OCTOBER 2022

I can honestly say that Cappadocia is one of the most beautiful places on earth! The unique landscapes, cave houses, colorful carpets and balloons make it a spectacular sight, that nobody should miss out on. Luckily, it is very well possible to visit Cappadocia on a budget. In this blogpost I accumulated all my tips for visiting Cappadocia in an affordable way!

Lodging

When staying in Cappadocia you can decide to stay in a very expensive hotel, but there are plenty of budget options available. I stayed in the Empire Cave hotel which fits into the budget category at around € 40 per night for a double room. The hotel was comfortable enough, with spacious rooms, an included breakfast and located close to the city center of Göreme. If you decide on staying in a hotel with a swimming pool or rooftop terrace it will cost significantly more. The Koza Cave hotel is one of the most famous hotels in Cappadocia, with a beautiful rooftop terrace from which you can see the balloons take off in the early morning, but it costs between € 100 – € 200 per night to stay here. My trip host stayed in this hotel and while the rooftop was lovely, she didn’t love her room. During the morning the rooftop terrace is only accesible for hotel guests, but at night you can make a reservation for drinks. The Museum Hotel is another famous hotel in Cappadocia, with a beautiful outdoor pool, but this hotel costs € 300 per night in low season. By choosing a cheap hotel in Cappadocia you can make your trip fit a low budget.

Balloons

Of course one of the most famous activities to do in Cappadocia is taking a balloon trip, but you have to realize that it will take set you back € 200 for a +/- 30-minute trip. I had decided to not go on a balloon ride, because I had done a balloon trip already and I find it a once in a lifetime thing. Not going on a balloon ride does not mean you cannot enjoy the balloons. I rented a driver to go balloon chasing during sunrise, a lot of taxis offer this service and they take you to two or three spots to see the balloons. I was able to share the taxi with two girls from my group trip, so the taxi cost me about € 15. We rented dresses from Cappadocia Dream Dresses for € 50 per dress and as we are aspiring photographers we took pictures ourselves, instead of renting a photographer. I absolutely loved taking pictures with these enormous dresses and the moments with the balloons were absolutely magical!

Budget activities

There are so many activities you can do in Cappadocia and many of them are very budget friendly, here are my budget recommendations. To get around the cheapest way would be to hire a car for the day.

Göreme open air museum: The Göreme open air museum is a super interesting spot that features beautiful rock churches, caves and formations. It gives a beautiful overview of how man used to live historically. The entrance fee is about € 5 and it is a lovely way to spend 1,5 hours.

Sultan Carpets photo shoot: Sultan Carpets is a carpet store that has a section that you can rent for photo shoots. This is the spot where you can take that ultimate Turkey pictures with colorful carpets and lights! You can privatize the area if you message them via their Instagram, the cost is about € 20 per half hour.

Visit to Uchisar: We had lunch with views of Uchisar, a super interesting area with spectacular surroundings. Entering the mysterious Uchisar Castle costs less than € 3.

Underground tunnels: Around Cappadocia you can visit several underground cities. Some cities are dug several stories below the surface. The rooms are connected by tiny tunnels, so definitely don’t visit if you are claustrophobic. The entrance fee is only a few euros. It is a really good activity to do on a hot day, as it is relatively cool in the underground villages.

Sunset views at Red Valley: If you are looking for a beautiful spot to watch the sunset, look no further than Red Valley. The rocks change color with the sunset, giving off a spectacular view. It is a popular thing to do, but because it is very big there is enough room for everyone. I can imagine this being a lovely hiking spot as well.

Pottery visit: I really enjoyed the traditional pottery demonstration given by a pottery store. Of course, it is nice if you buy something from the store afterwards, but we weren’t pressured into this at all.

Rooftop restaurants: In Göreme there are many restaurants featuring rooftops from which you can watch the sunset. There are restaurant in all sorts of budgets, the best budget tip is to don’t order wine, which tends to be expensive in Turkey. Koza Cave Hotel has a very famous rooftop, for which they take reservations for drinks.

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