Cappadocia Holidays
Cappadocia is one of the most visited regions in Turkey after the capital Istanbul. Famous for the hot air balloon rides, the hotel caves and the jaw-dropping landscape, Cappadocia Holidays are a must if you are planning a trip to Turkey.
Expect to be mesmerized by the landscapes as these are unique of the region. The type of soil gave way to the excavation of many caves, using them as houses and antique churches, to day these can be visited. Plus, you can stay in a cave hotel, which is pretty unique.
How to get to Cappadocia
- Airplane: If you are going directly to Cappadocia a great option is to take a plane to one of the nearest airports:
- Kayseri Erkilet Airport (ASR): This is the airport of Kayseri which is about 75 km (40 miles) of Cappadocia. It is the most frequent airport and largest in the region. From there you can take a shuttle or taxi to the towns in Cappadocia like Ürgüp or Göreme.
- Nevşehir Kapadokya Airport (NAV): This airport although it is closer to the Cappadocia region it is mainly used for domestic flights so it is a great option if you are traveling from another part of the country.
How far is Cappadocia from Istanbul
- Car: If you are traveling by car there are approximately 9h and 740 km from Istanbul to Cappadocia. There are also many people that travel with a group that do the trip with a shuttle or bus. They usually do this and take Ankara as a stop as it is located midway from Istanbul to Cappadocia.
Where is Cappadocia in Turkey
Cappadocia is a region located in the central part of Turkey to the east of Ankara (the capital of Turkey) and south of Kayseri. It is an inland region, surrounded by a number of towns and cities. Göreme, Ürgüp, Avanos, and Nevşehir are the major towns and cities in the Cappadocia region.
The region is part of the Anatolian Plateau and is characterized by its unusual geological formations, which were shaped over millions of years through volcanic activity and erosion.
Where to stay in Cappadocia
We stayed in the Ramada by Wyndham Cappadocia a 5 star hotel located near the village of Ortahisar Belediyesi and Göreme. It is very well situated, altough you will need a taxi to go to the nearby villages, these are cheap as it will only cost you around 3$.
If you want to stay in a cave as it was done many centuries ago, there are also great hotels in caves. These tend to be more expensive but as a unique experience many people stay in these hotels, check out Cappadocia Cave Suites.
What to do in Cappadocia
In Capaddocia there are many great activities to do, as the area is very adapted four tourism. One of the main activities in the area is hot air balloon rides. These usually go up at sunrise and at sunset. Be careful what company you choose if you contract a balloon ride as not all are the same.
Other popular activities in the areas are quad riding and horseback riding. There are many companies in the area that offer this type of activities. In Göreme you can find them all in every corner.
Exploring underground cities
There are great underground cities or “Derinkuyu” and are a must in every Cappadocia holidays. We visited one, as we saw the documentary on Netflix called Ancient Apocalyse and were these underground cities were the subject of an episode.
In our opinion, a tour or guide is not needed, as not much is known about these caves. According to conventional knowledge these were made as a refuge from the invasions of the enemies, although the Netflix documentary states that these caves are too well made and are too big to have as refuge against enemies the only objective.
Visiting Monasteries and Churches
In Capaddocia there are one of the first Cristian churches inside of caves. When Christ died, some of his disciples traveled west to spread the word of God and created one of the first Cristian churches in the world.
We highly recommend visiting these churches as these are very important historically. Great examples are the Buckle Church and the Tokali Church. There are caves inside the open air museums which you will have to pay extra if you want to visit them. These cost around 3$, but in my opinion are worth visiting as these are the best preserved.
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