Göreme (Cappadocia)
WHERE IS GÖREME?
Göreme is a town within the region of Cappadocia in central Turkey. This region is known for its rock formations and underground cities. Göreme is most visually recognized by its hot air balloons that fly every day that weather is agreeable.
TRAVEL COMPANIONS
Marissa & Savannah 😊
MY FAVORITES
hot air balloon sunrise – Quick China
CURRENCY Turkish lira
As of the time I am writing this, one USD is 34.65 Turkish lira. Here is a link to see the current conversion ratio. I used cash to pay for everything except restaurants and my accommodation. For these, I was able to use my VISA card. So, the amount of cash you take out depends on how much shopping you will do and how many sites you plan to visit. It is good to have more cash on hand than you think you might need because there are some established stores / shops that will look like they accept card but only accept cash. It is easy to find ATMs though, so I wouldn’t worry too much. I used about 100 USD worth of Turkish lira for my two days in Göreme.
BUDGET
I would budget about 100 USD a day for food, transport, and activities. This budget is also possible if you plan to stay in a hostel. If you choose to stay somewhere else, you would need to increase your budget.
TIME OF VISIT
Early November
WEATHER 40 – 55 °F or 4 – 13 ℃
It was quite cold in Göreme. We visited Istanbul before coming here and we found Göreme to be much chillier than the city. During the day, I was comfortable in long pants and a long sleeve shirt. During the morning / evening and if the sun was behind the clouds, I needed a jacket and sometimes a warm covering on my head and hands.
CLOSEST MAJOR AIRPORT
The two closest airports to Göreme are Nevsehir (NAV) Airport and Kayseri (ASR) Airport. NAV is closer than ASR. I took a bus from Istanbul to Göreme, so I do not have insight into which of these close airports is better to fly into. If you are coming to Turkey on an international flight, you will likely fly to Istanbul first before connecting to one of these two airports.
VISA REQUIREMENTS
It is not required for United States citizens to get a tourist visa if your stay is under 90 days. This requirement may have changed since I have written this post, so always double check the U.S. Department of State website for the most up to date information.
TRANSPORT bus or local taxi
We took a bus into Göreme from Istanbul and this was also how we returned to Istanbul from Göreme. It was reasonably priced, clean, and convenient. The Göreme bus station is very conveniently located within town which makes it easy to arrive and depart. We also used the local Göreme bus. This bus timetable is not advertised and will not show up on Google Maps, but you can find them at the same central bus station in Göreme. They will be able to tell you the timetables and where the bus can take you. We were able to go Derinkuyu to see the underground city there using these public buses. We used a local taxi to travel from the center of town to Göreme Open Air Museum because we were running out of daylight. Other than that, a taxi ride really wasn’t necessary.
PACKING LIST
hat – gloves – closed toe walking shoes – hiking pants – long sleeve top – outfit for balloon pictures - warm jacket - layers
ACCOMMODATION Cappadocia Cave Rooms
This was the perfect place for the three of us to stay in Göreme. They had reasonably priced rooms, free and delicious breakfast, and a rooftop view. In the warmer months, you can use the pool up here. We were still able to enjoy this space during the sunrise to watch the hot air balloons rise and float over Göreme. It was a fantastic view and very photogenic. The hotel is also only a ten-minute walk from the bus station and less than that to the town’s restaurants and shops.
The three of us stayed in their hostel-like room which had three beds. So, it was the three of us and a solo-traveler for the night that we were there. The room was very cozy and the beds were super comfy. There was also enough space for all of us to spread out our things which is always appreciated. In addition, I think the floor was heated? I never asked, but based on our group’s investigating, I think we are correct 😊The hosts were very helpful and they have a very cute dog in the reception area who helps add to the charm.
FOOD
Desti Kebab – Quick China – Hot Wine
LANGUAGE Turkish
I highly recommend downloading English and Turkish on the Google Translate app. This allows you to use Google Translate offline and helps with reading signs, menus, and communicating with locals. Learning a few sayings beforehand can help you connect with the locals. They would get excited when we were able to say things like “thank you” - “teşekkürler”.
SAFETY TIPS
If traveling solo, stick to public transport. If you must use a private car, use Uber and not a taxi.
GOOGLE MAPS PINS
Here is my Google Maps list for all of Turkey. You can zoom in to Göreme to see only the locations around this area.
DAILY ACTIVITY BLOG
Day 1
After dropping our bags off at Cappadocia Cave Rooms around 9AM, we stayed on their rooftop to enjoy the balcony views of the hot air balloons that were still flying over Göreme.
When they finished, we headed to King’s Coffee / Queen’s Kitchen for breakfast. It was delicious and the owners were so sweet. We tried mushroom pancakes, cheese / potato pancakes, and cheese / Turkish sausage pancakes. From here, we went back to Cappadocia Cave Rooms to check in to our room.
After we settled into our room, we went on a hike through Sword Valley and then on another hike through Love Valley.
We even picked up some hot wine on the way and it was delicious.
The weather was perfectly cool outside. It was so enjoyable to spend all day outside. When we got back into town, we ate dinner at Quick China. This restaurant had some of the best food I’ve ever eaten. I enjoyed Dark Dragon sushi (crab, veggies, cream cheese, salmon) and shrimp pad thai.
We liked the food so much that we ordered sushi at the end of the meal for all of us to split before we left. There’s always room for dessert, so on the walk back to our accommodation, we stopped at Phupha Coffee and got some sweet treats.
Day 2
We woke up around 6AM so that we could get ready and be on the roof in time to watch the hot air balloons rise with the sun. It was one of the most beautiful mornings ever. The hot air balloons were plentiful and some of them came so close to us. It was amazing to watch. The three of us were able to use my camera to take some great pictures. The hot air balloons fly for about two hours, so we were able to enjoy the experience for such a long time. It was so nice.
After this, we ate the complimentary Cappadocia Cave Rooms breakfast which was delicious. It filled our stomachs so we were ready to travel to Derinkuyu, home of the largest underground city in the world.
We purchased tickets to go into this underground city. Walking around down there was very interesting. It was a bit mind blowing to see because only 10% is open to the public and even that part felt extensive and huge. It is interesting to imagine what walking through 100% of it would be like.
After our time underground, we headed back to Göreme and went to the Open Air Museum. We did not go inside, but we enjoyed the neighboring lookout points around the museum.
On the walk from the museum to the main street, we came across a girl doing a photoshoot with running horses. Naturally, we had to stop and watch because the horses were getting so close to her and she had this beautiful flowing dress on. I think anyone can book these sessions, so might be worth doing if you’re into that kind of thing.
Back in town, we ended our day by eating dinner at Göreme Restaurant. We ate Desti Kebabi here. This is cooked meat inside of a clay jar. It was served with rice and a salad. We also enjoyed hot wine 😊 It is definitely a unique experience and this restaurant was one of the firsts to serve this traditional food in Göreme.
WHAT I DID NOT HAVE TIME / $ FOR BUT WISH I DID
Uchisar Castle – Galerie İkman
