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Bucket list experience:

Last updated: 20 May, 2023
Expert travel writer: Jeremy Seal

Cappadocia’s renowned handicrafts town, Avanos is famous for both its ceramics, made by men, and its exceptional carpets – usually made by women. It’s a tradition handed down from mother to daughter, and still thrives today.

The carpets are hand-made on traditional wooden looms, using locally sourced wool and natural dyes. They’re especially prized for their exceptional quality, intricate patterns, and vibrant colours that reflect the region’s cultural heritage.

There are plentiful carpet shops to peruse, and several have women weaving in them or outside as you shop so you can watch the process – and of course, buy an exceptional carpet to take home.

Price: Free
Minimum age: Any
Age suitable: 13+
When: All year around
Duration: 3+ hours

Getting there & doing it

The best way to explore on two wheels is with an organised tour, led by experienced and multi-lingual guides like Biking in Cappadocia. There are trips of all length, from day tours focused on the popular Goreme region, to full biking holidays across Cappadocia. Groups tend to be small, commonly of four or five, and never more than twelve.

Expect to cover, depending on the topography, between 20km and 50kms per day. On day tours bikes, helmets and lunch are provided, with prices reducing the bigger the group; the biking holidays include transfers, accommodation and full board.

There will undoubtedly be charming en-route stops for refreshments. The Cappadocian valleys are notable as enterprising locals who set up stalls offering tea, beer, juices and sandwiches, at or near favoured panoramic stops. These do not operate set hours or seasons but your guides will know which of them are open.

When to do it

May to June and September to October are the optimum months for mountain biking in Cappadocia, though beware that the trails can get dusty by the end of the summer and the weather is often hot. April and November are also possible, though with a greater likelihood of rain.

Recommended itineraries by our writers that include this experience

Our writer’s picks of the best places to stay near this experience, closest first

Ariana Luxury Lodge

Uchisar, Central Anatolia, Turkey[9.5 miles]

Hyper-stylish eco-escape in a secluded location. with a fine restaurant, dramatic views – and a central setting between the towns of Uchisar and Goreme.

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Museum Hotel

Uchisar, Central Anatolia, Turkey[9.6 miles]

Beautifully-restored cave hotel rich in period features and antique decorations, with wonderful views over Cappadocia’s heartlands.

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Argos in Cappadocia

Uchisar, Central Anatolia, Turkey[10 miles]

Chic, fully serviced boutique hotel combining impeccable looks, memorable setting and among the best views in Cappadocia.

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Kale Konak Hotel

Uchisar, Central Anatolia, Turkey[10 miles]

Brilliantly-run boutique hotel occupying a warren of wonderful cave rooms in a delightful and panoramic Uchisar setting.

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Destination guides including or relevant to this experience

Cappadocia

Central Anatolia, Turkey

Surreal shaped landscapes rich in troglodytic ruins, walking trails and delightful cave hotels in the ancient heart of Anatolia.

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Our writer’s recommendations of other bucket list experiences our writer says you must do in this destination, closest first

Pottery in Avanos

Avanos, Central Anatolia, Turkey[0.1 miles]

Watch master potters at work and buy some outstanding ceramics at this famous crafts town, that maintains this centuries-old Cappadocian tradition.

Best for ages: 13+ | Free | 1-2 hours

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Walk the Rose Valley

Goreme, Central Anatolia, Turkey[6.1 miles]

A beautiful and undemanding 6km valley trail, with rock churches and formations galore, that offers walkers a grand glimpse of the surreal Cappadocian back country.

Best for ages: 8+ | Free | 3 hours

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Other worthwhile experiences near this experience if you have time or interest..

Guray Museum
Experience

Guray Museum

Avanos, Central Anatolia, Turkey[0.8 miles]

Huge underground ceramics museum, with impressive collections of ancient clay pieces and other archaeological artefacts displayed in illuminated halls, plus pottery demonstrations and sales.

Best for ages: 18+ | Free

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A photo of a natural orange rock curving round in a semi circle.
Experience

Walk through the Zelve Open-Air Museum

Goreme, Central Anatolia, Turkey[5 miles]

This 2km walk (from the ticket office) leads you through this beautiful Cappadocian valley, inhabited until the middle of the 20th-century, taking in churches, stables, and monks’ refectories.

Best for ages: 18+ | Free | 1+ hours

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Beautiful mountains and Red valley at sunset in Goreme, Cappadocia in Turkey.
Experience

Sunsets at the Red & Rose Valleys

Goreme, Central Anatolia, Turkey[6.6 miles]

The region is famous for its sunsets, most famously over the Red and adjacent Rose Valley, so-called for the pinkish tones the soft tufa stone acquires at sunset. Watch the show from the Goreme National Park’s Panorama Viewpoint, lined with simple cafes.

Best for ages: 18+ | Free | 2 hours

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Galerie Ikman
Experience

Galerie Ikman

Goreme, Central Anatolia, Turkey[8.1 miles]

An Aladdin’s cave of a carpet shop, a warren of rooms packed with flat-weave kilims both from the region and Turkey’s other renowned carpet regions, piled, hung and draped in picturesque profusion.

Best for ages: 13+ | Free

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