Cappadocia - Turkiye's Otherworldly Wonderland

Balloons over Cappadocia

There are travel experiences in this world - and then there’s Cappadocia. We would easily rank this in the top three places we have visited.

Let us explain why.

In Cappadocia they have hotels in natural caves. We are not talking about Flintstone-style caves. We are talking about full 4-star hotels, with huge rooms, comfortable beds, luxurious bathrooms and breakfast, but in a cave.

Right there already you have an unparalleled experience that you simply cannot get anywhere else.

And then there are the surroundings. The landscape in Cappadocia is as surreal as it is spellbinding. Rock formations nicknamed ‘fairy chimneys’ pock-mark the almost desert-like valleys. There are entire cities that were built underground. Prehistoric dwellings can be visited as if you were walking into someone’s front room.

Blink and you'll imagine you are in an alien planet.

There is also the history. Ancient Christians fled here to escape Roman persecution. In the middle of a Muslim-dominated secular nation, you can visit underground churches dating back two thousand years.

Then there is the food. You will not find better fresh Turkish food anywhere other than Turkiye itself.

This place is touristy, but it has not developed into some kind of freakish Turkic Disneyland. Out in the towns where the views are the most spectacular, you can forget finding big-name western chain restaurants, and there are absolutely no casinos or amusement arcades or theme parks or waxwork museums.

That makes it better. This is the real Turkiye.

But it still isn’t done. Wake up in the early morning, get up on top of the roof of your hotel and gaze in wonder as the sky is flecked with more than a hundred hot air balloons all around you, rising serenely into the still morning sky. It’s like a balloon festival, but bigger and it happens every day the weather is calm enough (which is most days).

Pay the fee (it isn’t cheap) and you will have the opportunity to rise up into the sky, suspended under those balloons in a basket, and experiencing bobbing and weaving through those fairy chimneys, as well as views so mind-blowing that even George Lucas and Steven Spielberg would struggle to recreate them.

The majority of tourists who go to Turkiye visit Istanbul and the southern coast. There is so much more - way more - to Turkiye than that.

Personally, we think Cappadocia is by far and away the highlight of this quite striking nation.

How to get there

Cappadocia

The easiest way to get to Cappadocia is to fly to Kayseri Airport from Istanbul. AJet, Pegasus and Turkish Airlines all fly there, from both Istanbul and Sabiha Gokcen Airports.

You can reach Istanbul from the UK with British Airways, Pegasus and Turkish Airlines. EasyJet also fly there, but only from Bristol and Manchester.

Important note: If you have booked a connecting flight through Istanbul, make sure that they arrive and leave from the same airport, as Istanbul’s airports are not close together and you definitely do not want to brave Istanbul’s traffic to go between them.

There are also two main airports in Cappadocia: Kayseri Erkilet (ASR) and Nevsehir Kapadokya (NAV). Nevsehir is the closest, but there are more flights to Kayseri. In fact, Pegasus Airlines is starting flights directly from London Stansted to Kayseri from 25th June 2025.

There are public buses to Kayseri from its airport. However, you can also book transfers through your hotel, which we recommend, especially if you are staying outside Kayseri in the spectacular cave hotels in Goreme.

Ottoman Cave Suites

How we did it

We used Cappadocia as the perfect ending to a cruise around Turkey and the Greek islands. We flew from Dalaman to Istanbul, and then from Istanbul to Kayseri.

Flights: Pegasus Airlines from Dalaman to Istanbul to Kayseri.

Hotel: We stayed in the Ottoman Cave Suites, but there are many relatively inexpensive cave hotels in Goreme. Our hotel provided transfers from Kayseri Airport.

Tour: We flew with Atmosfer Balloons. There are also a lot of tours of this surreal and wonderful landscape, as well as the underground cities and cave churches, that are worthwhile - we recommend you check out Viator for more information.

Our top tips

Cappadocia

• It might be expensive, but we can't recommend the balloon ride enough. It's a once in a lifetime experience.

• Staying in a cave hotel is utterly unique. If you're staying in Cappadocia, we heartily recommend it.

• This is a remote area: be prepared to eat Turkish food. It's also a desert area, so be prepared for cold mornings and hot days.