Five Things To Do In Cappadocia When There Are No Hot Air Balloons
We visited Cappadocia (Kapadokya), one windy weekend in March of 2019. Due to weather conditions, the hot air balloons did not fly once during our three night stay in Göreme. Despite mild disappointment, we managed to have an absolutely fantastic time — filled with hiking, wine tasting, delicious food, and a hamam experience in our cave hotel. If you are traveling to Cappadocia during fall, winter, or early spring, be prepared that the balloons often DO NOT fly, and you may need to have alternative plans to get those stunning rock formation views. Read more below on my top recommendations.
1. Hike Red Valley, Rose Valley, and Meskindir Valley
This may have been our favorite activity during our stay in Cappadocia. The hike itself is easy to moderate difficulty and will take you about 4 hours, depending on your starting and end points. During the hike you will be rewarded with spectacular views while still managing to have the trail to yourself.
At the time of this post (Spring 2019), hiking is relatively uncommon in Cappadocia, so during our two days on the trails, we actually didn’t bump into anyone else. The hillside is made of soft stone that has been carved out into thousands of man-made houses and church– some of which have hidden frescoes, religious alters, and much more! After awhile, you begin to feel as though you are in a magical fantasy land like The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. You can read more about this hike here: The Absolute Best Hike in Cappadocia.
2. Wine Tasting At Local Wineries
Cappadocia is actually one of the major wine producing regions of Turkey. Particularly notable names are Turasan and Kocabağ, who are two large scale wineries that call Cappadocia their home. If you spend time in Istanbul, you will see these names on most wine lists in the city. See my post on the absolute best things to eat in Istanbul, located here.
One evening we went wine tasting at Turasan Winery and Efendi Wine House both located in Ürgüp.
A different day we went to Kocabağ Winery, located in Uçhisar, about a 10 minute walk from the castle.
There are also some restaurants in Göreme that make their own wine, see my full post on Wine Tasting in Cappadocia here.
3. Walk Through Love Valley to Uçhisar Castle
Uçhisar Castle will be at the top of most “must-do” lists when visting Cappadocia, however getting to the castle through Love Valley is half the fun!
You can access Love Valley by walking from your hotel, about 30 minutes along the main road, or you can ask your hotel to drop you at the trailhead. Once you descend into Love Valley, you only have to walk a short way before you see the large, phallic rock formations that give the valley its name.
After you’ve finished your requisite photography in Love Valley, you continue on a pretty gentle trail through White Valley for 1-2 hours before you have a relatively steep ascent out of the valleys and onward into the town of Uçhisar. A full post on this hike and trip to Uçhisar Castle can be found here.
4. Make a Reservation at Pumpkin Cave Restaurant in Goreme
We made a last minute decision to try to walk into Pumpkin Restaurant without a reservation when they opened for their Saturday night dinner. Thankfully, we were the first people there and were able to be sat, but within just a few minutes they were turning people away. They offer a four course, pre-set menu for around $25 per person that comes with soup, salad, main course, and dessert, plus refreshments (alcohol is extra). Everything was fantastic but the lamb and their super creamy ice cream were the true standouts. I recommend making a reservation a week in advance, if possible.
5. Hamam Experience at Cave Hotel
After a few days of hiking and wine tasting around the area, we were ready to relax. We booked a couples massage/hamam experience in the basement of our cave hotel, Aydinli Cave, located in Göreme.
The hospitality and high level of service at Aydinli Cave Hotel was truly impressive. When it was time for our appointment, we were escorted through a series of underground tunnels that eventually led us to the secret hamam. After being shown to the secure changing area, we then spent time in the sauna, before we laid on the hot stone in the hamam where we were lathered up, scrubbed down, and then massaged. It was a great way to decompress, and just what we needed to end our time in Cappadocia.
Planning a trip to Cappadocia? Pin a photo below for safe keeping in case there are no balloons due to bad weather! Please reach out if you have any questions about Cappadocia hikes, wine, lodging, restaurants, etc!
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What a neat place to visit for a week-end. Love the geology, caves and how they are being used. The hot air balloons would of just topped it off, probably.. Nice postings or blog or whatever this is!
John
Thanks, John! I was admittedly disappointed about the balloons, but there is really so much more to the area than that!