What to Do in Cappadocia, Türkiye

Cappadocia: a place of natural wonder, magical sunrises, history, and incredible photo opportunities. I knew very little about it before coming except from what I’d seen on social media, which is mostly hot air balloons and people posing for beautiful rooftop breakfasts. Beyond the stunning photos, it is such an incredible place geologically and historically. I hope this post provides you with a bit of history and context and is helpful in knowing what to do in Cappadocia, Türkiye.

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Getting to Cappadocia

Getting to Cappadocia is not particularly hard, but it is a long ways from both Istanbul and the Turkish Riviera (places you may be coming from within Türkiye).

Flying to Cappadocia

There are two airports in the Cappadocia region:

Nevsehir Kapadokya Airport is the closest to Göreme, the main town that people stay at, roughly 35-40 minutes drive. It’s a small airport in a rural area so getting in and out of the airport is quick and stress-free. There are fewer flights in and out of this airport than the other, Kayseri.

Kayseri Erkilet Airport is farther away at just over an hour’s drive but there may be more domestic flight options and perhaps better prices. It is a bigger airport in a larger city whereas Nevsehir is in a more rural location.

If you don’t rent a car, you can book a shared shuttle to transfer between either airport and the main towns like Göreme, Uchisar, etc. or you can hire a private transfer or take a taxi. There are multiple operators for very reasonable prices with good reviews. I linked two from Get Your Guide below.

You can rent a car from either airport and I do recommend having a car in Cappadocia for better exploring on your own. However it isn’t entirely necessary. You could certainly take the shuttle and then pay for some tours, just with less freedom and you’ll pay more to get to places with taxis or tours.

Driving to Cappadocia

If you do rent a car, try DiscoverCars or Local Rent as they generally have the best rates. Both airports have rental cars but you may find better deals and more selection at Kayseri since it’s a bigger commercial center.

With that said, you can also do what we did and drive to Cappadocia from Antalya (or elsewhere).

Driving Route

Our itinerary was to fly into Izmir, rent a car and explore the Turquoise coast up to Antalya over a week, then drive to Cappadocia, drop the rental car off at the Nevsehir Airport, then fly to Istanbul and then home from there. We spent about three weeks in Türkiye and that worked out quite well.

The drive from Antalya to Cappadocia was quite straightforward and took around 6-7 hours. There are places we’d have loved to stop at along the way and next time I’d give ourselves an extra night to stop and stay midway.

One caveat to the rental car situation. We found that the price of picking up a rental car in Izmir and dropping off in Cappadocia was much higher than returning the car to the same location. This is pretty standard. However we found a more affordable option was to drop the first car off in Antalya and then rent a new car for the drive to Cappadocia and to return it there. It was still more than dropping picking up and dropping off to the same location, but better than one continuous rental.

It was a little bit of an inconvenience returning and picking up a new car in Antalya but it saved some money so it’s something to consider if you’re on a budget. And I’ve also found it sometimes makes a difference in price to change the rental pick up time by an hour or two in either direction.

The two websites to check and compare for rental cars that we found had the best deals were:

DiscoverCars

LocalRent

Which Town to Stay at in Cappadocia

Cappadocia is a playground for unique and creative hotels. Can you even believe you’re staying in ancient cave homes that people used to live their every day lives?!

You have a few options of villages to base yourself, and I’ll describe them below. You have to decide if you want to be in the heart of what makes Cappadocia magical (the fairy chimney landscape) or if you want to save money and stay farther away or just avoid the general business of the most touristy town.

Göreme

The most popular village to stay in Cappadocia is Göreme and I agree it is the best. With a population of around 2,500, it is the most scenic, has the most stunning rooftop restaurants and views, and the greatest selection of cave hotels.  Most photos you see of classic Cappadocia landscapes are from here. The village is extremely walkable and around every street and corner, you’ll find a magical restaurant or shop tucked away in a cave.

Uçhisar

This small town of around 4,000 is very close to Göreme and is the home to the Uchisar Castle, some beautiful hotels and restaurants, and definitely worth a visit. The landscape is still dramatic, but I still don’t think it has the charm and appeal of Göreme. You will find some high end hotels here though.

Avanos

This is also a cute town of around 15,000 with the Kızılırmak River running through it is great to visit, has some nice shops and restaurants, but by all objective measures, does not have the magical fairy chimney scenes of Göreme. If I lived in Cappadocia, this might be a small town I’d pick. It feels very livable with nice modern homes, a cute coffee shop, etc. We came here a few times because the best coffee shop in the region, Piccolo Coffee & More, is located there. Next door is also a lovely pottery shop called Gaia Cappadocia, where I got a mug with a hot air balloon on it to take home.

Ürgüp

This little town has a population of around 24,000 and also feels more modern and “local” than Göreme. While the architecture tends to mimic the rock-cut stone that this region is notable for, you won’t see the fairy chimneys hotels carved into the rock like in Göreme. The landscape has some carvings but not as dramatic.

Ortahisar

Another cute little town of around 3,000 does have a more traditional old feel than some of the others. It has dramatic rock formations and scenery on a slightly lesser scale than Göreme and plenty of beautiful hotels. Ortahisar tends to have a more local, less touristy feel than Göreme which may appeal. It also has a stone castle standing prominently similar to Uchisar.

There are other small towns in the region too like Çavuşin and Mustafapasa which are quaint and you may prefer if you like smaller, quieter villages.

You almost can’t go wrong in Cappadocia; the hotels are really incredible. I had wonderful experiences at the two hotels I picked and was hosted by them.

Where to Stay in Göreme, Cappadocia

Göreme is where we chose to stay and I do think it’s the most magical town to stay with the most unique cave hotels. There are SO many stunning hotels in Göreme and the vast majority have excellent reviews. The town has really mastered their hotel industry and managed to make them all beautiful and seamlessly blend into the landscape. Prices for basic rooms at most of these hotels are quite reasonable. Not every hotel is built into the fairy chimneys, however. Some are just stone hotels, still with gorgeous styles and views, but they may not have the unique cave elements.

Henna Hotel

This is a stunning hotel. Their suites are what really stand out. The rooftop view is beautiful as well. We had dinner at their restaurant, Konak, and it was excellent. It’s very centrally located as well. The hotel itself isn’t built into fairy chimneys like some of the others, but the rooftop has a view of the town and many chimneys in the view.

Göreme Cave Suites

This might be one of the most beautiful and iconic hotels in the village. And it has a pool, hot tub, and sauna, which most do not have. It features fairy chimneys as part of the property, beautiful rooms (even the lowest tier rooms are stunning), the pool is lit up with fair lights in the evening and it’s just magical. This is where I would want to stay if I came back. The only thing missing is the rooftop view.

Aza Cave Hotel

Potentially the most dramatic pool built into the fairy chimney landscapes, this is a beautiful adult only hotel.

Local Cave House

One of the most scenic and picture perfect hotels in Göreme, this hotel kind of has everything from the pool to the terrace views, and great reviews. It would definitely be on my list for next visit.

Sultan Cave Suites

This is one of those popular Instagram hotels and it does look amazing in that the rooftop view is stunning and photogenic. You can also use the pool at the neighboring sister hotel, Kelebek Cave Hotel. It is located on a hill so a bit more effort to walk to if you have mobility troubles, but this is why the views are so good.

Koza Cave Hotel

This hotel also has great reviews. Some say it has the highest rooftop and best views.

Peruna Cave Hotel

Amazing reviews, and an outdoor terrace with large fairy chimneys. This hotel looks fantastic.

Artemis Cave Suites

This hotel has a more modern, sophisticated vibe. It’s adult only and the prices are a bit higher as it’s a 4 start hotel, whereas most of the others are 3 star.

Zara Cave Hotel

This hotel has excellent reviews and location and has the classic dreamy rooftop view that you have seen in pictures.

Amber Cave Suites

Amber Cave Suites also has parking, the rooms are incredible and unique with fairy chimneys all around, the breakfast was good, and they have two really cute dogs living at the property. It’s a very scenic hotel.

Ascension Cave Suites

One of the best things about Ascension Cave Suites is they are located along the road to the viewpoint overlooking Göreme. We stayed here our first two nights and our room was comfortable, it was awesome having a parking spot in front of our room, and the breakfast was really good.

Zeus Cave Suites

This cave hotel is affordable, has great reviews, a rooftop terrace, in a wonderful location, and has one of the best (if not THE best) restaurant in Göreme, Badem.

I obviously got carried away listing hotels, but I want you to see how many great options there are, and this was just a fraction of them, albeit some of the cooler ones.

Diadem Cappadocia Guest House & Hostel

Looking for something even more budget friendly? This might be the highest reviewed hostel I’ve ever seen. The location is fantastic as well.

Things to Do in Cappadocia

You could easily spend a number of days exploring Cappadocia on your own or taking tours. There are multiple valleys, villages, and exciting activities.

Sunset/Sunrise/Balloons Highest View point in Göreme

Our first morning we walked up the hill behind our hotel, the Ascension Cave Suites, to the sunrise/sunset view point overlooking Göreme. The road to drive up to the point has a small fee at a little booth — I think it was less than $1 but they only take a card. But if you’re staying at a hotel beyond the booth, like Ascension Cave Suites, you don’t have to pay and you’re already parked beyond the booth (assuming your hotel has a parking spot for you). There are only a couple hotels beyond the checkpoint and the road is quite narrow with very few spots to park or pull off.

So we walked in the early morning darkness up the hill, a little out of breath, and freezing in the chilly November air. At the top is a small cafe selling overpriced tea and coffee. Then you’ll see and hear the balloons in the valleys below and watch as they rise into the sky with the sun. It is a truly magnificent thing to witness.

So I thought that was good enough. I’d seen the balloons in the sky and I was blown away. But the next night we went to dinner and got chatting with a lady who convinced me I couldn’t skip riding in the balloon. So I booked a tour for the next morning, and I’m so glad I did because they didn’t fly again for the next two days after that and then we had to leave.

Hot Air Balloon Ride

A hot air balloon ride is the number one thing to do in Cappadocia and I can’t recommend it enough. Can you believe I was actually going to skip this?! I figured seeing all the balloons at sunrise from the ground would be good enough, which it was amazing indeed. But to see it from the air?! The peaceful gliding through the early morning silence, the glow of fire from each balloon—totally amazing.

This is the particular company we went with based on reviews, price, starting time, etc. There are however, lots of great companies and you’ll probably get a similar experience with whoever you go with. But I would try to make sure it’s the earlier start, not the second group that launches later.

Balloon Booking

Keep in mind that the balloons do not typically launch daily. There are many weather factors they use to determine if they go and sometimes you won’t find out until that morning so be on alert for an email or WhatsApp message from the company before they pick you up.

You can get some great information by going to this website to see the risk of cancellation:

Flight Status

How Much Do Hot Air Balloon Rides Cost?

I didn’t realize what a good deal we got until just now. Our flight was only $177 total for 2 people. And here I was thinking that was expensive. Now when I search for that exact booking it’s $400. So I’m not sure if it was a deal based on last minute, where the company tries to fill the last seats or what. But I’d suggest giving yourself a minimum of 3 days in Cappadocia (5 would be better) in case the flights get cancelled. Try to book for your first morning there. Check prices on Get Your Guide first and if they seem outrageous, ask your hotel if they have a company they use or get a discount through or go around to local offices and ask for last minute deals.

Red and Green Tours

Cappadocia has something called the red and green tours. They both see different attractions in a long day trip and are the most popular organized tours you can do. Companies can vary the details and stops of their tours a little bit too so check the itineraries if you want to see a specific site. You absolutely do not have to do one of these tours. If you have your own car or want to take a taxi instead, that gives you greater flexibility to visit for longer, shorter, or with more independence which is what we did.

Red Tour

This one goes to sites north of Göreme, is slightly less active, and takes all day. Destinatinos include the Göreme or Zelve Open Air Museum, Uchisar Castle (although I read you don’t climb up on the tour), Devrent Valley, Paşabağ Valley, Love Valley, and the town of Avanos for lunch, known for pottery. They will pick you up at your hotel in the morning. Pay attention to the tour details, as museum entry or lunch may not be included.

Green Tour

This tour heads south and involves a bit of hiking, 3.5 km down the Ihlara Valley, along a river in a deep gorge. We didn’t get a chance to go here but it looks quite nice with lots of green trees and lunch is at a restaurant with tables along the river in Belisırma Village. It might be a little bit longer and more adventurous day as it goes farther from Göreme. It will visit an underground city like either Derinkuyu or Kaymakli and Selime Monastery. The Green Tour is probably a bit less touristy and crowded.

Red and Green Tours Combined

You’ll find a number of day tours on GetYourGuide that combine the two tours, which is fine but two things to note. First, they can’t include everything from each tour into one day, so check that they include the sites you most want to see. Second, if the price seems low, it’s likely because it doesn’t include the price of entry tickets to tour stops. So keep in mind the open air museums and underground cities will have additional entry costs. Also the underground city you visit is probably Özkonak which is smaller and closer to town.

Here are some examples:

Göreme Open Air Museum

This is the most popular museum of Cappadocia and attracts the most visitors. This area was once a monastery complex carved into the rocks starting around 800 CE. Other Christians began coming to the region as pilgrims. You can find the largest and most impressive carved rock churches here, like Tokali (Buckle Church). One of the highlights is the Dark Church from the 12th century where the frescoes are well preserved (you cannot take pictures inside). In addition to the 20 euro entrance fee to the Göreme Open Air Museum, the Dark Church has an additional entry fee of 6 euros.

Sometime after around 1100 CE, the area was abandoned by the Christians when the Turks occupied the region and created a Turkish village. It wasn’t until the 1970’s that interest by historians and tourists led to the Turkish government preserving and marketing it as an attraction.

Open Daily from 8am-5pm
Entry 20 euro + 6 euro for Dark Church, buy your tickets onsite.
You can download the Muzekart app and listen to the audio guide while there.
You’re not allowed to take pictures inside the churches.
If you don’t have a car, you can walk to the museum from Göreme in about 20 minutes. It’s less than 2 km.

Zelve Open Air Museum

This attraction is an outdoor museum within 3 valleys with numerous beautiful caves and fairy chimneys. These were used for dwellings until the 1950’s and feature 15 Byzantine-era churches, some as old as 500 CE. You can drive there and park, visit a gift shop or the cafes, and pay your entrance fee. It is an important archaeological site as both a settlement and religious center, differing from the Göreme Open Air Museum by featuring more daily village life with a mill, winery, mosque, and dwellings and less about the frescoes and churches. It’s also less popular and farther away from Göreme. We went around 9 or 10 in the morning and there were very few people there (although it was November) and we could climb all over inside the caves. It’s pretty mind-blowing how much freedom you have to explore.

Open Daily from 8am-5pm
Entry 12 euro
If you don’t have a car, you can take a taxi or local bus since it’s around 8 km from Göreme.

In contrast to the Göreme Open Air Museum, Zelve is less structured and museum-like and has more of a “choose your own adventure” vibe which is fun for those who like to get off the beaten path. You should definitely visit both!

Derinkuyu Underground City

This is something you don’t want to miss. There are multiple ancient underground cities in Cappadocia from thousands of years old civilizations who developed them to live for protection from other invaders.

Derinkuyu is the largest of the excavated underground cities and extends to a depth of 280 feet deep! It could have sheltered up to 20,000 people, their livestock, and food supplies at one time. To protect themselves, the residents would roll huge stone doors in front of the entrances. They had amenities like stables, cellars, schools, chapels, dining rooms, wine and oil presses, and multiple ventilation shafts.

Derinkuyu History

Caves may have initially been built in the 8th-7th centuries BC or even earlier, and then during the Byzantine era, were expanded and connected to other multilevel cities like Kaymaklı through a 5 mile long tunnel!

The majority of use of the underground cities came from Orthodox Christians during the Byzantine Empire evading Arab raids, then again by the Christians avoiding Mongolians in the 14th century.

These underground networks continued to be used even into the 20th century by Greeks and Armenians fleeing persecution until the population exchange of 1923 between Greece and Turkey when the tunnels were left abandoned.

In 1963 the tunnels were “discovered” when a local homeowner found a mysterious room behind a wall in his house while renovating. Like, what?!! My brain can hardly handle how cool that must’ve been. So one thing led to another as digging continued and suddenly there was an 8 story underground city to uncover along with over 200 more underground cities like it! Derinkuyu was first opened to the public in 1969 but even today, less than half is fully discovered and accessible. They believe there might be up to 18 levels total.

Visiting Derinkuyu

Open from 8am-8pm daily
Entry 13 euros per person

A fair warning, if you’re claustrophobic, this may not be for you. Tight spaces like this don’t bother me at all, in fact I was so blown away, I couldn’t stop following tunnels deeper into dark tight corners, sometimes on my hands and knees. If claustrophobia is a concern, I read Kaymaklı Underground City may be a better option for you.

It can get crowded with tours, and I imagine that would suck pretty bad. Somehow we got lucky and barely saw anyone.

Expect to spend around an hour there. There are arrows to lead you out, don’t worry about getting lost or trapped down there.

Wear comfortable shoes and layers. The temperature underground stays at 55-59 degrees F year round.

The drive is around 40 minutes from Göreme. if you don’t have a car you can visit as part of the Green Tour which will provide extra value with a guide and explanations – I will say, signage and explanations are lacking when you’re in the underground city, which I guess gives it a more natural and authentic feel.

Alternatively, you can take a taxi or even take a bus (but you have to change buses in Nevsehir).

Rose Valley

The Rose Valley, named for the beautiful color of the rock, is a popular area of Cappadocia for independent hiking and you don’t need a guide or tour to take you there. We drove our rental car down a random dirt road and just kept going until the road ended. If you don’t have a rental car, you could certain take a taxi or ask your hotel if they offer transportation.

Aziz Agentangeus (3 Cross Church)

We had a great time exploring this mind-blowing Three Cross Church with no one else around. It felt like stumbling upon ancient history in the middle of nowhere.

Haçlı Kilise (The Crusader Church)

Another beautiful church to explore in the Rose Valley, there is a small cafe at the base of the church with nice views. We ran out of time and didn’t make it here but the frescoes look impressive, plus it’s free.

Meskendir Vadisi

This little valley is a hike that ends in another lovely cafe in the middle of nowhere with a bit of unexpected greenery and garden. The reviews are fantastic with comments about the awesome cafe host and his affordable beverages and dishes.

Love Valley

Named for the unique phallic rock structures, Love Valley is certainly a spot you don’t want to miss, whether you see it from a hot air balloon, from a viewpoint above, or to hike through it.

We saw it from the hot air balloon and we drove out to a viewpoint but next time I’d love to take a horseback ride here.

For around 1 euro, you can drive to the lookout and it’s essentially a large flat area you can park anywhere along the rim of the valley looking down at Love Valley. There is also a couple cafes there. This would make a nice sunrise spot as well to watch the balloons from the ground. One of the restaurants does a breakfast buffet too.

To hike Love Valley, you can start HERE and go as little or as long as you want. Within 20 minutes you’ll reach the rock structures but there is an 7 mile long trail that includes Uchisar Castle, Pigion Valley, and Göreme as well. So you could do it as a loop right from town.

Horseback Riding

Horses are a cultural icon in the Cappadocia region. More than 2,000 years ago, the Greeks wrote of the horses here. The name for Cappadocia derives from the Hittite word “Katpatuka,” which is commonly interpreted to mean “Land of Beautiful Horses.” This is one thing we didn’t do that I regret. I adore horseback riding but not so much on a large organized tour, but I wish I’d put some effort into finding a good option. There are a number of operators with good reviews that go into the different valleys at sunrise or sunset.

Uchisar Castle

I’m listing this because it’s quite a prominent feature in the landscape of Cappadocia. The old castle complex sits on the hill overlooking the Cappadocia valley with great views. It’s a less than 10 minute drive to the village of Uchisar where the castle is from Göreme and the entrance fee is around $8 at the time of writing this. Some people say parking is free, but when we were there, someone came around asking for a parking fee of less than $2. I have no idea if that was legit or not. Then you buy your ticket at the entrance and climb a number of stories high (just under 300 steps). For me personally, I didn’t find it impressive, and I would’ve preferred to spend that money on something delicious but everyone is different.

Explore Göreme

Galerie İkman Carpet Shop

The reviews of this place are a bit negative because the shop has taken advantage of the extremely desirable photo opportunity it presents. And indeed, the shop has a stunning arrangement of carpets hanging on the walls both outside and inside. It feels like you’ve stepped into the set of Aladdin.

The problem is, it’s absurdly expensive. Like 100 euros for a 30 minute session. Their menu of prices was pretty confusing and seemed to vary depending on if you had a photographer or not and whether it was a phone or camera or drone.

Anyways, I was the only one there and I just snapped a quick phone pic and video as I walked by into the shop to browse the rest of the store. There was no one shopping and the shopkeeper was just inside chatting with a friend when I came in and said hi.

Picturesque Alleyway

I stumbled upon this gorgeous little alleyway while I was wandering around Göreme on my own. It’s right across from the Henna Hotel and Konak Restaurant. I moseyed my way up the alleyway stairs until a cute old lady beckoned me to come in her shop at the top of the stairs. There were trinkets and carpets…it was a feast for the eyes. I was hesitant to go in because I was afraid there was going to be some sort of pressure to buy something, but she let me ooh and ahh for a second and then thank her and retreat.

Where to Eat in Cappadocia

Meteor Rooftop Bar and Restaurant was awesome. We went there our first night and it was really cold out but they had little clear domes for a number of private tables. We were practically the only ones there but the service, views, and food were excellent. They even brought us out a surprise baklava dessert at the end.

Tired of the high prices in Cappadocia and craving a quick affordable meal? Head over to Cappadocia Döner for a reasonable wrap or sandwich.

Badem Restaurant may be the single best restaurant in Cappadocia. I can’t say that for sure, since I haven’t tried them all, but just checkout the reviews for yourself. It was recommended to us by our own hotel nearby and it absolutely blew us away. Each dish was incredible.

Konak Rooftop Bar and Restaurant is a lovely restaurant that I highly recommend at the Henna Hotel. It’s romantic, has great views, live music, and delicious food.

Piccolo Coffee is the best coffee in the area and it’s in the neighboring town of Avanos about a 10-15 minute drive from Göreme. The owner is lovely, the coffee is pretty good (the best in Cappadocia – believe me, we searched and tried it all and the area lacks good specialty coffee), and she has delicious magnolia cups.

Tourist Cards

Türkiye has a couple tourist cards that we should discuss.

MuseumPass Türkiye E-Card

With this digital pass you get access to 350 different museums and archeological sites across Türkiye for 165 euros over 15 days, with 1 entry each. The problem is, I don’t see many of the places I’d actually want to go included with this except for Galata Tower in Istanbul, the Zelve and Göreme Open Air Museum+Dark church, and the Derinkuyu Underground City and that doesn’t add up to more than 165 euros. I’m sure there are some awesome sites, but with limited time, most of us are looking to see the top things.

So I’d recommend looking at the map of included sites and determine if it would be worth it for you.

MuseumPass Cappadocia Card

This one might be worth it if you plan to visit more than 3 sites in Cappadocia. It includes Göreme Open Air Museum and the Dark Church, Zelve Open Air museum, Derinkuyu Underground City, Kaymakli and Özkonak Underground Cities, among other museums, valleys, and churches. It costs 65 euros and is good for 3 days.

Cappadocia History

Cappadocia is an entire arid region in Anatolia, Türkiye known for its “fairy chimney” landscape. It includes multiple provinces however the touristy one is Nevsehir. The unique landscape of Cappadocia was formed 60 million years ago from erosion of volcanic deposits from ancient eruptions. Wind and water shaped this soft rock over millions of years into the unique conical shapes, valleys, caves, and towers that exist today.

The name Cappadocia comes from the Persian “Katpatuka,” which means “the land of beautiful horses.”

The earliest appearance of the name “Cappadocia” comes from the 6th century BCE. The region later came under the Roman Empire and is mentioned in the Bible as a persecuted Christian population. Raids by neighboring tribal groups and Arabs in the 5th-10th centuries led the people there to construct man-made underground tunnel systems for protection from raids.

Churches and monasteries were carved into the rock in the 10th and 11th centuries during Byzantine rule and many of these intricately decorated places still exist today to visit. These were some of the most incredible places I’ve ever seen.

Turkish clans began moving to the region and some locals converted to Islam. Cappadocia later came under Ottoman rule until 1922 when it became part of Türkiye.

Tourism began to flourish as early as the 1960’s. In 1985, Göreme National Park and other areas of Cappadocia were designated UNESCO World Heritage sites. This subsequently lead to an increase in tourism. Today, the region sees 4-5 million visitors per year.

Summary

Cappadocia may get mixed reviews sometimes, mainly I think because it’s relatively touristy. It can get crowded in the high season. They’ve really capitalized on the Instagrammable nature of the place, charing for cheesy photo ops. But for the most part, prices were pretty reasonable including hotels, entry tickets, etc.

My biggest suggestion is to visit for at least 3 days (5 is better) to have the best chance at going up in a hot air balloon. Secondly, visit in the low season or shoulder season. November was crisp but sunny and beautiful with lower prices and far fewer crowds.

I hope that helps you plan what to do in Cappadocia and let me know in the comments if you have any other advice for travelers visiting!