Cappadocia has something to offer for any kind of traveller from exhilarating hot air balloon rides, breathtaking landscapes, and some of the best food I’ve had from any country I’ve visited.
This 3 day itinerary packs in all of Cappadocia’s must do experiences and top-rated restaurants. From sunrise hot air balloon rides to exploring underground cities- follow along for the perfect 3 days in Cappadocia!
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Best Place To Stay In Cappadocia
After reading through countless reviews and experiences, I chose to stay at Sultan Cave Suites in Goreme.
I had the most exceptional stay and would recommend it to anyone visiting Cappadocia. From the best terrace to watch the hot air balloons at sunrise, to amazing food, to the friendliest staff, I left without one complaint during my stay.
Highlights
- Amazing views of the hot air balloons at sunrise
- Perfect location to walk to restaurants and shops
- Friendly, accomadating staff
How To Spend 3 Days In Cappadocia?
With such a rich history and so much beautiful scenery to Cappadocia, you’re spoiled for choice for things to do.
To get the most out of our time in the city, we booked a few different tours.
Hot Air Balloon Ride: An absolute must do while you’re in Cappadocia. If you’re a little hesitant, I would recommend booking with Royal Balloons. They are a little pricier than their competitors, but they have the highest safety standards and are rated the “Best Balloon Company In Cappadocia” according to tripadvisor. We had the most amazing experience with them from start to finish and would highly reccomend. They book up early, so reserve ahead of time! Check out their rates and availability here!
The “Red” Tour: This tour takes you to different sites in Northern Cappadocia such as the Goreme Open Air Museum, Devrent Valley, and Pasabag Valley. While there are many different tour companies which do this tour, we had amazing experience with Enka Travel. You can check out the prices for the small group tour here!
The “Green” Tour: Once you’ve covered Northen Cappadocia, it’s time to check out what southern Cappadocia has to offer. The Green Tour takes you to famous sites such as Ilhara Valley, Derinkuyu Underground City, and Pigeon Valley. We had an amazing experience with Highline Cappadocia Travel. The have some of the highest ratings and the best prices, check them out here!
Day 1: Hot Air Balloon Ride
4:30: Hot Air Balloon Ride
To start off your Cappadocia trip, embark on a once in a lifetime experience- an exhilarating hot air balloon ride over Cappadocia during the sunrise. This was the highlight of my entire Turkey trip. Soaring above the fairy chimney as the sun rises is an experience I will never forget.
Travel Tip: Book this on your first possible day in Cappadocia. The hot air balloon rides can get cancelled due to unforeseen weather conditions. If the hot air balloon ride gets cancelled on your first day, you’ll have time to rebook.
I recommend booking with Royal Balloon. They are slightly more expensive than other hot air balloon companies, but receive outsanding reviews on safety and hospitality. After being picked up from your hotel, you will be treated to a complimentary breakfast. Next, you will spend about 1 hour on the hot air balloon ride as you soar above the fairy chimneys. A champagne toast completes this amazing tour.
Highlights
- Listed as “Best Balloon Company In Cappadocia” on Tripadvisor
- High safety standards
- Extremely high satisfactions ratings across all platforms
8:30am: Turkish Coffee at Coffeedocia
After your early morning excursion, you’ll need a nice pick me up to start the day- some strong Turkish coffee. Some of my favorite was from Coffeedocia- a centrally located in cafe Cappadocia with a great selection of food and drinks. There is ample room inside with a cozy interior and a spacious terrace outside. The staff are extremely friendly and accommodating and the Turkish coffee was my favorite that I had on the trip!
10am-3pm: Souvenir Shopping
Spend the rest of the afternoon shopping in Cappadocia. Coffeedocia cafe will put you at a good, central location for some of Cappadocia’s best shopping spots. From here, you can stroll down the streets of Goreme and shop for popular ceramics, colorful Turkish carpets, mosaic lamps, and jewellery.
5:30pm: Dinner at Topdeck Cave Restaurant
This quaint family owned restaurant was one of my favorites restaurants we went to in Cappadocia. Not only is the ambience great, but the food is amazing and the staff is attentive.
Recommendation: Order their house wine and meze plate!
Day 2: Red (North) Tour
5am: View The Hot Air Balloons At Sunrise
Begin you morning with an early start to watch hot air balloon rides above Cappadocia. My favorite spot was to watch them on the terrace at Sultan Cave and Suites. They have one of the best terrace views (if not the best) from any hotel to watch the hot air balloons.
9am: Embark on The Red Tour
This tour takes you to venture in the northern area of Cappadocia. On this tour, I saw the most surreal landscapes and learned about the history of many fascinating historical sites.
While there are a variety of different companies offering the “red tour”, I had the most amazing experience with Enka Travel which offers small group tours. Some sites you can expect to see on the red tour include:
Goreme Open Air Museum: a UNESCO World Heritage Site featuring ancient rock cut churches and Montessaries
Uchisar Castle: Offering beautiful views of the surrounding mountains, this castle features a networks of tunnels that you can explore. This castle it is of historical significance as it was used a defensive fortress during the Byzantine era and played an important role as a defensive structure throughout civilizations!
Love Valley: You may be able to guess why it’s called Love Valley by looking at the rock formations… This famous valley is the perfect spot for a photo opportunity and is even a popular marriage proposal spot.
Avanos Pottery Workshop: Here you can view some ancient Cappadocian paintings and ceramics. Avanos is a town famous for their porttery. Here, you will get the opportunity to see a potter making demonstration by a local artist and even try your hand at some pottery! Afterwards, you have the chance to buy artwork from local Cappadocian artists. I bought a traditional Byzantine wine bottle and to this day, it is one of my favorite souvenirs I have bought on a trip!
Pasabag Valley: Also known as Monks Valley, famous for its tall rock formations known as “fairy chimneys”.
5:30pm: Dinner at Sultan Cave and Restaurant
After a full day of touring, enjoy a cozy dinner at Sultans Cave and Suites. Not only do they have the perfect terrace for sunrise, but it is also a beautiful spot overlooking the city at night oftentimes featuring live music.
Day 3: Green (South) Tour
After venturing to see some of the amazing sites northern Cappadocia has to offer on day 2, it’s time to see some of the beautiful spots in southern Cappadocia. The “Green Tour” explores ancient cave dwelling and scenic trails. Here are some of the sites you can expect to see on the green tour:
Derinkuyu UngerGround City: This Intricate newtork of tunnels and living spaces was built by early Christians. On this tour, you have the opportunity to It could hold up to and considered one of the most remarkable underground cities in the world.
Ilhara Valley: This beautiful valley offers lush greenery in the otherwise dessert-like scenery of Cappadocia. In addition to the large variety of vegetation, you’ll find rock-cut churches and monetarises.
Pigeon Valley: This valley features pigeon houses etched into the cliffs. The pigeons were once utilized by locals who used their droppings for fertilizer.
6:30pm: Watch the Sunset Lovers Hill
Not only is Cappadocia known for their spectacular sunrises, but they also have some beautiful sunset spots. One of my favorites was Lover’s Hill. This sunset spot is located about a 15 minute walk from many of the have hotels in Goreme.
To get to the sunset spot; it requires a walk up a steep, but fairly short hill. There’s no better way to conclude your stay in Cappadocia than watching the sun set at this beautiful spot.
We’d Like To Hear From You!
Have you travelled to Cappadocia? What were your favorite excursions and places you visited?
