Multi-day tour
Cappadocia in three days, with shared services
The unhurried version of Cappadocia on a scheduled departure: the two classic tours spread the north and south of the region over three days, with two hotel nights, two dinners and a free dawn for the balloon.
Scheduled departure · Private, tailor-made It can be booked either way: on the scheduled departure, sharing services with other passengers, or privately, with your own vehicle and guide. The quotation states which of the two has been priced.
Key facts
- Duration 3 days / 2 nights
- Route Cappadocia 1 destination
- Quotation Quotation within 24 business hours (72 business hours for groups and MICE)
- Recommended months April–June, September, October
- Departure type Scheduled departure · Private, tailor-made
The volcanic valleys of Cappadocia, the landscape the programme covers over three days.
Overview
Three days and two nights in Cappadocia on a scheduled departure with shared services: the vehicle, the licensed English-speaking guide and the visits are shared with the other passengers on the same departure. Compared with the two-day break, this version gains a night and spreads the route more comfortably.
Day 1 reaches the hotel and gives the afternoon to reading the landscape before entering the monuments: the Göreme viewpoint at dusk, Devrent Valley, where erosion has left silhouettes each visitor reads in their own way, and a pottery workshop in Avanos. Day 2 covers the full red tour, with Uçhisar Castle, the Göreme Open Air Museum, Love Valley and the multi-capped chimneys of Paşabağ. Day 3 heads south on the green tour: the underground city of Kaymaklı, the four-kilometre walk along the floor of the Ihlara Valley and the Selime Monastery.
The dawn of day 2 is left free for the balloon flight, which is optional and booked separately.
Day 1 reaches the hotel and gives the afternoon to reading the landscape before entering the monuments: the Göreme viewpoint at dusk, Devrent Valley, where erosion has left silhouettes each visitor reads in their own way, and a pottery workshop in Avanos. Day 2 covers the full red tour, with Uçhisar Castle, the Göreme Open Air Museum, Love Valley and the multi-capped chimneys of Paşabağ. Day 3 heads south on the green tour: the underground city of Kaymaklı, the four-kilometre walk along the floor of the Ihlara Valley and the Selime Monastery.
The dawn of day 2 is left free for the balloon flight, which is optional and booked separately.
Route: Cappadocia
- Physical level: Moderate
- Languages of the guided visits: Spanish, English
Highlights
- The two classic tours spread over three days instead of two, with two nights in the region.
- An arrival afternoon given to the northern valleys: the Göreme viewpoint at dusk, Devrent and a pottery workshop in Avanos.
- The full red tour on day 2, with Uçhisar Castle, the Göreme Open Air Museum and the multi-capped chimneys of Paşabağ.
- The four-kilometre walk along the floor of the Ihlara Valley, among rock-cut churches, on day 3.
- One free dawn for the balloon flight, which is optional and depends on the wind.
- Two dinners included at the hotel in Cappadocia and the entrance tickets to the five sites on the itinerary.
- A scheduled departure with shared services; the same programme is also quoted privately.
What is included and what is not
Included
- 2 nights’ accommodation in a listed hotel in Cappadocia, with breakfast.
- 2 dinners at the hotel in Cappadocia.
- Both scheduled tours of the region, the red and the green one, with a licensed English-speaking guide.
- Entrance tickets to the sites listed in the itinerary: Göreme Open Air Museum, Uçhisar Castle, the underground city of Kaymaklı, the Ihlara Valley and the Selime Monastery.
- Arrival and departure transfers between the Cappadocia airport (Kayseri or Nevşehir) and the hotel.
- Transport by air-conditioned vehicle for the visits and legs stated in the programme.
Not included
- International flights and the domestic flights out to Cappadocia and back.
- Lunches and all drinks.
- Balloon flight at dawn and Turkish Night: optional activities, on request.
- Admission to the Dark Church at the Göreme Open Air Museum, which is charged separately.
- Personal expenses (shopping, minibar, laundry, room service, etc.).
- Tips for the guide, the driver and hotel and restaurant staff.
- Visa fees and visa handling services, if required.
- Travel insurance (recommended).
- Any service not explicitly mentioned as included.
Day by day itinerary
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Day 1
Arrival in Cappadocia and the northern valleys: Göreme viewpoint, Devrent and Avanos
You are met at Kayseri (ASR) or Nevşehir (NAV) airport and transferred to the listed hotel in Cappadocia. From the airport to Göreme is 60 to 80 kilometres depending on the arrival terminal: a little over an hour from Kayseri and around forty minutes from Nevşehir. Unlike the two-day break, here the day starts at the hotel, so a midday flight also fits.
In the afternoon comes a first approach to the region, with the stops that explain what the landscape is made of before you enter the monuments. You climb to the Göreme viewpoint at the hour when the light drops and the tuff changes colour, drive through Devrent Valley, with no churches or villages, where erosion has left silhouettes each visitor reads in their own way, and finish in Avanos, on the bank of the Kızılırmak, the longest river in Turkey: at a pottery workshop you watch the river’s red clay worked on the standing wheel, as it has been there since Hittite times. The visit is informative and any purchase is entirely voluntary.
Back to the hotel and dinner at the hotel itself. Those who wish can book the balloon flight for the following dawn; it is an optional activity, arranged separately, and depends on the wind.Optional activities
- Balloon flight at dawn on day 2 (weather permitting)
Notes for the day: Kayseri and Nevşehir airports are assigned according to the flight schedules available on the date; the transfer is included from either of them. With an afternoon arrival, this day’s visits move to the morning of day 3 and the content stays the same.
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Day 2
The red tour: Uçhisar, the Göreme museum, Love Valley and Paşabağ
For anyone who has booked the balloon, pick-up at the hotel before dawn and return at around eight, in time for breakfast. The guided day begins afterwards.
The red tour is covered in full. First stop at Uçhisar Castle, the highest point in the region: a rock hollowed out on several levels, from whose foot the valleys, the fairy chimneys and, on a clear day, Mount Erciyes all open out. Then the Göreme Open Air Museum, a World Heritage site: a group of churches and refectories carved into the tuff, with tenth-century frescoes in several chapels. They are visited by narrow stairways and photographing the paintings inside is not allowed; the Dark Church, the best preserved because it was walled up, has a separate ticket and can be added.
The route continues through Love Valley, with its rock columns lined up along the floor, and through Paşabağ, the Valley of the Monks, where the fairy chimneys carry two and three caps on a single cone. The last stop of the day is a semi-precious stone workshop, with an explanation of the craft; any purchase is voluntary. The route adds up to some 90 kilometres.
Dinner at the hotel. In the evening the Turkish Night in a typical cave venue, transfers included, can be booked: it is optional and arranged separately.Optional activities
- Balloon flight at dawn (weather permitting)
- Dark Church at the Göreme Open Air Museum (separate ticket)
- Turkish Night in a typical cave venue, transfers included
Notes for the day: The balloon flight is confirmed each dawn on wind and visibility. If it does not fly, the day’s programme runs unchanged; this itinerary leaves a single available sunrise.
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Day 3
The green tour: Kaymaklı, the four kilometres of Ihlara, Selime and departure
Breakfast and off to the south of the region on the green tour, the most walked day of the programme.
It starts at the underground city of Kaymaklı, carved into the tuff over centuries: eight levels of tunnels with stables, cellars, kitchens, a church and circular stone doors that were closed from the inside. It is visited through narrow, low-ceilinged passages, with sections where you have to stoop; anyone who would rather not go in waits outside with the guide.
Then the Ihlara Valley, a canyon opened by the Melendiz stream. You go down a long staircase and walk four kilometres along the floor, among poplars and running water, with the rock-cut churches opening in the walls on either side of the path; there is a stop at one of them to see the frescoes. The walk ends beside the river, where there are restaurants for lunch at your own expense.
In the afternoon, the Selime Monastery, the largest rock-cut complex in the region: its cathedral of hewn columns, the kitchens and the cells are spread over several levels. The last stop is Pigeon Valley, with the dovecotes cut into the cliff and Uçhisar Castle beyond.
Transfer to the airport at the time your departing flight requires. End of our services. The day’s route adds up to some 180 kilometres.Notes for the day: The underground city is not advisable for anyone with claustrophobia or reduced mobility. The Ihlara walk is flat but long, with a staircase down and back up; closed shoes.
Expected hotels
| City | Nights | Category | Hotel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cappadocia | 2 | 4* / 5* | Suhan Hotel · Avrasya Hotel · Sinasos Hotel · Ramada by Wyndham Hotel Cappadocia · Crowne Plaza Cappadocia · DoubleTree by Hilton Avanos · Remus & Romulus Uçhisar · Temenni Evi · Yunak Evlerior similar |
Hotels as listed or similar; the final confirmation is given in the quotation.
How the rate is calculated
Rate tailored to the season, the hotel category and the number of travellers. Request a quotation.
Departures
Scheduled departure · Private, tailor-made
It can be booked either way: on the scheduled departure, sharing services with other passengers, or privately, with your own vehicle and guide. The quotation states which of the two has been priced.
The exact dates of each departure are confirmed in the quotation, together with hotel and domestic-flight availability.
Operational notes
- This is a scheduled programme with shared services: the vehicle, the guide and the visits are shared with the other passengers on the same departure. The exact departure date is confirmed in the quotation.
- The order of the visits may change according to opening hours, traffic and the day’s operation. The content of the programme stays the same.
- Seats in the vehicle are not numbered and daily rotation is recommended. In high season a leg may be shared with another English-speaking group.
- The licensed English-speaking guide accompanies the programme’s visits. The arrival and departure transfers are provided on a shared basis, without a guide.
- The underground city is visited through narrow, low-ceilinged tunnels with sections where you have to stoop; it is not advisable for anyone with claustrophobia or reduced mobility. When busy, the visit is organised in shifts.
- The Ihlara Valley involves a staircase down and back up and four kilometres of earth path beside the stream. Moderate walking level; closed shoes throughout the programme.
- At the Göreme Open Air Museum photographing the frescoes inside the churches is not allowed, and the Dark Church has a separate ticket, which is not included. The sites keep summer and winter opening hours.
- The balloon flight is not part of the programme. It is confirmed each dawn on wind and visibility and the operator may cancel it at the last moment; this itinerary leaves one available sunrise, that of day 2. Pick-up is before dawn and the return to the hotel at around eight.
- The programme includes explanatory stops at a pottery workshop in Avanos and at a semi-precious stone workshop, both standard on this route. The visit is informative and any purchase is entirely voluntary.
- Kayseri (ASR) and Nevşehir (NAV) airports are 60–80 km from Göreme. The transfer is included from either of them and the timing of days 1 and 3 follows the confirmed flight.
- Between December and March it may snow. Snow does not stop the visits, but it can delay a leg and close the Ihlara road for a few hours. Warm clothing is advisable for early mornings at any time of year.
- During the religious holidays (Ramazan Bayramı and Kurban Bayramı, whose dates move with the lunar calendar) domestic flights and the region’s hotels fill up early and the sites receive more local visitors.
- A passport valid for at least six months beyond the return date, the electronic visa according to nationality and compliance with entry requirements are the traveller’s responsibility and depend on their nationality.
Best time to travel
Recommended months: April, May, June, September, October
Cappadocia is a plateau at over a thousand metres and the programme runs all year. From April to June and from September to October it brings clear days, mild temperatures and mornings with little wind, which is what the balloon needs. Summer is dry, hot at midday, with visits concentrated early and late in the day. Between December and March it snows often and the snow-covered landscape is one of the country’s most sought-after sights, but the early mornings are very cold and the Ihlara walk is done on a wet path.
Gallery
Frequently asked questions
What does this version add compared with the two-day one?
A night and an afternoon. The two classic tours no longer run back to back: the arrival day is given unhurriedly to the northern valleys, the red tour has a full day and the green tour another. There is also one more dinner included and a free dawn for the balloon, which in the two-day version sits right against the departure day.
How many chances are there for the balloon flight?
One, the dawn of day 2. It is an optional activity booked separately, operated by a licensed balloon company and confirmed each dawn on wind and visibility. If your client wants more than one attempt, the four-day module from Istanbul leaves three available sunrises.
Which meals are included?
Two breakfasts and two dinners, all at the hotel in Cappadocia. Lunches and all drinks are outside the programme: on day 3 there is a stop beside the river at Ihlara, where there are restaurants, and each passenger pays their own.
Are the flights to Cappadocia included?
No. The programme starts with the welcome at Kayseri or Nevşehir airport and ends with the transfer back, and those transfers are included; the tickets are not, neither international nor domestic. We can quote the domestic flights together with the programme.
How much walking is there and how demanding is it?
Moderate, and day 3 is the most demanding: four flat kilometres along the floor of the Ihlara Valley, with a long staircase down and back up, and an underground city walked stooping in places. At the Göreme museum and in the valleys there are carved steps and short slopes. Anyone who would rather skip a visit waits with the guide.
Can you go inside the Dark Church at Göreme?
Yes, but its ticket is charged separately and is not included. It is the best-preserved chapel in the open air museum because it was walled up for centuries; it can be added on the day. Photographing the frescoes inside the churches is not allowed.
Which hotels are used?
Those on the list of hotels foreseen in Cappadocia shown on this page, in the 4 and 5-star categories. The region has both cave hotels and conventional ones. They are foreseen hotels: should one have no availability it is replaced by another of a similar category and we tell you before travel.
Is the vehicle shared with other passengers?
Yes. This is a scheduled departure: the vehicle, the guide and the visits are shared with the other passengers on the same departure, seats are not numbered and in high season a leg may be shared with another English-speaking group. If you would rather have a vehicle and guide to yourselves, the same programme is quoted privately.
Booking conditions
- Deposit
- 30% of the total when the booking is confirmed. For bookings made 30 days or less before departure, the full amount at confirmation.
- Balance
- The remaining 70%, no later than 31 days before departure.
- Payment methods
- Bank transfer or credit card. Card payments carry a 3% surcharge; charges applied by the issuing bank are borne by the client.
- Cancellations
- More than 90 days before departure: handling fee only, plus penalties on services already issued · 89–61 days: 25% · 60–31 days: 50% · 30 days or less and no-show: 100%. Reductions in places follow the same scale. Refunds within 10–14 business days of written cancellation.
Credentials
- Legal name
- Colorido Tours Turkey Turizm Ticaret Ltd. Şti.
- TÜRSAB licence
- A-12116
- Office
- Istanbul
- Operating scope
- Turkey only. Egypt, Jordan and the Greek islands only as extensions of a Turkey itinerary.
- Guides
- Licensed guides in Spanish and English
- 24/7 emergency line during the trip
- +90 544 533 53 55
- Who handles your request
- Your request is handled by our reservations team, and the same person follows the file from quotation through to operation on the ground.
