Ürgüp

Culinary & Nightlife

Discover Cappadocia from above on an early-morning hot air balloon flight. Gently fly over the fairy chimney rock formations for an hour and experience Cappadocia like a bird surveying its surroundings. Benefit from early morning hotel pickup before the day breaks, and travel to a hot air balloon launch site to get ready for your amazing adventure. Savor a light breakfast and hot drinks as you watch the balloons inflate against the stunning backdrop of the landscape. To make sure everyone stays safe, a passenger safety briefing is provided. You'll learn the basic rules of hot air balloon flights before ascending into the sky as the sun begins to rise. Take souvenir photos of the valleys below before gliding gently back down to the ground for your champagne celebration. Collect your keepsake flight certificate as a reminder of your experience. End your experience with a comfortable transfer back to your hotel.

Enjoy Cappadocia from above on a thrilling hot air balloon tour complete with a light breakfast and champagne celebration upon landing. Start your tour with a luxury mini-bus transfer from your hotel to the local partner's headquarters. Here you can relax and enjoy a light breakfast while the pilots choose a launch site. Then get ready to watch the crew assemble and inflate the balloon. It's the only balloon variety in the region that is silver-coated, a hallmark of quality and safety. Following a brief introduction, you'll be off to see Cappadocia from high in the air. Climb approximately 300 meters and take in panoramic views as you drift above the valleys and between rock formations. Balloons move by the wind and you'll float wherever the breeze takes you. Once back on the ground, celebrate your flight with a champagne toast and receive a commemorative flight medallion.

Enjoy a thrilling hot air balloon flight over the fairy chimneys and rock-cut churches and houses of Cappadocia, with transfers from your hotel and a pre-flight breakfast on arrival at the launch site. You will be picked up from your accommodation in Cappadocia for the transfer to the launch site. Warm up from the early morning chill with complimentary coffee and tea. While you enjoy breakfast, watch the balloons as they are prepared and inflated. Then, as the sun begins to rise, float to an altitude of about 1,000 feet (300 meters) for extraordinary 360-degree views of Cappadocia. The wind will transport you across the valleys and mountains for about 45 minutes to 1-hour, depending on the weather. Marvel at the unique rocks and caves of the region from a bird’s eye perspective. Toast your landing with a glass of sparkling Champagne, and get your personal flight certificate before the transfer back to your hotel and the start of the rest of your day.

Discover the moon-like landscape of Cappadocia from a new perspective as you witness the sunrise from a hot air balloon. Get picked up from your hotel just before sunrise and head to the starting point. Once permission to fly has been granted, head to the take-off site where you can take captivating photos and watch the balloon inflation process. When everything is ready for the flight, rise up from the heart of Cappadocia and marvel at the spectacular landscape as you watch the fairy chimneys and rock formations shrink before your eyes.  Your flight will last approximately 1 hour. Upon landing you will enjoy a traditional Champagne toast and medal presentation. End your experience with a convenient drop-off back to your hotel.

Enjoy breakfast at your hotel or in the town before starting your full-day Cappadocia small-group city tour. You will be picked up from your hotel at 10 AM. Start the day visiting Devrent Valley, also known as the “Imagination Valley,” a most surreal-looking landscape. Your next stop will be Pashabagi also known as the Monks Valley because Christian hermits chose to locate hermit cells and churches in these three-headed pinnacles symbolic of the Holy Trinity. It will be possible to see all the stages in the formation of fairy chimneys at this spot.  Then proceed to Avanos (Venessa), the pottery center of Cappadocia. This village is set on the banks of the Kizilirmak/ Red River. The river gets its name from the red clay it deposits. You can watch the potters at work using kick wheels, the technique which has remained unchanged for generations. You will have lunch in a local restaurant before continuing to Göreme Open Air Museum. The world’s most important Byzantine cave churches are found in these once remote valleys where monks and nuns pursued monastic life from the 3rd century on. Here, you will be able to see the best-preserved Byzantine cave wall paintings and frescos from the Iconoclastic period through to the end of Seljuk rule. Icons with scenes from the Old Testament and the New Testament above portraits of church fathers and saints depict the structure of the Byzantine universe. See the panoramic viewpoint of Esentepe. With a spectacular view over Göreme, see the complete view of Göreme Valley and Göreme village complete with fairy chimneys, rock formations, and cave houses. End your day at Uchisar Castle on a tall rock, the highest point in the Göreme region. After the tour, you will return to your hotel.

After a pickup from your hotel at 10 AM, hike along the Red and Rose Valley, the most breathtakingly and mysteriously beautiful valleys in the region. Conclude your hike at the Cavusin Cave Village. Here, marvel at the rock castle and troglodyte dwellings where people lived until the 20th century. Then, enjoy lunch in a local restaurant. Descend towards the center of the earth with a trip to the Underground City, one of the largest and deepest of Cappadocia’s many such settlements. Discover this underground city and its stables, cellars, storage rooms, refectories, churches, and wineries. Visit the Pigeon Valley, enjoy a spectacular view of dovecotes, see old abandoned cave homes, marvel at the old Greek houses of Uchisar, and visit Ortshisar Castle, the biggest mass of fairy chimneys in Cappadocia. Return to your hotel at the end of the tour.

Begin your full-day tour with spectacular views over Göreme from Esentepe. Admire the panorama of the Göreme Valley and village with its fairy chimneys, rock formations and cave houses. Visit Derinkuyu Underground City and explore unique rooms including stables, cellars, storage areas, refectories, churches and wineries. On the second floor see the missionary school and study rooms. Travel to the Ihlara Valley, where you’ll see more than 100 rock-carved churches and houses lining the gorge. Walk along the river. Discover hidden churches. Relax by the river at Belisirma village and enjoy lunch. After lunch continue on to the Selime Monastery, which was featured in Star Wars.

Discover Cappadocia by experiencing its beauty and charm at night. Follow in the footsteps of your guide in a 4-5 hour private tour that features the main attractions of the city that glow in the evening light. As the day winds down, set out for Kızılçukur Valley to witness the magnificent sunset. See some of the city's most iconic sights, including Goreme, Ortahisar, and Ürgüp to gaze over the stunning landscape. Next, stop at a local restaurant and enjoy a delicious dinner. Finish your tour with visits to the towns of Avanos and Çavuşin. Tour spots: Kızılçukur Valley Sunset point Ortahisar Panoroma Ürgüp Panoroma and Fairy Chimneys Avanos city tour Uchisar Castle Göreme Panoroma Dinner

Get picked up from your accommodation by your guide and head out on a small-group tour through Cappadocia. Start with a stop at Goreme Panorama, a scenic viewpoint that presents you with the expansive vista formed by the city below and the stunning rocky hills that back it. Then, drive to Kaymaklı Underground City to learn firsthand how early Christians protected and defended themselves from persecutions and invasions for centuries. Hike through Turkey's largest canyon, which features over 2,670 different plants that thrive in the valley's microclimate. Afterward, make the 1.5-hour drive to Ihlara Canyon for a 3.8 km hike along the river and through the area's beautiful nature. After the hike, satisfy your appetite with lunch at a local restaurant in Belisırma. Then visit Selime Monastery, the biggest religious building in Cappadocia with a cathedral-size church. Before returning you to your hotel, your guide will stop at Pigeon Valley, the best photo spot in all of Cappadocia.

Gilde over Cappadocia on a hot air balloon flight and watch the sunrise over the incredible landscapes and fairy chimneys. Have a traditional lunch and explore the cave churches of Göreme. Be picked up at your hotel before sunrise, and journey to the launch site of your hot air balloon flight. Watch the sunrise over Cappadocia as you glide over settlements depending on the conditions. Float back to the ground for a post-flight celebration and collect your flight certificate. Then, marvel at the rock formations of the Devrent Valley before going to Monks Valley (Pashabagi), where the hermits built their cave dwellings and churches. Try your hand at pottery in Avanos and watch the potters at work using a technique that has remained unchanged for generations. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant, and explore the cave churches of Göreme Open Air Museum. Marvel at the Byzantine wall paintings depicting biblical scenes, and get a panoramic view of the valley and its fairy chimneys before visiting Uchisar Castle at the region's highest point.