I’m sure you’ve seen hundreds of times that “insta-influencer” picture of Kapadokya…Yes, the one with the persian (or as I like calling them) “Aladdin” rugs, the big fat breakfast table and the hot air balloons in the background.
Göreme streets
I’m sure you’ve also seen those posts that show the Instagram vs. real life pictures, and how disappointing it is when you get to that famous picture spot just to find a line of people waiting to take their photos, and it just doesn’t look quite…. cool?

Well let me tell you something, Kapadokya is just how it looks in the pictures and this is my guide on how to enjoy it to the fullest. If you’ve been thinking on travelling to Turkey, book that ticket! This is the sign you’ve been waiting for!

1. How to get there and where to stay?

We were wondering for a while what would be the best place to stay in the Kapadokya (or Cappadocia) area. There are several places where you can book a hotel, but we found out Göreme is by far the best one.
To get there, you can take a flight from Istanbul to Kayseri airport (around 1h) and then another hour by car from the airport to Göreme.
Göreme views

2. Accommodation

Accommodation in Göreme in general is super affordable, the hotels are called “stone hotels” or “cave hotels” and all of them are so cozy and charming that is really hard to choose one! We book a middle range price hotel called Lunar Cappadocia and we do not regret our decision. Lunar Cappadocia is located at the top of the hill (be ready to walk a lot!) so it has one of the best views of the valley. The staff was very nice and attentive, the room super clean and they even arranged the tours and transportation for us.
Lunar Cappadocia Hotel

3. How many days to stay and what to do in Göreme?

We recommend to stay 4 days. Why 4 days? Well, if you’re planning to fly on a hot air balloon, you have to take into consideration that your flight might be cancelled and moved to the next day if the winds are too strong, in fact, our flight was cancelled 2 times before we could actually fly.
Göreme operates fully on tourism and they have structured tours that every agency offers: Red Tour, Green Tour and Blue Tour, they’re all very different from each other and are family friendly. Other activities are ATV, Hammam, and camel riding.

We didn’t do the camel riding since we didn’t like the conditions in which they take care of the animals. To be honest, it broke my heart to see how weak and old some of them are and they put them to carry so much weight when they cannot even carry themselves.

Love Valley

4. The Balloon ride

The hot air balloon ride is just epic! It’s a bit pricey (from 160 to 200 eur) but the experience is just unforgettable.
Balloon rides are scheduled at dawn. The travel agency will arrange a mini-van to pick you up at your hotel door at around 4:30am, they will give you a small breakfast and then the adventure begins.
The capacity of the balloons varies from 16 to 24 people. Our balloon was for 20 people, with 4 compartments and the space for the 2 pilots.
Is it scary? The takeoff could be a bit scary since you don’t know what to expect, but soon you realise how smoothly the balloon starts going up into the sky.
Is it worth it to visit Kapadokya even if you won’t fly on a hot air balloon? Yes! The history, street views, food and experiences are totally worth it, and you can still take beautiful pictures with the balloons decorating the landscape :)

5. Food

Food in Turkey is very delicious, the service is outstanding and usually you would find vegetarian options as well.
Be sure to check out Soffy’s Kitchen. We discovered the place randomly on our first night and we absolutely loved it, so much that we went there 3 times!
Lots of food options, cozy, excellent service and they even have shishas to enjoy with a traditional Turkish tea.
Another thing to try are the potted stews, which are specific to Kapadokya.

6. Where to take the famous picture?

I used to think there was only one place to take the famous insta picture, but turns out there are several terraces around the town where you can take it.
Fun fact, in some hotels they even stage it for you with a nice breakfast!
Be sure to wake up early since the balloons would be flying starting 5:30 am and until 7:00am.
We took this picture at our hotel. Unfortunately we were a bit too late to catch the balloons flying.
I hope this guide will help you plan your trip to Kapadokya, we definitely recommend visiting this wonderful place.