Turkey // Touring around Cappadocia

It’s been a few years since we visited Turkey, but visiting the spectacular fairy chimney region of Cappadocia is something that we won’t be forgetting anytime soon! Located right in the centre of Turkey, it usually requires a loooong bus ride to get there but don’t panic, it is totally worth it!

Discovering Göreme

The main hub for exploring Cappadocia is Göreme, a small historical town where tourism is the main source of income for most of its 2,000 inhabitants. Set against the backdrop of the famous fairy chimneys that make up the Cappadocian landscape, this cosy town has all you need to enjoy a few days (or weeks) in the region.

Göreme Open-Air Museum

Göreme is home to the wonderful Göreme Open-Air Museum, which is the perfect place to kick off your stay in Cappadocia. This UNESCO World Heritage Site consist of several churches that have been cut out in the rocks about 800-1000 years ago! Each church is decorated with beautiful frescoes, which are a true feast for the eyes! The Tokali (Buckle) Church and the Elmali (Apple) Church are probably the most impressive. The Göreme Open-Air Museum is an easy 1.5 km walk the town centre. Keep your eyes open to spot some of the weirdest trees in Turkey along the way! :-)

Cycling along the fairy chimneys of Love Valley

Cappadocia is also extremely popular with hot-air balloon enthusiasts, however if your pockets aren’t deep enough (like ours were at the time) renting a bicycle and exploring the area on your own might be a better option!As soon as we had our rides available we started pedalling towards the northern part of Göreme, and followed the Göreme Yolu Road out of town. After a few kilometers we took a left turn towards the Love Valley, which seemed very promising judging by the name!And indeed it is! As we cycled in between the impressive fairy chimneys we almost couldn’t believe what an extraordinary landscape this is.

A quick tour of the towns around Göreme

The next day, we decided to explore Göreme’s surrounding region and headed to nearby Üçhisar (5 km away), where the impressive Üçhisar Rock Castle (Üçhisar Kalesi) towers high above the town.

From Üçhisar a winding road leads through the gorgeous Pigeon Valley until it reaches Ürgüp, about 13.5km further. Take your time to make a few stops and gaze at the stunning Cappadocian panoramas!Before returning to Göreme you simply must stop at the camel shaped rock formation in the Devrent Valley, just north of Ürgüp. Maybe not the most spectacular of rock formations in Cappadocia, but definitely one of the most popular :-)Cappadocia is a huge region, and so far we have only been able to cover a small part of it but for those with time there is plenty more to see! You won’t regret it :) !