I get questions about the best Cappadocia photo spots all the time – in the travel guide I’ll share all my favorite ones with you and give you useful information and insider tips for your own trip!
The fairytale landscapes of Cappadocia have been on my bucket list for such a long time – the unique rock formations, which are the result of a volcanic eruption several thousand years ago, are simply breathtaking. After our first visit in 2019 we fell so much in love with this place that we revisited Cappadocia again this year!
In this Cappadocia Travel Guide you find the best places to visit and the beautiful photo locations in Cappadocia alongside with useful information.

How to get to and get around Cappadocia?

In April we finally took our flight from Frankfurt to Istanbul from where we took another flight to Kayseri – the closest airport to Göreme.
We arrived in the late afternoon and drove another 45 mins to the hotel with our rental car.
Renting a car is one thing I can highly recommend during a trip to Cappadocia – you will be way more flexible with it and don’t have to participate at any tours with a ton of other people. Most of the important spots are only some minutes away from Göreme. While booking the car online we made sure to get a Jeep cause some roads are only accessible for off road vehicles.

How many days are ideal for Cappadocia?

In my opinion three to four days are enough to see it all. The area is not huge and you reach all spots in several minutes or maximum 30 mins for the underground city Kaymakli. Even though we are the kind of travelers which spend a lot of time taking pictures everywhere we go, we still had time to relax. We split our time in Cappadocia and stay two nights in Göreme and another two in Uçhisar.

Are the hot air balloons flying everyday?

The answer is NO! During our trip we’ve seen the Balloons only ONE morning – even so we had several clear sunrises. They only get up in the air when it’s clear and not windy. Of course the chance to see them is higher if you travel in spring or summer – but even when we’ve been there in the middle of April we got only lucky this one morning. We met some girls which stayed 3 days and haven’t seen a single Balloon!

Is it worth booking a balloon ride in Cappadocia?

100% YES! Joining a hot air balloon ride is definitely one of the best things to do in Cappadocia and not overrated at all! Depending on the company you will be in a basket with 16 or 20 guests in total. This may sound like a lot but the basket is huge an divided in four separate compartments for 4-5 people. We decided to fly with Turquaz Balloons since they have the best reputation in Göreme and only take up to 16 guests in one balloon which means that you have a guaranteed space at the outside of the basket with the best view. Seeing the surreal landscape from above with hundreds of other balloons around us while the sun is slowly rising is definitely one of my favorite memories from Cappadocia! It was all so worth the 4.30 am wake up call!

Book the best Hot Air Balloon Tours in Cappadocia here:

The best places to visit in Cappadocia

To explore all the unique valleys and places in Cappadocia you either have to book a tour or have your own rental car – which I already mentioned is the better option.

The tours usually start around 10 am so all the famous spots get really crowded during the noon till the early afternoon – around 3pm it starts to get quiet.

The valleys of Cappadocia

The reason why Cappadocia got so famous and what let it stand out are not just the rising balloons in the morning but the fact that the area was formed by volcanic eruptions many thousand years ago. Throughout the years the wind and rain has formed the soft rocks into bizarre formations which you can’t find anywhere else!
These valleys are definitely worth a visit of you’re exploring Cappadocia:

Imagination Valley / Devrent Valley

My favorite valley and one of the best places to visit in Cappadoca is called Imagination Valley (Devrent Valley) and as soon as you arrive, you will instantly understand where this place got its name from!

The valley got its name since many of the rocks look like animals or other figures if you use a little fantasy You can walk and climb your way through the valley to enjoy impressive views over the whole area. But be careful! The material of the stones is quite soft and the loose rocks and sand make the ground a bit slippery. Thats why wearing sneakers instead of slippers is highly recommended!

It’s one of the spots where tour busses stop as well, but the groups usually just make a quick stop for a photo. If you walk a little further into the valley to explore the bizarre rock formations you will very soon find yourself alone without any tourists!

Monks Valley / Paşabağ Valley – one of the best places to visit in Cappadocia

One of the most famous and most visited places in Cappadocia is called Paşabağ Valley. The reason for that is that are the unique Fairy Chimney rocks which used to be a seclusion space for Monks. Beside that you can find one of the most famous photo locations of Cappadocia in Paşabağ valley: The Chapel of St. Simeon. Built into one of the Fairy Chimneys with three heads, its shape is absolutely unique and famous among photographers. But due to the many visitors its not easy to capture THE famous shot! You either have to come very early for the opening hour or shortly before the closing and be very patient (or just lucky).
Paşabağ used to be free of charge like the other valley during our first visit in 2019 but starting from 2021 they fenced the area and built a huge cashier building at the front where courts now have to pay a fee of 20 TL (2 EUR).

The opening hours are 8am – 7 pm from April 1st until October 1st & 8am – 5pm from October1st until April1st.

Love Valley – a unique place to visit in Cappadocia

Visit Love Valley by car to see the most unique rock formations in Cappadocia! As soon as you see the bizarre rock formations for the first time, it will be easy for you to guess where this valley got its name from. The locals call the rock formations mushrooms – but let’s be honest they all look like huge male body parts
During a volcanos eruption, which created the whole area of Cappadocia several thousand years ago, ash fall down and covered the whole area. Due to the impact of wind ans water over thousands of years these special structures were born!

Reaching Love Valley by car

The official spot is a lookout point from where you have the best view over the valley. If you want to walk through the valley itself you have to walk down around 30 minutes per direction OR if you rented a 4-while drive like a Jeep or similar, you can reach it by car! Drive down the street from the viewpoint and take a right turn. There you will see the street leading to Love Valley and a sign which says „No Vehicles beyond this point“. The sign is meant for any no 4-wheel drives cause they might get stuck but we didn’t had a problem problem at all while driving here!

Arriving at the little parking lot in the valley you will barely see any other tourists. Most of them don’t want to walk all the way down or don’t know about the little off road path.

The Red Valley – the best sunset view in Cappadocia

For a relaxing evening you definitely have to visit Red Valley to watch the sunset. It’s a famous spot during the evening cause the setting sun turns the soft red formations into a sea of fire. But nonetheless its worth a visit! The area is huge so you can easily find a nice space to sit and enjoy the atmosphere. You can either enjoy a tea in one of the little restaurants close to the parking lot or walk a little further to find the perfect spot for a picture and to drink a glass of wine you brought with you!

Book the best Tours in Cappadocia here:

Towns in Cappadocia that are worth a visit:

Göreme

The most known town in Cappadocia where most of the beautiful Cave Hotels are located and where the balloons start to rise in the morning is Göreme. In case you decide to stay somewhere else I still recommend to visit the:

Göreme Open Air Museum

The most famous sight in Göreme is the Open Air Museum. It is an area with several chapels and churches but also living spaces and storages which got carved into the rocks by the first Christian settlers which arrived in the 2nd-3rd century AD. Many colorful paintings inside the rock chapels are incredibly good preserved! If you want to learn and see more about the history of Cappadocia and how the people used to live here, the Göreme Open Air Museum is definitely worth a visit!

The entry is 100 TL (10 EUR) per person and free for children under 8 years.

secret photo spot:

Right across the parking lot of the Open Air Museum you can spot a rock which looks like a huge window. It makes a beautiful natural frame for a picture with the markable rock formations in the background.

The best restaurants in Göreme:

The Turkish cuisine is rich and delicious. They have a lot of meat options like Kebab (Chicken, Lamb or Beef) or Moussaka (Baked Aubergine with grounded beef and tomato sauce). But there are also many vegetarian options with aubergine, chick peas and other vegetables.

A famous dish, which is typical for this region, is pottery kebab. For this they put meat and vegetables in a pottery pot and put it in the fire for at least four hours. It gets cooked in its own juice until the ingredients are very tender and will be served with rice or bread.
We found a very nice Restaurant in Göreme where they serve this meal in an authentic way called inci cave. This small and family owned restaurant has been our favorite dinner spot in Göreme. I loved the Aubergine Paste, Köfte (some kind of meat balls) or the lemon mustard marinated chicken plus the vegetarian options. The food was so good that we ate here two nights

But we had the best Turkish Ravioli (called Manti) at the Turkish Ravioli House and it’s a MUST to try them! They are stuffed with beef and onions and served with tomato sauce, yoghurt and melted butter on top – soooo delicious!

Uçhisar

The village Uçhisar is only a 5 minutes drive away from Göreme. There you will not only find many lovely restaurants and hotels like the legendary Museum Hotel but also Uçhisar castle, which is the highest point in Cappadocia and an impressive landmark. It offers an amazing view over the valleys and Göreme which is especially dreamy during sunset.

The entry is only 20 TL (2 EUR) and you can walk up the stairs of the castle. It’s no manmade building – like all structures in the area its a natural rock. People back in the days carved caves and steps into the soft stone to live here or for storage.

Kaymakli

From Göreme you can drive around 25 mins South to Kaymakli to visit the underground caves. There are several of these underground tunnel systems in the region but the one in Kaymakli is the largest! It’s a labyrinth of several caves which are connected via small tunnels and steps which lead into different levels. The tunnel system is so huge that a whole village which sheep could live here. There are living rooms, wineries, chapels, a kitchen and everything people needed for their daily life while being safe from enemies.

Avanos

The main town in the area is called Avanos. It is a nice place for a relaxing stop for lunch or in the afternoon after exploring the many valleys! Park your car directly in the city center and stroll through the little old town, try some local wine or stroll along the river where you will find little food stalls with ice cream or a Turkish Döner for 10TL (1 EUR)!

The only place in Cappadocia which disappointed us: The Salt Lake

During our first visit in Turkey we got a tip to visit the Salt Lake of Cappadocia which we heard looks like a huge mirror reflecting the sky. Especially the sunset shots we found on our web search looked amazing.

So we drove two hours south to reach the lake only to realize that it wasn’t as beautiful as on the pics we saw at all! This may be because of the grey and cloudy weather we had this day and also because of the many tourist busses which stopped here. We literally stayed for maybe 5 or 10 mins and left again.

Cappadocia has been magical

I just can’t get enough of Cappadocia. After visiting this fairytale place two times already I can easily understand why it’s on the bucket list of so many people: It is absolutely living up to its hype! Cappadocia is the ideal destination for a short trip and combines adventures with romantic vibes and good food.

I hope my Cappadocia Travel Guide will find you to find the best places to visit in Cappadocia during your own trip! If you would like to see more impressions head over to my Instagram Account @voyagefox_ and check out my Story Highlight “Turkey II”

A landscape that seems to come straight out of a fairytale and colorful hot air balloons that float peacefully over the scenery early in the morning: That is Cappadocia.

It is one of the few destinations in the world that is even more beautiful in reality than in photos. Therefore, a trip to Cappadocia belongs on every bucket list!

The right hotel is guaranteed to make your trip even dreamier, as you will find the most beautiful small boutique hotels in the region. A common feature are the traditional cave rooms. The most beautiful among them: The Koza Cave Hotel in the heart of Cappadocia. In this hotel review of the Koza Cave Hotel in Cappadocia you will find out whether the hotel is the right choice for you:

My review of the Koza Cave Hotel

Location

In Cappadocia you will find most hotels, restaurants and shops in the town of Goreme. It is not the capital of the region, but rather a dreamy and touristic village. It is the ideal starting point for exploring the region, as the most beautiful sights and the well-known valleys are in the immediate vicinity.

The Koza Cave Hotel is one of the hotels located above the hill on which Goreme is built. The hotel’s rooftop is the highest in all of Goreme, offering the best view of the valley and the rising hot air balloons in the morning!

Rooms & Suites

Many houses around hotels in Goreme are built right into the soft sandstone found throughout the region. For thousands of years people have carved their dwellings and camps in the rock and even today visitors can stay in these caves. The Koza Cave Hotel offers a total of ten cave rooms and suites, all of which are individually designed and have different features. Due to the small number of rooms and the great popularity, you should book your desired room well in advance. 

→ Book your stay in the Koza Cave Hotel here!

Deluxe Cave Suite

We slept in one of the larger suites. The Deluxe Cave Suite with a total of 50 m² is located on several winding floors featuring a small living room with a fireplace, a cozy bedroom and a bathroom with a corner bath.

The interior of each room is individually designed, but they all feature locally handcrafted furnishings like big carpets, massive wooden furniture and antique decorations. I find the rooms super cozy and romantic. They immerse their visitors directly into the magical world of Cappadocia.

The Rooftop Terrace

The highlight of the Koza Cave Hotel is the carpeted and cushioned rooftop terrace with a breath-taking view. As already mentioned, it is the highest terrace in all of Goreme allowing for an uninterrupted view of the valley.

In the evening, the roof terrace also welcomes guests from outside the hotel to enjoy the sunset with drinks. But the real spectacle takes place early in the morning: the hot air balloons rising with the sun. At this time, access to the rooftop terrace is exclusively for hotel guests and is perfect for taking photos or just marveling!

It is truly a unique experience to see the numerous balloons floating over the unique landscape of Cappadocia while the rising sun transforms the sky into the most beautiful colors. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that the balloons will fly every day. If it is too windy, the ascent will be cancelled to avoid accidents. Therefore, you should stay at Koza Cave Hotel for at least two or three nights to have a significantly higher chance of being part of this moment. But even without balloons, the view is fantastic! 

The Concept of the Koza Cave Hotel – The Koza Experience

The Koza Cave Hotel in Cappadocia is a family-run boutique hotel. The family is not only extremely friendly and hospitable, but very well connected with various business operators in Cappadocia. Therefore the Koza Experience doesn’t end with your stay at the hotel, but can extend throughout your entire journey. I encourage you to take advance of the families’ insider knowledge of the Cappadocia region and build your Cappadocia must-do list based on the recommendations of the people that have spent their life there. 

The team takes great pleasure in organizing all the details that will make your trip unforgettable. The offers include photo shoots, whether in the hotel itself or in the region and the rental of stunning dresses for pictures (such as the long yellow dress you see in my photos). The family also organizes balloon rides and excursions for their guests. It is a unique and always warm service – we didn’t have to take care of anything during our trip!

If you have specific ideas and wishes, you can plan them ahead of your stay in order to secure your desired dates. You can always reach the team via WhatsApp or email on the Koza website.

In addition to this review of the Konza Cave Hotel, I have also published an article with the most beautiful places in Cappadocia. You should definitely read this post before your trip so that you don’t miss any highlights and secret spots! 

→ You can find my Cappadocia travel guide here!

Breakfast & Bar 

After a breath-taking sunrise on the roof terrace, the Koza team prepares a breakfast buffet in the small restaurant. The selection consists of traditional dishes and local products from the region. But classics like pancakes are also freshly prepared. The selection of warm dishes changes daily, but the Turkish breakfast classic Gözleme is a must! It’s a thin flatbread filled with cheese and various ingredients such as onions, spinach, tomatoes, … Super delicious!

The Hotel also offers you the option to enjoy your breakfast on the terrace with a view, together with a traditional Turkish tea or coffee.

Part of the breakfast buffet

Dusk by Koza

From the late afternoon, the terrace transforms into the Rooftop Bar Dusk by Koza. Serving very cool locally inspired cocktails and drinks as well as shisha and small snacks. This makes it the ideal place to enjoy the sunset in the evening.

Since the Koza Cave Hotel only has a small kitchen for snacks and breakfast, it does not have its own restaurant for dinner. However, you will find numerous great options for dinner in the immediate vicinity. You can find my restaurant tips for Göreme in my → Cappadocia travel guide.

Résumé of our experience at the Koza Cave Hotel

The Koza Cave Hotel is probably one of the smallest, but at the same time one of the dreamiest hotels we have ever stayed in. For me it is the first choice in Goreme, for an authentic experience as imagined in Cappadocia. Cozy cave rooms, a stunning view and warm hosts. The Koza Cave Hotel is the best-rated hotel in the region and my absolute favourite for a reason!

→ Click here to book your stay at the Koza Cave Hotel

We had a sponsored stay at the Koza Cave Hotel which does not influence my review and option about the hotel.

While Istanbul is not the capital of Turkey it’s the biggest city in the country with more than 15 Million people living here. Which means that you have a lot to explore during a city trip!
In this post I’ll tell you my personal “Best places in Istanbul” which you can’t miss while visiting the worlds only city which is situated on two different continents: Europe and Asia!

At the end of this post you will find a map with all the best places in Istanbul!

The best places in Istanbul

Taksim Square

The Taksim square is located in the European part of Istanbul and considered as the center of the modern Istanbul with many shops, restaurant, food stalls which makes it to a major magnet for tourists and locals! It’s a great place to stay in the city as a starting point for sightseeing walks. We stayed in the newly opened Sofitel Taksim and absolutely loved it!

Main attractions at the Taksim Square are the Republic Monument which commemorates the formation of the Turkish Republic in 1923 and the Taksim Mosque.

From Taksim Square make sure to walk along the Istiklal Caddesi (Istiklal Avenue) for a stroll. You can find many shops, cafes, bars and much more along the small street just as the historic and popular red tram which is connection Tünel Square and Taksim Square.

Galata Tower

From the Taksim Square you can walk to one of Istanbuls oldest and tallest buildings: The Galata Tower. It got built in 1348 and got used as a watchtower. Today it is one of Istanbuls most famous sights. To enter the Galata Tower you have to pay an an admission fee of 100 TL (around 9,50 EUR) which are definitely worth it! From the top you’ll get a panoramic view over the whole city and the Bosphorus!

Bosphorus Ferry Ride

Coming from the Dolmabahçe Palace it is just a short walk to the ferry station from where you can ride to one of the other parts of the city. Istanbul is incredibly huge and the Bosphorus is dividing it in several parts which are all connected via bridges and ferries. A ride is less than one Euro per person and offers amazing views!

The Grand Bazaar

Of course you can not leave Turkey without visiting one of the legendary Bazaars and here in Istanbul you’ll find the biggest and oldest covered Bazaar in the world. It got built in 1455/56, with more than 4,000 shops of all kinds – which makes it to one of the first shopping malls in the world The market is visited by countless tourists and locals each day. Even if you’re not planning to buy anything, it is nice to stroll around, experience the atmosphere and have a look at colorful lanterns, spices, clothes and so much more!

Hagia Sophia

The most interesting and famous building in Istanbul, which has an extremely moving history, is the Hagia Sophia. It got built in 537 AD and has been a church for almost 1000 years until Sultan Mehmet conquered Istanbul (which still has been Constantinople back then) in 1453 and turned the Hagia Sophia in a mosque. During this process minarets have been added to the building. President Atatürk turned the Hagia Sophia into a museum in 1953 – exactly 500 years after the conquest – to symbolize the connection of Turkey with the western world. But just shortly – in 2020 – it got declared as a mosque again by president Erdoğan.
During our first visit in 2018 the Hagia Sophia still has been a museum and visitors could attempt an audio guide tour through the complex while admiring Christian as well as Muslim art pieces. Since the Hagia Sophia is a Mosque, visitors can still visit the complex but have to take off their shoes and women have to cover up. Of course there are no audio guides and signs in the Hagia Sophia anymore and women are not allowed to enter the very front part of the complex… Since the Hagia Sophia is a UNESCO heritage side, it is not allowed to remove any of the old Christian icons but during our visit we saw that some of them have been covered with white sheets.

The Blue Mosque
(Sultan Ahmet Mosque)

Opposite of the Hagia Sophia sits the historic Sultan Ahmed Mosque which got built between 1609 – 1611 during the Ottoman Empire. The complex is more popular under the name Blue Mosque since the interior is covered with hand-painted blue tiles and the mosque gets illuminated by blue light at night. During our first visit in 2018 we loved visiting the Blue Mosque and admiring the beautiful interior but currently it is under renovation which means that you won’t see much at the moment until the planned completion in 2022.
Like in all mosques you don’t have to pay an entrance fee but tourist can only visit in between prayer times, have to take off their shoes and dress properly. Which means that all visitors have to cover their shoulders and knees while women additionally have to cover their head.

Topkapi Palace

Behind the Hagia Sophia you’ll find the famous Topkapi Palace which used to be the royal residence & administrative center of the Sultans in the 15th and 16th century. The Palace has hundreds of rooms and halls while only the most important ones are open for visitors. To visit the Harem, which is the part of the complex where the female members of the Sultan’s family lived, you need an additional ticket.
The palace is built in Ottoman architecture style with many colorful tiles, detailed ornaments and an extensive garden area.

We spent around 1,5 hours in total visiting the Topkapi Palace. The entrance fee is a bit higher: 200TL (around 18,50 EUR) per person including an audio guide but excluding the admission fee to the Harem.

Basilica Cistern

During our first visit in Istanbul we loved exploring the Basilica Cistern under the city! There are hundreds of the cisterns which have been used as water reservoirs and provided the city with fresh water while the Basilica Cistern is the biggest one of them all. It got built in the 6th century in the Byzantine Empire and is absolutely impressive to visit due to the fact that it got built in the style of a cathedral with engraved columns. Thanks to its mystical atmosphere the Basilica Cistern got the scene for several movies or video games and if you have been reading Dan Browns Bestseller ‘Inferno’ you may especially know the unique Medusa head pillars. The entrance fee is only 30TL (less than 3 EUR) and absolutely worth a visit.

Unfortunately the Basilica Cistern has been closed for renovations during our last visit in September 2021 but will reopen soon!

Restaurant Tips

If you’re done exploring the area around the Hagia Sophia  and craving a nice dinner I can highly recommend you the restaurant “Garden 1897“. It is rated as one of the best restaurants in Istanbul without being expensive! They have a great selection of Turkish specialties like Manti (Turkish Ravioli) or Moussaka!

For a sweet afternoon snack you HAVE to try some Turkish Baklava! It’s a sweet treat made out of sweet puff pastry and different nuts which is absolutely delicious. A famous place to get them are the ‘Hafiz Mustafa 1864‘ shops which can be found several times in Istanbul – one of their shops is close to the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia!

Map with the best places in Istanbul

You may also be interested in

• My Cappadocia Travel Guide

• How I became a travel blogger & tips for beginners