There are different reasons why people go to Cappadocia, Turkey. There is the balloon tourism and related activities, cultural tourism and adventure sports and hikes. People also travel for business as leather work, ceramic work and carpet making are crucial to this region. I visited Cappadocia for 1.5 days during my brief vacation in Turkey as it was accessible and was highly recommended in Trip advisor forums. Here is my experience and Cappadocia travel tips for you. The prices are from my visit is July 2023 when 1 Euro equaled approx 30 TL (Turkish Lira)
Making Cappadocia work for you
Cappadocia or Kapadokya is a region made up of five provinces – Nevşehir, Kayseri, Aksaray, Kırşehir, Sivas and Niğde. Millions of years ago this entire region was under water. The the rock formations that you see today are a result of Volcanic eruptions. It is a historical region known for it horses and that it was a safe haven for Christian monks. The stony landscape has been described as everything from surreal and eerie to calming and other worldly. I would call it unique, for I have never seen such a landscape before in my life.
Cappadocia travel tips
The easiest way to travel to Cappadocia is to fly from Istanbul to either Nevşehir or Kayseri. Both are small airports and easy to navigate. Book your flights atleast a month or two in advance to get reasonably priced tickets (Approx 50 Euros). Most hotels will arrange an airport pickup for your which costs 15 Euros one way. Remember that this is a group shuttle and you will be waiting in the airport till you pick everyone up and drop them along the way. Add an extra hour to your journey and be patient if you choose the group shuttle.
Hot air balloon ride
Like most touristy places in the world, Cappadocia is expensive. But if you are here, you must do the balloon ride which costs anywhere from 220 Euros to 280 Euros for a 70 minute ride depending on whom you book with. Each basket will have about 20 people. If you like me, get stuck m in the center of the basket ( solo travelers are put there) with people who are obsessed with taking selfies, your view is going to always be obstructed. So carry telephoto lens if you want to take really good pictures. Your phone is not going to cut it. The balloon tour starts between 4:45 AM and 5:00 AM If you stay in Göreme, you’re usually picked up from your hotel if you stay by 4:00 AM to 4:10 AM Therefore, be prepared for really early start.
I have vertigo as well as a fear of heights but I was very comfortable during the ride. Cappadocia has crazy weather and it can suddenly get cold. Dress in layers, wear bifurcated bottoms (trousers/jeans) and close toed shoes.
Group Tours
The cheapest way to see Cappadocia is to go on a group tour. There are three tours – Red, green and blue tour. All are basic tours with no customisations and your hotel will book one for you. At 60 Euros each, they are economical and convenient. I did the red tour and found myself in great company. You will get picked up and dropped back at your hotel if you stay in Göreme. Green tour is for those seeking adventure as you go to the Derinkuyu Underground City, hike to the Ihlara Valley and walk through the villages of Belisırma. The red tour takes you to the Pasabag monks valley (with the fairy chimneys), the Devrent valley or Imagination Valley, Uchisar castle and an open air museum. You get to see kick-wheel pottery demonstration in Avanos and visit a leather store.
The open air museum that they show you on the red tour is not the same one with the dark church and the frescos. I learnt this a little too late and was disappointed. However, as a designer I really enjoyed the visit to the ceramic workshop. I also loved the cute fashion show at a leather store. These are good places to shop provided you have the money. As tempting as it was, I did not buy anything in either of these stores. Apart from these group tours you have horse riding tours and ATV tours which you have to book independently.
Photoshoot
One of the must do things at Cappadocia is a sunrise photoshoot with balloons. It costs anywhere from 250 Euros to 800 Euros depending on the photographer, the dress, the level of personalization, makeup services, location and edits that you want. I met a 64 year old woman from Belgium during the Group tour and things that she said about living life this moment for the now, made me do the shoot, the next morning.
I booked mine with Cappadocia photographers.s. Faik and his assistant were thorough professionals and did a good job. They brought clothes for me to try at the hotel, helped me get ready and did the shoot in 3 locations. However, they have a limited selection of clothes and they don’t edit pictures. So if you do not know how to edit pictures you and want to print them up, you may need to go for a different service. Yemelin offers the widest variety of dresses and services but he is a little more expensive.
Since I am usually on the other side of things in a photoshoot, this was a new experience for me. Doing hair and makeup at 4 AM made me appreciate models and actors for the effort that they put in everyday. Though I wanted to wear a strapless dress with high slit I settled on a fully covered dress knowing that I will not be able to tolerate the cold at 4:30 AM. I realised how cold 10-12 degrees can be in a hilly, cave location when the veins in my feet turned black and knotted after standing barefoot at 6 AM. I cannot pose in front of a still camera and this shows in the pictures even after heavy editing. But it was fun chasing after balloons and running up the hills in a gown with a train.
Stay
The entire region of Göreme is made up of cave hotels but many of them are not actual caves. The rooms are created to look like caves in many places so the rooms are smaller than what you would expect for the price. Real cave rooms are super cozy and a delight to sleep in. It is a pity as you have to wake up at 4 AM for all the activities that you have to do. Note that cave hotels do not have elevators. Therefore, if you plan to go back to Istanbul, leave your bigger suitcase at luggage storage and come here with just a small bag. I stayed in Angel Cave Suites.
Food
Most of the cave hotels do not have a restaurant attached and you might have to walk to the market area if you want to eat. I suggest that you eat a big breakfast in the hotel, lunch near a tourist site and a packed dinner. If you are going to be here for only a night or two, I recommend bringing some dry foods/snacks for dinner to rest your weary legs at the end of a long day. My tour stopped at this place called Chef kabab which is supposed to be one of the really good kabab restaurants here. However, the vegetarian options were limited. It is a definite miss if a vegetarian. But I spotted several restaurants including 2 Indian restaurants in the market that might have more options.
Shopping
Cappadocia is really good for shopping. The trinkets that I found in Istanbul for 70 or 80 TL I found here for 40 TL. You can buy crochet earrings ( 3 for 100 TL) from women who sit in the shops and crochet them right in front of your eyes. Lace placemats cost 50 TL upwards. You can buy replicas of fairy chimneys and cave dwellings but I found them to be very badly made. You can buy a different kinds of keychains and hangings with forms of balloons, evil eye, Hamsa in a variety of materials.
When the shopkeepers know that you are serious about the purchase, they tell you if the piece is made of plastic, ceramic or glass making it easier to make an informed choice. The other thing that you can buy here are objects made up of onyx. But I did not see good Onyx jewellery or beads. Whatever I found was much lesser quality than what I find in India. The gemstone Zultanite is available everywhere but I believe that all of them are synthetic. You can also buy crocheted dolls and “Bebek” handmade fabric dolls.
Parting thoughts
Cappadocia is overhyped and expensive. But it is also a once in a lifetime place. Do visit if you have an extra couple of days in Turkey.
I hope you found it interesting
Cheers
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