Cappadocia

In 1985, UNESCO added Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia to the World Heritage List for a rare combination: a volcanic landscape shaped by erosion and human settlement inside that same rock. The first feature is the landscape. Fairy chimneys reach 40 m, and each valley has its own profile: lone columns in Love Valley, animal shapes in Devrent, multi-headed mushroom rocks at Paşabağları. The second is what was carved out. There are churches with Byzantine paintings from the post-iconoclastic period, such as those in the Göreme Open-Air Museum, troglodyte villages like Zelve, inhabited until 1952, and underground cities like Derinkuyu, about 85 m deep. The third is the sky. On 220 to 235 days a year the weather allows balloon flights, and mornings with dozens of balloons over the valleys have become the image of the region.

40 km (25 miles) from Göreme is Nevşehir Kapadokya Airport (NAV), the closest; Kayseri Erkilet Airport (ASR) is about 80 km away. The protected area covers the Central Anatolian plateau between Nevşehir, Ürgüp and Avanos and also includes the sites of Karain, Karlık, Yeşilöz and Soğanlı and the underground cities of Kaymaklı and Derinkuyu. Göreme is the most practical base, in the middle of the valleys and 2 km from the Open-Air Museum. Uçhisar, a few kilometres away, has the highest viewpoints. From Istanbul, the flight to Cappadocia takes about 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Walkers will find short, well-marked trails in Cappadocia, such as the Pigeon Valley trail between Göreme and Uçhisar, about 4 km (2.5 miles) long. History lovers can reach Byzantine churches, cave villages and underground cities within minutes of each other. Families enjoy the 1-day tours, which take care of transport. If you are claustrophobic or have back problems, choose carefully: the underground cities have low passages, and balloon flights are not recommended for pregnant women or people with serious back problems. Travellers looking for beaches or lively nightlife will find the region too quiet.

The 7 attractions below cover the essentials of the region, from the most famous monastery to the underground cities. Most of them are less than half an hour's drive from each other. The Göreme Open-Air Museum, 2 km east of the town, brings together churches carved between the 4th and 13th centuries. The Dark Church has the best-preserved frescoes in Cappadocia. Derinkuyu Underground City goes down about 85 m and has 8 levels open to visitors, with stone doors of up to 500 kg that could seal each level from inside. Kaymaklı Underground City, 19 km from Nevşehir, has 4 open levels with a church, kitchens and wine presses. It is the more comfortable choice if tight spaces worry you. Paşabağları and Zelve Valley are 1 km apart: mushroom-shaped fairy chimneys and a village carved across 3 valleys, inhabited until 1952 and then evacuated because of rockfall risk. Uçhisar Castle is a rock about 95 m tall, the highest point in the region, with a 360-degree view over Pigeon Valley. Love Valley has the tallest and most isolated columns, with a loop trail of about 5 km that is best walked early in the morning. Devrent Valley, between Avanos and Ürgüp, is the valley of animal shapes, such as the stone camel at the entrance.

About 1 hour in the air is the length of the sunrise balloon flight, the most sought-after experience in Cappadocia. It always depends on the weather and on clearance from the civil aviation authority, so plan a spare morning. The Red Tour covers the north in about 8 hours, with Uçhisar, Göreme, Devrent, Paşabağları and a pottery workshop in Avanos. The Green Tour heads south in about 9 hours, with Derinkuyu, the Ihlara Valley walk and Selime Monastery. To see the valleys up close without walking, the sunset horse ride takes 1 to 2 hours through the Red, Rose and Swords valleys.

The 2 Cappadocia guides settle the first decisions of the trip. The getting-there guide covers the airports, the flight of about 1 hour 20 minutes from Istanbul, the overnight bus and how to get around between the villages. The best-time guide sets out the official climate month by month, with the balloon and peak seasons.

The 5 facts below answer the most common questions travellers from the US, the UK, Ireland and Australia ask before they leave.

From April to June and from September to October, average temperatures in Nevşehir range from 10 °C to 18 °C (50 °F to 64 °F), the best period for walking. July is the warmest month, with an average of about 21 °C, and it hardly rains; January averages around 0 °C and can bring snow. Even in summer, the early mornings of the balloon flights are cold.

From Istanbul there are flights of about 1 hour 20 minutes to Nevşehir (NAV) or Kayseri (ASR), and overnight buses of about 10 hours 40 minutes to Göreme bus station. There is no direct public bus from the airports to the region: arrange a transfer with your hotel or use the shared shuttles.

Buses run every hour between Göreme, Avanos and Ürgüp, and dolmuş minibuses leave Nevşehir for Kaymaklı and Derinkuyu every 30 minutes. For Ihlara, Devrent and the viewpoints, a rental car or 1-day tours are more practical.

For most travellers, 3 full days work well. With 2 days you can fit in the balloon and the main sights; with 5 days you can explore less-visited valleys and villages and have room to rebook the balloon if the flight is cancelled.

After a long travel day, do not book the balloon for your first morning; plan it from day 2 or 3 instead, which also leaves room for a weather cancellation. Get to the museums when they open, around 8 am, before the groups. Wear shoes with firm soles in the valleys and underground cities, and bring a jacket for the mornings in any season. The museums close earlier in winter, so check times the day before.

A 3-day plan often looks like this: on day 1, Göreme, the Open-Air Museum and the Pigeon Valley trail to Uçhisar; on day 2, the sunrise balloon and the north, with Paşabağları, Zelve and Devrent; on day 3, the south, with Derinkuyu or Kaymaklı and Ihlara Valley. The drive between Kaymaklı and Derinkuyu takes only about 10 minutes. Keep the morning of day 3 free as a backup for the balloon.

In Turkey, commercial balloon operators need authorisation from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (SHGM), and flights only go ahead when conditions allow. Accept a cancellation: it is about the wind. In Zelve and the valleys, the rock slopes are unstable, so stay on marked trails and routes.