Cappadocia's sights are spread across valleys and villages that are rarely within walking distance of each other. With a chauffeur by the hour you can combine Göreme Open Air Museum, the Uçhisar castle and a pottery stop in Avanos, or head south to the Derinkuyu underground city, with a hotel pickup and no parking worries.
Chauffeur hire in Cappadocia starts at €40 per hour; the shortest package is 2 hours / 40 km for €80. The driver picks you up at your hotel or address and waits at every stop; the price is fixed per vehicle, not per person.
Price = hours × hourly rate. Each hour includes 20 km; prices are per vehicle.
| Package | Economy Sedan (3 pax) | FirstClass Van (6 pax) | Vip Sprinter (16 pax) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 hours / 40 km | €80 | €100 | €150 |
| 3 hours / 60 km | €120 | €150 | €225 |
| 4 hours / 80 km | €160 | €200 | €300 |
| 5 hours / 100 km | €200 | €250 | €375 |
| 6 hours / 120 km | €240 | €300 | €450 |
| 8 hours / 160 km | €320 | €400 | €600 |
| 10 hours / 200 km | €400 | €500 | €750 |
Road distances are estimates; the suggested package covers the round trip and about an hour there.
| Place | One way (road) | Suggested package |
|---|---|---|
| Göreme Panorama viewpoint | ≈ 1 km | 2 hours / 40 km |
| Love Valley (Bağlıdere) | ≈ 2 km | 2 hours / 40 km |
| Göreme Open-Air Museum | ≈ 2 km | 2 hours / 40 km |
| Pigeon Valley | ≈ 2 km | 2 hours / 40 km |
| Uçhisar Castle | ≈ 3 km | 2 hours / 40 km |
| Çavuşin old village & Church of St John the Baptist | ≈ 4 km | 2 hours / 40 km |
| Red & Rose Valleys (Kızılçukur) | ≈ 4 km | 2 hours / 40 km |
| Ortahisar Castle | ≈ 5 km | 2 hours / 40 km |
Your driver takes you to these places and waits at every stop, so you can combine them as you like.
A Byzantine monastic complex of churches, chapels and refectories carved into the rock, with frescoes mostly from the 10th–12th centuries, listed by UNESCO since 1985. Don't miss the Dark Church, whose paintings survived almost untouched by light, or the Tokalı (Buckle) Church near the entrance with its deep-blue frescoes.
On calm mornings dozens of hot-air balloons lift off together at dawn and drift over the valleys, and the hills around Göreme and the Göreme Panorama lookout on the Uçhisar road are the classic places to watch without flying. Flights depend on wind and weather, so if the view matters to you, keep more than one sunrise free.
One of the region's signature sights, with mushroom-shaped fairy chimneys, many of them with two or three caps, which once sheltered hermit monks. One chimney contains a chapel and hermit's cell dedicated to St Simeon the Stylite.
A giant volcanic rock outcrop riddled with rooms, tunnels and tomb niches, and the highest point in the fairy-chimney country. Climb the steps to the top for views over Pigeon Valley and Göreme and, on clear days, Mount Erciyes on the horizon.
Two neighbouring valleys between Çavuşin and Ortahisar, named for the pink and russet tones of their rock, with small frescoed rock churches and dovecotes hidden along the trails. The terrace above the Red Valley is one of Cappadocia's favourite sunset spots.
Reaching a depth of about 85 m, this is the deepest underground city open to visitors, with ventilation shafts, wells, stables, wine presses, a chapel and huge rolling stone doors; it could shelter thousands of people along with their animals. Some passages are low and narrow, so it may not suit anyone uneasy in confined spaces.
Pottery in Avanos uses red clay from the Kızılırmak river and continues a tradition said to date back to the Hittites. In cave workshops you can watch masters at the kick wheel, try throwing a pot yourself and browse hand-painted ceramics.
A deep canyon carved by the Melendiz stream for about 14 km at the foot of Mount Hasan, with frescoed churches such as Ağaçaltı and Sümbüllü hidden in its cliffs. The shaded riverside path from Ihlara village to Belisırma is one of the region's finest walks.
Each area page shows its own distances and trip ideas.
Hourly rates: Economy Sedan €40, FirstClass Van €50, Vip Sprinter €75. Packages run from 2 to 10 hours; for example 4 hours / 80 km with an Economy Sedan costs €160. The price is per vehicle, not per person.
Each hour includes 20 km: 2 hours / 40 km, 4 hours / 80 km, 10 hours / 200 km. You choose the package when booking; extras such as baby or child seats (€5 each on hourly hire) are added in the same step.
At your hotel, villa or any address in Cappadocia. Enter it as the pickup location when booking; the driver waits for you at every stop during the package.
Ortahisar Castle is about 5 km by road from Goreme (10 km there and back). The 2 hours / 40 km package covers the trip, including about an hour there.
Yes. The Göreme Open-Air Museum, Paşabağ, Zelve, Çavuşin and Avanos sit close together, so they fit naturally into one hourly booking. You decide the order and how long to stay at each stop, and the driver waits wherever you are. There are no fixed shopping stops and no waiting for other passengers, and you can pull over at any viewpoint that catches your eye.
A south day usually starts at the Kaymaklı or Derinkuyu underground city, then continues with a walk in Ihlara Valley and a visit to the rock-cut Selime Monastery. Arriving at the underground city early lets you explore the narrow tunnels before the busiest hours. In the valley the driver drops you at one end and waits at the other, so you never have to walk back the same way. As these sights lie further from the fairy-chimney villages, treat this route as the main outing of the day.
Balloon companies collect their guests from the hotel themselves before sunrise and bring them back after the flight, so you do not need a car for that part. Book your car with driver to start once you are back, for example after breakfast at the hotel. That way an early start is followed by a relaxed day of sightseeing at your own pace.
The driver knows the roads and gets you between stops comfortably, but is not a licensed tour guide and does not guide you inside museums or sites. If you would like a licensed guide, arrange and pay for one separately. Museum entrance tickets, balloon flights and similar activities are not included in the price; you buy them yourself at the site or from the operator.
Nothing is paid in advance: you pay the driver in the car, in cash (EUR, USD, GBP or TRY) or by card. The price is per vehicle, not per person. If your plans change, you can modify or cancel the booking free of charge up to 24 hours before the start.
Yes, it suits such trips well: you can stop whenever someone needs a toilet, a snack or a rest, and simply skip a sight if someone gets tired. Child seats can be requested when you book; on hourly hire there is a fee for them, shown at booking. An Economy Sedan suits a couple or small family, a FirstClass Van larger families with a pram or bags, and a Vip Sprinter bigger groups.
Yes — simply book each day as its own package. That lets you choose the length and vehicle for each day separately: the northern valleys one day, the underground cities and Ihlara the next, and Kayseri or Erciyes on another. Each booking can be changed or cancelled on its own, which makes it easy to swap days around because of the weather or tired legs.
