The Perfect 5 Day Cappadocia Itinerary: Hot Air Balloons, Caves & More
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Cappadocia is a magical place. From watching the sun rise as hot air balloons fill the sky, to the streets littered with fairy chimneys, it is truly a bucket list experience.
Why 5 days?
If you are like us, the promise of drifting through the skies in a hot air balloon was enough to inspire your entire trip. Türkiye has very strict regulations on air balloon flying conditions with regard to the weather, they do not fly every day.
Five days will give you 4 full mornings. Although it’s probably more time than you need to see this region, the slower pace is enough to fill your time, but not feel too rushed. Plus, this gives you the best chances to see the balloons fly AND fly in one yourself.
If you read our post on deciding how much time to spend in a destination you know it’s important to give yourself extra time for these magic moments.
So, here is our 5-day guide to give you the best itinerary for exploring Cappadocia.
Safety
Is Cappadocia safe? At the time of writing, according to the US Department of State, Türkiye is a level 2 travel risk (exercise increased caution).
In our experience, we felt completely safe. The locals were incredible kind and welcoming, never once was safety a concern for us.
When to visit?
Cappadocia can experience both a hot summer and snow during the winter.
The best time to visit is April- June or September-October. Visiting during these months with give you warm days and cool evenings.
Getting To Cappadocia
Cappadocia is actually a region of central turkey. When most people refer to Cappadocia, they are in fact, referring to the town of Göreme.
To reach the region of Cappadocia, you will need to fly into either Kayseri Erkilet Airport (ASR) and drive 1hr to Göreme, or fly into Nevşehir Kapadoky airport (NAV) and drive 40 minutes to Göreme.
Driving in Göreme can be incredibly chaotic and the roads are very narrow (think typical Europe small). For this reason, we opted to get a taxi for our journey to/from the airport. The town of Göreme is very small and incredibly walkable, so we were able to reach most places on foot.
Currency & payment methods
The currency in Turkiye is the Turkish Lira. 1 Turkish Lira (TL) is equal to $0.03USD.
Cash seemed to be preferred in Cappadocia, even our hotel wanted us to pay in full with cash (although they accepted card as well).
Many places preferred cash so much that most world currencies (USD, Euro, AUD, CAD, ect.) were accepted, not just Turkish Lira.
Where to Stay
If you’re coming to Cappadocia, you have to stay in a cave hotel. It’s such a unique experience. Take an old cave dwelling, fill the sky with hot air balloons at sunrise, and somehow it is pure ✨magic✨.
You’ve probably seen photos of this stunning hotel online. This luxury stay will not dissapoint.
Another fantastic luxury option is this beautiful cave hotel.
We stayed at the Charming Cave Hotel. We would classify it as mid-range budget and HIGHLY recommend it. The breakfast was INSANE (in the best way).
While it’s not a cave house, here is a more budget friendly option. It’s more of a traditional hotel, so if that’s your preference, this is perfect for you! All the Cappadocia magic, without the cave.
Itinerary
Day 1
Welcome to Cappadocia! Since you likely arrived here mid-day, it’s time for you to check into your hotel.
Once you’ve settled into your very own cave dwelling, make your way to sunset point for a romantic sunset. To reach sunset hill you will take a short hike up a steep hill. It is 3TL CASH per person to enter.
There are plenty of beautiful viewpoints for photos. This is also a very common place for engagements to take place, so:
Ladies: he might just want to see the sunset.
Fellas: she might think that love valley isn’t the only rock she’s going to see on this trip.
After sunset, enjoy a fantastic Turkish meal- we recommend trying the testi kebabı or “pottery kebab”. It comes as a in a flaming ceramic that is cracked with a tiny hammer right in front of you.
Day 2
Morning
Time for an early morning! Start your day with a hot air balloon and take in the landscapes as you drift past the fairy chimney villages.
Since the balloon flight is extremely weather dependent, we recommend reserving your flight in the first part of your stay in Cappadocia. This will give you plenty of days to reschedule, if need be. Most other activities in this itinerary start in the later morning, keeping your mornings free for schedule shifting.
After a successful hot air balloon flight, grab a wonderful Turkish breakfast. Turkish breakfast is an experience- we had NEVER seen anything like it. It’s a hearty feast consisting of breads, pastries, eggs, cheeses, among many other accoutrements.
Afternoon
Take a visit to love valley to see the iconic phallic shaped rocks. From the town of Göreme to love valley, it is 3km. We opted to walk as there is a sidewalk for nearly the entirety, but it is not shaded and can get quite toasty.
A taxi can get you there in 5-10 minutes. Once there, you can make your way through the dusty trails and take in the unique formations.
Day 3
Today you will do the green tour. This tour will take up the entirety of the day as there are quite a few stops and lunch is typically included. We selected an operator through get your guide.
The green tour can vary slightly by operator, but most should visit Göreme Panorama, Ihlara Valley, Selime Monastery, Pigeon Valley, and Derinkuyu Underground City. There is also a green/red combined tour, but we felt most things on the red tour were easily self guided.
The true highlight of this full-day tour is the Derinkuyu Underground City. Derinkuyu is a multilayer city built underground for protection from religious persecution or foreign invaders.
We caution that it can be quite anxiety inducing. So, if you struggle with claustrophobia, please take that into consideration before selecting this tour. A great alternative to the green tour is the red tour. The red tour highlights are love valley & the open air museum.
Day 4
Morning
After your wonderful Turkish breakfast, make your way to the Göreme open-air museum. The entrance fee is 100TL. Wander along the path and get lost as you admire the fairy chimneys.
Fairy chimney is the name given to mushroom shaped rock formations. Their formation is actually a geological process where the layered composition allowed degradation faster in certain areas, creating the shape that we see today.
Evening
Prepare yourself for a thrilling way to watch the sunset with an evening ATV tour. Riding ATV’s through the dusty desert, passing through fairy chimneys, culminating with a sunset, is truly magical… and a hint of terrifying.
Be warned though, you will get incredible dusty. The tour operator provided a gator to prevent dust inhalation and a helmet for safety. At the end of our tour, everyone got blown-off (not sure what term is appropriate here) by a high pressure air blower.
👉🏼Pro tip: Wear some light colored clothing (the opposite of us) to help hide the dust for cute photos.
Day 5
After a slow morning (AKA waking up to watch the dreamy hot air balloons take flight one last time), we HIGHLY recommend this mosaic lantern making class.
The mosaic lamps are very important in Turkish culture and symbolize protection and enlightenment… and who doesn’t need both of those things?
Get creative as you put your own take on these Turkish light fixtures. It is a lengthy and detail oriented process, so be sure to give yourself plenty of time.
On your last night, you will watch the whirling dervishes perform. There are two types of whirling dervish performances: one that is more like a dinner show and the other is more of a religious ceremony.
We opted to do the religious ceremony because we really enjoy cultural learning experiences. This unique ceremony features repeated whirling (circle) dancing, singing, and chanting. This culturally important ceremony symbolizes the spiritual journey towards Allah.
It’s absolutely fascinating how the spinning seems endless and no one ever falls. The whole thing lasted about an hour, so it’s enough to observe, but just know you won’t be spending your entire night here.
You are required to remain quiet, no photography or videography of any kind. This is an excellent culture opportunity, but not some place that we would recommend for small children, due to the quiet nature.
Final thoughts
Cappadocia, the land of breakfasts and balloons. With plenty to do and see, while still maintaining a relaxed feel, Cappadocia has something for everyone. The magical balloons at sunrise and charming cave suites will have you swooning, but the deep culture and amazing food will have you wanting to come back for more.
