I am landing at Kayesari airport at night and getting transfered to a hotel in Goreme.
I may rent a car for one or two days.
I have 2 nights and 2 days there. Am taking an overnight bus after that to Denzli and further on to Selcuk.
I am travelling in the last week of April 2010 with my wife and 2 kids 12 and 15 yrs.

Can someone suggest an itinerary for these 2 days?
Should I rent a car for 1 day and see places that are far off and spend the other day discovering closer sights on fooet, like the Goreme open air museum etc.?

I am not planning to do the Hot air baloon tour, as I find it too expensive, as copared to some other places. It will cost 600 Euros for 4 persons.

Which is the other place where I can reach by car at the sunrise time and get the 2nd best view.

Please help.

I will tell you what I tell everyone--go to turkeytravelplanner.com first.

You can see a lot on foot from Goreme--the open air museum and many amazing trails lead right out of town.

I stayed at Kelebek Hotel and booked a driver from them, he took me to an underground village, made a couple other brief stops, and also dropped me off at one end of Ihlara and picked me up at the other end.

There are many day tours you can have tailored for you--tourist facilities are great in Goreme.

My recommendation is to have private tours both days.
The region is very large. There is very little that would be within walking distance. two days is barely enough to cover the area by car and a very knowledgeable driver/guide. What you save by not taking the balloon, you can use for this purpose (I agree with your decision because of the cost and my vertigo)

Just tell the guide that you do not want to visit carpet, jewellery and leather shops, although you could check on Yahyali carpets on your own.

Paragkash,

Yes, get a guide in Cappadocia. Driving is easy in the area, but there's so much history that you'll miss if you don't have someone who is knowledgeable telling you about it. Like yorkshire, I used www.turkeytravelplanner.com a lot when I was planning our trip. Your hotel should be able to refer you to someone. We're so glad we had a good one.

We loved the view at Pigeon Valley which no doubt isn't far from where you'll stay. You can even sit outside and have a tea while enjoying the incredible scenery. When we were at Pigeon Valley, there was a hot air balloon just above us.

Ellen
(formerly ellencmog)

Thanks everyone.
I did go to "turkeytravelplanner'
What it does not tell me is ....
a. which sites in one loop on one day.
b. What should be the priority, as you all said it is a vast region and can be barely covered within 2 days.
c. What are must see.. and what can be optionally left if I am short of time.

can you please help me solve these questions..
I have my wife and 2 daughters (13-15 yrs )with me.

I am getting a car at Kayesari airport at 9 pm + a driver who will drop me till my hotel at Goreme + car pick up after 24 hrs from Goreme-- all inclusive at 85 TL / day for a small Punto size car. This gives me a full day car at the price of airport pick up. It's almost free.
I may stay at "Aydinli Cave Hotel'(90E) or "Local cave House"(70E)
(Please help me choose one)
I am thinking of setting off early morning for the sunrise view from some nice place/ hill ( any suggestions)come back to hotel, have breakfast and cover as many destinations away from Goreme, and return the car back at 8 pm at Goreme.
The next day we check out after breakfast- see some places on foot- May be come back to the hotel for Lunch- again some sightseeing- and take the overnight 8 pm bus to Denzli.
Please let me know your views. Help me fill in the blank.

I don't think we can choose the must sees for you--but in my opinion, they are 1) hiking among the rock formations 2) seeing cave churches (multiple opportunities) and 3) visiting an underground city. With 2 days, you can do all of those things.
My advice is to spend time on google maps or something similar planning a route for the day with the car, based on your specific interests.
On the day without a car, you may want to hire a guide because I don't know how much hiking you would want to do all day before an overnight bus ride.

bookmarking.

We stayed in Urgup rather than Goreme but the options would be similar. What worked for us were day tours by coach. There are a few companies to choose from. We did several tours (all with one company because they get to know and being naturally friendly people will help make the experience that little bit more enjoyable) including the cave churches, fairy chomneys and rock formations (all in one day around the Zelve Valley, Devrent & Goreme), some desert villages like Avanos and the rocky hilltop villages of Uchisar & Ortahisar (on another day) plus a sunset tour where we sat atop a high ridge watching the sun come down over the desert whilst enjoying a red wine. The underground cities of Derinkuyu & Kaymakli we did independently by local buses from Nevsehir, and that worked well too.

Thanks,
I think we should hire a guide, as I have the car for the day and will have the flexiblity. It would work out well as we are 4 of us.
I would love to see cave churches, fairy chimneys and rock formations on Day 1 with the car and guide.
Day 2 can be the open air museum and some walks around.

That means I will not be able to see the underground cities.
Please suggest.
Where is the sunset point?
Is there a Sunrise point too?

Hi, I'm the guy who runs TurkeyTravelPlanner.com. Here's what I'd suggest:

Day 1: Goreme Open-Air Museum (the best cave churches), Pasabag and Dervent Valley (fairy chimneys, two sites close to one another and not far from Goreme), and Uçhisar (natural stone castle). You may have time left over for more wandering.

Day 2: My "Ihlara & Underground Cities" day-long excursion ( http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/g...excursion.html ), which shows you either Kaymakli or Derinkuyu underground city, the mountain town of Guzelyurt, the Ihlara Valley, and the Agizkarahan medieval caravanserai (though it's closed for restoration at the moment).

Renting a car: if you are four and traveling with a guide you will need a car big enough for five. Many Turkish rental cars are really four-seaters, so know what you're getting.

Happy travels!

Tom Brosnahan

Tom,

What a delight to see you on this forum! I knew nothing about Turkey five months ago when I started to plan our 15-day trip. I can't tell you how useful your website was; I think I was on it every day between July and late October when we started our trip. Between you and otherchelebi and other posters on this forum, we had an incredible two weeks in Turkey.

Paragkash, I would strongly recommend that you see one underground city. If you have a good guide, you'll learn so much and you'll get the "feel" of what it must have been like to have lived so many stories underground. It's an unforgettable experience.

Ellen

Hi Tom- I can't believe my luck.
I have been studying Turkey thro' your site for last few months.
It is surely the last word and the best possible info. on Turkey.
I will follow the Itinerary given by you.
Now I know, it can't go wrong.

Can someone help me choose the hotel.

I may stay at one of these hotels
(Rates are for 2 +2 teenage kids/ per room/ per night)
"Aydinli Cave Hotel'(90E) or "Local cave House"(70E)
(Please help me choose one)

I like Tom's suggestions. We stayed in Goreme and saw the Open Air Museum, then went to Ilhara valley for a hike to two churches, and went to one underground 'city'.

We stayed at the in Goreme at the Ottaman House hotel. In the otwn itslef, not a cave hotel. Breakfast areas was on top floor overlooking chimneys.

Hi,
Thanks for the suggestions.
Do I need a car for both days?
Is Day 1 Itinerary doable without a car?
Is Utchisar castle reachable by a Dolmus or bus?

Any suggestions for

1. Sunrise point
2. Sunset point
3. Turkish folk dance or Whirling Dervishes

thanks

bookmarking for future research!

http://www.goreme.org/howto/index.htm has some bus info--I think (if staying in Goreme) you could take the Nevsehir bus and get off at Uchisar.
However, there is a nice path from Goreme to Uchisar--if you like walking (it is not difficult). It is lined with rock formations and pigeon coves. Outside of Uchisar, we picked up an even better trail to Cavusin (after stopping at the jewelry store). The crumbling city in Cavusin was very interesting--equally to the castle in Uchisar I think.
From Cavusin, we continued walking back to Goreme--nearly getting lost in the process, so make sure you get good maps.
You could possibly instead take a bus from Cavusin back to your town.
This map may help a little: http://www.goreme.com/cappadocia-map-big.gif. It has a sunset spot marked. For sunsets, you want to be looking toward the red rocks. You'll see what I mean when you get there. Some rocks are white and some are red. The red ones look fantastic in the sun of course.

If you follow Tom's advice, you could do a combination of walking and driving on day 1. On day 2, you could use your own car or pay a driver to take you. As I said, the benefit of this is having a drop off at one end of Ihlara and a pick up at the other. I had a driver only and not a guide--you could do either. I hired an on-the-spot guide at the underground city. Ihlara I enjoyed walking independently.

When you're in Cappadocia, go to Saruhan, a beautifully restored caravansary, to see the whirling dervishes. The ceremony was interesting and the caravansary was magical.

Ellen

I had 3 amazing days in Goreme and totally agree with all of Yorkshire's posts. Good advice there, and I've been to many of those sites and towns and recommend them too.

Another good source is Murat from Proper Travel who was an invaluable resource to me and a really nice bloke. I haven't seen him on these boards and am not sure if he is still based in Urgup. Try seacrhing for 'Proper Travel'.

Given that you will be a group of 4, I'd also recommend the private guide. They will also arrange a daily itinerary for you covering all the major sites, and some come with their own car so you may not need to rent a car and put the money towards your guiding.

I know the balloon trip is expensive and 600 euros is a lot. However, you will quickly see when you get to Goreme that there are many company's offering this experience and I'd look into working out a discount for the 4 of you if possible. Perhaps they might charge less for your daughters given their age ? No harm in asking.
It is a breathtaking experience, both from up in the air and as an observer from the ground. The sight of all those beautiful balloons floating above your head will make you want to do it. Please note that its also very dependent on the weather and wind.

As far as hotels go, I too stayed at the Kelebek Pension, in a cave room across from the main hotel, and absolutely loved it. I'd recommend it to anyone.

Turkey is one of my favourite countries. I enjoyed Selcuk too and found having a car there to be very useful to drive to many nearby sites, towns and interesting places (Ephesus, a nearby beach beginning with 'P', the house of Mary, etc.). Try to go to Sirince while you're there. Its very pretty.

Have fun.

Our hotel in Goreme sent us to a nearby hall that had a meal and performnace of dances, including dervishes. See if I can find some info...

Thanks a lot. So much info. pouring in.

1. Good sunset info. I read somewhere, that there is a place from where one gets a very good view of the fairytale landscape at sunrise ( next best to the baloon ride) Any tips and suggestions.
2. Ellen, how much time did you spend at caravansary watching whirling dervishes and at what time? Is it at night? How much did you pay for it/
3. My hotel owner Harun has given an info about Turkish night with folk dances from all over the country, belly dance and dinner ( 50 TL/pp) Has anyone been there? Any suggestions?
4.Michel, can you find some info about the dance sow?