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 visit of Pigeon Valley and Goreme Open Museum the high lite. The south tour takes a full day with the spectacular sandstone formations and their bizarre shapes.
A place with a landscape different than any place in the world. Conic rocks that has been used as houses for old cultures within the middle of Turkey. A great place for photographers looking for an amazing scenary view. Balloons are a available in the early morning for that purpose.
You can't show up early enough to see this park. We showed up at opening but there were about 10 busses entering at the same time as us. This is a DO NOT MISS spot but it is very crowded, even in may and even first thing in the morning.
If you're staying in Goreme, the museum is only a 20-minute walk from the town center. The vistas along the cobblestoned pathway make for a wonderful stroll, passing by a potter's workshop, horse corral, more caves and a hotel or 2. (yes, have your camera handy!)
There's a cute little gift shop at the entrance which also offers souvenir photos…
The Open-Air museum is an interesting place. We went right before they closed (per the recommendation of our hotel) and that was the right choice. There were virtually no crowds and we were able to see everything quickly. I paid the extra entrance fee to see the frescos and it was worth it for me.
Some of the carved-out cathedrals are fairly intricate. I would highly recommend visiting Cappadocia. This site is extremely well-preserved. These underground caves would be especially interesting for older children to visit, as it might spark their interest in history and the habits of people from the past.
Just go. We were dropped off at a trail head and just started hiking. Crawled into some caves, stopped and had chai, Rose Valley this way, did some tunnels, stopped and had chai with an older man who gave us some books and was delightful, scaled up, slid down, took tons of photos, hiked some more, more chai, Rose Valley…
This is disappointing to hike. What seems to be the best areas are closed to the public.
There are some nice views if you have a car.
I took one short hike and turned back due to flies and nothing much to see.
I'd skip it.
Pretty amazing to see what pidgeon houses look like! It was fun to stop and feed the birds. Not a top location but an easy quick stop enroute.
Go early and avoid some of the hordes who are coming for a good reason – fabulous landscape, the best place to see the three layers of rock which have made possible the fantastic landscapes of Cappadocia.