Goreme Things to Do Tips by balhannah Top 5 Page for this destination

GOREME OPEN AIR MUSEUM

This museum you can walk to from Goreme Town, or it is often included in tours.
I went by myself which was quite alright, as all the Complexes have notices written in English explaining what you are seeing.
In fact, I was glad I wasn't in a Tour group, they seemed so large, and so many people in confined spaces, it must have been hard to get a decent photo!

The Göreme Open Air Museum, is a complex of medieval painted cave churches carved out by Orthodox monks. There are over 10 cave churches, also Rectories, dwellings, and a Religious school, they form a large monastic complex. The Day I visited, the Nunnery was closed.
I will not go into the full details of what to see here as there are so many tips on it already.

The DARK CHURCH IS WORTH THE EXTRA 8T/L, it was excellent.

What I do think is that if you have limited time, come here for sure.
I had plenty of time, BUT HAD SEEN A LOT FOR FREE before coming here, so......................... I found it a little disappointing except for the Dark Church. Busloads of tourist's didn't help.

I just expected to see something really different and I didn't!

Toilets were not free.
ADMISSION IN 2009 was 15t/l plus Dark Church 8t/l = 23 t/l
OPEN 8 - 5.30 PM DAILY

Up to you to decide!

Directions: About a 2km walk from Goreme town.

Website: http://www.goreme.com/goreme-open-air-museum.php

MAMASIN DAM

This Dam is a Volacano filled with water. The water is a pretty bluey/green, and the dam is surrounded by Hills. Children were here waiting for Tourists with Donkeys. Its in a pretty setting.
It may be difficult to get here on your own, I was on a tour.

Address: The Aksaray-Nevsehir road

SELIME SULTAN TURBE (Monumental Tomb)

This Tomb is located opposite the Selime Cathedral. It has the architectural and decorative characteristic of an early period piece and is a rare example of its type in Anatolia as it has an octagonal base and is conical. From the architectural style and materials it must date from the 13th century A.D. There is a cemetery that surrounds it.

SELIME CATHEDRAL (Monastery)

Selime is a town at the end of the Ihlara Valley. Like Ihlara and Belisirma there are rock cut churches here of which the most important is known as a Selime cathedral.
This Cathedral is amazing!

Selime Monastery is the biggest rock-cut monastery of Cappadocia with a cathedral sized church. It was carved by the monks in the 13th century and apart from the church has monks quarters, a large kitchen, and stables for animals.
The Cathedral has been hollowed out of the rocks on a rather elevated site. Inside there are two rows of rock columns. These columns divide the cathedral into three sections. The walls were once decorated with frescoes of which there are only a few left.

THE CLIMB UP AND INTO IT IS NOT EASY and I doubt if you were unfit, elderly or incapacitated in any way, that you would make it.
Not only is it very interesting hearing all about it, but the views are outstanding.
This was one of my most favorite places in Cappadocia!

There is an admission fee, and it does have closing & opening times which I can't help you with, as I was on an organized all inclusive tour.

Address: Situated 28 km from Aksaray, near Ihlara valley

MOUNT ERCIYES near IHLARA VALLEY

When on the Ihlara Valley tour, they stop for you to take photos of Mount Erciyes. We were unlucky that its " head was in the clouds " on that day! I imagine that it would be a great photo opportunity on a better day. It is worth seeing if you haven't seen it before, a very pretty Mountain!

AGACALTI CHURCH - IHLARA VALLEY

We visited a couple of churches and this was one of them.
When entering the Valley, you turn right at the bottom of the stairs and you will find yourself 10 m from the church.

This church is quite different from the other churches of the Byzantine world of the 10th and 11th century Cappadocia, with its harmoniously contrasted colours of red, green and yellow, Its frescos are of flowers, rosettes and chequer-board patterns, all betraying strong eastern influence. The Church, is also known as the Church of Daniel or the Church of Pantassa.

Address: Ihlara valley

ILHARA GORGE

The Ihlara Valley is near Mount Hasan and Mount Melendiz (two of the three volcanoes of Cappadocia)....................is a canyon with a depth of approximately 100m .....................and was formed by the Melendiz River thousands of years ago.
It begins at Ihlara village and ends with Selime Monastery at Selime village.

It is believed that the valley housed more than four thousand dwellings and a hundred cave churches decorated with frescoes. Around eighty thousand people once lived in Ihlara Valley.

There are 4 entrances to Ihlara valley.
The first one is the start of the valley at Ihlara Village. Ihlara Valley visitor center with car parking, ticket booth, restaurant, toilets and souvenir shop are located here. This is where our tour began. You walk 360 steps to the bottom, at least we were going down and not up. It is the best way to do it!
The second one is 4kms further on, and this is where our trek finished. We had lunch (included in tour price) beside the river, there were choices, and it was very nice.
The third entrance is (7kms) Belisirma village.
The last entrance is the end of the valley, Selime Monastery.

The best part of the valley is the first 7km part from Ihlara Village until Belisirma Village where you can see most of the churches.
There are many cave churches in Ihlara Valley. Most of them display scenes dissimilar to the scenes depicted in other Cappadocian Churches.

It would have been a very pleasant to walk through the Ihlara valley by the vineyards, poplars and pistachio trees, IF our guide had lead us! He said it would be a medium pace, which suited us all, instead he let a very tall American take over, who walked a 100miles per hour. It seemed like is object was to see how fast he could get from A to B, NOT my style of walking!.......... As such, there was very little enjoyment, just rushing, (nearly running) to keep up on the slightly demanding track!
Thank goodness for a lunch break, and to hear that the young couple had trouble keeping up too!

I would like to go back to enjoy it on my own or with a group that doesn't let a Tourist take over from the guide!
It really is a lovely spot to visit.

Address: www.andromedatour.com

Directions: As I was with a tour I do not know the admission fees or opening hours.

CHURCH OF ST. THEODORE

This 19th centrury Othodox Church is found in the town of Derinkuyu, in the courtyard, next door to the entrance to the Derinkuyu Underground City.
It was built in 1858 and is quite impressive, having three naves, frescoes and a dome.

Directions: In courtyard by the Derinkuyu underground city entrance

DERINKUYU UNDERGROUND CITY

There are many underground cities in the Cappadocia area.

The biggest and deepest is Derinkuyu Underground City. There are eight floors and extend at a depth of approximately 85 m.

Here you will find all that they needed to survive with, such as wine and oil presses, stables, cellars, storage rooms, refectories, and chapels. One room was used as a religious school and the rooms to the left were studies. Between the third and fourth levels is a vertical staircase. This passage way leads to a cruciform church on the lowest level.

The large 55 m ventilation shaft appears to have been used as a well. The shaft also provided water to both the villagers above and, if the outside world was not accessible, to those in hiding.

First built by the Phrygians in the 8th–7th centuries B.C , the Derinkuyu underground city was enlarged in the Byzantine era. The city could be closed from inside with large stone doors. With storerooms and wells that made long stays possible, the city had air shafts which are up to 100 feet (30 m) deep.

Derinkuyu is the largest excavated underground city in Turkey. The complex has a total 11 floors, though many floors have not been excavated. It has an area of 2,000 square feet, with a possible total area of 7,000 square feet (650 m2). Each floor could be closed off separately. The city was connected with other underground cities through miles of long tunnels. The city could accommodate between 20,000 and 50,000 people.

It was good being on a tour as our guide informed and showed us everything that you could see. It was very interesting. I wished we could have seen one of the large stone doors, they weighed half a ton!!!
I also have seen an underground city in Vietnam, so I could compare the two!

OPEN DAILY 8 - 5pm
Do not know admission charge as I was on a Tour.

Directions: It is in Derinkuyu District that is almost 30 km to Nevsehir, Nevsehir - Nigde road.

WHITE VALLEY (Ice cream valley)

WHITE VALLEY is located next to Rose & Red Valleys.
Once again, this is different to other valleys. A lot of the shapes are in "folds" and they are White!
At the start, there is a stall that sells cool drinks and fresh Orange Juice. All the guided tours go past here, that is why! After my trek, I bought a nice orange juice and sat down on the seat next to a tour guide's driver who was waiting for his group.
He told me the locals call the valley "Icecream valley, because of the colour and the folds, it looks like icecream"

It is fairly close to Cavusin Village, but I walked from Goreme.