Cappadocia Turkey

Cappadocia, located in the central Anatolia region of Turkey, was once a province of the Roman Empire. Presently, the entire city is spread across the hills surrounded by carved valleys and numerous naturally formed rock formations. Cappadocia city of Turkey is the top choice of many tourists for its fairy tale, traditional food, quiet environment and natural beauty.

Famous for its lunar landscape, underground cities, cave churches and hot air balloon rides, the city has many places to visit. Some of the notable places in the city are highlighted-

Underground City (Underground City): The primitive inhabitants of Cappadocia used to shelter under the rocks to protect themselves from the harsh winter and the attacks of wild animals. The early Christians found it safe to hide here to escape the later Roman soldiers. These underground places are known as underground cities. Kaymakli Underground City is also one. There are 8 floors but only 4 floors are open for tourists. The architecture here will undoubtedly impress the tourists. The aborigines of this place have built the wanari, ventilation space, storage room, sleeping room and even the church with hand made tools without any kind of electrical equipment which is really amazing.

Pasabag: On the way to Avanos from Goreme in Cappadocia, this beautiful valley can be seen at Gelve. When visiting Cappadocia, most tourists prefer to come here, especially for the Fairy Chimneys here. Fairy Chimneys are tall rocks that look like natural chimneys due to erosion of the earth's surface many years ago. It is popularly known that the fairies of the underworld used to live here, hence the name Fairy Chimney. However, during the 4th to 5th centuries early Christianity, monks took shelter here. Here you can see some nice earth pillars.

Cavusin Village: Located in Avanos, this village has two Byzantine churches. As soon as you enter this village, you will see some strange and beautiful wall paintings. Hike to the top of any of the abandoned houses and you will see the Church of St. John the Baptist, the oldest in Cappadocia.

Devrent Valley (Devrent Valley): This valley is also known as “Pine Valley” among the sightseeing places of Cappadocia. The scenery around here is quite beautiful. A surreal scene unfolds as the valley's carved rocks change color every day at sunset. Mainly because of additional volcanism and erosion of the ground surface, there is such a special change which creates a divine beauty during the full moon. And so this place is famous for seeing the lunar landscape. Also, there are several sculptures made in the shape of different animals, which makes you feel like visiting a sculpture zoo.

Goreme National Park (Goreme National Park): Throughout this park there are ancient churches, caves and several other structures which will be very nice to visit. It is better to have a Goud book or a tour guide to visit this historical place. This place has been recognized as a World Heritage Site since 1984. There is an open air museum here. This park is open daily from 8 am to 7.30 pm.

Zelve Open Air Museum: This cave museum is a special attraction of Cappadocia. The inner structure of the cave is worth seeing while walking along the steep and crooked path of this cave. A sense of adventure comes when visiting here.

Town of Avanos (Town Of Avanos): Town of Avanos is located on the banks of Kizilirmark, known as the Red River of Cappadocia. 8 km away from Goreme in Cappadocia, this place is a place that attracts tourists. There is a modern Hamam (Turkish bath) for tourists.

Uchisar Village: Uchisar Castle of this village is very attractive for tourists. This castle is located on the highest point of Cappadocia. It is very nice to see the surrounding scenery from here. And a little far from this castle Ersius mountain can be seen.

Also, if you have time, you can visit places like Soganli Valley, Red Rose Valley, Ihlara Valley, Derinkuyu Underground City.

And the hot air balloon riding here is famous all over the world. So don't forget to enjoy a real hot air balloon ride here. Horse riding is also available.

The best time to visit Cappadocia is May to June, September and October. Because during this time the heat is less and the night is quite cold. And because of the strong wind in early April, you can't enjoy the hot air balloon ride. So avoid the time of April in going here.

Cappadocia can be reached by train, car, bus or plane from Istanbul . But going by plane is best because it takes less time. It takes only 1 hour 20 minutes by air whereas it takes 11-12 hours by bus. In case of going by plane, from Kemal Ataturk Airport or Sabiha Airport in Istanbul, Turkish Airlines or Pegasus Airlines should go to Nevsehir or Kayseri Airport in Cappadocia. Then you can hire a car or taxi from the airport and go to the destination. Again, if you book a good hotel, the receptionist goes from the hotel to the airport to receive you and the travel expenses are included in their hotel fare.

In the case of going by bus, if you take a night bus from Buyuk Otogar in Istanbul, you can go to Goreme in Cappadocia in the morning. Usually the bus leaves Istanbul around 11.45pm and reaches Goreme at 8.30am. Nevsehir Tours and Metro Tourism have several good bus services to Cappadocia in Istanbul.

For traveling by train, Cappadocia is reached from Istanbul via Ankara and Konya. Then you can go inside the city by bus or rental car from the station. You can also rent a car from Istanbul. But in that case both cost and time will be much more.

Cappadocia's main towns of Goreme and Avanos have many hotels and hostels to stay in. For example - Hotels Crazyhorse, Travelers Cave Hotel, Alice Guest House, Whisper Cave House, Cappadocia Center Cave Hostel, Hapidosia, Valley Park Hotel, Aydinli Cave Hotel, Nature Land Hostels for two persons between 2300-3500 rupees for a double bed room. go

Also Read: Istanbul Travel Guide

A flight from Istanbul to Cappadocia will cost 8000-11000 Tk. And there is a separate cost factor for the special attraction hot air balloon ride. But the cost of this ride depends on when and how long you stay on this ride. And the price is much higher in peak season. However, this ride will cost approximately 2500-3500 rupees per person. In total, if you stay in Cappadocia for 5 days and 4 nights, it will cost 1,20000-1,50000 Tk.

There are several good restaurants and cafes in Cappadocia city, such as Top Deck Restaurant, Cafe Safak, Coffeedosia, Inch Cave Restaurant, Pumpkin Goreme Restaurant and Art Gallery, Nostalgia Restaurant, Old Cappadocia Cafe and Restaurant for family or friends to dine together. Good atmosphere with good food. And among the dishes here are Dibak's Pottery Kebab, Tabuk Sis (kids' favorite), Adana Kebab, Urfa Kebab, Iskandar (made with bread, meat, Iskandar sauce, tomato and yogurt), Kraal Don's special durum (more like a roll) and sweets. You will eat kunafa, lakum, baklava in between. And you must eat Turkish coffee and tea, you will get a different taste. Again, some different types of food are also available here, such as dried apricots, pastilles, Pekmage and dry cream. They are good for storing for a long time.

One kind of thing is available in each market here. For example, you can find arts and crafts at the Nile Art Gallery, carpets and ceramics at the markets of Goreme, accessories, clothes, and jewelery at Uchisar. You can buy mainly carpets, ceramics, handicrafts and souvenirs from here.

Feature Image: Private Istanbul Tours