Raluca Teodorescu

I’ve had Cappadocia on my travel list for such a long time and we finally got the opportunity to go and visit this incredible place.

Cappadocia is known for its surreal desert landscapes that are dotted with unworldly fairy chimneys and ancient underground cities.

How to get to Cappadocia?

Cappadocia has 2 airports that are in the vicinity: the Kayseri Erkilet airport and the Nevsehir Kapadocya airport, each to around an hour drive to the centre of Cappadocia.

When is the best time to visit Cappadocia?

The best time to visit is late spring, April, May and early autumn: late September and October.

Now saying this, we actually went there mid March, the weather was absolutely amazing, sunny all day, with a few clouds overnighted, and the temperature was about 20-22 degrees C. We were extremely lucky with the weather as only a few days after our departure it snowed a lot which of course will impact on some of the activities you might have planned for your trip.

What to do in Cappadocia?

Here are my top 10 things to do in Cappadocia:

1. Kaymakli underground city

Built in the 8th centuries BC and expanded over the years by its population this underground city was also used by the Turkish Muslims as refuges.

The tunnels were lately abandoned in 1923 when the inhabitants of the region were expelled in the population exchange between Greece and Turkey.

2. Uchisar Castle

The beautiful village of Uchisar is well known for it’s 60m high ‘castle’ which is actually a rock formation visible over a wide distance. Many fairy chimneys can be seen from here.

3. Pasabag Valley

This beautiful valley is known for its unusual rock formations, which are also called “fairy chimneys”. The formation of these beautiful chimneys are a result of volcanic eruptions and erosion over time.

This beautiful location is part of UNESCO World heritage site and makes up the Goreme National Park.

4. Goreme open air museum

The beautiful open air museum includes 15 churches build in the 11th century and 11 refectories, giving you an idea of how history looked like before and how different the churches were from the one today.

5. Hot air balloon ride

We all know that Cappadocia is well known for it’s hot air ballon rides, giving you the opportunity to see the beauty of Cappadocia from above making this an unforgettable experience. This is definitely worth adding to your list aS it’s a very unique experience.

6. Book a photoshoot in Cappadocia

I am telling you ladies, you don’t want to miss out on this! I think this is a must do when in Cappadocia and this is only because the photographers will know all the beat spots and the best times to go and see different attractions, they will also have those stunning massive dresses that you see all over the internet and you can obviously get your photos taken by yourself or with your loved ones.

The photographers will usually have a list of locations that they can shoot with different prices, now you can either book a couple of them or all if you’d like, but it’s beat to talk to your photographer and see what works best for both of you.

I’ll leave here some of the locations we covered.

7. Mustafapasa village

Amongst the many fine stone houses in Mustafapaşa one of the best is the Old Greek House which now houses a popular restaurant. Several more traditional rock-cut churches can be found in the valley running out from Mustafapaşa which is easily accessible on foot.

8. Rox Cappadocia

This stunning 5 star hotel is located right next to Uchisar Castle and gives you some extraordinary panoramic views of Goreme abd Guvercinlik Valley from its terrace.

If you come here early morning you can also see the hot air balloons covering the sky right on time for the morning sunrise.

9. Sultan Carpets

Established in 1989, Sultan Carpets is one of the most famous carpet stores in Cappadocia. The beautiful handmade carpets will be a beautiful addition to your home decor or if you’d like to see the process of carpet weaving, this can be done in their workshop.

Sultan carpets also allows people to shoot at their location, again this can be arranged by your photographer of you book one or contact the shop directly and check what the process is.

10. Wine tasting at Kocabag Winehouse

The best way to end your trip to Cappadocia is with some Premium vintages produced by the namesake, family-run winery offered in a refined environment.