Cappadocia With Kids -Top Things To Do
So you’ve either already got your heart set on taking the family to Cappadocia or are wondering if there’s enough in the region to keep you and your children entertained, right? We’re here to tell you there’s a brilliant array of experiences to delve into and you’ll definitely make some amazing memories together if you visit.
Let’s keep it real with you however, Cappadocia is not a fast-moving, modern environment like Dubai or Disney Land, but instead, a mesmerising ancient landscape, filled with rustic charm, which will take you on a journey back in time. If you like exploring, Cappadocia is like a fascinating child’s playground, with fairy chimneys, caves and castles, greeting you like a scene out of The Flintstones. It’s rugged, wild and full of character. So, let’s not beat around the bush, here’s our exciting list of top things to do in Cappadocia with kids.
Hot air balloon Cappadocia
If your children are old enough, and your budget allows, you’re going to want to book onto a hot-air balloon flight, something Cappadocia is famous for. For most, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience, so make sure you book with a reputable company and give yourself a few days in the area, in case the weather doesn’t permit you to fly on some days. Many companies don’t offer flights for children, however, we have sourced a few, which we’ve listed below, which have a minimum age requirement of 6 years old and all have great reviews.
Watch the Cappadocia hot air balloons fly
We personally didn’t opt to do a hot air balloon flight, because Luca was only 4 at the time of visiting Cappadocia and we’d already done a flight previously in Morocco when Carmen was 2 years old (yes they allowed her to fly with us in her Ergo Baby carrier.) We did, however, make an effort to watch the balloons take off and this was phenomenal.
Where to see hot air balloons in Cappadocia
Love Valley was recommended to us by our guest house, as being the best location for this, and being only a 15-minute drive from Göreme, it was convenient for us to get to, following our 5 am wake up. We headed there for around 5:30 am and en route, we could see lots of hot air balloons just starting to lift off the ground. You’ll know you’ve reached the take-off point as there will be balloons being erected and the famous Love Valley can be seen below, with its rather rude rock-shaped formations looming out of the ground. Make sure you take warm clothes to witness this spectacle as it can be quite cold first thing in the morning. Binoculars may also be a good bet along with a flask of hot chocolate.
The Kapadokia Flight Area is the official website which provides up-to-date information on weather conditions and flying availability, which the main hot-air balloon companies will be checking and following. The information is updated each day and also each hour.
Cappadocia towns
Goreme
The majority of tourists coming to Cappadocia will stay in Goreme, which is the most vibrant and bustling town in Cappadocia. It’s got a large mix of nice restaurants, coffee shops, souvenir shops and travel agents to book excursions, not to mention a wide range of accommodation to choose from, from budget to luxury. It’s in a central location near many of Cappadocia’s well-known attractions, making it handy to get around, especially for those without a car. It’s a walkable town, with everything being compact, which we liked and we loved the cosy vibe to the place, with fairy lights hung from the trees and lights flickering in windows of cave dwellings. Some suggest other areas are better to stay in during the peak summer season, due to Goreme getting too busy, however in our opinion, when travelling there in April, it had the perfect amount of hustle and bustle and we thoroughly enjoyed our time there.
Visitors staying in Goreme can be at tons of must-see locations within 20 minutes, Goreme Open Air Museum, Uchisar Castle, Imagination Valley – with its tons of fairy chimneys and Love Valley – to complete a hot air balloon ride or to watch the view.
Avanos
This town, built along the Kızılırmak River, also known as the Red River, is famous for its pottery-making and creative flare. In our opinion, Avanos has a much more authentic vibe to it than other more famous Cappadocia towns, like Goreme. It’s slightly quieter and more locally driven, rather than touristy, has lots of charm and is well worth a visit. Not only can you look around the colourful shops, full of beautiful pottery, but you can undertake pottery classes, jump on a pottery wheel and make something special to take home with you. We stumbled across a fascinating pottery shop called Chez Hakan and were invited inside by its owner Hakan Özgül, who we later found out is a rather famous craftsman in the area. He gave us a fabulous one-hour pottery-making lesson, which the kids absolutely loved!
Uçhisar
If you want a panoramic view of the region, then Uçhisar is the place to go, due to being high up with amazing views over Pigeon Valley, Goreme, Avanos and all of the fairy chimneys. Uçhisar was our favourite place we visited in Cappadocia, simply because of Uçhisar castle, which was astounding!
If you visit here you’ll feel like you’ve been transported back in time into a real-life Flintstones movie! We had initially envisaged a traditional castle, with turrets and a draw bridge, but couldn’t have been further mistaken. Looming out of the ground at the top of the main hill in Uchisar, surrounded below by stone houses, is the draw-dropping ancient fortress. Inside there is a plethora of tunnels, rooms and passageways carved into the stone, welcoming visitors to explore inside. The kids loved playing hide and seek and I was in my element capturing photos of them.
The front view of the castle is the area where you can explore inside, which is fantastic, however, we actually preferred the rear view of the castle, which gives a completely different perspective of the structure and is far more impressive. We all had fun climbing the surrounding hills, and believe it or not had the entire grounds completely to ourselves! There are a few nice shops in the lead-up to the main entrance, full of gems, jewellery, clothes and ornaments, plus a range of stalls at the rear of the castle so maybe give the kids some pocket money to pick a souvenir.
Goreme Open Air Museum
This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, filled with churches and monasteries cut into the fairy chimneys and rocks, with caves galore to wander through. We spent around 1.5 hours there and the kids found it really exciting meandering through all the maze-like caves, experiencing some more exciting games of hide and seek.
Love Valley
As previously mentioned, this spot is the prime place to see the hot air balloons take flight. It’s also a great place to take a picnic and go hiking, among the fairy chimneys and rock formations. It’s free to visit Love Valley and if you complete the entire hike, which takes about 3 hours, you’ll end up in Uçhisar, or if you reverse the hike, you’ll end up in Goreme.
Zelve Open Air Museum
The quieter and more rugged sister of Goreme Open Air Museum, but just as interesting and beautiful. The grounds are spread out over a larger area, so expect to do more walking, but although they lack the conveniently accessible paths like Goreme Open Air Museum, you may just prefer having fewer crowds and enjoy the feeling of exploring an area without all the hustle and bustle and bumping into so many tourists.
Carpet shops Cappadocia
The landscape in Cappadocia although stunning, is rather neutral in colour, so entering a carpet shop will awaken the senses, as they are so vibrant and colourful, like something out of Aladins Cave. We went to Galerie Ikman, where beautiful intricate tapestries, covered every inch of the shop, from floors to ceilings and we all enjoyed its enchanting ambience. Expect to pay a fee should you wish to take pictures in there, and compare this fee to the cost of their cheapest rug, which may work out cheaper. We decided to pay for a very small carpet as a keepsake, as this actually worked out cheaper than the standard fee for us all to use our camera. Some other well-known carpet shops in the area are; Sultan Carpet, Tribal Collections, Nomadic Rugs, Bazaar 54 and Nostalji Carpet Shop
Cappadocia Hiking Trails
Devrent Valley
This place, has no churches or caves built into the rocks, so the landscape is much more natural and rugged, with hundreds of fairy chimneys rising from the ground, like a scene from Mars. Devrent Valley is also known as Imagination Valley and it’s not difficult to see why. With the fairy chimneys creating all sorts of strange and wonderful shapes, kids will love trying to spot the key animal shapes known in the area, including a camel, snake, seal and dolphin. We personally loved this area and found it the best place that we went to in Cappadocia to play hide and seek.
Once parked up on the main road you’ll have to explore by foot, so make sure you take a good pair of walking shoes and a strong sense of direction, as to where you park your car! We continued driving past the many cars and tourists, pulled up on the roadside to take pictures and parked a little further along the road where it became quiet, which offered the same amazing scenery, without a soul in sight.
Red Valley
This hiking trail can be found between the villages of Çavuşin and Ortahisar near to Göreme town and offers visitors a breathtaking landscape, where the rock formations glow a deep reddish tone, especially at sunset. At the end of the trail, there is a beautiful sunset spot, which can either be hiked or driven to and there you’ll find a few cafes, serving drinks, snacks and shishas. Due to its location with great views, and being easily accessible, it does tend to attract tourists and get quite busy, but it’s well worth a visit.
Rose Valley
This valley neighbouring the Red Valley has really distinct rock formations, completely different from any other part of Cappadocia, being filled with sharp rocky turrets that weave and flow into each other to create deep ridges. They have a distinct colour from any other rocks in the region, having soft pink hues, which are really accentuated during sunrise and sunset. It’s relatively easy to combine visiting both the Rose Valley and the Red Valley in one trip, with their trails interconnecting and overlapping.
Pigeon Valley
Nestled between Göreme and Uçhisar, this impressive valley has smooth-sloping rock formations and fairy chimneys. We first saw this valley when driving alongside it to get back to Göreme and had to pull over when we spotted some beautiful old stone buildings carved into the rocks, with flocks of pigeons flying in and out of them. These were built by locals to house pigeons and their droppings were then used as fertiliser by the farmers, hence where the valley’s name comes from. The main train in Pigeon Valley, winds through lush greenery, with panoramic views of the surrounding fairy chimneys and you can even see Uçhisar Castle in the distance. It’s a fairly easy hike, suitable for most skill levels, which is perfect for those with kids.
Zemi Valley
Even in the hot season, this hike will offer wonderful greenery and make a nice change to the majority of Cappadocia’s pale rocky landscape. It is advised however that you do this trail early in the morning, in the summer months, before it gets too hot and bear in mind this trail is better suited to more experienced hikers. This is partly due to it being a less popular route and being more isolated, away from any main towns once you get walking. Signposting on the trail is good and the average person will be able to complete this hike in under 3 hours (without kids potentially slowing you down). We’d recommend being dropped at the end of the trail, which is located in the countryside out towards Uchisar and follow the trail back towards Goreme town. This will mean you’re heading towards civilisation and can have peace of mind that a nice refreshing drink and snack are waiting for you at the finish line!
Pasabag Valley
This is one of the most popular tourist spots in Cappadocia, so be prepared for lots of other people to be there when you visit. It’s full of tall mushroom-shaped rocks which can be walked between and the valley is straightforward to explore on foot, making it a good bet for families with young children. Bear in mind however the fairy chimneys are slightly smaller in Pasabag Valley when compared to Love Valley, plus there is an entrance fee to Pasabag, whereas Love Valley is free to enter.
Underground Cities
Exploring the underground cities of Cappadocia is absolutely fascinating and should be high up on your list of things to do with kids while you’re there. It’s hard to believe that ancient civilisations had lived in them to escape danger and it’s remarkable how well preserved they are, and how connected visitors can feel to them, from being able to explore them in depth. Going in the height of summer will offer a well-deserved break from the summer heat, however, make sure you take enough warm layers as it gets very cold down there.
Derinkuyu Underground City
This is the largest and deepest underground city in Cappadocia, previously housing a whopping 20,000 people, seeking refuge during times of conflict and invasion. Its intricate tunnels stretching 60 meters deep, are epic for kids to explore and its fascinating features like its huge ventilation shaft and stone doors, make it even more impressive to adults when they comprehend how advanced the civilisations were who built them. It’s just under a 40-minute drive from Goreme to Derinkuyu, but well worth the travel time to get there. It’s got a distinctly larger feel to it than Kaymakli, so although some tunnels there are narrow and steep, overall it’s a lot less claustrophobic.
Kaymakli Underground City
Standing as the second largest underground city, 29 minutes’ drive away from Goreme, Kaymakli is just as fascinating as Derinkuyu, however, its structure expands horizontally as opposed to vertically. We were warned by fellow tourists, that if we visited late morning or midday, we should expect line upon line of tourists to be making their way through the tunnels like a line of ants.
Due to Kaymakli tunnels being a lot lower and narrower in height than Derinkuyu, there’s no way for visitors to turn around and make their way back the way they have come, due to other visitors blocking the way. This posed the problem of the small tunnels and corridors filled up with people in single file, slowly making their way around the course, with no ability to go backwards the way they had come, due to people blocking the way behind them. Due to me being very claustrophobic, we decided to go early in the morning as soon as it opened and were over the moon to be the only ones there. I was pleased they had lights and arrows showing the way, but even then it was a challenging experience due to my claustrophobia.
Quad Biking Cappadocia
If like us, you love a good adrenaline-fueled activity, there’s no better way to explore Cappadocia than on a sunset quad biking tour. Their minimum age requirement to ride the bikes is 16, with 6 years and over being allowed to sit on the back of an adult bike. Carmen and J took part, and both agreed it was amazing fun. You set out as a group, following the dirt tracks across the rocky landscape and head to a sunset viewpoint, being the perfect spot to take pictures. As soon as the sun dips below the horizon, the landscape begins to glow red and oranges, like a scene of another planet. A word of warning for this activity, wear old clothes, and protect your valuables, especially your phone and camera, the dust gets in everything!
Horse Riding Cappadocia
Horse riding is another great way to see the landscape of Cappadocia and allows you to access areas of the region that may have been difficult on foot. You’ll have the opportunity to follow ancient trails through fairy chimneys and unusual rock formations, heading out for a sunset ride if you prefer. This activity is great for any ability stage, from beginner riders to advanced ones. We do recommend you pay close attention to the condition of the horses and book to go with a reputable company, to ensure the welfare of the animals is met.
Play Areas Cappadocia
We came across a lovely playground on the outskirts of Ürgüp, equipped with slides, swings and climbing frames and we happily spent a few hours there letting the kids let off some steam. The address is: Kavaklıönü, 36. Cd., 50400 Ürgüp/Nevşehir, Türkiye.
Cappadocia pottery
As previously mentioned under Avanos town, this is the place to have a dabble in making your own pottery and jumping on the pottery wheel. We’d recommend heading to the shop there called Chez Hakan, owned by Hakan Özgül. He offers amazing one-to-one classes or small group bookings and will take you through the art. He’s a natural with children as we found out and will give your children an experience they’ll definitely remember.
Turkish Ice cream
Make sure you buy a traditional Turkish ice cream from a Dondurma vendor, who will turn buying a simple treat into an unforgettable show. They will play cheeky tricks on customers, flipping cones, and spinning the ice cream away at the last second, and will make your kids giggle with every attempt to grab it.
Tuz Lake
Although this lake is outside of Cappadocia, being a 1.5-hour drive away, it’s renowned for being an incredible place well worth a visit. This salt lake has a certain algae present, which makes the water pink and this makes for the most incredible pictures, especially at sunset. During the summer, the shallow waters recede, leaving vast salt flats which are perfect for kids to run and play in. We’d recommend taking water shoes, especially for children.
Cappadocia at night
Wonder around the towns at night and be enchanted by them being lit up by lanterns hanging from the trees and fairy lights draping from buildings and shop fronts. We arrived at night and Goreme was quite the spectacle, with cave dwellings being lit up by cosy lights.
