Cappadocia in 3 days
A volcanic plateau in central Anatolia where erosion has carved fairy chimneys up to 40 metres high, and where people dug painted churches, whole villages and underground cities eight levels deep. On calm mornings up to 150 hot-air balloons lift off before dawn over Göreme, and you sleep in cave rooms at Uçhisar or Ürgüp.
The plan, day by day
Day 1
- Morning
Hot-air balloon flight over Göremehalf a dayThe world's busiest ballooning site, with up to 150 balloons allowed each morning, taking off before sunrise from the plateaus around Göreme and Çavuşin.
- Late afternoon
Göreme Open-Air Museum2 to 3 hA monastic valley, UNESCO-listed since 1985, with rock-cut churches from the 10th to 12th centuries whose frescoes tell the life of Christ.
Day 2
- Morning
The Rose and Red Valleysfree · 2 to 3 hTwin valleys between Göreme and Çavuşin, with 6 to 8 km of trails through rock tunnels, orchards and hidden churches, and the region's best sunset.
- Afternoon
Paşabağ fairy chimneys2 to 3 hThe most photographed fairy chimneys in Cappadocia, some with two or three basalt caps, one holding a hermit's chapel dedicated to St Simeon.
- Late afternoon
Avanos and its pottersfree · 2 to 3 hA town on the Kızılırmak, whose red clay has fed potters since Hittite times; around thirty workshops still use kick wheels and let you try.
Day 3
- Morning
Uçhisar Castleabout 1 h 30A 60-metre tuff pinnacle riddled with rooms and tunnels, lived in until the 1960s, with an outside staircase up to a summit terrace.
- Afternoon
Derinkuyu underground cityabout 1 h 30The deepest of Cappadocia's underground cities, 30 km south of Göreme, with eight levels open down to about 60 metres, stables, chapel and ventilation shafts.
- Late afternoon
Ihlara Valley2 to 3 hA 14 km canyon, 100 metres deep, with some fifteen of its hundred rock-cut churches open along the riverside path, including the Snake Church.
Where to sleep in Cappadocia
- Kemal's Guest House · €40 a night
- Roc Of Cappadocia · €50 a night
- Sultan Cave Suites · €120 a night
- Divan Cave House · €80 a night
- Koza Cave Hotel · €90 a night
- Cappadocia Cave Suites · €180 a night
- Argos in Cappadocia · €250 a night
- Taskonaklar · €220 a night
Plan this trip
Hotel prices per room per night, checked when written. Some links are affiliate links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.