Even though I am a hotelier, i couldn't have much time to visit Cappadocia properly before. I have been there a few times for short term business trips. Cappadocia is for sure one of the best geographical gift that nature left to us and you will find detailed and useful information about almost everything you've been searching for This time I didn't forget to print out my Cappadocia map for the trip to Cappadocia or as the locals call this place " Kapadokya." 

Cappadocia Map

Let's start with Cappadocia map as you will need a lot. This is the Cappadocia map that every single travel agent will squeeze in your hand when you walk on the streets.

 

Begining of Cappadocia Travel

As I said before, I visited Cappadocia before but I was so excited this time about visiting Cappadocia finally as a tourist and make the best out of it.
We begin to our guide to the land of white horses and fairy chimneys.

 

About Cappadocia

The Cappadocia region is the most beautiful place that nature and history have been integrated in the world. Geographical events while creating the fairy chimneys, in the historical process, people carved houses and churches inside these fairy chimneys, adorned them with frescoes, and carried the traces of ancient civilizations from thousands of years old to now.

In the 3rd and 4th centuries Christians who escape from the cruelty of Roman Empire, based in this region. They started to farm and used Pigeon feces as fertilizer to enrich fields in the area.
Those Christian people were the one who build the famous underground cities of Cappadocia by carving the soft rocks. And they herited us these beautiful  cave houses, underground cities, historial churches together with other geographical wonders around.

 

Where is Cappadocia?

It's actually not a town, not a city it's a region in the city of Nevsehir and all this natural wonder happened in 60 million years of time.

All the Lava and ashes from the mountains (Erciyes, Gulludag and Hasandagi) formed by the wind and the rain over million years and created the famous valleys and fairy chimneys.

It's located in the borders of the city of Nevsehir but also not far from the neighbour cities such as Kayseri, Nigde and Aksaray.You can actually reach Cappadocia by using the airport in Kayseri city. It's about 30-45 minutes ride from Kayseri airport to Cappadocia.

 

Cappadocia Guide

I can write hours and hours long about Cappadocia. It's not possible to explain the beauties of this region in one single post.You should definately go and see Cappadocia. Eitherway with organized tour or by yourself. But you definately should.

Mainly the places to see in Cappadocia are;
-Uchisar
-Goreme
-Cavusin
-Avanos
-Urgup
Almost all the beauties to see in Cappadocia will be in one of those regions. Check your cappadocia map and mark these attraction points.

 

How to Go to Cappadocia ?

You can reach there easier by plane or bus. While plane takes only 1 hour from Istanbul, over night bus will take about 10-11 hours until you reach Goreme Cappadocia.

I recommend Metro Turizm or Nevsehir Seyahat buses since they go until the center of Goreme so you can actually reach your hotel by walking after the coach station.

You can check the flight tickets search engines to find the cheapets flight tickets to Cappadocia. I would recommend Turkish Airlines and Atlasjet. Because they have very eearly flights and you can reach Cappadocia before 9 am. Sabiha Gokcen airport flights might a bit cheaper for Cappadocia flights.

 

Where to Stay in Cappadocia?

There are so many accommodation options for every budget in Cappadocia. It doesn't matter what your budget is, you will always find a good cave hotel or hostel there.

I went to Cappadocia by my own car. I knew I was going to need it but still I wanted to park my car and walk to attraction points.
That's why I chose staying in Goreme to be closer to attraction points and museums so i can reach everywhere by foot. I plied and put my Cappadocia map in to my pocket and I was ready to wander around Goreme.

But to be honest, despite all the beauty of Goreme and the cave hotel that I stayed in, when i decide to go for vacation to Cappadocia, I will stay in Urgup or Avanos next time.

The reason I tell that is that almost everything in Goreme was so touristic and seemed so spoiled to me. That's by far one of the biggest reason that I drove to Urgup or Avanos almost at every lunch and dinner time. It was cheaper, more delicious, more local in Urgup and especially in Avanos.

 

Shall I Rent a Car in Cappadocia?

You definately should. It's a must. First of all you need to remember that even thought the taxi drivers are nicer comparing to the ones in Istanbul, it's still touristic area and taxi service is expensive because of the long distances.

Distances are long but not that far by car. There is almost no traffic and you can reach everywhere latest in 20 minutes.
Renting a car will allow you to reach everywhere at anytime of the day. You can simply park on the side of the road and walk deep into the one of the many valleys. Ask your rent a car agency to give you a free hard copy of Cappadocia map.

Don't worry if you can't or don't want to rent and drive a car in Cappadocia. You can join to daily guided tours. They have hotel pick up and drop off shuttle services. An you will have a lot of information from the professional tourist guide about the sites that you visit .

 

What to Do in Cappadocia ? Is There a Nightlife?

Things to do in Cappadocia are limitless. This is where your budget talks. Because these activities are not cheap. Not for my budget at least. There are of course free things to do in Cappadocia as well.

Places to see in Cappadocia;

-- Pigeon Valley
-- Love Valley
-- Red and Rose Valleys
-- Uchisar Castle
-- Cevizli
-- Kocabag Winery
-- Turasan Wine factory
-- Goreme open air museum
-- Zelve open air museum
-- Derinkuyu Underground City
-- Kaymakli Underground City
-- Ihlara Valley are some of the main places to visit in Cappadocia.

Things to do in Cappadocia - Top attractions in Cappadocia;

-- Hot airballoon tour on sunrise
-- Horse riding tours
-- ATV tours
-- Making Pots in Pottery Shops
-- Wine tasting
-- Joining to walking tours in the Valleys

 

Nightlife in Cappadocia

If your question is how is the night life in Cappadocia? your answer will depend on what you search. If you wish to join to Traditional Turkish nights in Cappadocia, you can go to Evranos restaurant in Avanos. In restaurants like Evranos, you can see some samples of Turkish Folkloric dance, Whirling Dervishes ceremony and Belly dance etc. The price for such restaurants is around 100 Turkish Liras (apprx.20 euros) per person. Set menu, side dishes and unlimited beverages including alcholic one are included to price. There is also Yasarbaba restaurant located in Uchisar if we need to add one more restaurant to the list of where you can go for traditional turkish nights in Cappadocia. You can always search and find better ones. These are the ones I remember.

If you are looking for a night club or disco, Cappadocia is not your place. There are almost none. I have see a couple of pubs in Goreme which works until late hours but that's all.

 

Shopping in Cappadocia

What to buy in Cappadocia? Well,tell me about your budget Most famous things to buy are Anatolian Carpets, Pots that you made yourself in pottery shops,famous and most delicious Cappadocia Wine, hand made souveniers and so on.

When to Go to Cappadocia?

April-May and October-November months are the best times to visit When to go to Cappadocia? because of the nice weather. However accommodation might be not very cheap in these months. Prices are usually lower in hot summer months. I personally choose summer months since heat doesn't bother me. I take my bottled water with me all the time so why not staying cheaper.

How is Cappadocia in Winter Time?

Valleys and Chimney look wonderful when it snows. Accommodation rates are really low in winter especially in December, January and February. Less crowd in attraction point and there is almost no queues.

On the other hand the streets, roads will be dirty and muddy in some areas. It will be difficult to climb and wander between the Valleys and Fairy Chimneys. Some hotels might be closed during winter season. Hot airballoon flights will be cancelled more often due to hard weather conditions.

So if you ask how is Cappadocia in December, January ? or Shall I visit Cappadocia in winter time? my answer would be definitely YES since the Pros outweigh the Cons.

If you visit Cappadocia in winter, you should definitely warm yourself with the famous Cappadocia wines.Best places to buy a bottle of local wine are Kocabag or Turasan winery. They are the most known producers in the area. I bought 1 bottle of Turasan for 29 Turkish Liras.That's about 7 euros.

You can also read “what to buy in Istanbul ?” post if you are having difficulty to chose which souvenirs to buy during your travel to Istanbul.

How Long Shall I Stay in Cappadocia?

Or how many days are enough to see everything in Cappadocia?

If you have time, 2 nights-3 days accommodation in Cappadocia will be enough to see many things.
Here is an itinerary example to follow:
-You can join to Red Valley tour which starts at 9am. Enjoy the evening in one of the traditional Turkish restaurants.
-And then fly with the Hot air Balloon in the next morning.
-Join to Green Tour in the same day.

If you have limited time or if you stay in Istanbul and want to see the Cappadocia even for 1 day, here is your itinerary:
-Make your flight or bus arrangements carefully so you can arrive at Cappadocia early in the morning.
-Join to Red Valley tour in the same day. After overnighting in one of the beautiful cave houses of Goreme, you can fly with hot air-balloons and join to Green Tour on the same day.
-You can fly back to Istanbul with the evening flight.

How Much Will Cappadocia Trip Cost Me?

The answer is again the same; depends on your expectations.

-Ticket fees start from 75 Turkish Liras one way for Istanbul to Goreme or Urgup.
-Flight ticket prices are changing according to the season and occupancy. They cost between 175 Turkish Liras and 225 Liras one way from Istanbul to Nevsehir or Kayseri airport. This also answers   " What airport do you fly into for Cappadocia? " question.

-Hotel Prices in Cappadocia are usually between 120-200 Turkish Liras for a double room with breakfast.

-Hostel beds are around 15-25 Liras per day.
-Food prices are really low if you find local restaurants to eat in Avanos or in Urgup. I can't tell the same for Goreme.
Daily cost of food is around 30-45 Liras per person if you are planing to have lunch and dinner.
Fine dining or Turkish Traditional restaurants with entertainment might cost higher than this.

Museum Entrance Fees and MuseumPass in Cappadocia

If you buy tickets to visit the museums and underground cities, it will cost you more than buying museum pass for Cappadocia.

Museum Pass for Cappadocia costs 45 Turkish Liras and covers almost all the major sight seeing points except Uchisar Castle.

ATV tours, horse riding tours or hot airballoon tours in Cappadocia will cost you additional to all those expenses that I mentioned above.

Important!  Printing out the Cappadocia map and marking the attraction points on it would definitely be useful. I hope that all this information will ease your trip during your visit to Cappadocia.