Cappadocia Turkey

Cappadocia Turkey is the most popular hot air ballooning location in the world, and for good reason — the prices are affordable, and you get to see some unique fairytale landscapes.

More than half of the world’s balloon trips happen here. And even if you’re not interested in the famous Cappadocia hot air balloon rides, it’s still worth coming here for the good food, cave hotels, history, and photogenic hiking trails.

This travel guide will explain how to get to Cappadocia Turkey, where to stay, and all the best things to do, complete with a Cappadocia map and everything else you need to know before you go! 

What Is Cappadocia? What Is The History?

The Cappadocia area has been settled by humans since prehistoric times, and over the centuries it’s been occupied by the Hittites, Persians, Romans, early Christians, Byzantines, Seljuk Turks and Ottomans.

Historically, Cappadocia Turkey is probably best known for being a place where Christians settled and sought refuge from the hostile Roman Empire, secretly carving thousands of houses, churches, and caves into the hills.

Most of these rock buildings and underground cities can still be seen today, and they look just like Star Wars movie sets. Supposedly George Lucas wanted to film parts of the original Star Wars movies in Cappadocia, but the Turkish government turned it down.

Cappadocia is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site, and today it’s one of the tourism hotspots of Turkey. It draws millions of tourists every year (3.8 million in 2019!) who come to enjoy the unique landscapes, cave houses, and hot air balloon rides.

Where Is Cappadocia Turkey?

Cappadocia is located in central Turkey, and the nearest major city and airport is Kayseri.

The Cappadocia tourist area includes the small towns of Goreme, Uchisar, and Urgup, but almost everyone bases themselves in Goreme since it has the best hotels and restaurant choices.

How To Get To Cappadocia Turkey

The best way to get to Cappadocia Turkey is to fly domestically from Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen airport (SAW) to the Kayseri airport (ASR).

There are a bunch of flights doing this route every day and it only takes 1.5 hours. A one way ticket can cost as little as 150 Liras ($20 USD)! You can shop for flights to Kayseri at Skyscanner.

After you arrive in Kayseri, you’ll need a van transfer since it’s a 1 hour drive to the Goreme town center in Cappadocia. You can arrange this with your hotel, or book it online.

I recommend pre-booking this top rated Cappadocia shared airport transfer for as low as $7 USD per person. They also have private airport transfers for $30 USD. We’ve used this company ourselves and had a great experience!

Where To Stay

Most Cappadocia hotels are located in the towns of Goreme, Uchisar, or Urgup.

Goreme is generally the best area of Cappadocia to stay in because it has a huge variety of restaurants, tour shops, and cave hotels for all budgets — from backpacker to luxury hotels.

The Cappadocia cave hotels below are some of our top recommendations! You can see more options here.