2-Day Cappadocia Tour from Istanbul: Fairy Chimneys & Underground City

4.90

(21 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

It’s hard to forget the first time you step off the overnight bus in Cappadocia—there’s this cool morning air and a faint smell of dust and wild herbs. Our guide, Emre, met us right at the station with a sleepy grin and strong Turkish tea. We kicked things off at Devrent Valley, where the rocks twist into shapes that look like animals if you squint just right. It really does feel like another planet out there. Pasabaglari was next—those “fairy chimneys” are taller than they look in photos, and you can hear doves cooing from inside some of them.

By midday, we’d made it to Avanos for a pottery demo. The clay was cold and sticky—one of those things that looks easy until you try it yourself. Lunch was quick but tasty; I grabbed a gözleme from a tiny stand near the river. Uchisar Castle loomed over us as we climbed up for views across Goreme Valley—windy up top, but worth it for the panorama. The afternoon light made the stone glow pinkish-gold at Esentepe before we wandered through the Goreme Open-Air Museum. Those old frescoes inside the rock-cut churches are faded but still colorful if you look close.

The next morning started early with Kaymakli Underground City—a maze of tunnels where it’s cool even when it’s hot outside (bring a jacket). It’s wild to think people lived down there for months at a time. Red Valley looked almost painted in the sunrise; our guide pointed out wildflowers growing between the rocks. Cavusin Cave Village felt quiet except for a few roosters crowing somewhere nearby. We finished up at Ortahisar, where locals still hang laundry outside old stone houses and kids wave as you pass by.