If you follow any travel bloggers on social media, chances are you’ve seen Cappadocia pop up on your feed. This region in Turkey is made up of several towns and is taking the social media scene over by storm! It’s quickly become one of the most photo-worthy locations in the entire world. I mean you truly cannot beat hot air balloon sunrises and rocky landscapes that will take your breath away. You will not want to miss out on adding this must-see location to your bucket-list!
My sister, Allie, and I were fortunate enough to have spent roughly 24 hours in Göreme, a stunning town in Cappadocia, before being sent home due to the COVID-19 pandemic (still a little heartbroken about this). While we would have loved to stay longer, we got extremely lucky to have experienced all we sought out to do while traveling to this beautiful location.
We even got to catch a sunrise, which was high up on our priority list after watching influencers document the lift off of hundreds of hot air balloons for years. It was finally our turn to capture it with our own two eyes! If you have the chance, I recommend spending at least two mornings in Göreme, in case the balloons don’t go up during one of the days. We visited in March so our chances were pretty 50/50. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
How To Get There
It’s important to note getting to Cappadocia is a little bit of a process, but definitely do-able. You will most likely fly into Istanbul (IST or SAW) and then hop on a super short, connecting flight to Kayseri Erkilet Airport (ASR) located in Kayseri, a province of Turkey. It is imperative that you buy a Turkey Visa before going! Nowhere online did we read that we needed one so when we tried getting through security, we were in for quite a surprise. To save time, you can buy one here so you don’t have to run through a major airport looking for assistance and miss your flight… just speaking from experience here!
Once you safely land at Kayseri, you have about an hour journey ahead of you to get to Cappadocia. To get there quickly, you can opt in to take a taxi. However, if you are looking to travel affordably, call a shuttle service. Our hotel actually set one up for us and it appears this is the case for many hotels in Göreme. Make sure to ask for assistance when booking your room! The shuttle bus ticket was roughly $7 USD for a 70 minute ride. You do need to prebook your service as the buses only operate by demand.
If you’ve been traveling along with me for a while, you know I usually get a rental car while traveling. We chose not to in Cappadocia because public shuttles were less expensive, the drivers are a bit reckless compared to the U.S., and Göreme is extremely walkable. Plus, if you’re looking to do excursions or day trips, transportation is usually provided.
Where To Stay:
We arrived to our hotel, Mithra Cave Hotel, around 2AM after dropping off all the other passengers. Our room could not have been cuter! Due to our late arrival, they upgraded us to a honeymoon suite and it was phenomenal! We chose this hotel because they had a stunning rooftop view of the balloons at sunrise and it did not disappoint. We were awakened not even three hours later by the Islamic Call to Prayer. While I have so much respect for different religions, I was not prepared for this and it really spooked me! The Call to Prayer is a slow, haunting song that is played over loudspeakers throughout Turkey. The chants and music get louder and louder and if you’re not expecting it, it can be quite scary. Consider yourself warned! Overall, it is an Islamic tradition that is second nature to the locals.
Sunrise in Cappadocia
Since we were up for the day, we headed out to our rooftop for sunrise and were shocked to see there were only two other people outside. We could see the balloons being lit up in the distance and we were giddy with excitement. Since we had arrived in Turkey at nighttime, this panoramic view at dawn was our first time actually taking in the landscape of Cappadocia. It was beautifully created by rock formations varying from sandy tan colors to pure white. Waking up to this town truly felt like waking up on the moon.
I cannot even begin to describe the sunrises in Cappadocia. I have been lucky to witness sunrises over mountains and beaches, but nothing can compare to the one we witnessed in Göreme. If I lived in Cappadocia, I would totally be transformed into a morning person. I don’t know how that view could ever get old. While we saw the balloons getting blown up when it was dark outside, they didn’t begin to lift off the ground until the sun was rising up into the sky. It was the most dreamy, romantic morning I’ve ever been a part of. There were so many pinks, reds, and oranges dotting the sky and it was absolutely majestic.
While most people go to Cappadocia to embark on a hot air balloon ride, we chose to keep our two feet on the ground and watch from the roof. We skipped this excursion simply due to time but I do hope to return some day and watch the colors paint the sky from a hot air balloon basket. If you are not staying in a cave hotel, there are several areas across Cappadocia that you can watch from, since rooftops are mainly reserved for guests only. While I did not personally check out Sunset Point, I’ve heard great things!
Other Things To Do:
After snapping well over 1,000 photos, we headed upstairs to snag some breakfast which was included in our stay (another reason why we loved Mithra)! We were expecting a small breakfast but we got the full blown Turkish treatment with a buffet assortment of breakfast items. The service of this hotel went above and beyond. Not only was the staff so friendly, but they acted as our tour guides and translators during our stay as well. They offered us suggestions on places to visit, things to do, and helped us to contact our hotel in Istanbul when we found out we had to head home earlier than anticipated due to border closures with the pandemic. More on traveling during COVID-19 can be found here. I cannot recommend this cave hotel enough and hope to visit again one day!
Once breakfast was concluded, we tied up our shoes and took off to walk around Cappadocia. Our first stop was Galerie Ikman, an infamous rug shop located about a 5 minute walk from where we were staying. If you have ever seen photos like the one below on your Instagram feed, this is where this setup is located. If you do decide to visit, be sure to ask permission to take photos since it is their livelihood and business.
We walked into the shop and perused through the different rooms of rugs. Each rug was so intricately designed and the man showing us around had a story behind every single one. While I definitely could not afford to ship one back to the states, seeing the artwork and hearing about the dedication the women have in their craft was so inspiring. The owner also walked us to the Instagram-inspired room that is set up solely for photo taking (who would’ve known?). We chatted with him and, let me tell you, he is a true businessman! He said so many people came to take pictures in his store that he decided to offer photo packages by drone for varying costs depending on if you want 25 or 150 pictures. So when you see your favorite influencer posting photos in this room, know it cost them a pretty penny!
We bought postcards and bookmarks and said our farewells. Then we head to Coffeedocia, which was a cute outdoor coffee shop with delicious, inexpensive iced coffee for our mid-morning caffeine fix. Perhaps the biggest perk of vacationing in Cappadocia is the cost of everything. Turkey’s national currency is the Turkish Lira (TL) and the conversion to US dollars is about 0.14 to every $1. This means a fancy five-star hotel often costs less than $100, and a delicious dinner for two often ranges from $20-30 total. Allie and I were amazed at the prices, scooping up souvenirs for $0.05 USD. We downed our coffees and took off to trek through Imagination Valley.
Outdoor Activities
Imagination Valley (there’s also a Love Valley for all you lovers) is a path you can walk while looking at different rock formations. These boulders appear to look like people or animals or common objects, and it’s super fun to use your imagination to showcase what you see. It reminded me of looking at the clouds as a kid and dictating everything I saw. We continued walking and headed toward the Göreme Open Air Museum. This is one of the more popular places for tourists in Cappadocia. It does cost 25TL to go inside which is roughly $3. There also is an extra fee for the Dark Church component if you want to visit. This church is the most well-preserved of all the cave churches in Turkey. The Museum is composed of different monasteries placed side by side to each other. Exploring the different churches is a must, especially for photo purposes. However, you cannot take pictures inside, out of respect.
About 4 miles from the Open Air Museum is the Fairy Chimneys. We did not trek all the way over there but I’ve heard great things about that area! We were famished by the time we started walking back toward town, however we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to stop at a local’s house who was a professional in glassblowing and other art. We bought a souvenir (that sits in my bedroom to this day) and took in the views from her property. There were so many horses, donkeys, and other animals just milling around.
Something super rare about Cappadocia is the friendliness of the people. Every time we walked past a local’s home, they attempted to talk to us and hear our story. One woman we passed probably 7 times and each time she invited us inside for tea or lunch. She was so welcoming and had an eagerness to connect with us, but unfortunately we were on a time constraint. What struck me as odd, but is common in Turkey, was how flexible the locals were with payment. We would walk into a store for water or for a souvenir and if they did not accept credit card, we would kindly tell them we didn’t have money and start to leave. They all insisted we just come back during our trip to pay them. It was unlike anything I’d ever witnessed. Their money system with tourists was totally built on trust.
Dining in Cappadocia
We were veering toward the end of our journey, but had time to dine at Mosaik Restaurant before taking off. We were served a delicious meal of hummus, bread, and a Turkish chicken dish that came served in a hot vase and poured over rice. Is your mouth watering yet? Other restaurants that looked amazing but we did not try were Retro Cafe and Pumpkin Göreme Restaurant. We’ll be back to visit soon!
We walked back to our hotel and mapped out our upcoming journey on the same rooftop we had watched balloons just hours prior. Near Mithra Cave Hotel is another famous hotel The Sultan Cave Suites, which offers a stunning view of the city too! During sunrise, it is only available to guests but you can visit it to take in one last glance for free once the sun has risen. We captured our final moments in Göreme before climbing aboard our shuttle to head back to the airport. While it was a short trip, we truly got to experience everything we wanted to do!
If you are planning to head to Cappadocia and can swing it, again, I highly encourage you to spend at minimum two days there. You’ll want multiple mornings to experience the balloons, the culture, and the generosity of the Turkish people. If you have any questions or need help planning, do not hesitate to comment below or shoot me a DM over on Instagram. I want to know: have you ever been or do you plan to go someday? See you on our next journey!