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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The highlight of this museum are the numerous chapels carved into the rock. There are also dwellings. Some of the chapel cave paintings are in great conditions and others not so much but all tell a story. The "dark" chapel (called that since there are fewer windows and hence less light getting in) has remarkably well preserved cave wall paintings;…
There is nothing like this area anywhere else in the world! Even on a cold, slightly snowy winter day, we thoroughly enjoyed the museum. Definitely shell out the $5 each for the audio tour. Highly informative. Would be gorgeous on a clear, summer day, but there were far fewer visitors. I would have gone a bit earlier (around 10AM) to…
Enjoyed our hike through Pigeon Valley very much. Please have some of the sweetest orange juice ever at Hasams Tea Garden. What an experience !
Beautiful red rocks. Many hiking trails to get beautiful panoramic views. Hot air balloons give a great vantage point if you opt for it.
I got there and that was the first thing I did in goreme.
Don't pay to get in as the 15 liras is just too much when you can walk in the canyon for free and get into some nice caves. (the access to some of them are quite difficult but it is worth the adventure and a very little…
They chose the area with the best concentration of frecos for the Open Air Museum. Definitely worth a visit.
I have returned after 40 years to see again this fantastic landscape and to show it to my wife. Urgup and Göreme have preserved their beauties and these landscapes, the frescoes in the churches, the whole atmosphere is unforgettable.
It's a very impressive and well preserved set of cave churches. The "Dark Church" requires an extra fee but is well worth the visit. It's no wonder this is a UNESCO Heritage Site.
We drove to Derinkuyu from Goreme, almost 30km but it was worth the trip. The city is amazing and it's very deep. Make sure you get thick clothes as it gets colder as you go down. You don't need a guide because the coridors are well signaled.
Its one of the best place to see in cappadocia. Undergroud cities, beautiful Valley and churches. Cappadocia means land of beautiful horses.