Oh, how many times I’ve seen beautiful photos of flying hot air balloons above the rock formations in Cappadocia and wished to go there and see them myself. Let me tell you how we spent three magical days in Cappadocia.
Last two years my husband and I were living in Istanbul and this time last year it was time to say goodbye to this amazing city. I was thinking how we didn’t have a chance to go and see more of Turkey even though some places were just an hour away by plane. We did get a chance to go to Bodrum and Izmir, but my big wish was to see Pamukkale (I still hope we will one day) and Cappadocia – this wish came true.
I was in Istanbul packing our stuff for the move and my husband was coming from Belgrade to help me finish and we decided we needed a little break. We booked our flight to Cappadocia and a hotel.
Here’s how we spent three magical days in Cappadocia.
We flew with Pegasus airlines which has some great deals from time to time. So, we left off from Sabiha Gökçen airport and arrived in Kayseri. We arranged with our hotel to be picked up at the airport. We came to our gorgeous hotel called Local Cave House about 3pm. And that’s where three magical days in Cappadocia begin!
This hotel itself is a beauty! I mean, we stayed in a cave – that’s pretty much it for me! I won’t be getting into describing it but I’ll rather post some photos.
We had breakfast included which is great because we both need to eat something in the morning to function properly. In the afternoons we were swimming and drinking Turkish coffee and some refreshing drinks by the pool. If you’re not a guest at the hotel but still want to use the pool there is a certain fee you’ll be paying (of course, if it’s not already too busy). I saw quite a few people coming here to refresh and to take photos.
When we took our bags to the room we changed quickly and went out to eat. In the town Göreme (where we stayed) there are some pretty nice restaurants which serve both Turkish and international food. The town is pretty small and you can walk it easily, go around shopping for souvenirs, stop for a cup of coffee in some other cave hotel or a restaurant, take photos and simply enjoy.
What to see and do in Cappadocia?
Very close to the place we stayed at is Göreme Open Air Museum which we went to see on our first day. We walked about 20 minutes to there and came just one hour before closing. This was a good thing on one side since there weren’t a lot of people around and we got to see everything. On another side, we could use a bit more time. I suggest taking it easy and spend two hours here. This place is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984.
Christian Monks who lived in Middle Ages built the churches here by carving the soft volcanic rocks. Most of the churches are built between 10th and 12th century. Inside the churches are beautiful frescoes with colors that are still visible. Some of the churches are Nunnery, Apple church, Snake church, Dark church… Keep in mind that taking photos is not allowed inside the churches.
The rock formations in Cappadocia emerged due to a geological process that started millions years ago.
Volcanic eruptions covered the valleys with a think layer of ash. When the volcanic ash hardens it’s called tuff. After that the erosion (natural forces of wind and water) did their part and only the hardest elements of the formations survived forming the beautiful landscape in Cappadocia. Humans also had their part in forming Cappadocia the way it is today. The first Roman inhabitants realized that tuff was a useful material and something they can transform and work with, so they made the caves to live in, stables for the animals and even made holes for air circulation.
I expected a lot from Cappadocia and I got even more than that! And it was only our first day out of three magical days in Cappadocia.
On our way back to the hotel we were greeted by the beautiful sunset over the fairy chimneys of Cappadocia.
We decided that we won’t take a balloon ride, but we were very eager to see them take off and fly. We didn’t know if they’re going to fly since that depends on weather.
So, the next day I woke up a bit before 5 am and went to the window to see if anything’s happening. OMG! When I saw the first few balloons flying over our hotel I woke my husband up and almost cried from happiness. I told him to hurry up and we went out of our room. The sun didn’t fully rise yet but they were up in the sky, flying. We went up the hill from our hotel (quite a hike for 5am without coffee) and made it to a place called The Sunset Point. Definitely, one of the best things to see in Cappadocia is hot air balloons flying in the morning!
I honestly don’t have the words to describe what I felt seeing something that only looked like magic.
We were walking on the rocks, taking photos, greeting the hot air balloons who were about to land. I just couldn’t stop smiling. It was amazing! Even my husband who doesn’t get impressed easily loved this scene. He was all over the place watching them and making videos. One of the best mornings in our lives and probably the most memorable moment of our three magical days in Cappadocia!
There were a lot of people at The Sunset Point that morning but there was also plenty of space for everyone. We truly enjoyed it.
After a morning like that we went back to our hotel in Cappadocia where we had breakfast and then a cup of Turkish coffee by the pool. We relaxed a bit more and decided to head out and explore Paşabağ or The Monks Valley.
It was about 9 am and the sun was already burning. We went to the town’s small center and took a taxi to Paşabağ. Taxi driver suggested we see Zelve Open Air Museum first and then walk to Paşabağ next. We took his suggestion and started exploring. Here are some photos of the place.
Zelve Open Air Museum is bigger than Göreme Open Air Museum and it was once inhabited by one of the largest communities in Cappadocia. This is a cave town where it’s said that Christians and Muslims lived together in harmony for a certain period of time. Christians had to leave the valley because of the exchange of minorities between Greece and Turkey in 1924. The Muslims were forced to leave in 1950s due to the risk of erosion. The erosion at Zelve still continues.
After this we went to Paşabağ and found another place with beautiful fairy chimneys.
When we arrived it was already midday and the place was crowded. I would suggest coming a bit earlier in the morning to enjoy it and not have to queue to enter a cave you want to see.
Also, it’s a beautiful place to take photos at. I’m sure you’ve seen many of them on Instagram.
You can take some amazing shots here and see some of the strangest shapes of fairy chimneys in Cappadocia. We managed to take some photos where we were alone but it took a lot of patience in the heat. After we saw everything we went outside to have a fresh juice and just to sit down a bit.
We took a taxi back to the center and had lunch at one of the restaurants. My husband decided to take a nap after lunch and I went to the hotel pool to refresh myself. We didn’t sleep much that night so we needed a bit of rest.
After that we went to another hotel for a coffee. It was Sultan Cave Suites where we had our afternoon coffee, enjoyed the view and soft music from the bar. I knew about this place before we came thanks to the photos on Instagram and it really is a beautiful hotel. Wherever you decide to stay I think you won’t be disappointed.
On our last day we went to see the hot air balloons flying again and felt the same magic.
How to book your hot air ballon ride in Cappadocia?
If you plan to do the hot air balloon ride every hotel can make a booking for you. It only depends on the weather if balloons will fly that day or not. And you’ll have to wake up very early (around 3am) since the shuttle bus needs to pick you up at your hotel and take you to the departing point. I hope you’ll enjoy seeing Cappadocia from the air.
After seeing the balloons we went for breakfast, bought some souvenirs and decided to go to Love valley to take another look at these gorgeous formations. You can take a sunset horse ride here or rent a quad and enjoy the beauties of Earth.
After this it was time to take another dip in the pool and head to the airport. We were going to Istanbul – to say goodbye to what has been our home for two years.
I really hope you liked this blog post about Cappadocia. It’s truly a magical place and if you have a chance I highly recommend visiting it.
If you’d like to read more about Istanbul here are some of my blog posts you may like:
- Arnavutkoy – one of Istanbul’s most beautiful neighbourhoods
- Ten less touristy things to do in Istanbul
- Istanbul neighbourhoods you must see
If you don’t have time to read them now you can always pin them for later! Enjoy!
