Our Guide to Staying In Cappadocia

September 27th, 2022

Cappadocia, Turkey

Sasha & Eric Hathaway

35 years ago, the small town of Gerome housed only 2 hotels, a small settlement of families who had been living in the famous fairy chimneys and caves for hundreds of years, and one of the most fascinating landscapes that had still been untouched and undiscovered.

Now it’s packed full of over 300 hotels, tourists, and influencers from around the globe hoping to get that perfect insta worthy shot that everybody has seen with the hot air balloons.

Many going to the nth degree to stand out, with colorful gowns, vintage cars, camels, horses, practically anything you could think of. My dad who backpacked through this area 35 years ago was shell shocked at the growth and change that had occurred.

1. Inci Cave Restaurant 
2. BBQ House – Uschia 
3. Nazar Borek & Café 
 

As for me, my expectations were both blown out of the water and absolutely crushed. The landscapes and uniqueness of Cappadocia is unmatched. Filled with magical fairy chimneys, 4 story caves on cliff walls spanning across thousands of square acres, and multi-colored rock formations, it looked as if it could have been plucked right out of a sci-fi movie.

However, the entire downtown and almost every inch of this amazing place had turned into a tourist shop. I realized that my expectations of reliving my dad’s amazing stories of raw and untouched cultures is sadly unrealistic and areas that have been untouched by tourism are becoming harder and harder to find. Electronics and social media have reached to, quite literally, the ends of the earth, causing a massive increase in the spread of knowledge and cultures. One could argue both a positive and negative view of this, and I can easily see both sides. However, it was a travel reality check for me, and only made me more eager to find those off-grid untouched areas. 

Although filled with tourists, you can still grasp the culture, the food, the energy, and buzz of everyone around you, and the warmness and welcomeness of the people in this wild city. Oh, and you can’t forget the classic Turkish experience in a Hamman spa, which I don’t know how I’m going to survive without. Although the views and the landscapes here were insane – something straight out of the hobbit movies and absolutely jaw dropping, it was the people and the stories that truly made this place unforgettable. 
 

Resturants

1. Mountain biking - Although we couldn’t find dual suspension bikes anywhere and it was more of a cross country ride rather than downhill, this was the perfect way to explore the valleys of Cappadocia! 

2. Underground Cities - Recently discovered, and there’s still being more found, these cities are mind blowing. Some of these elaborate tunnel systems housed 80,000 people, with multi level homes, wine cellars, spas and more. We chose to explore Kaymakli, which was well worth the hour drive!

3. Zelve open air museum - A fantastic stop and less crowded alternative to the Goreme Open Air Museum. We spent about 2 hours here exploring the endless cave houses and fairy chimneys. 

4. Watching the balloons – viewpoint at love valley (strongly suggest not paying an absurd amount for a balloon ride. Many places charge around $300 per person to ride in a balloon with 28 other people, which sounds like an actual nightmare from our point of view) 

5. Avla Canyon & the drive to Soganli – the drive takes you through local villages and sadly enough 2 refugee camps, but it truly felt like raw Turkish culture.
6. Turkish Night: Although it was extremely cheesy and such a tourist trap, the night ended with my dad belly dancing on stage with the performers, which made it entirely worth it. 






 





 

Activities