Cappadocia

Valleys of Cappadocia

Cappadocia is home to many valleys. If you spend two or three days in the region, you won't be able to visit them all. The three most interesting valleys are the Rose Valley, the Love Valley, and the Red Valley.

The Rose Valley, or Gül vadisi in Turkish, is at its most beautiful at sunset. At this time, the rocks are pink. The Red Valley is also the most beautiful at sunset, when its rocks are red.

The Rose Valley at sunset

The Love Valley, or Aşk vadisi in Turkish, the most beautiful at sunrise, when the rising sun illuminates the fairy chimneys, and balloons fly over the valley. What is marked on Google Maps as Love Valley is a cliff ledge overlooking the valley, from which there are no roads into the valley. There is an entrance fee, though not a large one. The views over the valley are wonderful.

You can also walk among the rocks of the Love Valley. There is no entrance fee and you can park your car in the area marked Love Valley trail on Google Maps. The fairy chimneys are enormous, some with entrances at the base.

Hiking among the rocks of the Love Valley is one of the best things to do in Cappadocia

Ürgüp and around

The cliffs towering above Ürgüp offer a magnificent view from the town. Ürgüp is a very good starting point for sightseeing in Cappadocia, with the three valleys mentioned above all within half an hour drive. You can also visit a cave dwelling in Ürgüp. The house is now a museum, but was inhabited until the 1950s. The museum is called Ürgüp Büyükakten Yeraltı Evi Müzesi in Turkish. The road from Ürgüp leads up from here, with beautiful views of the surrounding mountains and cliffs. The corridors in the cave dwelling are sometimes narrow, but that is what makes it original. The furnishings are objects used by the last family to live here, and some of the inscriptions are translated into English.

Ürgüp cave dwelling

A few minutes drive from Ürgüp is the Three Beauties Rock, Üç Güzeller in Turkish. A promenade has been built next to the tall fairy chimneys and there is a parking area. These rocks are all volcanic formations, dating back millions of years.

the Three Beauties Rock

Ancient churches of Cappadocia

We visited two of Cappadocia's ancient Christian churches dating back to the Byzantine era. The first is the Aylanı church, Aylanı kilise in Turkish. The church is close to the Göreme Open Air Museum, but not part of the complex, so if you just want to see one church, this is a great option. A torch is provided at the entrance with your ticket. There's not much decoration in this temple, but walking through the stone carved passageways is very exciting. On an upper level, you can also find the millstone that was rolled away when the inhabitants were threatened with attack.

Aylanı church

The other church we visited was St. Jean Church, a half-hour drive from Ürgüp, on the outskirts of Gülşehir. Here you can take the stairs up to the upper level, which is decorated with many frescoes. In some places you can even make out the Greek letters alongside the frescoes.

St. Jean church