rest. Close to that next entrance, there is also another small place to rest, drink a coffee and relax. At the entrance itself - or exit if you come walking from the second one, there are also some places to eat, drink and some shops. If you came with a private car and left it at the second entrance and walked up t here, you will be able to find a taxi (or private cars parked there from the shop owners) that can take you back to your car for about 40 TL (May 2018)

The valley then continues and finishes at the Selime Monastery.

The Selime Monastery:

You can enter the Monastery with your Museum Pass or with the same ticket from the Ihlara Valley.
The amazing Monastery, a rock-cut structure worth visiting situated 28 km from Aksaray and at the end of the Ihlara Valley.
You will need good shoes to 'climb' up, but it's worthwhile doing so, as there is a big cathedral at the top. The views are also beautiful.
Picture
Picture
© 2012-2024 Tatjana Blanckenstein                   www.madeeasierguides.com                         Go to: main page of Inside Turkey     Go to: main MENU