Is it possible to see Cappadocia without renting a car?
Yes, plenty of people do it. The only thing is it takes a bit more planning, as you can’t be as flexible as you could be with a car. You’ll need to think ahead about how you’re getting from the airport to your hotel, where you’ll base yourself, and how you’ll get to the sights each day.
Stay in either Göreme or Uçhisar
Where you’re staying matters a lot when you don’t have a car. Cappadocia’s valleys are actually bigger than you might think with the towns spread out across them.
If you’re looking for a central base with everything within easy reach, I recommend Göreme. It’s the main hub of the area, so you’ll have restaurants and grocery stores within walking distance, and all tours will pick up from here.
Göreme’s accommodation is more expensive, but you’ll save on the time and transport costs you’d otherwise spend getting around.
The next best option is Uçhisar, where my partner and I stayed because it was cheaper than Göreme. It’s just a 5-minute drive away, and all the tours we booked included free pickup from there also. Because the town is smaller, there was a quieter feel, especially in the evenings. There were still restaurant options for dinner though, plus a ŞOK supermarket where we picked up some lunches and snacks.
Book an airport transfer
No matter which airport you fly into, they’re actually quite a distance from Göreme, around 40 minutes from Nevşehir or 1 hour 20 minutes from Kayseri. There are some public buses, but when we looked into these, there were multiple transfers and it’ll take you around 2.5 hours to reach Göreme. A transfer ended up being the best option, and it wasn’t too expensive to book in advance.
We booked a group transfer in a shared minibus with 12 people total, most of us staying in Göreme and Uçhisar, though the driver also needed to drop 2 couples off in smaller towns along the way. My partner and I spent 1 hour 45 minutes on the bus as we were the last ones to be dropped off, but everyone was let off directly out the front of their accommodation.
If you want to get there faster, a private transfer is pricier, but it may be worth it depending on the time your flight arrives and if you have a packed itinerary.
Book group day tours
Without a car, group day tours are the cheapest way to see the main sights without having to worry about transport or an itinerary. There’s also so many tour companies in Cappadocia that it’s easy to book one even at the last minute.
These tours will typically include hotel pickup if you’re in one of the bigger towns, so it’s worth checking this when you book, that way you don’t have to worry about getting to a pickup location yourself.
The two main tours to choose from are the Red and Green Tours, and from what I could tell, the main companies all run very similar routes.
The red tour typically takes you to the iconic Cappadocia landscapes, including:
- Zelve Open Air Museum or Göreme Open Air Museum
- Uçhisar Castle
- Imagination Valley
- Monks Valley
The green tour is focused on the southern valleys, taking you to:
- Pigeon Valley
- Derinkuyu Underground City
- Selime Monastery
We booked a red tour through our hotel, which I regret, I should have done more research to find a tour without so many souvenir-shop stops (the pottery stop was interesting, but the leather factory felt like a waste of our time). We also weren’t fans of our guide, who didn’t tell us much about what we were seeing and genuinely seemed seemed bored.
Book a private driver
If group tours aren’t for you, there are drivers who will offer full-day trips for a set price. This might be the best choice if you have a specific itinerary you want to follow.
The best option would be a private driver who is also a tour guide, as some places like the underground city require a licensed tour guide to enter. Otherwise, you’d need to pay extra to book both separately.
Hike through the valleys
If you’re into hiking, this is a great way to explore the valleys without driving. Love Valley and Pigeon Valley are both easily accessible from either Göreme or Uçhisar. We did this hike on our second day, and I’m glad we did.
Because we were staying in Uçhisar, we decided to walk through Pigeon Valley to Göreme, where we had a wander and got some lunch, then hiked back through Love Valley. Looking up at the valley walls from the trail felt completely different from the day before when we were seeing them from a lookout. It gave us a much better sense of just how deep they are, and got to see the fairy chimneys up close.
You could also get a taxi to drop you off at a particular starting point to save some time, as the full hike (including our break) did take us 5.5 hours.
Use a taxi
You’ll find taxis parked in most of the touristy areas, ready to take you wherever you need to go. We didn’t use one, as we walked a lot, but we did hear they were expensive.
I’d say they’re handy for short trips, but for a full day of sightseeing, a private driver works out better value than paying taxi fares that won’t be fixed price.
Catch the dolmuş
The main towns are connected by public buses called dolmuş, and are known to be quite cheap. The downside is they run on a fixed schedule and won’t drop you at valley lookouts. They also don’t run in the evening and are limited on Sundays.
We didn’t catch one ourselves, so if you’re curious about riding the Dolmuş, check out this Blogging from Paradise article as Ryan has first-hand experience.
Looking back, we don’t regret not hiring a car to get around, but we just wish we’d researched and booked a better tour (or even splurged on a private tour). If you book to stay in a more accessible town like Göreme and book tours with included hotel pickups, you’ll have no trouble visiting Cappadocia without a car.
