The Best Cappadocia Itinerary: See it All in 2 Days!
Cappadocia, Turkey, is one of the most unique and scenic destinations in the world. It’s famous for its surreal landscapes, cave dwellings, and sunrise hot air balloon launches.
Plus, I found it easy to get to and easy to get around. Cappadocia is just a one-hour flight from Istanbul. From there, you can find drivers and taxis, or rent a car to drive the rural roads yourself.
How Much Time to Spend in Cappadocia?
While you could settle into this part of Central Turkey and spend time in each of the small cities, most of us are on tighter timelines for our vacations.
With that in mind, I’ve found two days is plenty of time to experience the best of what this region has to offer. You just have to plan an efficient Cappadocia itinerary, and that’s what I’ll lay out below!
Now: Let’s Get to the Best 2-Day Cappadocia Itinerary!
Tours & Things to Book for Cappadocia
I’ll post tour options in the sections below, but these are the three tours I’d book before your trip, especially if you’re setting up a Cappadocia itinerary for May through September (when it’s busiest).
Each of these has excellent reviews:
➡️ Click to Book: Private Tour
➡️ Click to Book: Hot Air Balloon
➡️ Click to Book: Sunset ATV Ride
Car Rental
Next time I’m in Cappadocia, I’ll rent a car and drive myself around. The roads are easy to navigate, and there’s really no traffic.
Traveling abroad, I usually use Discover Cars, since their search includes big international brands plus local rental companies.
Travel Insurance
For travel, I purchase an annual insurance plan from Travel Guard. I’ve gone through multiple companies to review their offers, and I find Travel Guard is the most helpful. They include trip cancellation PLUS medical flights home in case of injury.
Stay in a Cappadocia Cave Hotel
Cappadocia is home to three main small cities:
- Göreme
- Urgup
- Uchisar
I’d suggest staying in one of the area’s iconic cave hotels in Göreme. They provide a truly unique experience, and are within walking distance to the shops and restaurants in town.
This interactive map is centered on Göreme, which is where I’d recommend staying. You can plug your dates in to check rates:
Cappadocia’s Best Cave Hotel
Carus Cappadocia is widely considered to be the best cave hotel in the area. From its stunning pool, to the suites with terraces, to the rooftop restaurant and patios, it’s an amazing property right in Göreme.
Flight from Istanbul to Cappadocia
Step one of planning a Cappadocia itinerary is figuring out how to get there. Thankfully, it’s easy!
Cappadocia is a one-hour flight from Istanbul’s massive IST Airport. Here are a couple of key things to keep in mind:
- Cappadocia’s airport (Nevsehir) is about a 45-minute drive from Göreme.
- You can rent cars at the airport, or take a car service.
Cappadocia Taxis and Airport Transfers
You’ll have a few options from the airport.
- Taxi cars will likely be waiting outside.
- Uber works in Turkey, too.
- Your hotel can arrange a driver.
- You can book your own transfer.
The cost will vary. One of our drivers requested 15 Euros each, from a group of 8 people in a big van.
Another time, we paid 1200 TRY (about $30) for a taxi.
And yet another taxi ride cost 2000 TRY (about $55).
There’s a taxi stand right in Göreme, with a line of cars and drivers ready to take you to the sites around Cappadocia.
Settle Into Your Cave Hotel
After arriving in Cappadocia, take some time to enjoy staying in your cave hotel. It’ll have interesting rooms and features, carved into the soft rock.
Turkey has just a handful of certified engineers, who specialize in these construction projects. Each has to get special approval, whether it’s a hotel or restaurant, to build.
The pool and spa area at Carus are beautiful, but my favorite part was sitting out on the terrace, overlooking the city of Göreme.
Enjoy a Sunset Horseback or ATV Ride
On “day 1” of your Cappadocia itinerary (or I guess “night 1”) I’d suggest getting out to explore the area’s beautiful rock formations at sunset.
There are a variety of tour options from town. They’ll pick you up at your hotel or at a central point in Göreme.
➡️ Click to Book: Sunset ATV Ride
You can take a horseback ride through the scenery, or an ATV ride. They also offer Jeep and Range Rover rides along the dirt trails through the rocks.
➡️ Click to Book: Cappadocia Horseback Ride
The endpoint on your ride will be a cliff somewhere overlooking the sunset.
Dinner and Local Wine in Town
The towns around Cappadocia have great restaurants. Plus, while wine is in short supply in most of Turkey, Cappadocia is known for its vineyards. So you’ll be able to sample the local wines (both red and white).
Also somewhat unique, they actually sell wine in stores here (whereas, it’s hard to find in Istanbul). So you can grab a bottle to take back to your hotel for the evening.
Take a Sunrise Hot Air Balloon Ride
It’s quite a sight to see about 100 hot air balloons launch in unison each morning. Cappadocia became famous for its sunrise balloons a few decades ago.
While it’s weather-dependent, the guides I spoke to say the balloons are able to launch 300 days a year.
You’ll be able to book a flight in town, but just to make sure they don’t sell out it’s best to book before your visit if it’s one of your top priorities.
➡️ Click to Book: Hot Air Balloon
The whole thing lasts about two hours (including prep time and flight time). The balloons land right outside of town, and a driver will whisk you back.
Even if you don’t want to launch yourself, it’s definitely worth getting up before dawn and finding a perch, cliff, rooftop, or terrace to watch from. It’s truly a spectacular sight!
Fairy Chimneys & Rock Formations
The term “Fairy Chimneys” has been around for centuries. It describes the rock formations around Cappadocia.
They’re tall, cone-shaped pillars made of soft volcanic rock, which have been naturally shaped over thousands of years by erosion. Many of them have harder rock caps on top, which help give them a fairytale-like appearance. They reminded me of giant versions of the homes the Smurfs lived in.
Pasabag (Monks Valley)
Also spelled “Pasabaglari,” this is one of the most famous sites to check out the Fairy Chimneys around Göreme.
Trails will lead you through this protected area, where you’re allowed to climb into some of the formations.
In this area, the rock formations have been carved to form stables, homes, crop storage shelters, and churches.
- Entrance Fee: 12E
The Open Air Museum in Göreme
This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and another top spot to add to your Cappadocia itinerary. You’ll follow a path around cliff dwellings that have fairy chimneys that were carved into homes, churches, and monasteries.
The Zelve Open Air Museum was once a thriving settlement, with homes, churches, and other structures carved directly into the rock. While it’s called a “museum,” this experience is very up-close and hands-on.
- Entrance Fee: 12E
Quick History of Zelve
- Originally settled by Christians in the Byzantine era (9th–13th centuries).
- Continued as a Muslim village until the 1950s, when erosion forced people to relocate.
- It became a museum in 1967 to preserve the rock dwellings.
What to See in Zelve Open Air Museum
You can explore old homes, storage rooms, and a mill carved into the soft volcanic rock.
With the help of a guide, you’ll learn where they stored crops, how they made their own wine, and how they functioned in general.
I thought it was interesting to learn about how important pigeons were in the Cappadocia area. You’ll see pigeon houses carved into the rock, where people used to harvest their droppings to sell for fertilizer!
Imagination Valley (Devrent Valley)
This is a quick stop to add to your 2-day itinerary in Cappadocia. There’s usually a crowd of people taking pictures of the rock formations which resemble different things.
There’s no hike involved, and the cost is free.
Can you spot in the photos below:
- Two men on a horse
- A hand reaching out from the earth
- A camel
Kaymakli Underground City
Don’t leave a visit to an underground city off your Cappadocia itinerary! It’s another unique “must-see” in Turkey.
This is one I recommend a tour guide for, since you won’t really understand what you’re looking at or walking through without some help.
➡️ Click to Book: Underground City Guide
There are a few options in the region. If you’re not too claustrophobic, I’d recommend Kaymakli Underground City. It was carved into soft volcanic rock and used as a refuge by ancient civilizations, including early Christians escaping persecution.
This is a model of the city you’ll see at the entrance.
The cost to enter is 13 Euros, and I’d recommend going with a guide to explain what each room was used for.
- The cost is 13 Euros to enter.
- I’d recommend going with a guide to explain each room and level.
- Only 10% of the city is open to the public.
- Warning: some tunnels are very narrow, with 4-foot high ceilings.
- It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the 1980s.
- Derinkuyu is another underground city in Cappadocia.
History of Kaymakli
Construction of the underground city is likely to have begun 4,000 years ago. It was used as a hiding place during invasions by the Romans, Arabs, and others.
It’s hard to imagine, but thousands of people could hide and function underground for extended periods of time.
The tunnels and rooms have defenses built in, hiding spots, escape passageways, and ventilation tunnels for air.
A Visit Underground
While Kaymakli is eight levels deep underground, only four are open to visitors. Frankly, that’s enough! The accessible part gives a great glimpse into life underground.
Narrow tunnels connect different levels. Some passages are so small that you have to crouch to pass through.
You’ll see small rooms where people lived, worshipped, stored food, and made wine.
In one spot, you’ll see how the ingenious ancient engineering allowed fresh air to circulate throughout the underground city.
You’ll also see massive circular stones that could be rolled into place to block entrances from invaders.
Wrap: My 2-Day Cappadocia Itinerary
Again, you could spend weeks really becoming entrenched in this beautiful part of Turkey. The people are friendly, and there’s a lot explore and learn about.
The reality is: most of us are restricted by budgets and job responsibilities! This itinerary includes the best things to do around Cappadocia over the course of just two days.
Remember: it snows in the winter (sometimes) and can get very hot in the summer.
If you’re only spending a week in Turkey, you’ll also be spending time at a Turkish bath in Istanbul, along with visits to the Blue Mosque, Basilica Cistern, Princes’ Islands, and vibrant neighborhoods in the massive city.
You may wonder if it’s worth the time, effort, and expense to make the trip from Istanbul to Cappadocia. You’ll be glad you did! It’ll transport you from the busy city streets to another, quieter world.
Plus, following this guide, I think you’ll leave feeling pretty accomplished and satisfied that you saw the best of what the region has to offer!
