5 of the best road trips in Cappadocia, Türkiye

27.02.2024 - 15:42 / lonelyplanet.com

Cappadocia’s combination of dramatic scenery and well-maintained roads makes it a pleasure to explore by car.

As well as allowing you to see the region at your own pace, a road trip gives you the opportunity to really dig under Cappadocia’s skin, seeking out the less-visited spots that are often unfairly overlooked. Not only that, but you can time your arrival at the more popular sights to avoid crowds, giving you a better chance of having the place to yourself.

It’s easy too: hire cars can be picked up at the region’s airports and larger cities, and Cappadocia’s roads are kept in pristine conditions. Almost all major and minor sights are well-marked (keep your eyes peeled for the brown tourist signposts), and the roads are usually not busy, bar the occasional traffic jam on entering some towns. Other road users are generally considerate and law-abiding, though you should be prepared for the occasional demonstration of erratic driving.

Here are our picks for the best road trips in Cappadocia, to inspire you to get behind the wheel and start exploring this region of otherworldly beauty.

Best road trip for fairy chimneys
Göreme– Göreme; 34km (21 miles), allow five hours

This short and easy road trip takes you through the heart of Cappadocia’s bizarre landscapes, giving you the chance to admire some of the region’s most impressive fairy chimneys. It starts and ends in the town of Göreme, a popular and excellent base for tourists exploring Cappadocia.

Head north from Göreme and within a few minutes you’ll see the dramatic rock formations of Güllüdere Vadısı (Rose Valley) on your right. They’re a great warm-up for the surreal landscape of Paşabağı, which you’ll reach by taking a right turn just past Çavuşin. Make a stop here to wander among the incredible fairy chimneys – it’ll cost you an entrance fee, but the rocks are among Cappadocia’s best. Then head a kilometer or two further down the road to Zelve Open-Air Museum, a beautiful cave village which was inhabited right up until the 1950s. Allow a couple of hours to explore this scenic valley.

From Zelve, it’s a short hop to Devrent Valley, where erosion over the millennia has fashioned the landscape into oddly recognizable forms: from the road, it’s easy to spot the camel, a stack of rocks which immediately recall the desert stalwart. Make a brief stop here to wander among the rocky outcrops and see what other shapes the rocks take.

Finish up by heading to the town of Ürgüp, then turn west for the return trip to Göreme, passing en route the iconic Three Beauties: a trio of fairy chimneys with particularly distinctive forms.

Planning tip: Tour groups tend to stop at Devrent Valley and Paşabağı in the afternoon and both places can get crowded. Consider timing