Turkey, or Türkiye, is a vibrant, transcontinental destination spanning Europe and Asia. In the historic streets of Istanbul you can walk through bustling spice markets and bazaars and tour famous sites such as the Hagia Sophia and Topkapi Palace. Cappadocia is home to fairy tale-like landscapes and rock formations.
We spent a week in late September exploring Turkey and its rich blend of Byzantine and Ottoman cultures. Here we share our experience to help prepare you for a trip to the region.
Turkey Trip Map
Below is a map of our trip including points of interest, activities, and restaurants. Toggle the sidebar for details.
Trip Overview & Tips
This trip begins in Istanbul and ends in Göreme and assumes you’ll be renting a car for the latter half to make the most of your time in the Cappadocia region.
- Istanbul | Days 1-3
- Göreme | Days 4-7
Istanbulkart
Istanbul’s traffic can be quite hectic, but public transportation is plentiful and easy to use. We recommend purchasing an Istanbulkart upon arrival at the airport. This is a pre-paid smart card for use on Istanbul’s public transport including trams, metros, buses, and even ferries. We purchased one for ₺165 and pre-loaded ₺500 (about USD 15).
Getting Around Istanbul
Whatever you do, do not take a taxi in Istanbul. Scams are extremely common and we heard this advice from literally every tour guide we encountered.
We found using the public transportation very easy, particularly the network of trams which we took every day. We had a good experience using the metro to get to and from the airport which cost us around USD 1.50 each way (we met other tourists who paid upwards of USD 50 for a cab!).
Renting a Car in Cappadocia
We set up a rental car at the Kayseri Erkilet Airport in Cappadocia with the local company Cizgi. Our 4-day rental was very inexpensive (USD 150 total) and we had a good experience with the company. But there are a few things you should know ahead of time: 1) Do not expect a high-quality car. Our car was serviceable, but not very powerful or in great condition. 2) You will not be given the car with a full tank of gas and are not expected to return it with a full tank either.
All that being said, we were very happy with our decision to rent a car and explore on our own, not beholden to a tour group or bus schedule. We felt very safe everywhere we drove.
Day 1 | Istanbul: Topkapi Palace, Bosphorus Strait Cruise & Food Tour
Where We Stayed
We stayed at an Airbnb in the Galata district of Istanbul. While we needed to take a tram every day to get to the historic Fatih neighborhood where most attractions were located, we didn’t find this cumbersome. We really liked where we were based, within easy walking distance of great restaurants, cafes, and the pier.
Topkapi Palace and Harem Guided Tour
For nearly 400 years, the Topkapi Palace served as the administrative center of the Ottoman Empire and was the main residence of its sultans. Today, visitors can tour the courtyards, extensive collections, and the Harem.
We joined this guided tour, booked via GetYourGuide, at 9am which lasted around 3 hours. Even in the morning, the Palace was very crowded and we needed to use headsets to hear our guide. If we had the chance to re-do, we would skip the guided tour and visit these sites independently, allowing us to linger in the collections we found interesting and skip those we didn’t.
We began by visiting the Hagia Irene, located in the outer courtyard of the Palace, which is the oldest church in the city. It dates back to the 4th century and is the only Byzantine church in Istanbul that was not converted into a mosque. Once inside the Palace we visited the Treasury, Armory, Holy Relics, and stopped on a balcony with a lovely view.
The real highlight of the tour was visiting the Harem. This requires a separate ticket and is well worth the price. The Harem is the enclosed and guarded residential area of Topkapi Palace, where the Sultan lived with female family members and children, but also concubines and eunuchs. At one point the Harem had over 300 rooms, although only a small portion is open to visitors today. What is available to see, however, consists of gorgeously-restored tile work and is easily the section of the Palace in the best shape.
Bosphorus Yacht Cruise
Cruising up and down the Bosphorus Strait between Europe and Asia was a highlight of our time in Istanbul. We booked this 2.5-hour cruise on a yacht through GetYourGuide.
While there are many cruises along the Bosphorus, we were really happy with our choice. There were only a handful of others on our cruise and the yacht provided a premium experience with hand-delivered snacks (fruit, nuts, sandwiches, Turkish coffee) throughout.
Throughout the cruise, commentary was provided in terms of what we were passing by on the shore. We motored up the strait hugging the European side, and back along the Asian side. We passed under two of the massive suspension bridges connecting the two continents. On the way back, we had a short stopover on the Asian side. We had the chance to purchase the famous Kanlıca Yoğurdu, a yogurt renowned for its thick, creamy texture. We had the honey flavor and it was delicious. Just before docking we saw a pod of dolphins, and seagulls catching fish. A great afternoon out on the water!
Pro tip!: If you are feeling peckish before the cruise, we had yummy sandwiches, iced lattes, and a slice of pistachio cake from the Holy Cup cafe, located close to the cruise meeting point.
Turkish Food Night and Rooftop Experience
A great way to end your first day in Istanbul and gain exposure to the food and culture is to join a food tour. We took part in this Turkish Food Night and Rooftop Experience, booked through TripAdvisor. We met our guide and 13 others from across the globe at a central meeting point in Istanbul at 7pm. Our whirlwind tour began with street food tastings of Çiğ köfte (minced meat wrapped in lettuce) and tahini-flavored Turksih delight. Yum!
We moved on to a rooftop where we sipped on chai tea and savored the night views of Europe and Asia, watching a performance. Our final stop was at a 133-year-old family run restaurant near ancient Roman aqueducts. Our group shared meze (think crudités, salads, pureés, pickles, and more), kebabs, yogurts, Ayran (a traditional, salty yogurt drink), and topped off the night with flaming Künefe (a sweet cheese pastry).
We learned so much about Turkish food and culture and really appreciated that at the end of the night (around 10pm) we were all driven back to central points near our accommodations.
Day 2 | Istanbul: Hagia Sophia & Blue Mosque, Basilica Cistern & Food Tour
Hagia Sophia & Blue Mosque Guided Tour
The Hagia Sophia has a storied history, subject to the shifting religious and political sands of time. The structure as seen today was constructed in the 6th century. Originally a church, it was converted into a mosque in the 15th century. But the story doesn’t end there. In 1935 the Hagia Sophia was declared a secular museum and has only recently been re-designated as a mosque (in 2020).
We joined this guided tour, booked via GetYourGuide, at 9am which lasted around 3 hours. Even in the morning, these sites were insanely crowded owing to the large cruise ship in port. Despite our guide having a microphone and us having earpieces, we couldn’t hear the commentary much of the time. We also spent so much time waiting in line to enter each site, that were was barely any “tour” of the Blue Mosque (which, by the way, is free enter). If we had the chance to re-do, we would skip the guided tour and visit these sites independently.
The architecture is fascinating, with the space dominated by its dome. Numerous windows allow light to pour in, illuminating the gold mosaic tiles covering the walls and ceiling. It was very interesting to see the Christian iconography now covered and hidden from Muslim worshippers.
The second part of the tour was of the nearby Blue Mosque, or Sultan Ahmed Mosque. This mosque was constructed in the early 17th century and contains a large courtyard and is flanked by six minarets.
Note: To enter the mosque, visitors must respect the dress code. All shoulders and knees must be covered and women must also cover their heads.
Inside, it is decorated with thousands of tiles and painted floral motifs, predominantly blue in color, giving it its popular “Blue Mosque” name. The detail in the tiles is exquisite and to stand in the center of the mosque is almost overwhelming.
Lunch in the Historic Fatih District
Near to the Blue Mosque lies the Old Ottoman Cafe & Restaurant and home of our favorite meal in all of Turkey! The food here was phenomenal and we ordered off their Ottoman cuisine menu. We had fresh apricot juice along with the Harem Delights (chicken with fried potatoes, rice, and yogurt) and the Old Ottoman Specialty (grilled and mashed eggplant, mushrooms, garlic, cream, and beef). After our meal, we were gifted complimentary tea and semolina with ice cream.
Basilica Cistern
The Basilica Cistern is an ancient subterranean cistern dating back to the 6th century. Now you can visit, wandering among the network of beautifully-carved columns via a maze of steel walkways. The atmosphere is amazing and we really enjoyed the 45 minutes we spent exploring the cistern.
It is one of the most popular places to visit in Istanbul, so we highly recommend purchasing skip-the-line tickets ahead of time. We purchased fast-track entry tickets, which included an audioguide, from GetYourGuide and thus avoided waiting in a line wrapped around the block.
Guided Food & Culture Tour
Okay yes, we did TWO food tours in Istanbul. The food is so diverse, we did not regret our decision. For our second night, we booked this food tour with GetYourGuide that had stops on both the Asian and European side of the city. Our group of five met up with our tour guide at Karakoy Pier where we took the ferry together over to Kadikoy Port in Asia. Learning how to take the ferry like a local was a huge bonus!
On this food tour, we appreciated the mix of street food and more traditional dining. Strolling through the crowded streets of the Kadikoy neighborhood, we stopped for freshly-prepared Kokoreç, sweetbreads wrapped with lamb intestines that melted in our mouth. Next, we popped into a deli where we had pickled vegetables, a sampling of five meze, fresh-sliced pastrami, feta and roquefort cheeses, and tahini, peanut butter and chocolate “protein bars”.
We moved on to try mussels stuffed with warm rice and spices from a street vendor, then sat down at a restaurant to enjoy chicken and lamb kebab. We rounded out our time with pistachio coffee and lamb pizza, before hopping back on a ferry to the European side, admiring the dazzling lights. Near the pier, we ended the night sharing Künefe with ice cream (our favorite way to enjoy it!) at a traditional dessert restaurant.
This 5-hour food tour was a culinary delight. No matter how you do it, we highly recommend a visit to the Asian side of Istanbul which has a totally different vibe that felt more cosmopolitan and yet laid back. In fact, most of the locals we met live on the Asian side for a better quality of life.
Day 3 | Istanbul: Turkish Coffee Making Workshop, Bazaars & Hammam Treatment
Turkish Coffee Making and Fortune Telling Workshop
Turkish coffee is an essential part of the culture in Istanbul. We joined this two-hour coffee making workshop in Istanbul through GetYourGuide. Although the workshop takes place on the Asian side of Istanbul, you have the option to meet your group in Europe and travel over together by tram, which is what we did.
In the workshop we learned about the history of coffee and its importance to Turkey, then we got to work grinding our own beans to a fine powder. The next portion was part science, part art as we brewed our coffee in the traditional method. It turned out quite good! The final part of the workshop was a fortune telling lesson based on the grinds left in our cups. We let ourselves have fun with this part, not putting too much stock into our fortunes. We left the workshop with a new appreciation for Turkish coffee and our very own coffee sets!
Explore the Bazaars
In the heart of the historic district you’ll find hundreds of merchants selling their wares at the Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar. We are not huge shoppers, or hagglers, so we simply walked through each bazaar to get a sense of the atmosphere and headed on to our next destination.
Hammam Treatment
Turkish hammams are world-renowned for their traditional treatments involving intense, steam-based bathing with a full-body exfoliation to promote deep cleansing and muscle relaxation. I really wanted to experience one such treatment while in Istanbul and did a lot of research to find a reputable hammam where I would feel comfortable. I enthusiastically recommend a treatment at Çukurcuma Hamamı. I had a 5-star experience with my traditional treatment.
Upon arrival the process was explained in detail to me and I changed into a bathing suit. The treatment consisted of relaxing on heated marble slabs, then being washed, scrubbed, and massaged with bubbles. After the treatment I was led to a relaxation area with tea and snacks, which I was free to enjoy as long as I liked. It was wonderful!
Drinks & Dinner
The national drink of Turkey is Raki, otherwise known as Lion’s Milk, a clear alcoholic beverage made of twice-distilled grapes and flavored with aniseed. It has a very strong licorice flavor and is served and mixed with chilled water. It is very strong, but fun to try! We went to a bar located inside Çiçek Pasajı, a beautiful glass-covered arcade.
If you’re looking for dinner recommendations for your final night in Turkey, we had a lovely meal at Pera Antakya consisting of meze, spinach flatbread, chicken shish, and lamb kebab. We were even gifted a free dessert.
If you need a break from Turkish food, we really enjoyed the wood-fired pizza at Antique Pizzeria.
Author’s note: In the interest of full disclosure, I struggled to have a good time in Istanbul. While the city was a bucket list destination, I felt let down by the experience. Here are a few of the main reasons:
- Istanbul is an ancient city and not designed or set up to handle the current volume of residents, tourists, and vehicles. This makes it exceptionally crowded and uncomfortable, often with no place to walk safely on the streets. I felt “on guard” the whole time.
- I was not happy with the quality of the guided tours, or management of the crowds, at the Hagia Sophia and Topkapi Palace. The tours were quite expensive and each of these sites was so crowded, it was often difficult to move as a group and hear what the guide was saying, even with the use of a microphone and earpieces. Further, we had “timed tickets” for these sites, but still ended up waiting in line 30+ minutes to enter, wasting valuable “tour” time. Looking back, I would have toured these sites on our own, downloading a self-guided tour ahead of time.
- The city was downright dirty with lots of trash in the streets and a ton of cats. Its nickname is actually Cat-Stantinople. I was not a fan.
- Don’t drink the water! I had some pretty severe stomach trouble, so it’s best to stick to bottled water.
Day 4 | Travel to Cappadocia
Today, much of the day will be spent traveling to the Cappadocia region. We had a good experience flying with Turkish Airlines from Istanbul to the Kayseri Erkilet Airport (ASR). The flight was just over an hour long and upon arrival, we picked up our rental car and drove about an hour to Göreme, our base for the next four nights.
Where We Stayed
We stayed at the Kelebek Special Cave Hotel & Spa and were extremely happy with our choice. Göreme is known for its “cave hotels”, literally built into the side of the magnificent fairy chimney formations. It is a place you have to see to believe. We loved our suite with its own private terrace.
Dinner
There are many fantastic restaurants in town, so it can be hard to pick. Note they can be quite crowded, so it’s best to make reservations in advance if you can. One of our favorite meals was on our first night when we dined at Topdeck Cave Restaurant. We shared a meze platter, chicken roll, lamb chops, and local wine.
Day 5 | Cappadocia: Göreme Open Air Museum, Red and Rose Valley Hike & Whirling Dervish Show
Göreme Open Air Museum
The Göreme Open Air Museum is a great place to start your visit in Cappadocia. It’s the perfect introduction to the myriad of Byzantine-era churches, chapels, and monasteries in the area cut into volcanic rock and often decorated with frescoes. We enjoyed touring this site at our own pace and exploring all the little nooks and crannies. Note some of the staircases to access the structures can be quite narrow and steep.
For an additional €6 each fee, you can pay to enter the Dark Church. Note the fee is payable by credit card at the entrance to the church. This is one of the highlights of the site and not to be missed. The Dark Church is monastic church dating to the mid-11th-century and contains the best restored and preserved fresco (depicting the New Testament) in all of Cappadocia. Its names owes to the fact that limited light enters the space, allowing the colors of the frescoes to remain particularly vivid over time. We spent a little over an hour exploring the entire museum.
Need to Know
- Hours: The museum is generally open daily from 8am-5pm, but check their website for current hours.
- Fees: €20 per person, payable by cash or card. You can pay extra for an audio guide but we felt the informational plaques contained enough information.
- Parking: When we visited there was a free parking lot near the entrance and it was a short walk uphill to the ticket booth.
- Note: Photography is not permitted inside any of the churches.
Hike the Rose and Red Valley Loop
This trail is an epic loop through the Rose and Red Valleys, known for stunning red-hued rock formations, magical fairy chimneys, and cave churches tucked away, seemingly hidden in the rocks. It ended up being one of the highlights of our time in Cappadocia. The trailhead for this hike lies just outside of the center of Göreme. Admittedly the first section is not very nice as it winds along an industrial-feeling sandy road, BUT, once you turn the corner into the valleys it is amazing.
Within the first mile, we came upon some of the cave churches. With no signs telling us not to enter, we scrambled up the rock into many of them and could not believe our eyes. The architecture and frescoes were amazing and unlike the Göreme Open Air Museum we visited earlier in the day, this was free and we had it to ourselves!
Climbing out of the valley, we had to use a rope aid at one point due to the steep climb. What we saw at the top took our breath away. Rose-colored rock formations as far as the eye could see.
Even under cloudy skies, the colors really popped and we stopped often as the trail stayed high above the valley, occasionally dipping up and down.
Although we didn’t stop at any, there are a few small, outdoor teahouses run by locals if you are in need of refreshment. Eventually, the trail wound its way into the Red Valley where there is a viewpoint with a car park. We saw several people at this point who had driven to the top and we can see why. The view from here was one of the most incredible of the entire hike and worth savoring.
Continuing on, the trail descends steeply onto the floor of the valley, meeting up with where the loop started earlier in the day. The mileage of this hike will vary depending on how much off-trail exploring you do. Our hike totaled 5.85 miles with 900 feet of elevation gain over 3 hours.
Need to Know
- Fees: No fee for trail use.
- Parking: You can park for free along the side of the road opposite to the trailhead.
- Note: We highly recommend downloading a map of this trail ahead of time as there was virtually no signage that would reasonably allow hikers to complete this loop.
- Pro tip!: If you are in need of a quick and easy meal in town before this hike, we had fantastic chicken wraps from Kebab World Cappadocia.
Whirling Dervishes Show
In Turkey, Whirling Dervishes are followers of the Mevlevi Sufi order. They perform the Sema ceremony as an act meditation, where spinning is meant to achieve spiritual ecstasy and closeness to Allah. Watching the dervishes in their flowing white robes and tall hats was almost hypnotic and very moving. We booked this experience with GetYourGuide in order to witness a traditional whirling dervish ceremony. Overall we were very happy with the experience, but wish there was a short explanation of the ceremony prior to it taking place. We liked the fact that during the ceremony photography was forbidden, allowing everyone to be present. Photos were allowed during a short demonstration that took place after the ceremony.
Dinner
We ate dinner at the Turkish Ravioli Restaurant sharing chicken in a clay pot and the Turkish ravioli (a must try!) as mains, along with appricots with tahini and walnut for dessert. A lovely meal.
Day 6 | Cappadocia: Love Valley - Uçhisar Castle - Pigeon Valley Hike & Zelve Open Air Museum
Hike Love Valley - Uçhisar Castle - Pigeon Valley Loop
In Cappadocia, there is a loop hike you can string together that hits some of the most iconic locations. Clocking in at over 8 miles, it will take about half a day but is a great way to explore some of the more off-the-beaten path places, rather than just driving viewpoint to viewpoint.
We began our hike right from our hotel’s doorstep, making our way into Love Valley. This area is famous for its phallic-shaped rock formations. Expect to giggle and take lots of pictures!
Climbing steeply out of Love Valley, the town of Uçhisar and the Uçhisar Castle will come into view. This is such a unique village owing to it being built around and into the base of a huge rock cone. As part of the hike, you will climb steps through the maze of city streets, eventually reaching the top.
We decided to add on a visit to Uçhisar Castle, although castle is a bit of a misnomer because you are actually just visiting the rock formation. No matter though, as you wind your way up the set of stairs you will be treated to amazing views of Cappadocia and the surrounding area. Note most of the former rooms and passageways are closed to visitors, so you are really paying to see the view, which is worth it on a clear day. When we visited it was ₺250 per person to enter.
At the foot of the castle there are a number of shops and small cafes if you need refreshment. We ate a packed lunch on a bench overlooking the castle, then continued down into Pigeon Valley. As we descended the trail the call the prayer rang out from a nearby mosque, creating an ethereal experience.
Sandwiched between Uçhisar and Göreme, Pigeon Valley earned its name from the thousands of hand-carved dovecotes (pigeon houses) carved into the rock. The trail here was really lovely and more lush than other areas we encountered throughout the day. We finished the loop right back at our hotel having hiked 8.6 miles and gaining 1,400 feet of elevation over 4.5 hours. As with the other trails we completed in Cappadocia, we saw only a handful of other people over the course of the day.
Need to Know
- Fees: No fee for trail use.
- Parking: If you’re staying anywhere within Göreme, this trail can be easily picked up from your accommodation on foot.
- Note: We highly recommend downloading a map of this trail ahead of time as there was virtually no signage that would reasonably allow hikers to complete this loop.
Zelve Open Air Museum
Lying a few miles outside Göreme, the Zelve Open Air Museum sits at the confluence of three valleys. This incredible site is home to formerly-inhabited caves and churches, having served as a monastic retreat from the 9th to the 13th century and then later a village.
Unlike some of the other paid attractions in the region, this one was mercifully uncrowded, yet in our opinion, the most spectacular. An easy-to-follow 1.5-mile walking path circulates through all the site’s important features. Beware: there are a lot of steps!
We explored the dwellings, a mosque carved into the rock, a cathedral, and the village square. We also got to climb up into some pretty gnarly structures. At the exit, we highly recommend stopping to purchase a glass of freshly-squeezed orange juice from one of the vendors.
Need to Know
- Hours: The museum is generally open daily from 8am-5pm.
- Fees: €12 per person, payable by cash or card.
- Parking: When we visited there was a free parking lot near the entrance.
- Pro tip!: Your entrance ticket for the Zelve Open Air Museum also grants access to the nearby Pasabag Valley (Paşabağları), known for its numerous fairy chimneys. We drove just a few minutes down the road and parked in the free lot outside the entrance. The 1-mile loop through Pasabag Valley is very accessible as you follow a cobblestone path, but in our opinion we saw more spectacular rock formations on our independent hikes.
Dinner
We ate dinner at Happena Restaurant located in our hotel. The ambiance was very nice and our outdoor table overlooking the twinkling lights of Göreme was beautiful. We had mains of grilled lamb and Turkish ravioli, followed by apple tea with a yummy pumpkin dessert.
Day 7 | Cappadocia: Balloon Flight, Derinkuyu Underground City, Ihlara Valley Hike & Selime Cathedral
Balloon Flight
Cappadocia is perhaps most famous for the simultaneous ascent of over 100 hot air balloons at sunrise each morning. Silently gliding over the fairy chimneys is a splurge on most travelers’ bucket lists. While this was our goal too, unfortunately our balloon flight (booked for our first morning in Göreme) was cancelled due to unfavorable weather conditions AND there were no openings to re-book for the next two weeks! This shows just how popular the balloon flights are and how quickly spots fill up at the reputable companies.
You should know that balloon flights are often cancelled. Flights are strictly controlled by the Turkish Civil Aviation Authority who provide the official go/no go decision which is then published on this website. While we were disappointed to not take part in a balloon flight, standing on our hotel’s balcony to watch the balloons was pretty amazing. Plus, we got to sleep in!
Derinkuyu Underground City
With three full days in Cappadocia there is plenty of time to venture outside the immediate vicinity of Göreme. About 20 miles to the south is Derinkuyu, the largest and deepest of Turkey’s ancient subterranean cities, thought to once be the temporary home for upwards of 20,000 people as they sought refuge from potential invaders. The structure consists of multiple levels that run nearly 300 feet under the surface of the ground.
Only recently re-discovered, you can now visit portions of the city. We explored on our own, following the arrows marking the way through the maze of tunnels and passageways. Some were a tight fit, requiring us to stoop and even crawl at points.
Our tour took us through dwellings, storage rooms, chapels, wells, and multiple ventilation shafts. Derinkuyu is just one of what is believed to be a network of several hundred underground cities in the area. It is a very fine example of these unique cities and we were happy to have visited.
Need to Know
- Hours: The museum is generally open daily from 8am-5pm.
- Fees: €13 per person, payable by cash or card.
- Parking: When we visited there was a free parking lot near the entrance.
Hike in the Ihlara Valley
The Ihlara Valley is home to an impressive gorge in the Aksaray region of Turkey. One of the most popular day hikes runs from the village of Ihlara to Selime. This hike is a little over 6 miles point-to-point, but unless you’ve pre-arranged transportation, you need to hike back the way you came.
We opted to park at the trailhead in Ihlara and walk in about 2.5 miles before turning around.
This tranquil hike begins along the banks of the gurgling Melendiz River. The path was mostly flat and had many cute, hand-hewn wooden bridges to cross to the other side.
We turned around after reaching the tea garden and refreshment stand Diker Aile Çay Bahçesi. On the way back we stopped in most of the churches along the way. Though the names sounded forbidding (e.g., Snake Church) and often required a steep climb up steps, we were rewarded by seeing magnificent frescos adorning the walls.
Our hike in the Ihlara Valley showed a completely different side of Cappadocia and left us feeling grateful for the experience. We ended up traveling 5.1 miles with 950 feet of elevation gain over 2.5 hours. If you’re looking for lunch in Ihlara, we had a great meal at the family-run Işık Restaurant.
Need to Know
- Fees: There is a fee of €15 per person to access the trail in the Ihlara Valley. This is paid directly at the ticket booth located at the entrance.
- Parking: We parked for free right next to the hike’s entrance in Ihlara.
- Note: The trail along the river is very easy to follow. We walked up once side of the river and back down another to make sure we hit all sites along the way. Simply walk as far as you like and turn around.
- Pro tip!: Your Ihlara Valley ticket includes access to the nearby Selime Monastery.
Selime Monastery
The Selime Monastery, often referred to as the Selime Cathedral, is one of the region’s largest and most complex examples of religious structures cut into rock. The Byzantine settlement contains many unusual-shaped rooms, kitchens, courtyards, and a church.
Selime Monastery is a great stop to add on when in the area as you are able to enter most of the rooms on your self-guided tour. The views near the top are exceptional on a clear day.
Need to Know
- Hours: The monastery is generally open daily from 8am-5pm.
- Fees: Free, with proof of ticket purchase for Ihlara Valley, otherwise €15 per person, payable by cash or card.
- Parking: When we visited there was a large parking lot near the entrance that cost ₺50 to park.
Dinner
Our final dinner in Göreme was at TUMA Restaurant. This rooftop location had the best views of all the restaurants we ate at. We shared a bottle of red wine from Cappadocia, hummus, meatball soup, and lamb tandoori with apricot. Apple tea and baklava with pistachio ice cream rounded out our night as we reminisced about our memorable time in Cappadocia.
