10 Most Incredible Things To Do In Cappadocia | Visiting Central Anatolia Turkey

Cappadocia is a popular historical site in the central Anatolian province of Turkey. There is a wealth of things to do in Cappadocia including horse riding, hiking, hot air balloon tour, and much more.

Bening one of the top tourist destinations in Turkey, Cappadocia is known for its dramatic scenic views, underground cities, rock formation, and caves.

The most notable tourist attractions being the Uchisar’s Fortress, Red & Rose Valley, Haci Bektas, and the Goreme village.

Most of the sites that you may see here date back to the bronze age while others are natural formations. Some of these natural sites are formed more than 60 million years ago due to massive eruptions from three mountains at once.

If you are a history geek planning a tour to central Anatolia, then read upon and learn more about the top attractions with things to do in Cappadocia.

10 Best Things To Do In Cappadocia

Watch Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon

Watching Cappadocia hot air balloon is the most popular activity among locals and tourists alike. Every year, millions of visitors come here to witness the grand ballooning, making it the world’s best air balloon destination.

Summer is the peak season when more than 100 hot-air balloons are released in the sky soon after sunrise. The balloon shows are held all year round unless it is canceled due to bad weather.

Each year a Cappadocia balloon festival is conducted in order to promote balloon tourism. The recent balloon festival welcomed more than 50 international guests and over 70 million visitors.

Cost Require:

1 Hour Balloon Ride: 200 Euros
1.5 Hour Balloon Ride: 275 Euros
1 Hour Deluxe Balloon Ride: 250 Euros

Best Time To Visit: Summer

Visit The Underground City

Another among the most remarkable tourist attraction in Cappadocia are the underground cities. There are two underground cities named Kaymakli and Derinkuyu.

Carrying roots from the early bronze era, the Cappadocia underground city was used by some Christians in the 6th and 7th. They decided to live underground while escaping the invasion of Arabs and Persians.

Kayamukli is the largest among the two and consists of rooms that are linked with tunnels up to 8 levels. The visitors can access only four of these levels.

Talking about the Deringkyu, it is much deeper than Kayamukli with narrowed tunnels. It covers a vast area with so much exploration beneath the ground.

Location: Kayamukli and Deringkyu

A Day Trip To Goreme Village

Goreme is listed in various travel magazines among the most beautiful villages in the world, thanks to the enormous tourist attractions it has.

Half of the village is buried under the ground and contains a hidden maze leading to cave rooms.

Tody, Gorme has been transformed into a tourist industry. The caves are now used as hotels and boutiques.

Apart from this, Goreme is also home to an open-air museum, Sakli Church, and El Nazar Church.

Not only this, there are a bunch of hiking trails leading towards the rock formation of Kooky and some panoramic viewpoints.

Highlights:

Love Valley
Goreme National Park
Pigeon Valley
Cave Museum of Guray
Dark Church

Best Time To Visit: May to September

Location: Nevşehir Province

Climb At Uchisar’s Rock Fortress

Sitting at Cappadocia’s highest point, the Uchisar’s Rock Fortress is the most photogenic site in the region.

The multi-level fortress is carved out of rock. Some rooms are connected with stairs while others are connected with small passages.

The Rock castle also houses a church, a pigeon house in a cave, and fairy chimneys.

Climb to the top of the castle through the 100 steps and witness the most breathtaking panoramic views of the surroundings.

Best Time To Visit: April to June or September to October

Location: Uçhisar/Nevşehir Merkez/Nevşehir

Horse Riding At Red Valley

After traveling the Goreme Village, plan a day tour to the most romantic area of the region “Red Valley”. The valley is encompassed by countless red rocks that are formed due to a massive volcanic eruption and water erosion.

Consider taking a horse ride while exploring the major highlights of Red Valley.

A horse ride here is one of the top things to do in Cappadocia.

Also, nothing comes past Red Valley when it comes to hiking as it offers a huge amount of trails. While hiking, don’t miss out on Rose Valley which is a few distances away from Red Valley.

Unlike Red Vally, the Rose Valley consists of yellow rock formations and plenty of cave houses.

Things To Do:

Horse Ride
Hiking
Explore the rock-carved towns
Visit the Observation terrace

Price: 6 TL

Timings: 6:00 AM to 7:00 PM

Best Time To Visit: June or September to October

Location: Goreme

Also Read: 10 Most Beautiful Mosques In Turkey That Are Not To Be Missed

Hike At Ihlara Valley

A yet another gorgeous valley in the Cappadocia, the Ihlara Valley is not less than a delight for nature lovers. The valley is surrounded by steep cliffs, tall trees, and farmlands.

There is a river named Melendiz, which flows up to 14 km between the Ihlara Valley and Selime Village.

The site was used by monk communities to retreat during the Byzantine region. Several churches and monasteries were constructed by hermetic monks in the same period.

The hiking trail starts from the Selime Village and ends at the final point of Melendiz lake in Ihlara Valley.

Best Time To Visit: April to June

Location: Guzelyurt, Aksaray

Explore The City Of Kayseri

Kayseri may not be a popular city, but it has a plethora of attractions including some Ottoman and Seljuk monuments.

The main highlight of the city is the ancient “Kayseri Castle”. The Castle was built in 244 AD by Gordian III. Today, the castle stands in the main city and is surrounded by numerous shops and cafes.

Kayseri is also home to one of the first medical schools in the world “Cifte Medrese”. The Medrese is now converted into a museum of Seljuk civilization and houses a huge collection of artifacts, textiles, and artworks of Seljuks.

If have you seen the famous historical series “Dirilis Ertugrul”, visiting Kayseri will surely give you a feeling of nostalgia. The Seljuk caravanserai in Kayseri was frequently shown in the tv series.

Highlights:

Mahperi Hunat Hatun Mosque
Gupgupoglu Mansion
Cifte Medrese
Sahibiye Medresesi
Haci Kilic Mosque & Medresesi

Best Time To Visit: June to August

Also Read: 11 most recommended and amazing things to do in Turkey

Visit The Pilgrimage Site Of Haci Bektaş

Founded by the well-renowned Iranian philosopher “Sufi Haci Bektas Veli”, the site serves as the pilgrimage to the followers of the Bektaşi order.

The Dervish lodge is now turned into a museum and is the final resting place of Haci BektaşVeli. It also exhibits some of his belongings and other elements related to the Bektaşi order of dervishes.

It is necessary for one to be religious in order to visit the pilgrimage site. It welcomes visitors from all over the world with a different faith.

Best Time To Visit: August

Location: Nevşehir Province

Visit The Urgup Old Town

One of the must-do things to do in Cappadocia, the old town of Urgup has a range of trendy cafes, inns, and boutique hotels.

Like most of the regions in Cappadocia, Urgup also boasts a wealth of stone houses. Besides, it has some relics that belong to the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum including mosques and tombs.

Not only this, you can find some of the fine examples of Ottoman-Greek architecture designs in Old Urgup.

Highlights:

Urgup Museum
Altikapili Turbe
Pembe Vadi
Taskinpasha Mosque

Best Time To Visit: April to June or September to October

Location: Nevşehir Province

Also Read: Visiting Turkish Capital: 10 Most Stunning Places to visit in Ankara

Discover The Open Air Museum At Zelve

Zelve is the perfect place for a day trip in Cappadocia. After visiting the Goreme Village, consider taking a tour to Zelve which also houses an open-air museum.

The open-air museum of Zelve has a vast range of sites to explore including cave houses.

The good thing about Zelve is being a less crowded place, which makes it an ideal spot for a photo shoot.

Make sure, you need to walk a lot in order to explore the major attractions that the museum has.

Timings: 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM

Ticket Price: 25 TL

Location: Aktepe/Avanos/Nevşehir