Daily Tours

Cappadocia is one of the most unique tourist destinations in the world, a landscape full of picturesque valleys and incredible rock formations. The best way to explore and admire its beauty is taking a guided Cappadocia Tour, because only with the help of a professional guide you can be sure not to miss anything important.

If you are interested in the most famous sight in Cappadocia, the Göreme Open Air Museum with its magnificent early Christian frescoes or you want to see the picturesque Devrent valley or Pasabag mushroom-shaped fairy chimneys, then the Fairy Chimney Tour is for you. If you want to explore the mysterious passages of Derinkuyu underground city, hike in the fabulous Soganlı Valley or admire the beauty of Sobesos, you should choose the Underground City Tour.

All our group tours start at 09.30 and finish at about 4 pm. If you are also planning to take a balloon flight, then you have plenty of time, as you will be back from your flight at about 8 am, leaving you sufficient time to enjoy your breakfast before being picked up for the tour at about 9.15. Daily Cappadocia tours are organized by New Göreme Tours and you can find further information at their home page.

Red Tour
Red Tour takes you to Göreme open air museum, the most famous tourist attraction in Cappadocia, Paşabağ, Devrent and Honey (Love) valleys where you can admire the amazing rock formations made by nature itself.

Tour itinerary

Goreme Open Air Museum, Cappadocia's most famous attraction, for good reason, is the Göreme Open Air Museum, a complex of medieval painted cave churches carved out by Orthodox monks. There are over 10 cave churches in the Göreme Open Air Museum. Along with rectories, dwellings, and a religious school, they form a large monastic complex carved out of a roughly ring-shaped rock formation in the otherworldly landscape of Cappadocia. The best way to explore the cave churches of Goreme is via the clearly marked path, working counterclockwise. Each one has a modern Turkish name, given by local villages based on a prominent feature.

Cavusin Village, The current village of Cavusin is located on the road. Old Cavusin, with its rock-cut dwellings and stone houses, had several hermitages. The two most important churches in Cavusin are the Great Basilica dedicated to St. John the Baptist (located on the cliff above the village) and Cavusin Church or the "Great Pigeon House" commemorating a visit of the famous Cappadocian Emperor Nicephorus Phocas. The beautiful and elegantly carved facades of the houses of old Cavusin furnish evidence of how impressive the village once was.

Avanos, The old city of Avanos, whose name in ancient times was Venessa overlooks the longest river of Turkey, the Kızılırmak (Red River), which also separates Avanos from the rest of Cappadocia. The most famous historical feature of Avanos, which is still relevant and very visible today, is its production of earthenware pottery. The ceramic trade in this district and its countless pottery factories date right back to the Hittites, and the ceramic clay from the red silt of the Kızılırmak has always been used. Watch the potters at work using the kick wheel, using the technique that has never changed over its generations. It is a popular destination because of its attractive old town with cobbled streets, and superb views over the river.

Pasabag, Highly remarkable earth pillars can be seen here, in the middle of a vineyard, hence the name of the place which means: the Pasha’s vineyard. Pasha means "General", the military rank, in Turkish and it is a very common nick name. This site is also called Monks Valley. The name was derived from some cones carved in tuff stones which stand apart. Currently, there is a vineyard and a number of tuff cones standing right next to the road.

Devrent Valley, Also known as Imaginary Valley or Pink Valley, this area does not have cave churches like the other valleys of Cappadocia. So what makes it so famous? The lunar landscape! Devrent Valley hides many different rock formations within. The small fairy chimneys in the valley form a lunar landscape, or moonscape, by their strange appearance. The valley has many animal-shaped rocks. Some of the most commonly seen shapes include camel, snake, seals, and dolphin.

Urgup, Located in the historical region of Cappadocia. Ürgüp is famous for its wines and the Fairy Chimneys.

Green Tour
Green Tour takes you to explore Derinkuyu underground city, the deepest one in Cappadocia and allows you to admire the beauty of the less often visited places in Cappadocia like the beautiful Ihlara valley and the Selime Monastery, the biggest rock-cut monastery of Cappadocia with a cathedral sized church.

Tour itinerary

Goreme Panaroma, The most magnificent landscape around Göreme has been formed from its solidified lava streams, its ash and tuff stone, all dating from Neocene period. It is criss-crossed by deep valleys formed by heavy erosion. This veritable lunar landscape distinguishes itself by its extensive geological formations. The highly typical morphological structures of Cappadocia are the result of thousands of years of continual erosion, which has shaped the tuff deposits into the strangest pyramids and cones.

Derinkuyu Underground City, has all the usual amenities found in other underground complexes across Cappadocia, such as wine and oil presses, stables, cellars, storage rooms, refectories, and chapels. Unique to the Derinkuyu complex and located on the second floor is a spacious room with a barrel vaulted ceiling. It has been reported that this room was used as a religious school and the rooms to the left were studies. Between the third and fourth levels is a vertical staircase. This passage way leads to a cruciform church on the lowest level. The large 55 m ventilation shaft appears to have been used as a well. The shaft also provided water to both the villagers above and, if the outside world was not accessible, to those in hiding.

Ihlara Valley, The township is famed for the nearby valley of the same name, Ihlara Valley, which is a 16 km (10 mi) long gorge cut into volcanic rock in the southern part of Cappadocia, following several eruptions of Mount Erciyes. Through the valley flows Stream. What is unique about this valley is the ancient history of its inhabitants. The whole canyon is honeycombed with rock-cut underground dwellings and churches from the Byzantine period. Due that the richness of the watering possibility and its hidden form and easily to hide structure it was the first settlement place of the first Christians escaping from the Roman soldiers. In the Ihlara Valley there are hundreds of antic churches caved in the volcanic rocks. The most known churches are Ağaçaltı Church with cross plan, Sümbüllü Church, Pürenliseki Church, Kokar Church, Yilanli Church, Karagedik Church, Kirkdamatli Church, Direkli Church, Ala Church, Kemerli Church and Egritas Church.

Belisirma, experience the wonderful different types of Turkish foods. Make your lunch a memorable one by having lunch next to the Melendiz Stream.

Yaprakhisar, panaroma point for another view of the great Monastery.

Selime Monastery, the biggest rock-cut monastery of Cappadocia with a cathedral sized church. Selime monastery was

carved by the monks in the 13th century and apart from the church has monks quarters, a large kitchen, and stables for animals. The walls were once decorated with frescoes of which very little remains.

Pigeon Valley, thousands of pigeon houses carved into the rock. It is a surreal vision: an outrageously phallic landscape straight out of a Salvador Dali painting. The conical formations are the result of volcanic eruptions that took place millions of years ago. Eons of wind, rain and other forces of nature have eaten away at the volcanic rock creating tufa, a soft and malleable stone. Many of these cones, known as fairy chimneys, contain caves and labyrinths

Onyx Demonstration, Cappadocia has the onyx mines where the highest quality onyx is found (brown-veined green onyx is the highest quality, followed by brown-veined beige). Local artisans are experts at making items of jewelry as well as beautiful vases, chess sets, and numerous other attractive artifacts and knick-knacks. Watch a demonstration of how this very hard and brittle stone is cut, shaped and polished, before seeing the many beautiful onyx products. Workshops often sell other traditional and precious items such as hand-beaten copperware, meerschaum pipes, and jewelry made with precious and semi-precious stones, silver, and 22 and 24 carat gold. Local specialties include Hittite-style jewelry and traditional Turkish woven silver bracelets. You will be amazed by the cheap prices!

Canyon Hiking Tour
This tour is available from April to November.

The first stop is at Göreme panorama, the best place to admire the beautiful fairy-chimneys below. The most magnificent landscape around Göreme has been formed from solidified lava streams, ash and tuff stone from volcanic eruptions millions of years ago. The stunning landscape of Cappadocia is the result of thousands of years of continual erosion, which has shaped the tuff deposits into the strangest pyramids and cones. The guide gives you information about how the landscape was formed and the history of Cappadocia.

Next you visit Gaziemir which has probably the only underground caravanserai in the world. You can see one church, food storages, a kitchen with tandoor ovens, a winery with many wine barrels, living areas, stables, a Turkish bath and even a prison and a watchtower there.

Then you go to a monastic complex situated high above Güzelyurt, consisting of the 19th-century Yüksek Kilise (High Church), also known as the Analipsis Kilise (Ascension Church), and a block containing monastic cells and a small refectory with superb views towards Hasan Dağı.

Next you stop at a local restaurant for lunch. After lunch you go to Ihlara valley, a 16 km long gorge formed in the volcanic rock in the southern part of Cappadocia, following several eruptions of Mount Erciyes. The Melendiz stream flows through the valley. What makes the valley unique is the ancient history of its inhabitants. The whole canyon is honeycombed with rock-cut underground dwellings and churches from the Byzantine period. In Ihlara valley you take a 7 km hike in the Melendiz river canyon from Ihlara village to Belisirma village and you can also visit 4 different churches there. Kokar kilise (Smelling church), Sümbüllü kilise (Hyacinth church), Yılanlı kilise (Snake church) and Kırkdamaltı kilise (St George’s church) are the churches that you can see.

The next stop is at Yaprakhisar viewpoint, where you can see the village of Yaprakhisar, which is famous for its lunar landscape resembling that of the Star Wars.

Then you go to Selime, the biggest rock-cut monastery in Cappadocia with a cathedral-size church. Selime monastery was carved by monks in the 13th century and in addition to the church, it also has monks’ quarters, a large kitchen and stables for animals.

Last you stop at Pigeon valley viewpoint, which has hundreds of old pigeon houses cut into the rock in the past. Throughout centuries farmers have used pigeon droppings as a fertilizer for their crops.

Golden Hiking Tour
This tour is available from April to November.

You begin the tour by hiking in the Pigeon valley which got its name because of the thousands of pigeon houses carved into the rock. It takes you from Göreme to Uçhisar, where you can see a good panoramic view of Pigeon valley and Uçhisar.

Next you hike in White and Honey (Love) valleys where you can admire the picturesque orchards and vineyards with their uniquely shaped fairy-chimneys. At the end of the hike you will be picked up and taken to Göreme for lunch in a local house.

After lunch you continue hiking down through Meskendir valley to Red and Rose valleys where you can see different natural rock formations, as well as man-made ones, in the form of rock-cut churches with their magnificent murals. You also visit two churches, the Kolonlu Kilise and Haclı Kilise.

The total distance covered is about 16 km of relatively easy hiking. As it involves a lot of going up and down the hills, wearing comfortable walking shoes with a good grip is essential. On request we can supply you with trekking poles.

Rose Valley Sunset Hiking Tour
You begin the tour by hiking down through Meskendir valley to Red and Rose valleys where you can see different natural rock formations and tunnels through the rock, as well as man-made ones, in the form of rock-cut churches with their magnificent murals. You can also visit three churches, the Meskendir Kilise, the Kolonlu Kilise (Church with columns) and Haclı Kilise (Church with a cross) which has beautiful frescoes. Before climbing up and admiring the sunset from a view point above Haclı Kilise you can enjoy a glass of fresh juice or a cup of Turkish tea or coffee at Emin’s cafe. After the sunset you are driven back to hotel.

Winter Special Tour 1
This tour is available in from December to March.

The first stop is at Göreme panorama, the best place to admire the beautiful fairy-chimneys below. The most magnificent landscape around Göreme has been formed from solidified lava streams, ash and tuff stone of volcanic eruptions millions of years ago. The stunning landscape of Cappadocia is the result of thousands of years of continual erosion, which has shaped the tuff deposits into the strangest pyramids and cones. The guide gives you information about how the landscape was formed and the history of Cappadocia.

Then you visit Derinkuyu, the deepest underground city in the area, which is approximately 85 meters deep and has 16 floors, 8 of which you can see during your guided tour. It was used to hide Christians during enemy attacks in the 5th to 10th centuries. The city was built around 8th century BC, it could accommodate about 20 000 people and had all the usual amenities found in other underground complexes across Cappadocia, such as wine and oil presses, stables, cellars, storage rooms, refectories, and chapels.

Next you stop at Pigeon valley viewpoint, which has hundreds of old pigeon houses cut into the rock in the past. Throughout centuries farmers have used pigeon droppings as a fertilizer for their crops.

After that you have lunch in a local house in Göreme (if the group is smaller than 10 people). After lunch you go to the village of Çavuşin. The old part of the village was abandoned in the 1950s due to numerous rock-falls caused by erosion. You can also see the famous basilica of St. John the Baptist, cut into the cliffs above the old village, built in the 5th century.

Then you go to the ancient town of Avanos, which was called Venessa in the old times. It overlooks the longest river in Turkey, the Kızılırmak (Red River), which separates Avanos from the rest of Cappadocia. The most famous historical feature of Avanos, which is still relevant and prominent today, is its production of earthenware products. The ceramic trade in this district and its countless pottery factories date back to the Hittites. The ceramic clay from the red silt of the Kızılırmak has always been used. You can watch the potters at work using the kick wheel, a technique that has never changed over generations. Later you can try making your own pottery.

The last stop is in Paşabağ, where highly remarkable mushroom-shaped rock formations can be seen, in the middle of a vineyard, hence the name of the place which means 'Pasha’s vineyard'. 'Pasha' means 'general', a military rank, in Turkish. This sight is also called Monks' Valley. The name has come from some high tuff stone columns which stand apart, looking like monks.

Winter Special Tour 2
This tour is available from December to March.

The first stop is at Devrent valley, which is also known as Imagination valley. Devrent valley has many different red-coloured rock formations forming a lunar landscape with their strange appearance. The valley has many animal-shaped rocks. Some of the most commonly seen shapes include a camel, snake, seals, and a dolphin. If you use your imagination, you can find many others. There is even a rock pillar which looks like Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus. The magnificent landscape of Cappadocia has been formed from solidified lava streams, ash and tuff stone from volcanic eruptions millions of years ago. The landscape you can see now is the result of thousands of years of continual erosion, which has shaped the tuff deposits into the strangest pyramids and cones. The guide gives you information about how the landscape was formed and the history of Cappadocia.

Then you go to Mustafapaşa, which was originally known as Sinasos, an old village where Turks and Greeks lived side by side and where old Greek Stone houses can still be seen. The Greeks left the village during the exchange of populations in 1923 agreed in the Treaty of Lausanne, and many of the houses have been abandoned since then or later turned into hotels.

The next stop is at the famous ‘Three Beauties of Ürgüp’, where you can see the mushroom-shaped rock formations and a panorama of the city of Ürgüp.

After that you go to Ortahisar which means "middle castle" in Turkish and as the name implies, it is situated between Göreme, Ürgüp, Uçhisar and Nevşehir. You go for a short walk in its old part which is an amazing place of abandoned and derelict dwellings, most of them unfortunately beyond repair. You also have lunch in local restaurant in Ortahisar.

After that you go to the Göreme open air museum, the most famous tourist attraction in Cappadocia, a complex of ancient cave churches cut into the rock by Orthodox monks. There are 9 cave churches with beautiful frescoes in the museum. Along with rectories, dwellings and a religious school, they form a large monastic complex cut into the rock in the stunning landscape of Cappadocia.

The last stop is just outside Uçhisar where you have an opportunity to taste the famous local Cappadocian wines at Kocabağ winery.