Walk the Pigeon Valley
Goreme, Central Anatolia, Turkey[1.6 miles]
A spectacular 4km stroll through fantastical, magical landscapes. The trail links two of Cappadocia’s best-known towns – Goreme and Uchisar.
Best for ages: 4+ | Free | 1-2 hours
Best places to stay:
Located right on a valley rim, with exceptional views, this striking design hotel is set amidst tranquil gardens in a country setting.
It’s minimal and modern, partially built into the local stone, partially above ground. The overall feel is light and uncluttered, though some of the detailing such as the gold taps may be a little glitzy for some tastes.
The views are stupendous views, even by Cappadocia’s high standards, well admired from the lobby, restaurant and lovely, outdoor landscaped terraces with subtly lit seating areas.
The hotel occupies a prime patch of rural Cappadocia which it has all to itself. It’s quiet, discreet and rural. It’s hidden away off the Uchisar-Goreme road, where footpaths lead to both towns and into the nearby valleys. Both towns are well served with restaurants, cafes, carpet and jewellery shops.
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Bucket list experiences our writer says you must do in this destination, closest first
Goreme, Central Anatolia, Turkey[1.6 miles]
A spectacular 4km stroll through fantastical, magical landscapes. The trail links two of Cappadocia’s best-known towns – Goreme and Uchisar.
Best for ages: 4+ | Free | 1-2 hours
Goreme, Central Anatolia, Turkey[2.2 miles]
One of the world’s great hot-air balloon flights, over a moonscape-esque landscape of arches, caverns, striking spires and eye-popping, giant protuberances resembling gigantic mushrooms.
Best for ages: 10+ | £75 | 4 hours
Goreme, Central Anatolia, Turkey[3.4 miles]
A remarkable natural amphitheatre of rock-hewn, fresco-filled churches and monastic dwellings dating back to Byzantine times. Cappadocia’s most visited site.
Best for ages: 13+ | £10 | 2 hours
Goreme, Central Anatolia, Turkey[4.1 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
Other worthwhile experiences in this destination if you have the time or the interest, closest first
Goreme, Central Anatolia, Turkey[2.2 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
Goreme, Central Anatolia, Turkey[4.8 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
Goreme, Central Anatolia, Turkey[6.5 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
Avanos, Central Anatolia, Turkey[8.8 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
Destination guides including or relevant to this place to stay
Central Anatolia, Turkey
Surreal shaped landscapes rich in troglodytic ruins, walking trails and delightful cave hotels in the ancient heart of Anatolia.