Göreme
Incredibly cute and perfectly photogenic, Göreme has been voted one of the most beautiful villages in the world by several travel magazines for good reason. The village is half buried into the hill, its stone house facades hiding a maze of cave rooms below. The fresco-adorned El Nazar Kilise (Evil Eye Church) and Sakli Kilise (Hidden Church) are both on Müze Caddesi, a short walk from the center on the way to Göreme Open-Air Museum.
The village is the main base for walkers itching to head out on a hike, with all the main valleys branching out from here offering a plethora of trails that lead past kooky rock formations, known locally as fairy chimneys, and hidden cave churches up to panoramic viewpoints.
Butterfly Balloons
The other thing that Cappadocia is famous for is its hot air balloons. There are many companies in the area that offer the breathtaking opportunity to drift over the mountains and valleys but Butterfly Balloons is the most universally popular. The staff are all incredibly experienced professionals who are committed to giving you the most safe and enjoyable experience possible. If possible, definitely try to schedule your trip for sunrise or sunset to truly bask in the panoramas below.
Underground Cities
Beneath Cappadocia’s rock formations are underground cities, not just one or two, but 36 of them! Believed to have housed up to 10,000 people each, they were used by the first inhabitants of Cappadocia to escape the harsh winter and wild animals. Later, they became the place of hiding of the first Christians who escaped persecution at the hands of Roman soldiers. There was a winery, ventilation shafts, storage rooms, bedrooms, stables, even a church; hard to imagine how they could have built all this with hand tools and no electricity!
Rose Valley
As the name suggests, the Rose Valley is a vast and stony valley that extends as far as the eye can see. It is ideal for taking awesome photographs and gives you an insight into the variety of climates that Turkey is home to. Amazingly, you can also find a tiny café out there, seemingly in the middle of nowhere that is powered exclusively by solar power so you can stop for a bite to eat as well.
Zelve Open-Air Museum
With its knobbly-topped rock cliffs speckled with cave dwellings, walking through Zelve Open-Air Museum is an experience of the Cappadocia of old. The settlement began life as a monastery in the 9th century, and by the 20th century was a thriving village. Due to erosion and rockfall dangers, the village had to be abandoned in 1952. Now the entire valley is a museum.
There are a couple of interesting chapels to see, the Üzümlü Kilise (Grape Church) being the most intact, and a rather picturesque rock-cut mosque. But the real joy of this site is meandering down the cliff side paths, exploring the fire-blackened interiors of the cave dwellings, and staring out at the magnificent vistas over the surrounding countryside.
Uchisar Castle
The main appeal of this attraction is the views that it offers out across all of Cappadocia. It is only when up at the castle that one gains an appreciation, not only for the Turkish craftsmanship of past and present, but of the natural geography upon which the settlers of old decided to build.