Cappadocia in 4 Days: Tales of 1001 Hot Air Balloons

Organization of a Cappadocia trip

How you can organize a trip to Cappadocia, I wrote a few weeks ago in my first Cappadocia article Cappadocia vacation summarized. Today I share my travel diary with you and tell about my experiences between fairy chimneys and hot air balloons.

My Cappadocia Diary

Completely exhausted and sweaty, we looked into each other's eyes. Behind us several large stray dogs that didn't exactly look like they wanted to be petted and in front of us a deserted country road. Me in the floor-length pink dress and hat. Actually, only the rolling hay bales and the man with the harmonica were missing. Where were they? But even they probably didn't have time or didn't want to stray here. Go hiking, they said, it'll be fun, they said.
But first everything from the beginning:

Day 1: Welcome to the fairyland of Goreme

As soon as I arrived in Göreme, I was literally enchanted by the very special, romantic charm of the place. We arrived in the evening and were therefore initially only able to enjoy the wonderful view at night. We also liked our hotel right away and felt at home straight away, especially when we discovered the cozy in-house restaurant with a terrace and a view of Göreme, we couldn't help but be amazed. The restaurant, where the excellent breakfast buffet takes place, is rustically cozy and full of small loving details. With a hot cay we were able to warm up and relax over the roofs of Göreme.

Downtown Goreme

Then we went straight to the small city center of Göreme, where numerous souvenir shops and restaurants can be found. The atmosphere of the small town is completely relaxed and the small alleys and streets are really picturesque. Dogs and cats dozed almost everywhere. Of course, I immediately made the acquaintance of a sweet little cat that immediately purred its way into my heart. Autumn was also clearly noticeable in Göreme, but made our little evening walk all the more comfortable. After an absolutely delicious and healthy dinner, which consisted of lots of fresh herbs, vegetables and traditional Turkish bread, we went back to the hotel.

We had decided on a traditional cave hotel and what can I say: our two-story cave suite felt like a small home in a cave. The furnishings are quaint, traditional and a bit old-fashioned, which only further underlines the special charm of a cave hotel.

Day 2: Walking through Goreme Open Air Museum and Love Valley

Go hiking, they said, it'll be fun, they said

My alarm clock rang at 5.30:XNUMX sharp and I got out of bed amazingly well. The anticipation and excitement of finally experiencing the spectacle live, which I have seen so often in pictures, was really great. Especially when we heard the flames of the balloons from our window, we wanted to step out of the door as quickly as possible and lo and behold: as soon as we were out of the door, the first hot air balloon was already hovering in the air very close in front of us .

Sultan Cave Suites: Watch hot air balloons at sunrise

We first went to the neighboring hotel Sultan Cave Suites, which was recommended to us by our hotel because it is said to have the best view of the sunrise and the balloons. I was particularly looking forward to it because I was very excited to see what it looks like behind the scenes of the famous pictures and because I really wanted to get to know Izmir, the hotel dog. When we got there we were pretty exhausted by the onslaught of people who all wanted to take photos on this terrace. Somehow it was almost like a competition to see who could take the best picture from the best angle and in the best lighting conditions.

Of course we also wanted to take photos, but in between we just put our cell phones and cameras away to enjoy the moment and the sunrise. However, I had the impression that many hotel guests or visitors only saw the beautiful landscape in front of them through their smartphones, drones and cameras.

Everything for the perfect picture

Some even pushed ahead just to stage the best picture of themselves. The Instagram world is not always what it claims to be and increasingly seems to have evolved into a wild and unpredictable jungle where only the perfect picture counts. The constant self-expression was the only thing that bothered and disturbed us a bit, although I was so overwhelmed and happy with the spectacle of seeing so many hot air balloons at once that everything else faded into the background.

Then, when the sun rose and cast golden rays across the terrace, we could only enjoy this moment and just tried to block out the rest. Afterwards we went back to our hotel for a delicious breakfast, where we could relax and drink coffee and tea with a view of the Goreme Valley. Again and again we had either cuddly visits on velvet paws from the cute cats or from the lovely dogs, who like to check on things (not that a piece of sausage fell on the floor).

Goreme Open Air Museum: cave churches and fairy chimneys

After a short break, we continued on our way Goreme Open Air Museum, which is very easy to reach on foot from our hotel. The Goreme Open Air Museum is a national park best known for its many cave churches, fairy chimneys and former cave dwellings. The open-air museum costs admission but is definitely worth a visit. In some churches the frescoes are still quite well preserved and in one cave church the footprint of Jesus is said to be depicted.

Those who are not too interested in the historical part will definitely be amazed by the breathtaking landscape in and around the open-air museum. We didn't have an organized tour and went for a walk in the Open Air Museum quite relaxed. Unfortunately, there are only a few signs with explanations about the individual historical cave complexes. The open-air museum was quite well attended that day, but not so much that we had to queue anywhere. The weather was wonderful, the mood was great and the atmosphere on site was unique. After a few hours in the open-air museum and a short stop at the hotel, we continued towards Love Valley. At least that's what we planned.

Lost in “Love Valley”: What do these rock formations remind you of?

Sure, of course! To asparagus heads 😉 what else! That Love valley or Bagildere Vadisi called, is a valley characterized by impressive tufa mountains that might remind the visitor of something specific...

Fairy chimneys in Love Valley near Goreme

So if you go through the head cinema with you, you are not that wrong, because Mother Nature has really shown a lot of humor here. After we look at the fairy chimneys then took a closer look, the name Love Valley suddenly made sense. We had not booked a tour to the valley but after being told how easy it would be to get to Love Valley we decided to walk the route alone. The hotel said it would be no problem and would take about half an hour. However, when after several kilometers of a completely deserted hiking trail there was still no Love Valley in sight, we were no longer sure whether that was such a good idea and started to think about it. Were we lost?

Google Maps suggested a very scenic, if very deserted, hiking route, because apart from an old man talking to himself, we only encountered a few stray dogs here and there.

Eventually we joined a group of cheerful Turkish women (other people at last!) who, like us, were lost. Even though they couldn't speak English and we couldn't speak Turkish, we kind of had to laugh all the time. Suddenly it was even fun to get lost. Together we went step by step towards the uncertainty as to whether the famous Love Valley would finally appear at some point. I hadn't grown a beard yet, but we were starting to feel so sweaty like Chuck Noland from Cast Away.

Then the first loud quads: So the valley couldn't be that far away. After about another kilometer we actually found it. And the view of the valley was simply breathtaking. We just made it to sunset. There are many romantic swings along the viewing platform that visitors can sit on and look down into the valley. A truly unique, incomparable view! By the way: I changed my clothes for the photo.

Road movie meets ghost town: on foot in Love Valley

However, we didn't have much time because we still had to find our way back on foot and there wasn't a taxi in sight. Just the thought of having to walk back along the country road made me queasy. When we also met several large stray dogs that didn't exactly give the impression that they just wanted to be petted by us, our nerves were on edge. A kiosk employee in Love Valley had previously recommended us to simply hitchhike, which we then tried. Easier said than done! We probably didn't look very confidence-inspiring 😀

Completely exhausted and sweaty, we looked into each other's eyes. Behind us several large stray dogs and in front of us a deserted country road. Me in the floor-length pink dress and hat. Actually, only the rolling hay bales and the man with the harmonica were missing. But even they probably didn't have time or didn't want to get lost in a place that resembled a ghost town. Go hiking, they said, it'll be fun, they said. Luckily a car finally stopped and we were taken to Göreme by a friendly couple. We were so infinitely grateful, as if God had sent us two angels! By the way, I found out later on Instagram that we're not the only ones who got lost on the way to Love Valley.

Day 3: A day in Uçhisar – of pigeons, valleys and overrated addresses

The hot air balloon spectacle started again the next day. Surprisingly, I got out of bed pretty easily and was ready for story time. This time there were a little fewer balloons than the day before. Later we even got one Website which is mainly used by pilots to find out where and how many balloons will fly. We were just lucky in this respect and quite a lot of balloons flew off every morning. After a leisurely breakfast we set off Uchisar.

Uchisar is a village in Cappadocia, where things are a little quieter than in Göreme. Very close to the village there is the so-called "Valley of the Dovecotes" (Turkish Güverçin Vadisi), where numerous dovecotes have been built on the rock faces over the years. There is also a castle in Uçhisar, which is actually a castle carved into tuff that can be seen from afar. When we arrived in Uçhisar, we immediately noticed the clear contrast to Göreme: It was a bit quieter, many cafes were already closed and generally we met far fewer people than in Göreme.

Pigeon Valley in Cappadocia

But we were happy about it, we had the "Pigeon Valley" practically all to ourselves. The view was gigantic! However, hiking and taking photos made us hungry quickly, so we decided to look for a cafe or restaurant. Since most of the restaurants had already closed, we asked politely at the Museum Hotel if we could have a bite to eat there. We were offered a table, but you could tell from the type of service that there were clear differences between hotel guests and external visitors. In addition, the table was full of hair (?!) so that we quickly lost our appetite. I was a little disappointed with the hotel complex and the rather strange atmosphere, we originally considered it as accommodation because of the numerous beautiful pictures. But often it is more appearance than reality.

Cave Restaurant Inci

Of course we didn't let such trivialities spoil our mood and quickly made our way back to Göreme. On foot we discovered more breathtaking viewing platforms and abandoned cave dwellings. There is a very special atmosphere about the landscape that can hardly be put into words. We're going to that for dinner Restaurant Inc gone. The romantic cave restaurant with excellent cuisine, friendly hosts and a pleasant atmosphere is centrally located and at the same time in a quiet, cozy side street. We were blown away by the excellent food and hospitality! At the hotel, full and happy, we fell into a deep sleep and dreamed of 1001 hot-air balloons.

Day 4: Like in a fairy tale from 1001 Nights

Do you know that feeling when suddenly one thing just fits into the other and you think it can't get any more beautiful and then suddenly a moment like in a fairy tale awaits you? You want to pinch yourself, but you are hugged and you know: Thank God it wasn't a dream! On the last day of our Cappadocia trip we were in Mithra Cave Hotel invited to breakfast on the private terrace. And as chance or luck would have it, an extremely large number of hot air balloons took off that day. We couldn't believe our luck, but when several hot air balloons suddenly came closer and closer, we thought we were dreaming.

One of the hot air balloons almost landed on our hotel terrace and was so close that the passengers could have had breakfast with us. Or we could have flown. Somehow I felt like Gulliver's journey around the world. The sunrise, the hot air balloons, the fairy chimneys: a setting like a painting! Words cannot express my gratitude for this moment. It was an unforgettable experience that I will always remember fondly. We took it easy for the rest of the day, enjoying the view and sorting through pictures. In the late afternoon we bought a few souvenirs in the small town center and then treated ourselves to a delicious dinner in the restaurant where we ate on the first evening.

Our trip to Cappadocia felt much longer than it actually was because we experienced so much in a relatively short time that we could fill whole books with it. We toasted with a good wine to an incomparable journey to an enchanting Cappadocia.

Other attractions in Cappadocia

Cappadocia has a lot to offer. Therefore, I recommend that you plan enough time for your Cappadocia trip to really enjoy this unique landscape and extraordinary atmosphere.

For the brave: Underground cities in Derinkuyu, Kaymakli and Özkonak

More than 50 underground cities are believed to exist in Cappadocia. The best known include Derinkuyu, Kaymakli or Özkonak. Although 36 such underground cities have already been discovered, most of them are not open to the public. Derinkuyu, on the other hand, is the largest known complex that can also be entered by the public. The time of origin is unknown. With 19 floors and formerly more than 10.000 inhabitants, Özkonak is now considered one of the deepest accessible cave towns. Those who like to stay in labyrinths can visit Kaymakli, the city whose corridors are particularly winding. It is estimated that between 3000 and 30000 people lived in Kaymakli.

Rosé please: The Güllüdere Valley in Cavusin

Do you like the color pink? Then this sight in Cappadocia could be interesting for you. In Cavusin is the Gülledere Tal, also known as the Rose Valley. A valley full of fascinating rock formations in beautiful reddish tones. Çavuşin is located about five kilometers north of Göreme, between Avanos and Göreme. The road is well signposted and there are footpaths. Perfect for hiking!

Heavenly: The Ihlara Valley in the southwest of Cappadocia

The Ihlara Valley is actually a 15 km long and up to 150 m deep gorge in the southwest of Cappadocia in Aksaray Province. In the valley there are about 50 rock churches and numerous cave structures. What visibly distinguishes the valley from other attractions in Cappadocia is the lush vegetation. Here you can go hiking along the river, marvel at the cave churches and meet many locals.