10 vibes for Nevşehir

Breakfast with the view of fairy chimneys

Nevşehir offers you a stunning view of fairy chimneys, especially at dawn. With the rising sun, it is a pleasure to view the panorama accompanying with such a delicious breakfast. A traditional Turkish breakfast includes variety of olives, cheese, egg, tomato, cucumber, pepper, Turkish sausage (sucuk), jams, honey, butter, cream. After the rich and nourishing breakfast, it is time to discover rural parts of Nevşehir or Cappadocia.

Tour at Vineyards

Nevşehir soil is very fertile. Besides pumpkins, apples, pears, quinces, apricots; grapes love this calcerous soil. Locals make molasses, and köftür –a kind of Turkish delight, and wine from these delicious grapes. Tour at the vineyards of Cappadocia is a pleasure especially at grape harvesting season. The history of winemaking goes back millenia and there are still 16 types of grapes harvested here. You can also visit wineries to find your favourite local wine.

Walk Around the Streets (Avanos, Mustafapaşa, Ürgüp, Göreme)

If you are interested in history, faith, arts, architecture or different local lifestyles, the streets of Cappadocia will surely attract you. The streets of Avanos full of pottery, silk and carpet ateliers, the streets of Mustafapaşa or Sinasos with interesting architecture, churches and madrasahs together, the streets of Ürgüp with historical mansions, museums, fairy chimneys, even Turkish Baths, the streets of Göreme lead you to the world-famous Open-Air Museum (Açık Hava Müzesi) and Valleys of Love (Aşıklar Vadisi), Güvercinlik (Pigeons), Zemi, Paşabağ, Güllüdere, Kılıçlar and so on.

Lunch with Local Tastes

Nevşehir has a very rich local cuisine. The most famous meals of the region are Testi kebabı (clay-pot kebab) and beans! Testi kebabı is very original. And it is also very healthy and delicious with the ingredients of meat and different vegetables. At this kind of cooking, meals are slowly cooked in traditional ovens. Therefore, they have a smoky aroma and more flavour.

There are many different tasty meals of Nevşehir: Soğanlama with onion, egg, pepper and tomato; ağpakla with white bean, butter and meat; gendirme with chickpea, wheat and meat; dıvıl with potato and cracked wheat, stuffed apricot and quince with minced meat and different spices! Sweet tooths never disappoint at Nevşehir: They will have a feast with pumpkin desert, köftür (kind of Turkish delight contains grape juice of the region), dolaz (flour halva with butter), grape molasses and so on!

Conquering the scenery from up above: Hot Air Balloons

As dawn breaks, you'll float in air in great calmness… Rock formations dating back to millions of years, unimaginable landforms unique to this geography lying beneath. Valleys offering majestic sceneries, high altitudes painting a multi-hued topography down below, slopes woven in velvety texture… The land of fairy chimneys has become the centre for hot air ballooning gradually over the past 20 years and the awe-inspiring morning cruises have been attracting more and more travellers from all over the world with each passing day. The balloons, which go up to 500 metres high, depart from the trails around Göreme early in the morning.

Stay at Cave Hotels or Historical Mansions

While your stay at Nevşehir, you will have a variety of options in terms of your accommodation. Some of the hotels are actually "carved" out of the soft rock or tuff of the region. You can experience the peculiar atmosphere of the region in a cave hotel. As a second option, there are historical mansions turned into hotels with authentic decoration and designed to make you feel like time travelling. If you choose to stay in these hotels, you will feel the vibes of Cappadocia as locals!

Have Fun at Turkish Nights

In Nevşehir, if you like to have fun like locals, you can attend a Turkish night. The cheerful music, folk dancers, demonstration of making çiğ köfte (spicy steak tartare à la turca), and lots of delicious local tastes.

Visit Hacı Bektaş-ı Veli

The Turkish mystic Hacı Bektaş-ı Veli has been an important and prominent figure since his settlement in Nevşehir at 13th century. His philosophy was way ahead of his period and he advised to search (the knowledge), educate women, not to harm or shame, empathy and sympathy, patience and peace. The locals still pay their respects to Hacı Bektaş-ı Veli at the town of Hacıbektaş.

Watch the Sunset at Ortahisar Castle

One of the best ways to end a day is watching the sunset at a castle with a gorgeous view! Ortahisar is both a castle and a fairy chimney, thus it is a good combination for Cappadocia.

Portable Selling Desks of Locals

Many locals deal with handcrafts and farming in Nevşehir. Pottery and carpet making, silk production, jewellery design are just examples of common handcrafts. You can visit ateliers, experience and witness their production, meet the handicraftsman. Besides shopping, it is a total experience!

Some local woman contributes their home budget by selling handmade food products and souvenirs. Tarhana, molasses, local spices, erişte (noodles), sarma (stuffed vine leaves), herbal teas… Options are many to taste and buy. There are also dolls with local clothes, miniature fairy chimneys –some of them are night lamps or magnets as souvenirs.