8 Best Tours In Cappadocia, Turkey: The Land Of Fairy Chimneys - Updated 2024

best tours in cappadocia
Diah
Diah 
Updated
| 4 min read

In the land of fairy chimneys, there are secrets waiting to be unfolded by every tourist who dreams of a unique holiday. Between exploring underground cities and cave churches, hiking through its lunar scape panorama, and sleeping in the cave room hotels, the land of Cappadocia will take you to another world. Welcome to the moonlike landscape of Cappadocia and let yourself experience this odd geology terrain and its rich cultural heritage with the best tours in the city.

Tip from tour guide

When you're in the land of fairy chimneys, don't forget to admire the gorgeous Cappadocian sunsets. I like enjoying a glass of wine while gazing at the sun setting over the magical valleys of Cappadocia. It feels like I'm letting Arinna, the sun goddess, bless me. She is still as powerful as Cappadocian wine.

1. Turkish Night at Cave Restaurant with dinner and drinks (from USD 71.0)

Experience the local Cappadocia region with Turkish Night at Cave Restaurant. It’s a three-hour dinner show in a Cappadocia cave restaurant where you will watch a series of folk dances and a belly dancing show, sip unlimited beer and wine, and dine on classic Turkish fare. If you like, you can even take the stage to participate in the belly dance performance. It’s a night to remember!

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Cappadocia Cave Restaurant for Dinner and Turkish Entertainments

Duration: 3 hours

867 reviews

2. Full-day tour of the best of Cappadocia (from USD 93.0)


After the breathtaking balloon tour, take the full day tour that started from the small town of Goreme, located at the center of the Valley of Fairy Chimneys. It’s one of the few remaining villages where fairy chimneys and rock-hewn houses are still inhabited and where several pensions, restaurants, and cafes are carved into the rock. You will continue to Kaymakli Underground City, the widest underground city found in Cappadocia.

A refugee from the war, Kaymakli Underground City is now open for tourists and some locals with access to their courtyards. And the last stop is the traditional village of Avanos that is located on the banks of the Kizilirmak River, the longest river in Turkey. Avanos Village is famous for its pottery and some of the techniques still used date back to 2000 BC.

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Full Day Best of Cappadocia: Cavusin, Kaymakli Underground City and Ortahisar

Duration: 7 hours

3. Wine and sunset tour (from 61.99 USD)


A sunset to remember, the wine and sunset tour offers you a memorable experience, starting with a visit to the most famous local wineries. The wine has been locally produced for around 4,000 years and you can sample some of their collection. Taste the differences between the wines, which are stored in containers in the nearby caves, rather than wooden barrels. Continue to a one-hour hike to Rose and Red Valleys, pass by the Byzantine rock tomb, cave churches, and many unique rock formations that are literally all over the valleys. Stop at Kizilcukur to wait for the dramatic sunset over the lunarscape hill, while popping your wine to share with your loved ones.

Wine and sunset tour

Price: from 61.99 USD

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4. Two-hour ATV tours around Goreme and surrounding valleys (from USD 51.0)


For adrenaline junkies, get your adrenaline pumping on this exciting two-hour ATV tour of Cappadocia’s Goreme Valley and surrounding areas. There will be a local guide who will show you the area while performing tricks on his or her own ATV. You will explore the picturesque Rose Valley, Love Valley, Swords Valley and Goreme Valley and marvel at the terrain. Morning or afternoon tours are available, but it is recommended to take the afternoon so you can enjoy the sunset at the end of your tour.

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2 Hour ATV Tours around Goreme and Surrounding Valleys

Duration: 2 hours

2 reviews

5. Cappadocia balloon tour with champagne breakfast included (from 105 USD)

Cappadocia balloon trip, Ortahisar Castle (11893793775)
Source: Photo by Wikimedia Commons user Arian Zwegers used under CC BY 2.0

Start your Cappadocia experience early in the morning with the popular Cappadocia balloon tour. Within one hour, you will soar over Cappadocia and get the bird’s eye view of the magnificent sights of the region. See the unique volcanic spires, chimneys, and villages that dot the region.

You will end your trip with champagne breakfast after landing along with the pilot and crews. Cheers! It is recommended that you book your hot air balloon tour in advance for the first or second day of your stay at Cappadocia. The balloon tour really depends on the wind and the weather. If the wind and the weather are not good, it will be easier for you to reschedule your tour to another day.

Cappadocia balloon tour with champagne breakfast included

Price: from 105 USD

Website:

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6. Tour of North Cappadocia (from 50.6 USD)


North Cappadocia will give you great views of this wide region. You will start from Uchisar Castle, a glorious landmark with stunning views since it’s located up on the hill. Follow this with Ortahisar Castle, a great spot that offers a lovely panorama over the fairy chimneys of Hallacdere, and continue to walk to Goreme Open Air Museum. A UNESCO World Heritage site, Goreme Open Air Museum is a cluster of monastic Byzantine artistry. You will end your tour with the Pasabag Fairy Chimneys and Devrent Valley for its cultural history.

Tour of North Cappadocia

Price: from 50.6 USD

Website:

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7. Handicrafts Renaissance in Avanos (from 45.8 USD)

Posted by 100 Percent Travels on Thursday, 28 February 2019

As mentioned earlier, Avanos Village has a traditional technique of making pottery, dating back to 2000 BC. If you are into cultural heritage, this is a tour that you must try while you are in Cappadocia. The tour will take you to Avanos Village, where you can watch pottery masters at work and have a try at this ancient art to make your own pottery.

There are 40 to 50 pottery workshops in Avanos from small family-run single room operations through the massive ceramic factories. Some of these workshops date back over a century and they continue to operate much like they always have inside the caves. Shop some takeaways from the pottery village because buying something with history is always good.

Handicrafts Renaissance in Avanos

Price: from 45.8 USD

Website:

Tip from tour guide

Handicrafts in Avanos

Photo of some handicrafts in Avanos shared by Turkey tour guide, Rose.

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8. Sunset horseback riding tour in Cappadocia (from 81.34 USD)

horse riding in Cappadocia
Source: Photo by Flickr user Jerome Bon used under CC BY 2.0

You will saddle up, ready to ride the Anatolian or Arabian horse. The guide will take you through some Cappadocia scenic valleys across the region’s fruit orchards, and then climb up through the volcanic hills, passing by the fairy chimneys and churches along the way. End your tour by gazing at the beautiful sunset over the hillside. If you like to be with horses and like adventure, this tour is yours to try.

Sunset horseback riding tour in Cappadocia

Price: from 81.34 USD

Website:

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Create a memorable holiday at Cappadocia

Whatever tour and activity you choose, they will take you back in time and create a memorable holiday in the land of fairy chimneys, Cappadocia.

Any must-sees we missed? Tell us about them in the comments section or write a post here to help out fellow travelers!

In light of the February 2023 earthquake that devastated Turkey and Syria, Trip101 urges you to be apprised of the latest news if you have any plans to travel to Eastern Turkey. Other parts of the country remain open to travelers.

Disclosure: Trip101 selects the listings in our articles independently. Some of the listings in this article contain affiliate links.

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Rany is an Indonesian woman with an insatiable love for global exploration. Having set foot on four continents and visited 17 countries, her wanderlust continues to grow. Alongside her adventures,...Read more

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