explore it yourself:
The journey:
wWe arrived by plane from Budapest on the afternoon of June 28th and stayed until the morning of July 1st, arriving into and departing from Nevşehir Kapadokya Airport (NAV). We had a layover at the Istanbul airport both ways, the airport was very clean and modern. The flight from Istanbul to Cappadocia was just shy of an hour.
Prior to our arrival, we booked a shared transfer to our hotel through Viator, the option we chose costed $10 per person each way so a round trip transfer for two of us costed $40 total. Our hotel offered a direct transfer as well but it required a cash payment of 15 EUR per person so it is worth looking elsewhere before making any decision as Viator had many different transfer options to choose from.
The accommodations:
Below is what AI recommended for accommodations:
1. Aza Cave Cappadocia
2. Kelebek Special Cave Hotel
3. Chelebi Cave House Hotel
4. Tulip Cave Suites
We ended up selecting Kelebek Special Cave Hotel because we wanted something with a pool and rooftop viewing of the hot air balloons each morning. There are definitely more affordable nice options here but we decided to splurge and this hotel was worth every penny.
Upon arrival, hotel staff checked us in and ran through a map of the city while pointing out some must-do’s while you are in the area. In the meantime, our bags were dropped at our room while we were given a quick tour of the hotel layout including the restaurant, pool, and two viewing terraces. Our room was stocked with complimentary water bottles, assorted nuts, and a bottle of local wine which was a nice added touch. Room service was available around the clock and we called reception several times for additional water bottles and towels which were delivered to our door in seconds each time.
We think the upper-level viewing terrace at this hotel is the best spot in the city (see photos below)! We had unrestricted views each morning and were completely hypnotized by the scenery with plenty of space for several groups of people to join you on the rooftop and not get in the way of each other’s photo opportunities.
One of the best parts of this hotel is the incredible breakfast served every morning from 7AM – 10AM. At breakfast you can order a wide range of made to order espresso drinks (the iced lattes were incredible)! There is a full buffet of cold options and you can also order scrambled eggs, omelets, and a local version of a breakfast skillet called Menemen. We filled up on breakfast every morning which allowed us to skip lunch and only pay for dinner.
And of course we have to mention the pool area which was unbelievably relaxing. We chose to sit out on the pool deck for a majority of our second day where you can order a wide range of food and drink options that are brought directly to your lounge chair as we enjoyed the sun. Although the pool itself is not very large, the area was never crowded and there was ample seating both in the sun and in shaded areas for us to choose from. We could have stayed out here for our entire stay it was so nice!
Helpful tips:
- Although we loved every aspect of our stay here, we felt like 2-3 days was enough time to take in the full experience.
- The balloons begin taking off around 4:45AM and are all landed before 7AM so be sure to set your alarm early to see them!
- It is important to know that the balloons do not fly every morning, it is contingent upon the wind conditions so be sure to research the weather before getting up to view the balloons in the morning. June-September has the highest amount of flight days. With that being said, it wouldn’t hurt to spend a few extra days here if you are worried about the potential of missing them due to weather conditions. We were lucky enough to see them all 3 mornings, so it could go either way.
- It was ~50 degrees fahrenheit each morning as we viewed the balloons so bundle up before heading to the rooftop. On the other hand, the afternoon temperature made it’s way up to ~90 degrees fahrenheit every day.
- We weren’t able to find any public transit that runs between the neighboring towns so we chose to walk but there are plenty of taxis available too.
- If you are interested in a guided tour of many of the below attractions and want to minimize walking, there are countless options to book private or shared tours, either directly through the hotel or in town at many travel agencies, that will shuttle you to each of the attractions while also providing historical context as well as a lunch for you which were starting at ~70 EUR per person, for a ~8 hour day.
Note: * our additions to ai itinerary and exclusions are crossed out, also see our summary at the bottom.
We only included 2 days of itinerary and also skipped a few things because we wanted to enjoy the serenity of our hotel pool.
Day 1: Göreme & Surroundings
Göreme and the valleys
Göreme Open-Air Museum– Explore ancient rock-cut churches with stunning frescoes. Arrive early to avoid crowds. (We skipped this because it was 20 euro a person and decided to pay for one of the castles instead)- Love Valley – Walk through unique phallic-shaped rock formations.
- We hiked the trail that takes a little under 2 hours and goes from close to the Uçhisar Castle to Göreme. This was beautiful, but it can be pretty rocky at points so have good shoes.
- Pasabag (Monks Valley) – See famous fairy chimneys with mushroom caps.
- Although these are located all over the region, they are so fascinating to see no matter how many you come across.
- Lunch at
Nazar Börek Café– Delicious gözleme (Turkish stuffed flatbread). Our hotel had an incredible breakfast so we skipped lunch both days. - OR Pal’s Pizza* if you’re in Göreme
- Very friendly staff and the food was delicious for a reasonable price!
Zelve Open-Air Museum– Explore abandoned cave dwellings and churches.Çavuşin Village– Visit old rock houses and the Church of St. John the Baptist.- Dinner at Seten Anatolian Cuisine – Traditional dishes with local wine in Göreme.
- This restaurant was located at our hotel’s sister location and we couldn’t recommend it enough. The views of the city are unmatched and the food was fantastic!
Day 2: Sunrise Balloons and scenic views
Hot Air Balloons and Uçhisar Castle
Hot Air Balloon Ride– Witness breathtaking sunrise over fairy chimneys and valleys. Book in advanced.- We opted for views from the rooftop of our hotel. It was the most incredible experience we have ever had and the view is unlike anything we’ve ever seen.
- If you are interested in the Hot Air Balloon Rides, they are about 120 EUR for a standard ride and private rides start at 4,000 EUR.
- Uçhisar Castle – Climb the highest point in Cappadocia for panoramic views.
- We hiked from Göreme to the castle, it was a very quiet path, but so beautiful. Screenshot of the path below (about 3 miles from hotel to the castle). This route brings you past Pigeon Valley prior to the castle as opposed to what is listed below.
- Lunch at
House of Memories Café– Cozy spot in Uçhisar with local dishes. - Note: Between the castle and the valley you can find several spots where camels are lying roadside. Such a cool sight.
Pigeon valley & sunset
- Pigeon Valley – Walk or drive through this scenic valley.
- The rocks here were carved out to house pigeons where the droppings could be collected and used for fertilizer.
- Visit
Ortahisar Castle, a quieter alternative with excellent views. - Dinner at
Sira Restaurant– Modern Turkish cuisine in Uçhisar.- OR Kebapzade* – The chicken shish-kebab was cooked to perfection and of course we had to try the local favorite beef pottery kebab which was great too!
- Watched the sunset at Cappadocia Sunset Point* also known as Asiklar Tepesi*
- We learned about this place through our hotel and could see it from our place. It was a short 10 minute walk (uphill on the way there). It costs 70 cents per person and the view was amazing.
final thoughts:
Overall Rating: 100/10
Would we go again? We would be sad if we don’t come here again.
Favorite moment:
Bailey’s favorite: Seeing the hot air balloons was the most incredible feeling. It has been on my bucket list for years and I never actually thought I’d be able to see it in person. Even with my high expectations, it surpassed them.
Note: We went to our rooftop about 30 minutes before the sunrise time. This was the perfect timing, there was no one on our roof and the first hot air balloons were just taking flight.
Parker’s favorite: Also the hot air balloons of course! The views were absolutely worth it even with the 4:30AM alarm each morning.
Favorite meal:
Bailey’s favorite: Seten Anatolian Cuisine! This was located right next to our hotel and is their sister hotel/restaurant. We got hummus and cheese ravioli. It was phemonemal.
Parker’s favorite: Kebapzade, the local dish “Pottery Kebab” was so delicious and I would highly recommend!
Any surprises? We were pleasantly surprised with how friendly everyone was in the area including the hotel staff and local business owners. Many people would stop us to chat while walking through town and were all very pleasant.
Anything we missed? Maybe on our next trip back we will go up for a hot air balloon ride!
Food spots AI recommended, but we didn’t have a chance to go: Nazar Börek Café, House of Memories Café, Sira Restaurant
Average step count per day: 15,800 steps
How did ai do?
Nailed it: We loved the hotel accommodation that AI recommended and would absolutely stay here again! We also liked that it recommended places like Pigeon valley and Love valley which we were shocked to see that nobody else was partaking in seeing these places while we were exploring.
Needs work: An important thing to note is the public transit here is not particularly great so we ended up walking everywhere we went on day 1 which amounted to a lot of steps. It would be beneficial to prompt AI to help you determine the best course of action for planning the logistics to and from each attraction. For example, walking through the Love Valley trail, going to the Göreme Open Air Museum, and back to our hotel in one day would not be walkable.
