Imagine sipping on Turkish coffee while the sun slowly rises above the horizon and balloons fill the air. Cappadocia is full of enchanting rock formations and romantic caves. Ever since I saw pictures of this magical landscape on instagram, I knew that I had to go. Most people will spend a couple days exploring this majestic area, but I have a fantastic day long Cappadocia itinerary.
Over the years, I have traveled to countless destinations and more than 40 countries, but nowhere has captured my heart like Cappadocia. Tourists flock from all over to visit this mind-blowing destination 🤯.
There’s nowhere quite like it, so maximize your time by checking out this amazing itinerary. It includes everything you need to know like how to get to Cappadocia, where to stay, and the best hot air balloon rides. 🎈
CAPPADOCIA IN A NUTSHELL
Short on time? Read this quick overview for your trip to Cappadocia with everything you need to know!
- Where to Stay: Stay in one of the amazing Cave hotels in Goreme or Uchisar like Cappadocia Cave Land Hotel
- Getting there: You can fly into Keyseri Airport or take a bus
- How to Get Around: The best way to get around is to walk, take taxis, or book a tour
- Best Time to Visit: Spring or Fall
- Things to Do: Take a sunrise hot air balloon, go on a tour, and watch the sunset
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Table of Contents
Planning Your Cappadocia Trip
Cappadocia is actually a large historical area in central Turkey. It’s well known for the stunning geological destinations, fairy chimneys, hot air balloons, and cave hotels. But, it encompasses a very large area.
In fact this area is made up of a bunch of smaller towns including Göreme, Uchisar, Ürgüp, Avanos, or Ortahisar. But, if you only have a time you’ll need to decide to base yourself out of one of these spots and won’t get to explore as wide a range.
How to Get to Cappadocia
Cappadocia is a wonderful destination, but it takes some time to get there. If you are coming from Istanbul, then you can take a bus or fly. Buses take 12 hours, while flying is a lot faster! ✈️
If you are flying, then you will want to take a flight a 90 minute flight from Istanbul to Keyseri Airport. From the airport you can take a shuttle or taxi to the Cappadocia region.
Getting Around Cappadocia
Since you’re only going to Cappadocia for a day, then you can get around pretty easily. I recommend walking around town, taking buses, taxis, or booking a tour to see the best areas.
Once you’re done with your tours, then you can just go to things that are walking distance from your hotels. We had no problem getting around!
Best Time to Visit Cappadocia
Cappadocia is a beautiful place to visit year round, but the best time to go is the late spring or early fall. During those times of year, crowds are smaller, temperatures are mild, and skies are sunny.
While summer is the hottest time of year, it’s also the most crowded. But, we went in July and the weather was lovely. Mornings were a bit chilly, with the day time heating up. ☀️
If you don’t mind cold weather and quiet, then you can go in the winter. Just know, that it can snow! ❄️
Where to Stay
Because the Cappadocia is rather large, you’ll have to choose which town you want to base yourself in. Most people stay in Göreme or Uchisar, but you could also stay in Ürgüp, Avanos, or Ortahisar. Göreme is the most touristy of the towns, but it has the closest views of the balloons and boasts a lively scene. Uchisar is a bit quieter, but has fantastic landscapes and plenty of places to stay.
We chose to stay in Göreme, because we had a limited time and we wanted to be able to access everything quickly. I dreamt of staying in the typical cave hotels with a beautiful roof to watch the balloons from.
After doing a lot of research into the options available, we stayed at Cappadocia Cave Land Hotel. This hotel is right next to the downtown area and it is family-owned, so you really get a personal experience. The brothers who owned it emailed us before the trip to make sure that we were taken care of and booked various tours for us.
It featured a comfortable bed, a nice bathroom and did I mention that we were staying in a cave? Also, the hotel also had a roof where they set up a lovely Turkish breakfast on the rooftop 🫖 that was a real highlight. I highly recommend this hotel because we had a great experience!
Best Hotels in Cappadocia
- Cappadocia Cave Land Hotel
- Kelebek Special Cave Hotel
- Artemis Cave Suites
- Sultan Cave Suites
- Terra Cave Hotel
Where to Eat in Cappadocia
Cappadocia is well known for its testi kebab, which is often called “pottery kebab.” This dish is where savory meat is cooked in a clay pot. So, make sure to try that before you leave! There are tons of wonderful restaurants to eat in the area.
Best Restaurants in Cappadocia:
One Day Cappadocia Itinerary
Sunrise Hot Air Balloon
If you go to Cappadocia and you don’t ride in a hot air balloon, then you are doing it wrong. Cappadocia is the hot air ballooning capital of the world. Every day (weather permitting) hundreds of balloons go up in the air and it’s a majestic sight. I know that these rides are more expensive than most other activities available, but this is worth the splurge! 💸
There are many options to consider when getting a hot air balloon. You will see advertisements for them all over town and there are many different types. In the busy months, like July and August, you may want to book ahead of time just to secure your spot.
Best Balloon Ride Companies:
I did a lot of research into the balloons and found Voyager Balloons had great reviews. We had saved money by staying with our friend for the majority of our trip, so we chose to book the Ultra comfort option, which for a reasonable bump in price ($240 per person) meant less people in the balloon and a nice breakfast buffet.
Balloon Ride Companies:
What to Expect on a Balloon Ride
The balloons start really early in the morning, so try and get a good night’s rest before 😴. They picked us up at 3:45 am to take us to the balloon headquarters. Once we got to the headquarters, we ate a nice breakfast served with Turkish coffee and tea. After they checked everyone in, they drove us to the balloon lift-off area.
We got to watch as they blew up the balloons in the early morning light. The workers blow hot fire and air into the balloon as it inflates, then they have to tip it upright. This is definitely a difficult task, our balloon didn’t lift up properly, so they had to start the process all over again. Once it was inflated we all climbed in and the ride began.
Our balloon pilot was incredibly skilled. It’s crazy to watch them navigate the mountains and the wind to make sure the ride is smooth for everyone, while also giving us an overview of the landscape.
They make sure to turn the balloon around so that everyone gets to see all of the various natural features in the valley. The pilot also makes sure that you have plenty of opportunities for pictures during the ride. Don’t worry if you’re afraid of heights, my partner is terrified and he felt really secure! I will never forget the serenity of the ride along with the beautiful views that we got to enjoy.
After the ride, they bring you back down to the ground in a different landing spot. Waiting for the balloon below was a table full of a cake and champagne. 🥂 It’s so fun to celebrate an amazing ride together!
Take a Day Tour: Red Tour
Once you get back from your balloon ride, you can change, prepare for the day and enjoy breakfast. From there, you can go on one of the day tours that runs through the area. These tours will pick you up from your hotel to start the adventure!
Because most people don’t rent cars when visiting Cappadocia, they offer three tours to help tourists see the area: the red tour, the green tour, and the blue tour, which are all about $50. All of these tours are supposed to be amazing, and are great additions to a Cappadocia itinerary.
The Red Tour covers the central Cappadocia region and shows many of the iconic views, the Green Tour covers the Southern region and includes more nature/hiking, and the Blue Tour shows the more authentic parts of Cappadocia like churches and museums. Given our short time-frame, we chose to do the Red Tour. You can book these when you get to Cappadocia, because they do not fill up.
On the Red Tour, you were able to see the Open Air Museum as well as multiple stunning valleys, eat a hearty lunch, and finish at a pottery demonstration. We had a great tour guide who made sure to keep those on the bus energized and answered all of our questions. Seeing the highlights of Cappadocia was truly magical. We were able to see some of the most iconic views on this tour and I felt like we got a good understanding of the area.
Horseback Sunset Ride
If you really want to see everything and make your day magical, then you can end the day with an ATV ride or a sunset horseback ride 🐎. You can book these experiences through your hotel and you do not need to book them ahead of time!
Our group decided to go on a horseback ride. About an hour after the Red Tour ended and about an hour before sunset 🌅, the horseback riding guide picks you up from your hotel. They will drive you to their ranch, pick out horses for you, and show you a few things before you begin riding.
The ride was two hours long and it takes you through a path around a hilly area that overlooked a stunning valley. Halfway in, we stopped at a tea house to get a quick snack and then head back out on our horses. Once we got to the peak of the mountain, the guides took pictures of us overlooking the sunset below. It was a very peaceful and magnificent way to end a day full of activities!
Dinner at Cave Restaurant
After a day full of touring, you will probably be famished. You can find a ton of great restaurants in Goreme. We went to the Inci Cave Restaurant, which was absolutely amazing! This restaurant is located in a cave, which is pretty cool. Make sure to order the regional specialties like pottery kebab and feast to your heart’s desire.
Morning Sunrise on Rooftop or Hillside
If you have the time, you should try to get up in time to enjoy the sunrise from a good vantage point. Many of the cave hotels have stunning views of the balloons going up in the air. If your hotel doesn’t have a good view, then you can walk to a nearby hillside to watch the balloons rise up.
It’s truly a breathtaking sight and reminds you of a fairytale 👸🏼. It’s the perfect way to end your trip in Cappadocia. This is also a great time to get those instagram famous pictures of people with balloons all around them.
Final Thoughts
Even though we only had a day in Cappadocia, it was one of the most memorable experiences of my lifetime ✨. If you are going to Turkey, then Cappadocia is a bucket list destination and this is a fantastic Cappadocia itinerary! I look back on this day as one of the best days in my life and I would love to return one day.
Let me know if you enjoyed this guide in the comments!
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