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Cappadocia
As if plucked from a whimsical fairytale and set down upon the stark Anatolian plains, Cappadocia is a geological oddity of honeycombed hills and towering boulders of otherworldly beauty. The fantastical topography is matched by the human history here. People have long utilised the region's soft stone, seeking shelter underground and leaving the countryside scattered with fascinating cavern architecture. The fresco-adorned rock-cut churches of Göreme Open-Air Museum and the subterranean refuges of Derinkuyu and Kaymaklı are the most famous sights, while simply bedding down in one of Cappadocia's cave hotels is an experience in 21st-century cave living.
Whether you're wooed here by the hiking potential, the history or the bragging rights of becoming a modern troglodyte for a night, it's the lunarscape panoramas that you'll remember. This region's accordion-ridged valleys, shaded in a palette of dusky orange and cream, are an epiphany of a landscape – the stuff of psychedelic daydreams.
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Top attractions
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Cappadocia.
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Güllüdere (Rose) Valley
The trails that loop around Güllüdere Vadısı (Rose Valley) are easily accessible to all levels of walkers and provide some of the finest fairy-chimney-strewn vistas in Cappadocia. As well as this, though, they hide fabulous, little-visited rock-cut churches boasting vibrant fresco fragments and intricate carvings hewn into the stone. If you only have time to hike through one valley in Cappadocia, this is the one to choose. Follow the signs from the Güllüdere Valley trailhead to the Kolonlu Kilise, chiselled out of a nondescript rock facade. Take the trail through the orchard and then cross the tiny bridge over the gully to enter the church's gloomy lower chamber. Climb up the staircase and you'll find a white stone nave studded with sturdy columns carved out of the rock. From there, backtrack through the orchard and follow the main trail to the Haçlı Kilise, where the Cross Church Cafe with its shady terraces just below the entrance provides the perfect excuse for a hiking break. The church, accessed by a rickety wooden staircase, has frescoes dating to the 9th century on its apse and a spectacular large cross carved into its ceiling. Head north from the Haçlı Kilise and, when the trail branches, take the right-hand path to reach the Üç Haçlı Kilise, with its stunning ceiling relief and damaged frescoes featuring an enthroned Jesus.
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Dark Church
The highlight of Göreme Open-Air Museum is the stunning and fully restored Dark Church, famed for the vivid colours and excellent preservation of its frescoes. The modern name of the church is due to the lack of windows, which is also the reason the fresco colours survived so well. The walls and ceilings here are fully covered with Biblical depictions including Christ as Pantocrator, Christ on the cross and the Betrayal by Judas.
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Göreme Open-Air Museum
This Unesco World Heritage site is an essential stop on any Cappadocian itinerary. First thought to be a Byzantine monastic settlement that housed some 20 monks, then a pilgrimage site from the 17th century, this splendid cluster of monastic Byzantine artistry with its rock-cut churches, chapels and monasteries is 1km uphill from Göreme's centre. The site's highlight – the Dark Church – has an additional entrance fee. Note that the ticket office closes at 4.30pm October to April. From the museum ticket booth, follow the cobbled path until you reach the 11th-century Chapel of St Basil, dedicated to Kayseri-born St Basil, one of Cappadocia's most important saints. In the main room, St Basil is pictured on the left; a Maltese cross is on the right, along with St George and St Theodore slaying a (faded) dragon, symbolising paganism. On the right of the apse, Mary holds baby Jesus with a cross in his halo. Nearby is the Chapel of St Barbara. Some art historians theorise that Byzantine soldiers carved out this 11th-century church, dedicated to their patron saint, who is depicted on the left as you enter. Look up at the ceiling and note the red ochre motifs – the middle one could represent the Ascension; above the St George representation on the far wall, the strange creature could be a dragon and the two crosses the beast's usual slayers. Past the Chapel of St Barbara the lane loops down to the columned and nine-domed Apple Church, which contains well-preserved, colourful, professionally painted frescoes of biblical scenes as well as simple red-ochre daubs. The Ascension is pictured above the door while Christ Pantocrator is depicted on the church's central dome. The church's name is thought to derive from an apple tree that grew nearby or from a misinterpretation of the globe held by the Archangel Gabriel, in the third dome. Heading uphill you come to the Snake Church, also called the Church of St Onuphrius, where St George's ubiquitous dragon-foe is still having a bad day. To add insult to fatal injury, the church got its current moniker when locals mistook the pictured dragon for a snake. The hermetic hermaphrodite St Onuphrius is depicted on the right, holding a genitalia-covering palm leaf. Straight ahead, the small figure next to Jesus is one of the church's financiers. The small Pantocrator Chapel and Nameless Chapel (İzimsiz Şapel) with their simple red-ochre geometric decorations and Maltese crosses are a little further along the path as well as a series of caves thought to have served as refectory and kitchen areas with a rock-cut table in one cavern. On the highest point of the path, head up the tunnel to the stunning, fresco-filled Dark Church, the most famous of the museum's churches. It takes its name from the fact that it originally had very few windows. Luckily, this lack of light preserved the vivid colour of the frescoes, which show, among other things, Christ Pantocrator, the Nativity, the Transfiguration, the Betrayal by Judas and the Crucifixion. The church was restored at great expense and the entrance fee is intended to limit visitor numbers to further preserve the frescoes. Just past the Dark Church, the little Chapel of St Catherine contains frescoes of St George, St Catherine and the Deesis (a seated Christ flanked by the Virgin and John the Baptist). Heading downhill, the 13th-century Sandal Church is named for the footprints marked in the floor, representing the last imprints left by Jesus before he ascended to heaven. Although the frescoes aren't as well preserved here, the colours are still vivid.The four gospel writers are depicted below the central dome; in the arch over the door to the left is the Betrayal by Judas. The Rahibeler Monastery is at the bottom of the hill, just before you get back to the museum entrance area. It was originally several storeys high and it's posited by historians that a small community of nuns resided here during the 11th century. All that remains is a large plain dining hall and, up some steps, a small chapel with unremarkable frescoes, but the entire craggy structure is now cordoned off due to rock falls. When you exit the Open-Air Museum, don't forget to cross the road to visit the Buckle Church, 50m down the hill towards Göreme and covered by the same ticket. This is one of Göreme's biggest and finest churches, with an underground chapel and fabulous restored frescoes painted in a narrative (rather than liturgical) cycle. Entry is via the barrel-vaulted chamber of the 10th-century 'old' chapel, with frescoes portraying the life of Christ. Behind it, the 'new' church, built less than 100 years later, is also alive with frescoes on a similar theme. The holes in the floor once contained tombs, taken by departing Greek Christians during Turkey's population exchange. Note that photography is not allowed inside any of the churches.
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Buckle Church
The Buckle Church is 50m back down the hill towards Göreme and across the road from the main Open-Air Museum complex, but is covered by the same entrance ticket. Don't miss it as this is one of Göreme's biggest and finest churches with an interior completely covered in restored frescoes painted in a narrative (rather than liturgical) cycle. Entry is via the barrel-vaulted chamber of the 10th-century 'old' church, while behind is the 11th-century 'new' church. The frescoes in both depict scenes from the life of Christ. The holes in the floor once contained tombs, taken by departing Greek Christians during Turkey's population exchange.
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Museum of Seljuk Civilisation
This excellent museum is set in the restored Çifte Medrese, a 13th-century twin hospital and seminary built at the bequest of Seljuk sultan Keyhüsrev I and his sister Gevher Nesibe Sultan. It's thought to be one of the world's first medical training schools. The strikingly serene architecture is offset by beautiful exhibits of Seljuk artistry, culture and history, complemented by up-to-the-minute multimedia displays. Our one grumble is that not enough of the information panels have English translations.
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Old Village
The back alleys of Ürgüp are home to many examples of the traditional stone architecture of this region. In particular, in the northern section of the old village walk up Dere Sokak, with its road-archway topped with a tiny mosque. Or take a wander through the southern section, heading up Barbaros Hayrettin Sokak for its excellent decoratively carved doorways, and then continuing on, walking through the back alleys where the old village houses rub up against the hill.
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Apple Church
The 12th-century Apple Church (Elmalı Kilise) overlooks a valley of poplars below. Relatively well preserved, it contains both simple, red-ochre daubs and bright frescoes depicting scenes from the New Testament. The Ascension is pictured above the door. The church's name is thought to derive from an apple tree that grew nearby or from a misinterpretation of the globe held by the Archangel Gabriel, in the third dome.
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Sunset View Hill
You get one of the best panoramas across Göreme by walking up the steep hill through alleyways to this wooden platform suspended on the edge of the cliff high above the village. From here you can follow a rough track along the ridge for sweeping views of the village on your left and vistas of the wind- and water-sculpted rock formations of Görkündere Valley to your right. Despite the moniker, we don't recommend coming here for sunset in summer when it can get ridiculously crowded and the road leading up to the viewpoint is crammed with cars. Note for sunrise hot-air-balloon views, there's a ₺3 entrance fee. During the day there are far fewer people about, it's free and the views are just as good.
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Kayseri Castle
The monumental black-basalt walls of Kayseri castle were first constructed under Roman emperor Gordian III and rebuilt by the Byzantine emperor Justinian 300 years later. The imposing edifice you see today though is mostly the work of 13th-century Seljuk sultan Alaattin Keykubat. The outer fortifications stamp their way down Park and Talas Caddesis. At the time of research, the inner castle was undergoing a mammoth restoration project, planned to be finished by mid-2020. Once the restoration is complete, the interior will become the new home of Kayseri's Archaeological Museum as well as provide space for an arts centre.
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