"Zelve Open-Air Museum" Top 5 Page for this destination Goreme Things to Do Tip by Paul2001

The Zelve Open-Air Museum is the location of a monanstic retreat where Christian lived from the 9th to 13th centuries. Although not as impressive as the Goreme Open-Air Museum, if you have the time as I did, I would recommend a visit especially if you are touring the nearby Fairy Chimneys. It has a large amount of rockcut churches and living quarters however they are not in a great state of preservation. Still I found them quite interesting. Another big difference when comparing Zelve to Goreme, is that the path are much more rugged. Not everyone will be able to get around. The Zelve Open-Air Museum is also much less crowded.
Nearby there are great hiking opportunities. In fact I walked all the way here from Goreme which is about 8km away, through some stunning valleys.
The museum is open daily from 8am to 5:30pm. A visit costs about $7.00US.

Directions: On the road west from Avanos, just 1km from the Fairy Chimneys
Phone: 0384/411-2525