Either you’re an expat/local living in Istanbul, who wants to escape from the chaos of the city for a couple of days, or an avid traveler visiting Turkey, Cappadocia could be one of the top choices providing an authentic experience to relax, reset the mind & emotions, and have a clear perspective on life again.
Cappadocia in Summer
You can visit the region at anytime during the year though it will be a totally different experience depending on the season. It’s mostly visited during the warm months of the year by domestic and international travelers. During winter, many hotels are closed due to the tough conditions of long snowy days.
Cappadocia in Winter
For beginners, Cappadocia is located at the very center of Turkey covering largely Nevsehir, Kayseri, Kirsehir, Aksaray, and Nigde provinces. The area was mainly dominated by three volcanoes (Erciyes, Hasan, and Melendiz mountains), which played a huge role in creating the famous fairy chimneys that Cappadocia is known for.
It was their eruptions, which covered the former plateau of Ürgüp in ash and mud some thirty million years ago, that provided the region’s raw material: tuff, formed by compressed volcanic ash. Erosion has worked on this soft stone ever since, to form the valleys and curious fairy chimney rock formations for which the region is so famous.
The original eruptions created a vast erosion basin, dipping slightly towards the Kızılırmak River, which marks an abrupt division between the fantasy landscapes of rocky Cappadocia and the green farmland around Kayseri.
Where the tuff is mixed with rock, usually basalt, the erosion process can result in the famous cone-shape chimneys: the tuff surrounding the basalt is worn away, until it stands at the top of a large cone. Eventually the underpart is eaten away to such an extent that it can no longer hold its capital: the whole thing collapses and the process starts again.
Where to stay:
You have 5 options, if you want to get the best out of Cappadocia: Ürgüp, Göreme, Uçhisar, Ortahisar, and Avanos, each providing a different experience.
Göreme is the most popular among all and attracts all types of travelers to the area. I’d say it’s definitely more commercialized than the others. Ürgüp is the actual city, where the locals live. It’s a combination of touristy and local stuff providing an urban experience, where you’ll still be a part of the daily lives of locals. Ortahisar and Uçhisar are the most quiet places among all and they provide the most magical experience. Avanos is the small village located in the north and is known for their pottery culture.
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