The Turkish region of Cappadocia, a region of exceptional natural wonders, in particular characterized by fairy chimneys and a unique historical and cultural heritage, boasts one of the most dramatic sights in the world.
Visiting Cappadocia is such a change from visiting many other busy bustling sights all over Turkey. It is a great pleasure to wander in the vast open space filled with captivating natural attractions which have seen human history dated back in the Bronze Age.
While in Goreme Open Air Museum , the conical formations resulting from the volcanic eruptions that took place millions of years ago, just follow the path up to the top of one of the ridges where a spectacular view of the fairy chimneys awaits you. The natural cone formations contain caves and labyrinths. As early as the third century, those chimneys became a hiding place for early Christians who fled persecution from the Romans, and then later from raiding Muslims. In modern tourism, many caves have been turned into cave houses for tourist stays and the lunar-like setting of Goreme Valley has become popular for hot-air ballooning.
Many say the extremely unique landscape of Cappadocia resembles some scene in a Star Wars movie and yet you may be surprised to discover that no major commercial movies have been filmed there. It would be a perfect setting for movies such as Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter series.
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We loved hiking here. It was far less crowded than other places we visited. You can combine it with a visit to Uchisar Castle, which isn't much of a castle, but the views from the top are worth the admission price.
To be honest, we got a little lost and didn't make it all the way to Goreme from Uchisar;…
Lovely experience! Very romantic and different! Perfect for a couple! Although you have to make a careful choice! the furniture were also traditional but the other amenities were modern!!!
One of the coolest places I've ever visited. You can walk to it without a tour due to the fact it's only 1 km from town. The alien landscape full of cave homes and ruined churches is all but empty this time of year and it makes for a more enjoyable experience. Summer crowds here can be insane. You can…
A few places were closed during our visit, which I'm sure happens from time to time. I'd like to see better interpretive signs, so you can have access to information without the need for a guide or an audio tour.
Keep your ticket for the church just outside the main gates. The frescos in that church are almost as good…
After visiting the castle at Ushichar and buying some fresh fruit at a local market, we struggled to find the start of the trail. We eventually just took a (very steep) track down and kept in the valley on trails.
The tour guide did her best to make it enjoyable and informative, but there's only so much you can cover when each tour group is herded in and out of the churches with 3 minutes to take it all..
If you are traveling near the peak tourist season, try to get there as early as you can, or go just before it closes. It is a stunning must-see, but some of the cave areas are small, and huge tour groups can limit the time you have to look at the frescoes, etc.
Goreme Open Air Museum is a compound consists of 29 rock-cut churches, including some dating back to 6th Century. Best to avoid visiting during noon especially in summer. The churches are carved into caves and therefore the space is very restricted. When it is crowded, it is difficult to linger to appreciate the frescoes inside the churches. Even then, the…
A steep walk in places but a marvellous place to visit and hard to imagine people living there. Plenty of churches to see but on the paintings , all the saints and biblical faces had been scratched out.
If you can, go at lunchtime/mid-day because the museum is over-flowing at times with fellow travelers. During our first visit the guards rushed us on after a minute or so, and before we'd had enough time to have a good look around, and the tour guides spoke to their groups so loudly that you couldn't hear our audio-guide. The second…