Cappadocia is ranked 5th on the New York Times’ list of “25 New Wonders of the World” and is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Although Cappadocia is associated with Nevşehir, it is located in a region that includes Kırşehir, Niğde, Aksaray and Kayseri along with Nevşehir. The living spaces opened by human hands in the rocks formed by natural formations fascinate people during the trip.
You will feel yourself in a mystery in almost every place you will see in Cappadocia. There are many different locations in the region and for this reason, you should definitely visit this region with a tour. If you want to visit by yourself, you should get help from a detailed guide before you go in order not to be deprived of any beauty.
In this article, we have described every place we could visit in the region as a guide for you. But you still have to visit this fairy tale place one day and see the beauties you cannot believe with your own eyes.
Things to do before travelling to Cappadocia
Before going to Cappadocia, be sure to book your ticket if you are going by public transport. Because this region receives visitors in four seasons and the transport lines are very busy in every period. For this reason, you should definitely make a travel plan.
You cannot visit Cappadocia in one day. If you want to see every beauty and enjoy the magical beauties of this dreamy region, you should spend at least 3 days for this trip. If you allocate as much time as possible for your holiday plan, you can easily visit all the beauties that you will not forget throughout your life.
You should know that many different options await you for accommodation in Cappadocia. However, do not think that you can choose from 5-star hotels with pools like in other holiday regions. The hotels in this special region are located among the rocks and the guests are hosted in the best way in the rooms prepared with magnificent workmanship. When you see the hotels you will prefer for accommodation from afar, you will really swallow your little tongue. The service conditions and warm environment offered in the hotels will really surprise you.
If you have a thought about when to go to Cappadocia, you should know that you can go to this region in every season. But if you want to enjoy the season and see all the beauties closely without being affected by the weather conditions, let us remind you that the best season is spring. You can see all the beauties of the region accompanied by a light breeze in the spring months without being affected by too much sunshine and snowy weather, and you can especially witness the sunset closely.
The best option for transport in Cappadocia is to rent a car… In other words, there are minibuses in the region, but you may not be able to reach every region you want with minibuses. If they have been quite limited and they make very few trips a day. You can easily reach every region you want with rental car options.
Places to visit in Cappadocia
1 – Rose and Red Valley
Rose & Red Valley is the most beautiful place to watch the sunset in Cappadocia. In this valley, you will not be able to control your senses while witnessing the sunset accompanied by tea and coffee on the observation terrace. You can also reach Kızılçukur Valley, where there is an excellent viewing terrace, with ATVs or safari tours according to your preference. Entrance to the valley is free of charge and you can also take guided walks here if you wish.
2 – Dark Church
Nevsehir has a history of about 5,000 years and the Dark Church, which is very important in the region, sheds light on the history of the region. It got this name because of the very small amount of light entering the church. There is almost a visual feast inside the church. Access to the church is provided by the stairs inside the church and visitors passing through the tunnels cannot believe what they see when they see many important pictures that are important for Christianity in the church.
There is a picture on almost every wall and column in the Dark Church, which has a type you have never seen, and each picture tells a different event. You will really feel very different emotions in this museum, which frightens people at the first entrance. In the museum, where there is a picture of Jesus Christ, there are also pictures of many events taken from the Torah.
3 – Goreme Open Air Museum
Goreme Open Air Museum is known as the first place where monastic education began. In this special area there are cemeteries, chapels, churches and a refectory. There is also a wine cellar in the region, so this place is a monastery complex. You can visit this unique area in approximately 2 hours.
4 – Uchisar Castle
It should be noted that Uchisar Castle is the highest fairy chimney you can see in the region. You can enter Uchisar Castle and walk to the top of the castle. At the top, a magnificent panoramic view awaits you. Uchisar Castle also offers you the pleasure of watching a magnificent balloon flight. If you go up to the castle in the afternoon, you can easily watch the balloons rising to the sky from the region.
5 – Guray Museum – Underground Ceramics Museum
Guray Museum is one of the places you should definitely see on your Cappadocia trip. This museum, which has the concept of an underground museum, will fascinate you both with its works and the location of the museum. Güray Museum, which has a different concept, is also known as the Underground Ceramic Museum. There are countless works of the world’s most important ceramic artists in the museum. You should definitely see these beauties, which cannot be described with words, and closely examine each of the artefacts from the Seljuk, Byzantine, Roman and Ottoman periods.
6 – Avanos
Avanos is one of the districts of Nevşehir and stands out with its beauties. Avanos, which has been called by different names many times in historical periods, was finally named Evanos and came to the present day as Avanos. Avanos, which is only 5 minutes away from Ürgüp, is a district you should definitely visit in the city. There are many important beauties in the district that will surprise you with its beauties.
7 – Ihlara Valley
The canyon was formed in prehistoric times by the Melendiz River. At the north end of the village of Ihlara, there is a stairway with almost 400 steps, which descends over 100 m down into the canyon. From the 7th century AD, the valley was settled by Byzantine monks who dug their houses and churches out of the tuff stone, which had been deposited by the eruptions of Mount Hasan.
The Christian churches in the valley fall into two groups. The first consists of the churches near the village of Ihlara, which are decorated with paintings of a local Cappadocian type that show influence from Persia and Syria to the east. They mostly pre-date the Iconoclasm, but were often repainted in newer styles over time. The second group is located near the village of Belisarma and consists of churches in the Byzantine style of the tenth and eleventh centuries, known as Macedonian art.
8 – Valley of Love
Cappadocia Love Valley is the most romantic place in Cappadocia. This valley is a place where lovers often come and we know that countless marriage proposals have taken place here. This hill, which you will also remember as Lovers Hill, has a magnificent view and offers you a panoramic view. When you come to this valley, you have the opportunity to see many special areas that you cannot enter by car. You will not want to leave after coming to the Valley of Love, which is one of the most ideal hills for taking photos.
