What to do in the fairyland of Cappadocia?

DETAILED ITINERARY 3 DAYS 2 NIGHTS

Day 1: Istanbul - Cappadocia (1 hour flight, if taking a local bus, take the night bus to save time) visit the underground city.

Day 2: Cappadocia (hot air balloon ride to explore Ucisar fortress, Goreme village, mushroom rock park)

Day 3: Cappadocia (continue balloon hunting and leave at noon)

INTERESTING PLACES IN CAPPADOCIA

1. UCHISAR FORT

Rising like a giant termite mound, Uchisar Castle in Uchisar village is famous for its sunset view and the magnificent view of the giant rock canyon next to it. Because it is close to Uchisar, it is only a 15-minute walk to get here every day, in addition, there are many attractive restaurants, cafes and rooftops you should visit around here.

2. MUSHROOM VILLAGE

Located in the middle of the Valley of the Monks, natural stone structures grow like mushrooms here. With their mushroom-like shapes, this place has become the most recognizable place in Cappadocia. You may find them a bit odd in shape, but that is just your mind.

3. DERINKUYU UNDERGROUND CITY

There are traces of ancient inhabitants. Coming here, Co experienced going underground like going through the Cu Chi tunnels, but more impressive. There is also a church, a food cellar and naturally ventilated skylights so there is no feeling of suffocation. It is recommended that those who are afraid of narrow spaces (claustrophobia) should not go in. The ticket price is 30 TL.

4. GOREME VILLAGE

The most vibrant and bustling village in Cappadocia. Here you will see many sharp rocks pointing up to the sky, formed by volcanic activity, the whole village is a giant mini museum. Here you can visit many shops to sit and chill.

5. POTTERY WORKSHOP & CARPET WEAVING FACTORY

Although not a fan of shopping for traditional items, Co enjoys watching artisans create their creations.

5 GREAT PHOTO ANGLES & TIPS

1. ROOFTOP WITH BALLOON FLYING UP

It is a fact that 99% (I am exaggerating) of people who see Cappadocia are through rooftop photos with hot air balloons. So I am determined that if I don’t take a photo of a hot air balloon, I will not go anywhere. Here are some tips for you to take photos when the hot air balloons are flying:

A. WHERE IS THE BALLOON HUNT LOCATION?

- The best place to see and take pictures is on the rooftops of hotels in Goreme village such as Sultan Cave Suites, Mithra Hotel. However, these 2 places will chase you away because this area is only for their guests. So how to take pictures?

- Taskonak Hotel is an alternative because the hotel owner is quite easygoing, you should ask for permission properly to take pictures and don't talk too loudly.

- You can try the surrounding hotels, because every hotel in Goreme has a similar view, but each rooftop has a different setup.

B. WHAT TO WEAR

- Solid Clothes: should choose colors like sand, white, yellow, blue, orange, red. Limit colors like black, dark shades of cool colors will make you look dark.

- Patterned Clothes: should wear clothes with small patterns, if too big you will be overwhelmed by the balloon

C. IMPORTANT NOTES

- Hot air balloons are not always available. On rainy or windy days, they will not fly. It is best to check the weather forecast in advance. The best time is from April to October because it is not too windy. Luckily, on the first day there were hot air balloons, but the next day it suddenly rained and none of them flew.

- The balloon will take off before dawn. You can check the sunrise time on the app. When the group starts walking to the take-off point, you can fly to the rooftops 15 minutes later.

- You will have about 1 hour and 30 minutes before all the balloons land. So hurry.

2. SUNSET AT UCHISAR

As mentioned above, Uchisar offers a panoramic view of the magnificent rocky valley. The sunset here is equally magnificent. When taking photos here, you need to pay attention to a few small points:

- Go near Uchisar fortress, from there you will have a view over the rocky valley.

- If you want to take a photo of the fortress, you should go straight past the fortress and turn around to look back because in the afternoon the sunset will cover one side, making the photo lack light.

3. BEAUTIFUL CARPET SHOP IN GOREME

Goreme on the penultimate day made Co even more amazed because this carpet shop is a place that no tour introduces, you have to find it yourself. This shop is called GALERI IKMAN, you can Google the location yourself.

This place is more obvious, you pay 50 TL/person to take 10 minutes of photos here. There is even a drone service for 500 TL/session to help you take photos. However, when the Co group took photos, the owner enthusiastically jumped in to take photos for them, and ended up taking photos for a whole hour.

Try to take pictures from different angles and use the available props. Keep your clothes simple because the store has too many patterns and it won’t look good in photos. Avoid hot colors.

4. WHERE THE BALLOON TAKES OFF AND LANDS

The balloons are beautiful when they take off, but even more impressive when they land. You can complete your morning photo hunt by hiring a taxi to take you to the balloon landing sites, which is definitely a different experience because you can see the balloons very close.

There are many landing sites, but the one in the middle of the road connecting Ucisar and Goreme is quite convenient.

5. MUSHROOM VILLAGE

With its impressive stone architecture, the mushroom village is a perfect natural backdrop. Here, climb the rock outcrop on the left, from where you will see the whole view of this geological village.

Here you can wear colorful clothes. In addition, right at the entrance you can take pictures with camels for 15 TL.

WHERE TO STAY IN CAPPADOCIA?

The Kaya Ucisar Cave Hotel is located on the edge of Ucisar, so it is quite convenient to go in and watch the sunset from here. But the big downside is that the balloon will be quite far from the view when it flies up and you have to take a taxi for about 20 minutes.

If you have a small budget, you can still stay at a Cave hotel in a dorm called Cave Garden Hotel in Goreme, cheap 10€/night. It is located high up in the mountain and does not have a rooftop, but you can climb up to the nearby panorama view to see the hot air balloons heading towards Red Valley, which is also beautiful. (This information is contributed by Ms. Hang Nguyen)

The more popular choice is in Goreme village. But the price here is quite expensive because the view of the hot air balloons in this village is the most beautiful. The price ranges from 1,500,000 to 10,000,000 VND/night. Very cheap hotels will not have a rooftop.

TRAVEL TO CAPPADOCIA

1. AIR

Every day, Turkish Airlines operates a quick 1-hour flight from Istanbul to Cappadocia, a small and pretty airport. This is the fastest way to get to this rocky valley. The price ranges from 280 TL - 350 TL (1,100,000 - 1,500,000 VND) about the same as a Saigon - Nha Trang flight ticket. If you book 2 - 3 months in advance, it can go down to less than 800,000 VND. Note: near Cappadocia there are 2 airports: Kayseri (ASR) or Nevsehir (NAV), but Kayseri is 1 hour from Cappadocia and Nevsehir is only about 20 - 30 minutes. You should choose the most suitable airport because the prices sometimes vary.

2. BUS

This is the cheapest way to go to Cappadocia, with only 90TL you can sleep to get here. However, the trip will last more than 10 hours so you will be tired when you arrive. There are many companies selling this ticket such as Metro Turizm and Nevşehir Seyahat you can search online to buy.

Lee Cheng-ji