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Hot air balloons. Phallic palaces. Wind-shaped sandstone chimneys. Rug shops. Underground cave cities. This little fairytale-reminiscent town in Turkey is definitely the most popular and over-touristed destination in the country. Thanks, Instagram. But the attention isn’t unwarranted. Cappadocia is spectacularly beautiful. And a truly unique landscape you won’t find anywhere else in the world. There are however a few things you need to know before you visit the popular cave town to enjoy your experience to the fullest!
16 things you need to know about Cappadocia
Here are the 16 things I wish I knew before I visited the infamous volcanic valley of fairy chimneys.
1. The famous hot air balloon-filled town is actually called Göreme. The region is Cappadocia.
When you’re looking for accommodation (I recommend Stay in Peace Cave Hostel for budget travelers) be sure to book specifically in Göreme.
2. The balloons don’t fly if the wind hits 10 km/h.
The balloons actually get canceled fairly often. If a hot air balloon ride is on your “must-do” list in Göreme be sure to check the weather and plan to stay 4 or so days to have sufficient time.
Our balloon got canceled last minute (after we had been waiting in the field for over an hour) because the conditions changed and it was no longer safe to fly. You never know how winds will shift.
3. Balloon prices are pretty set.
Although during COVID balloons dipped to 50€ per rider they have since returned to the 130-150€ range. The companies are all highly regulated and offer the same services so getting the cheapest option does nothing to hinder your experience. They even have the same number of people in the balloons.
Hot tip: You can however get a 120€ ride if you opt to fly the “second” flight. This means you miss sunrise and miss flying with the rest of the balloons. You can decide if that is worth it. Personally, I say if you’re going to splurge on the flight at all you might as well take the good one.
Peak Season: During peak season (June-Sept) balloon prices skyrocket. Sometimes as high as 250€ per person.
If you do stay at Stay in Peace Cave Hostel ask them about the cheapest options. The host knows all + will help hook you up with the cheapest price.
4. There are typically 20 people per balloon.
This was my least favorite part that almost makes the price not worth it. In the end, we paid 125€ each & I’m very happy we did it. But it really depends on who you share your balloon with. Either way, it’s important you know before visiting Cappadocia that the balloon basket gets pretty crowded.
5. These are the best sunrise balloon viewing spots.
There are a handful of popular spots but they get so many visitors (doing dumb Instagram shit) that it makes the experience really shitty. These are the quieter spots we recommend.
6. Hoping to get that epic Insta breakfast shot?
You have to stay at one of the luxury cave hotels with rooftop views. Also, most are just photo sets for the perfect picture. Not really worth the $200 per night price tag.
If you’re really into the curated photo thing you can also rent formal gowns for $100, professional photographers for another $100, vintage cars, and a Turkish rug set up on the hillside for additional prices. Instagram is wild in this town. It’s pretty comical to watch.
7. You need dinner reservations.
Considering the sheer number of restaurants in Göreme you wouldn’t expect this but it’s 100% necessary. Also, food is expensive. Like 2x as expensive as the rest of Turkey. These are the restaurants we recommend eating at…
Old Cappadocia.
Great for getting the traditional Testi Kebap which is served in a flaming pot. I thought the Sac Tava was actually way tastier (& also on fire) but it is an experience.
Kings Coffee
If you want breakfast and a proper coffee…this is the only place in Göreme open early in the morning. The coffee is also absolutely excellent. The owner is jovial and charming.
Mosaik
The food + wine here is actually quite good. Typically, I avoided this street for dinner like the plague but was pleasantly surprised here.
If you’re looking for the best Turkish food, I recommend Antalya for seafood and Istanbul for everything else.
Here are a handful of other Cappadocia restaurants we didn’t get to try because we didn’t make reservations.
- Cafe Keyif
- Cappadocian Cuisine Restaurant
- My Mother’s Restaurant
- Top Deck Cave Restaurant
- Cappadocia Pide House
8. You need 4 days or more in Göreme.
There is seriously so much to see. I thought four days would be plenty of time to leisurely see all of the region. Wrong. I spent every second running about and still didn’t see it all.
9. You maybe don’t need to spend the $10 on the open-air museum.
If you’re planning on doing lots of hikes in the area you’ll see loads of caves. Maybe I was just museumed out by this point but it seemed like it was overrun with tourists and not much different than the surrounding landscape. Unless you have the Museum pass! Then take advantage because it’s free.
10. Avoid the Tourist Traps.
The Turkish night. Red/Green Tours. $50 rug shop photo shoots (I’m not kidding). Anything on a bus. You can easily explore the sights of Cappadocia independently so don’t get sucked into the tourist traps.
11. If you take the bus to Nevsehir (the nearest big city) take a dolmus to Göreme or haggle your taxi.
This is one of the rare places where the meter on the taxis is a scam. I think it’s been tampered with. The meter will read 250 lira or about $15 for the 15 min ride. I met travelers who haggled the price ahead of time however to 140 or $10. You might be able to get cheaper.
12. Best Sunset Hike — Red Valley
This was my favorite hike/walk in Turkey. If you only do one…do this. But pay attention because if you do walk back in the dark it’s easy to lose the trail.
13. Other must-do hikes — Love Valley + Pigeon Valley + Urashal Castle
If you’ve got the time this is an epic loop that takes you through all the best of Cappadocia.
14. Eat in Urashal town because it’s much cheaper than Göreme.
At the end of your full-day hike listed above be sure to eat in Urashal before heading back to Göreme.
15. Enjoy a Traditional Hamam
A Turkish Bath is a must-do in the country. Finding an authentic one is actually quite hard to do. The Elis Hamam in Göreme is actually a good one. For 25€ you get the full Hamam experience. There are FAR cheaper options in Istanbul but the experience will be more “rustic”.
16. Tour an Underground City
This is also easy to do on your own without an actual tour. There are dolmus (minibusses) that will drop you at the Derinkuyu underground city. It costs about $4 (or free with a museum pass) to crawl through the underground city 4-floors deep.
Cappadocia is a widely known destination on social media but I also think it’s wildly misrepresented. Unless you have thousands of dollars to drop on photo ops your Göreme experience is going to be very different from most influencers. As a budget traveler, I still loved Cappadocia but these 16 things are essential to know before you visit Cappadocia so you don’t end up disappointed with Turkey’s weird cave town.
Let me know in the comments if you have any other helpful tips to know before you visit Cappadocia.
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