Göreme
Göreme (Goreme, pronounced guh-reh-meh, uh like er in "her") is a town in the Cappadocia region of Turkey.
Understand
Göreme is in the middle of an internationally popular region that is best known for its natural rock formations, often called "fairy chimneys". The rock formations are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.
Get in
By bus
- Istanbul – Several bus companies have connections, they take about 10 hr and costs 110-145 TL. There are more services to close-by Nevşehir. Make sure you book a couple of days in advance in peak times as buses sell out.
- Nevşehir – There is regular bus service to Nevşehir center every (full) half hour 07:30-20:00 ((15 TL, September 2022). In Nevşehir you have connections from/to regional destinations including the underground cities at Kaymaklı and Derinkuyu. Dolmuses also run about every hour to nearby towns like Avanos and Urgup. They will charge 10 TL (2022) for Uchisar, which is just up the hill—you are better off walking of hitchhiking.
- Kayseri – The best way is to take a bus to Avanos or Ürhüp (1 hr) and then to take a Dolmuç to Göreme. If you came to Kayseri by train, or if you are in the city center, take the bus 900 to the bus terminal. From there, you can find direct buses to Avanos. Take care, some companies (like Nevşehir Seyahat, not recommended because they are not fair) will say to you that they go directly to Göreme, will charge you the price of a ticket to Nevşehir (60 TL) and then will leave you in Avanos where you will have to take another bus and pay for it. So the best and cheapest way, when you are at the bus terminal is to go to the Kayseri West Villages Bus Station which is the bus station next to the Kaysri bus termnial (2 min walk) and then buy a ticket to Ürgüp. The company Ürgüp Tasimacilik will charge you only 30 TL (2022) to go to Ürgüp. They leave every hour from something like 7AM to 7PM. From Ürgüp you will find a Dolmuç (small local bus) that will go to Göreme in 10 min and will charge you 15 TL (2022). They leave every 30 minutes.
There are also connections from/to Konya (3½ hr), Ankara (5 hr including a transfer in Nevşehir, 40 TL), Alanya (9 hr), Antalya (9½ hr, 60 TL as of Nov 2017), Bodrum (13 hr), Canakkale (17 hr), Denizli (10 hr), Kusadasi (12 hr), Marmaris (13 hr), Pamukkale (10 hr night bus, 110 TL as of Nov 2019), Selçuk (12 hr), Çıralı (10 hr), Trabzon, and Van.
Note, if you book your ticket to/from Göreme (as stated in the ticket), make sure that the bus (or a smaller van associated with the bus company) will actually go to/from Göreme bus station (otogar) and not Nevşehir.
By plane
The nearest airports to Göreme are in Kayseri or Nevşehir Kapadokya Airport. To Kayseri Airport, Turkish Airlines and Pegasus have several flights a day from Istanbul. SunExpress is another low-cost option. Turkish also flies daily to Nevşehir.
Outside the airport are only taxis (cost 12 TL to the main bus station, otogar) and arranged shuttle buses, no dolmuş. The stop for city buses is a bit down the road following the airport exit. The Kayseri otogar is far from the airport. From otogar, there are very few direct lines to Göreme (10 TL), but more frequent lines to Avanos, where you can transfer to a local bus for the remaining 9 km to Göreme; the station is unmarked and the ride costs 2.50 TL.
If you have a hotel transfer option, take it: it is much more convenient, and will cost about 20 TL per person from Nevşehir Airport, 50% more from Kayseri Airport (Nov 2017).
Turkish Airlines offers a shuttle from Nevşehir Airport to Nevşehir, Uchisar and Göreme for 12 TL (Nov 2017).
Get around
On foot
The town of Göreme is fairly small, and walking is your best option. Walking also provides excellent views of the surrounding canyons, which are sights themselves.
By thumb
To get around in the valley around Göreme, hitchhiking is very convenient and easy.
By road
Available for rent are mountain bikes (at 180 TL very overpriced and not feasible in the valleys), scooters, motorcycles and all terrain quads.
See
Göreme has a wide selection of natural and cultural wonders. Walking through the village you will be amazed at the bizarre 'fairy chimney' rocks cut naturally by the wind and rain. On the way, many cave churches can be seen, just look up the points in your map (see #Do below). If you are on a budget, some churches with simple geometrical motifs can be seen for free in the chimneys across the street (easy hike).
The Turkish government offers a museum pass for many sights and museums of Cappadocia for 130 TL. Check out what is included and buy it if it makes sense for you. Numerous sights can still be seen for free and the biggest joy is just walking around and sucking in the atmosphere.
Caves
- 1 Columned Church, Rose Valley. A cave church with an impressive church chamber supported by 4 columns. The church has 3 levels and is beyond what you can see in the Open Air Museum. Free.
- 2 Cross Church, Rose Valley. This church as several rooms and also painting inside. The restaurant controls the church entrance, so you might have to give a tip, but the other cambers around are also interesting. Free?.
- 3 Meskendir Cave Church. Adorned in geometric red embellishments
- 4 El Nazar Church (and Saklı secret church) (10-minute walk from the road between Göreme and the Air Open Museum (look for the yellow signs). Ask the caretaker nicely for a key (he may deny having it) and he can point you to a hidden church a few minutes walk away.). Church in a fairy chimney. 60 TL.
- 5 Aynali Church. 10:00-16:00. 10 TL.
- 6 Cave Castle. An impressive cave city with numerous rooms, which can be entered by climbing through the back entrance, a little difficult. Also, it would be a great location for overnighting.
- 7 Uçhisar Castle (Uçhisar Kalesi). The highest peak in the area which offers spectacular views across Cappadocia and Erciyes Mountain. You do not necessarily have to pay for the castle though, there are great viewpoints just at the north eastern edge nearby. Better visit the underground cities instead, or use the side entrance. 80 TL, parking extra.
- 8 Çavuşin Castle. Quite exciting—from the large St. John the Baptist cave church there are one or two levels up and further in. You can follow a large round trail to the edge of the castle (on the other side) and then a different way back—you need to do a little "climbing" though but it is not overly exhausting, just have good shoes to have grip. Also, you can freely explore the castle since it is not administered. Really a great alternative to all the overpriced other places around Göreme. Free.
Various sights
- 9 Göreme Open Air Museum (a 1-km walk from town). The museum has a collection of caves and fairy chimneys. The museum is a succession of very nice underground churches, some with simple geometric motifs, and others with wonderful frescoes from the 11th and 12th centuries. Free toilets at the entrance of the site; expensive café and shop. Be sure to visit the church in a cave across the highway outside the museum entrance, which is included in museum admission (save your ticket). 480 TL (extra ticket 130 TL for the Dark Church).
- 10 Cavusin Village. One of the oldest villages in the region, known for its cave houses which are a labyrinth of ruins chiselled into the rock face, and for the 5th-century cave church, the Church of John the Baptist.
- 11 Fairy Chimneys (Alibağı). Several of the pinnacles with heads.
- 12 Three Beauties (Three Graces). Three fairy chimneys located near Urgüp.
Further afield
Also there are underground cities used by Christians hiding from enemies, which have up to 8 stories of underground tunnels and caves, about 85 m deep. There were rooms for grain storage, sleeping chambers, kitchens and ventilation shafts. Underground cities of Kaymakli and Derinkuyu are the two most important. There are also two others named Mazi and Ozkaynak. Of the 36 underground cities built by the Christians to escape persecution, Kaymakli and Derinkuyu are the widest and most famous. 8 different levels, of which you can explore 4, and has a network of wineries, kitchens and living areas.
The room complexes in the underground city are nicely illuminated but not overly exciting, after having seen and explore 3 or 4, you know the drill. The long tunnels and ventilation shafts are interesting. Nevertheless, if you do not get easily excited, you might skip this experience for the Uchisar or Çavuşin castles, which some people consider far better value for money. Also, you will not need a full day to visit them.
- 13 Kaymaklı (20 km south of Nevşehir). Apr–Oct 08:00–19:00, Nov–Mar 08:00–17:00. Kaymaklı's structure and layout is different from Derinkuyu: the tunnels are lower, narrower, and more steeply inclined. It has 4 floors opened for visitors. Some travellers prefered it over Derinkuyu. 300 TL.
- 14 Derinkuyu (Malakopi) (15 km south of Kaymaklı), ☏ +90 384 271 21 67. Apr–Oct 08:00–19:00, Nov–Mar 08:00–17:00. Largest excavated underground city in Turkey built in the 8th–7th centuries BC. About 10% of it is accessible to visitors. 42 TL.
- 15 Mazı (10 km east of Kaymaklı).
- 16 Özkonak (14 km northeast of Avanos), ☏ +90 554 5411401. Apr–Oct 08:00–19:00, Nov–Mar 08:00–17:00. Features only one underground floor, although it covers a large area. 130 TL, 5 TL parking.
- 17 Gaziemir (between Kaymakli (35 km from it) and Ihlara valley (25 km)), ☏ +90 554 5411401, cappadociaundergroundcity@hotmail.com. 08:00-20:00. It has two underground churches, camel staying place (which is the only one underground caravansary in the Cappadocia) and a large agora.
Do
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- Balloons at Sunrise View – Probably the most popular thing after ballooning itself is watching the balloons to take off from the valley in the morning. The view is magnificent, but it requires an unpleasent early wakeup and potentially 1 hr hike, if you want to skip car or taxi. The pictures taken then are well known—dozens of balloons scattered in the air all over Cappadocia. The time to be at a viewpoint depends on the sunrise, and it is best to be at any view point about 15 min before (official) sunrise. In the following the most popular viewpoints, starting with the closest:
- 18 Göreme Hill – An easy hike 10 min up southeast from Göreme center, if you are willing to pay 5 TL for the private road leading there. Otherwise, there are at least 3 other regular trails leading there, one directly left of the private road ticket booth. Especially good after the sunset when the balloons have moved northwest down the valley.
- 19 Love Valley Shortcut – Also just 10-15 min from the center, but a better overview of all the starting balloons towards the rising sun. Also, from here you can hike further towards the edge of the Love Valley and watch some of the balloons touching down into the valley. This is especially good to take some closeup pictures.
- 20 Panoramic Viewpoint – This is the best and most popular viewpoint, which you will notice from the many people, cars and buses that turn up there at sunrise. From the café walk a little further south to find some more quiet spots. The advantage of this spot is that all taking-off balloons fit into one simple picture frame at the beginning and the balloons will actually move towards you, some touching down into the Love Valley. As soon as the sun is fully up you get an excellent panoramic shot with the balloons all over the Çavuşin-Göreme valley. It takes 1 hr to walk from Göreme here along the highway, but be sure to have a proper map, or you will miss the turn and might end up in the Love Valley itself—hard to get out again. Otherwise, there are shortcuts from Göreme directly through the Love Valley, probably cutting down the time to 30-40 min. However, you need a proper map and potentially some hiking skills.
- Sunset/sunrise Point – There are many sunset and sunrise points around Göreme, just have a search in your map application. Note that they started charging for the road that leads to Göreme Hill just 10 min east of the center, which is probably illegal, because all other access options, even the official trail with signs does not charge anything. Hence, do not support this practice—there are more than enough trails that go around the ticket booth and up to the viewpoint.
- Hamami/Turkish Bath – There is a Turkish bath near the center of town to relax after a long day of hiking. The standard service for steam room, mud face mask, soap massage, and scrubbing is 80 TL (Nov 2017). An additional tip for your bath attendant is strongly urged. For a cheaper option take the 15-min scenic minibus ride to the nearby city of Nevşehir where you can get the same service in a non-tourist place for as low as 25 TL. Just get off at the main intersection in Nevşehir and ask around for "Hamam".
- Cross Golf. Cappadocia is a national park and its natural environment must be protected for everyone to enjoy today and in the future. Cross Golf uses the natural features of the landscape to challenge even the most experienced golfer. The fairy chimneys, fascinating rock formations and flora and fauna in the unique environment of Cappadocia remain unaffected by Cross Golf.
- Turkish Night Dinner. Nightly show 20:00-23:00. Hotels and agencies will offer to take you to a real Turkish dinner in an underground restaurant. It is very touristy with dance troupes, dervish dancing (not real dervishes), etc. The food is ok and beer, wine, and raki is unlimited. 200 TL.
- Dervish dancing. Just the dancing, again very touristy with dance troupes, dervish dancing (not real dervishes). 120 TL.
- Ballooning. With 15 companies in Göreme offering flights on a hot air balloon, this is one of the most popular activities in the area, and is certainly one not to be missed. The balloons with a capacity of typically 20-30 people—far from very romantic—take off during the sunrise, and ride the air currents much like a boat literally over the fairy chimneys, through the Cappadocian valleys, and sometimes going up as much as the weather permits where the views of the individual fairy chimneys give way to a much wider vista over the surrounding Anatolian plateau. The flights take slightly more than an hour, while the overall tour takes 3 hr. You have to be ready at 05:30 in the morning. When you book a flight, make sure it is actually in Göreme and not another valley in Kapadokya. All flights get cancelled on rainy or windy mornings. You can check if the weather is good enough for flights on this website, which most flight-companies use as well. €120-250, some companies offer discounts for online bookings.
- Apart from that local tour companies are offering everything that is known to appeal to the common tourist, like quad bike (150 TL, always slow and with a guide), paragliding, horseback riding, jeep safari, classic car ride, pottery visits, etc.
Hiking
Following the paths along the valleys is an amazing (and free) option. Check with your hotel owner or the tourist office for a map of the area with suggested walks and trails. There are several nice loops on packed dirt, sand and rock, that maintain a constant elevation and pass through the scenic valleys. All stunning landscapes and fun to walk around. The paths are poorly marked—often contradictory and in addition local guys pointing you into the wrong direction. Hence, it is important that you have GPS navigation and a reliable map with comprehensive trail and sight information with you—use OpenStreetMap, which is also used by this travel guide, and by many mobile Apps like OsmAnd or Mapy.cz. Or just download the according GPX or KML files through Waymarked Trails for such trails on OpenStreetMap. (Note, you just need to change the OpenStreetMap relation ID to download the GPX or KML files through the same link.)
Each trail offers different landscapes, and you can easily combine multiple valleys for a longer hike.
- 1 Rose Valley (Rose, Red, Meskendir Valley) (from Çavuşin, Ortahisar and Kızılçukur). Beautiful green valley. Popular for its beautiful rock formations and hidden rock-carved churches. It can easily take up 2-5 hr walking around in the valleys independently. Start hiking into the Rose Valley, going by Cross Church, Columned Church and further uphill. After that climb down from the Grape Church (sneak in!) through the tunnel and ladder into the 2 Red Valley. Finally continue south through the magnificent 3 Meskendir Valley (canyon) by the Meskendir Church and uphill again, which will eventually lead you to the main road, from where you walk or hitch back. The valleys can also be seen on a 2-hr 15 TL sunset tour (available everywhere).
- 4 Love Valley. Famous its huge phallic formations—obviously the local definition for proper love *sad smiley*—naturally formed by erosion of the volcanic rock 9-13 million years ago and up to 40 m high. Usually you walk along the road northwest and then enter from the north, which takes about 1 hr. But there are also some shortcuts directly from Göreme into the valley - you may need to scramble over some short sections, though.
- 5 Pigeon Valley (Güvercinlik). It has pigeon houses carved into the cliff faces over centuries—farmers used pigeon manure as a source of fertiliser for their crops. Not specifically awesome, but the 6 hike up into Uçhisar is very scenic. The 4-km trail (~1 hr) starts from the end of the street Flinstone's Hotel is on (or from the road near the Ataman Hotel) on the south side of Göreme and on the paved road on the north side of the hill where Uçhisar Castle sits in Uçhisar. When going south, do not miss the right turn after 2/3 of the trail, or you will end up in a dead end.
- 7 Devrent Valley (Imagination Valley). A lunar landscape of small, pointed fairy chimneys.
- 8 Paşağabi (Monks Valley). Known for its three-headed fairy chimneys and just lots of fairy chimneys in general. If you hike directly from the Alibağı Fairy Chimneys, you stumble right into this place, since there are no fences at its southwestern side—a convenient shortcut. 18 TL.
Tours
Several tour operators offer one-day packages (green tour, red tour, blue tour) that may include a stop at a caravansari, one of the amazing underground cities, a walk through the ancient churches decorated with frescoes, and finally a stop at a carpet, pottery or onyx shop. The itinerary is essentially the same no matter who you purchase the tour from. Names and itineraries change occasionally, but expect that whatever name and itinerary is used at one agency will be the same at the others. This is basically because you just book with offices that just shuffle people around between tour companies depending on availability and demand. Tours will include transportation, but verify whether lunch and entrance fees are also included. These one-day tours can make your journey significantly easier. Prices are around €35 per tour (Dec 2019).
You can usually book tours through your hotel, but compare prices before deciding!
The Red Tour is the most basic, visiting sites in the immediate vicinity of Göreme including the open-air museum, the castle at Uçhisar, and the pottery shops at Avanos. It can include:
- Göreme Esentepe for panoramic view over the town of Esentepe, and the surrounding landscape of fairy chimneys;
- Göreme Open Air Museum
- Pasabag (Monks Valley)
- Devrent Valley
- Avanos Pottery workshop
- Three Beauties
The Green Tour is a bit more adventurous, visiting the Pigeon Valley and then going farther afield to visit Derinkuyu Underground City, Nar Lake, Ihlara Valley and Selime. It can include:
- Meskendir Valley
- Rose/Red Valley
- Cavusin Village
- Underground City
- Pigeon Valley
- Uchisar Castle
- Love Valley
The Blue Tour is the most off-the-beaten path of the three tours, taking visitors to the former Greek town of Mustafapasa, the monastery at Soganli.
Buy
Göreme is a tourist hotspot and so are the prices. Food will easily be twice as expensive as in other regions of Turkey, not to mention the price of ice cream. Even the supermarket will demand a premium.
What
- Pottery – Avanos, 10 km away, has been a pottery center for centuries. Many stores will sell pottery in Göreme, and you may end up at a pottery workshop at the end of a tour, but for the best prices, head into Avanos and wander around the back streets. Compare the prices and quality, and if you are worried about it surviving shipping or your backpack, ask them to stand on it to test the strength (vases, jugs, and larger objects should take their weight). While the quality in touristy shops is often high, you will be paying 2-3 times what you otherwise would.
- Carpets – Göreme and the surrounding area are known as one of the top places to buy carpets in Turkey. Their proximity to well known local weaving villages means the prices are generally cheaper than Istanbul and the atmosphere for purchasing far more relaxed with few if any hassles.
Where
- 1 A101 supermarket. Probably the most affordable and fairest priced supermarket in Göreme. All others are seriously overpriced with barely any variety.
Eat
Göreme has a wide selection of typical kebabs and pide, and some unusual 'pottery' dishes (testi kebap) that are prepared and served in a clay pot which you can 'break' open. Often the 'pottery kebabs' are cooked earlier in the day so check around to see which restaurants require a 'pottery kebab' booking - it's likely that they will be the places that make the kebab on the spot (they take about an hour to cook). Many of the restaurants and bars change hands on a regular basis, making specific recommendations difficult.
- Alaturca is considered to be one of the finer dining establishments in central Turkey, but is overpriced for the quality of food and a stiff service that is out of place in an otherwise informal town. Alaturca is on the secondary road that heads towards the Open Air Museum.
- Cappadocia Kebap Center, Müze Cad. (just south of bus station across canal, it's small so look carefully). Good food at competitive prices.
- Meeting Point Cafe, Müze Caddesi (near the Canal). Cenap and Eliza are very friendly hosts; Eliza, being a South African Malay, cooks delicious curry. Taste the excellent smoothies and fresh juices (orange and watermelon or watermelon and ginger are great). The cafe becomes a bar in the evenings - popular with locals and tourists alike - and, in colder months, Cenap sometimes hosts 'fire parties'.
- Manzara Restaurant (up the hill from the center of town). With one of the best views in town, catching the sunset with a cocktail from the upper deck is a must do in Cappadocia. They also have a lower deck and indoor dining with a fireplace. The kebab plate is a good choice for dinner.
- Firin Express (off the main street by the junction). Has freshly baked and wonderful pide and lahmacun.
- Safran Restaurant (just down from the museum street after the see bank. First highest terrace in the middle of the center), ☏ +90 536 620 76 56 (mobile of John the manager), fattarantula@hotmail.com. Climb the stone steps to this charming terrace restaurant run by a friendly family from Malatya in Eastern Turkey who have worked in hospitality in Göreme for approximately 20 years. Emine is a superb cook. What makes the food of this restaurant amazing is that this is the only restaurant in the town that makes both the eastern and western foods. Ilker, Emine's German-born nephew, speaks excellent English and cooks delicious manti, Turkish ravioli, if he can be coaxed into it.
- Nazar Borek (just up from Meeting Point Cafe). A small pastry cafe with outside wooden seating area on a platform above the canal. Proprietors Top Deck (Mustafa) and Reyfik are fantastic hosts. Their sweet and savoury pastries are good value.
- Orient Restaurant (on the way out of the village on the Uçhisar, Nevşehir road). A high class, beautifully decorated eating joint that can provide both not-too-expensive top end meals and fare to suit tighter budgets. Proprietor Refayi speaks excellent English and French.
- Old Cappadocia Cafe & Restaurant, Hakkipasa Meydani Isalli mahallesi (opposite of central mosque), ☏ +90 384 271 2858. Homemade meal on your table. The mother is cooker, the father is baker and the son is waiter. All staff from in family.
- Dürümlet, Saglik sk (two doors door from Volaré Stone Hotel), ☏ +90 5461463692 (Whatsapp). Wraps of every variety. There are dozens of different fillings and infinite combinations you can choose from. Spinach and egg is amazing and cold bulgar wheat with yoghurt is highly recommended. Over half the menu vegetarian including cigkofte. 50-100 TL (April 2024).
- Silk Road Kebabs (near Pasha Bar). Excellent and filling chicken kebab (get the 1/2 loaf).
Drink
Walking by carpet shops will lead to invitations for tea. If you're thirsty, take advantage of this free drink and learn something about carpets at the same time. However, it is not advised for solo females to accept tea from men, as they often expect more.
For a good western style coffee, M&M Cafe on the main street serves a great cappuccino, with real espresso and a nice little area to sit outside. Coffeedocia, near the bus station is a larger place, better to relax but with a very westernised feel, drinks are not as good and higher priced.
For the bar scene, several bars and clubs are open (primarily in the high season), and there is a disco in nearby Avanos frequented by locals and tourists alike.
Sleep
Göreme has a huge selection of hostels, hotels, and guest houses (some 60 odd). The friendly (and tout-free) accommodation office can help you find something. Upmarket and boutique hotels also exist in Göreme. Many places include breakfast in these prices.
Many of Göreme's hostels and hotels offer the unusual option of sleeping in a cave. Much of the rock in the area is sandstone (tufa) which is fairly soft, and for centuries rooms (and houses) have been created by cutting directly into the soft rock. Comforts in these 'cave rooms' range from truly cave-like to beautiful and tasteful with modern bathrooms; almost all have windows and are fairly well lit.
Camping – There are two camp grounds on the road into Göreme from Uchisar. If you're ok going without facilities for a night or two, there are limitless options for finding your own hidden away cave down one of the valleys and setting camp inside. It is also a quite romantic experience—no one will bother you being there. Check out the #Caves described in this article.
Budget
- Kose Pension, Ragıp Üner Caddesi; (northern part of town, 5 mins walk from Otagar, ask for directions, its well known.), ☏ +90 384 271 2294, fax: +90 384 271 2803, dawn@kosepension.com. This seems to be the only remaining real budget option in town, with a big roof top dorm. It is family owned and run, and the staff are very helpful, and provide any information about your stay in Göreme. It's clean, tidy, and has a nice view from the roof and dorm balconies. Free wifi throughout the building, and computer free for use. Room prices exclude breakfast, but this can be purchased for reasonable price, along with drinks (alcoholic and non-) snacks and light meals. Has a good-sized swimming pool, good for relaxing after a hard days hike. It's not a cave, but it is good value. Dorm 15 TL, singles and doubles available.
- (Gümüş) Silver Cave Hotel, ☏ +90 384 271 2438, fax: +90 384 2712821, gumus@silvercavehotel.com. Informal & friendly service, clean rooms with en suite shower and WC, and very reasonable rates make this hotel a pleasure to stay in. Located in Göreme 5 minutes walk from the bus station, Gümüş makes a great starting point for exploration of the surrounding areas. Help with planning tours and visits to local culture is available upon request. Facilities include a cave bar, flower garden, barbecue & laundry service. Breakfast is included. Single €15, doubles from €25, triples from €35. +€10 for deluxe rooms.
- Shoestring Cave Hostel, fax: +90 384 271 22 99, info@shoestringcave.com. Check-out: 10:00. A good budget option with authentic cave rooms and dorm rooms at 20 TL pp. Heat and hot water are solar powered often leaving a scarcity of heat in the cooler spring and fall seasons. A Turkish breakfast buffet is included. The common area has 2 computers for use. En suite double room €35.
- [dead link] Star Cave Pension. Great outdoor lounges and relaxed atmosphere. Includes a mediocre breakfast. All rooms built in caves with ensuites. Dorm 30 TL, doubles start at 70 TL.
- Kookaburra Pension, Konak Sokak 10. Not far from the bus stop, walking south you should see a sign pointing the right direction. The signs disappear closer to the hostel, but any one around should be able to point you toward the small uphill alley. Beautiful view over the city, in a central location, free wi-fi, but many people have reported the owner as being incredibly rude. Laundry service 15 TL. Dorm 30 TL, Double 60 TL, including tiny breakfast.
- Flintstones. A bit up the creek; literally! It's up the dry riverbed from the scooter and bicycle rental near the bus station (and in fact, almost at the start of the pigeon valley hike) but they have nice rooms, a dorm, a pool and laundry service. And yes, you get to sleep in a cave so there might be some insects there. They have the same solar heated showers so be early or be cold. There are some mixed reviews though. 20 TL/double room.
- Local Cave House Hotel. Located in the center of Göreme, offers 9 cave rooms 1 family cave suite 1 honeymoon suite, deluxe suites with double and single bed.
- [formerly dead link] Rock Valley Pension (300 metres from bus stop, plenty of signs along the road), ☏ +90 384 2712153, fax: +90 384 2712821, info@rockvalleycappadocia.com. Great place to stay, with swimming pool and huge lounge area. Extremely friendly staff. Includes an impressive free breakfast and free wi-fi internet. Dorm 30 TL, double rooms from 70 TL.
- Nomad Cave Hostel (5 minute walk from the bus station), ☏ +90 384 271-22-04. Check-out: 10:00. €12.
- Kelebek Pension, Kelebek Pension Aydinli Mah., ☏ +90 384 271 2531. A simple, very beautiful pension. The rooms are nice and there's a beautiful, airy common area for relaxing, eating breakfast, and using the internet. From €35.
- Ottoman House. Simple and affordable hotel with friendly, English-speaking staff. Breakfast is included and the rooftop views boast views of the hot air balloons taking off.
- [dead link] Arif Cave Pension Hotel, Aydınkıragı Mah, ☏ +90 384 271-23-61. Check-in: 11:00, check-out: 10:30. Cave rooms at the top of Göreme town where you are able watch around. You can watch the sunset from the terrace. €35.
- Cave Life Pension, Eski Bağ Yolu (5 mins up the hill from the bus station, hotel's manager can pick you up if you call them), ☏ +90 384 271-29-36. Check-in: 13:00, check-out: 10:00. Near Göreme Open Air museum with a beautiful view from the terrace. Free wi-fi in public areas. Extremely friendly and helpful staff. From €40 incl. breakfast.
Mid-range
- Traveller's Cave Pension, Gaferli Mah. No:28 (5 minutes walk from Göreme bus station: free pick up from Göreme bus station), ☏ +90 384-271-2707, fax: +90 384-271-2624, pension@travellerscave.com. Check-in: 24-hour, check-out: 10:00. Located at high position at Göreme, with great Göreme national park view from their room and terrace. offers great breakfast, hospitality, cheaper OP tours and other service
- Traveller's Cave Hotel, Aidinli Mahallesi Görceli Sokak no 7 (5 minutes walk from the bus station: free pick up from bus station), ☏ +90 384 271-27-80. Check-in: 24-hour. Located at high position. Good breakfast, books tours and other service (partner with Hiro tours), good free WiFi. €50-70.
Stay safe
- There is a large concentration of stray animals here in the high-season.
- Women should not go hiking in the valleys alone as there have been a few incidents over the years.
- Hiking is not strenuous or dangerous in general, but be careful on some steep footpaths / scrambles into and out of rockey valleys such as Love Valley.
Connect
Göreme and its approach roads have 4G from all Turkish carriers. As of Nov 2022, 5G has not rolled out in Turkey.
Go next
- Move on to Malatya or Kahta and take a tour to Mount Nemrut. (UNESCO World Heritage site).
- Nevşehir. To get from Göreme back to Nevşehir bus station, the minibus will drop you at Kayser Caddesi bus stop in Nevşehir center. From here, take Dolmus No. 1 or 2 to Nevşehir Otogari (6 TL as of September 2022).