5 Things to do In Cappadocia, Turkey on a Budget

Cappadocia is a magical and unique destination that should not be missed when traveling around turkey! I
promise you, that you will not find anywhere in the world like it! Comprised of Fairy chimneys, caves, and
sunrises with sky-filled hot air balloons, there is plenty to do here on a budget, or better yet, for free! I spent two
beautiful days in Cappadocia as a budget traveler and have compiled a list of things that you can do for cheap
or even for free!

Take pictures at Galerie Ikman- $12 USD

 kay I am no where near a professional photographer, and I am not usually one to pay to take photos of myself… but it is totally worth it to visit the Galerie Ikman carpet shop if you want some great Turkish looking photos. I personally rarely buy souvenirs, as they are hard to carry around while on the road and can start to break the bank. My favorite souvenir to get are pictures of myself in front of landmarks or any of significant scenery that makes my destination unique. So is it worth it to pay $ 12 (100 Turkish lira) to take dozens of photos of yourself in a carpet shop in Cappadocia? ABSOLUTELY YES! These are some of the best photos I have of myself traveling, and all of the colorful carpets are truly aesthetic! After visiting other countries that also
have colorful carpets such as Morocco, Egypt, and Jordan, I have always wanted some great shots with these beautiful rugs that I could use for my blog and to post on social media. I had my boyfriend take hundreds of
photos of me on his iPhone 12 (please note that you take your own pictures for this price, so if you are a solo traveler make sure to bring a tripod). The price for these photos ($12) is a fixed price. It doesn’t matter if you
take 3 photos or 200, it will still be the same cost (I tried asking for a cheaper price if I agreed only take a couple photos.) But trust me, once you start taking pictures and trying different poses, the time will fly by and
you will end up not having any storage left on your phone. You can also pay extra to have a professional photographer or drone service, but I felt satisfied with only paying $12 and still ended up having a lot of mostly decent pictures. I found that if my boyfriend just goes up the staircase located in the shop, he can get a very similar above angle that a drone would get. I am very awkward when it comes to pictures and never know how to pose, so don’t worry about not knowing what to do! Just try a bunch of poses, whatever feels right, because all of the carpets surrounding you will make you look awesome no matter what! Make sure to try and go when the sun is lower in the sky and not directly above you so that you have the best lighting for the photos! Paying $12 will get you 15 minutes of photo time, but we ended up staying about 30 because no one was there and the owners didn’t kick us out so,..why not make the most of the money even more?! Another location that I did
not personally go to, but have heard of is called “Sultan Carpet Shop”. They have Turkish lamps everywhere and also carpets, but you can not get the famous over the head angle shot as there are not stairs. The cost is
the same in both shops so its up to you to decide if you want to go to one or both!

Stay in a cave hotel – varies depending on your budget

One of the reasons why Cappadocia is so famous is because it is made up of caves also known as “fair chimneys”. These are truly unique looking so you should defiantly add staying in one of the many cave hotels
onto your bucket list! Many of the caves have been transformed to hotels, shops, and restaurants. Many bloggers that have stayed in Cappadocia hotels recommend some amazing cave hotels that have epic views of
the hot air balloons during the sunrise. However, when I looked up these hotels that they mentioned, they were WAY over my budget and are defiantly not made for backpackers on a cheap budget. I ended up staying in a
very cute and budget friendly cave hotel in Gnome (the town that everyone recommends staying in). It costs me 130 Turkish lira ($15) a night for a double room that also had a private bathroom and included a small and
simple breakfast. The hostel was very clean and cute with a very cozy court yard that was perfect for chilling, hanging out, and working on my blogs! It is within walking distance to dozens of restaurants and the owner was
very hospitable and friendly, giving me all the best rates for things such as the hot air balloon tours. You can check out this affordable hostel here___________ The hostel also had a rooftop terrace with a great view of
the sunrise as well as all the hot air balloons. Waking up at 4am to watch the sunrise is already hard, so it makes it super convent that you can just walk right upstairs to the terrace to enjoy the best views. So if you re
looking for a more budget friendly place, but still want the unique experience of staying in a cave hotel, I couldn’t recommend this place more!

Watch the sunrise or sunset at “Lovers Hillt”- 35 cents USD

Another great place to watch the sunrise and sunset and also offers a great view of the town of Gnome from above, go to “Lovers Hill”. If you want to go to the platform and have the best view, you have to pay a small entrance fee of 3 Turkish lire (35 cents USD) at sunrise and sunset time. There are plenty off shops and restaurants that are very cute and photogenic looking surrounding this view point, but be aware that they are a bit more tourist which also earns more expensive. This view point offers you a full fledged sky with the hot air
balloons so it is a view that will not disappoint! It is also a short walking distance away from the cave hostel I Mentioned above.

Visit the valleys- FREE

There are two main and famous valleys in Cappadocia that are worth checking out! These include 1)Pigeon valley and
2) Love Valley.
These are free to visit and may require a car or other transport to get to, depending on where you are staying. These valleys are stunning with fairy chimneys and caves surrounding you as well as the mountains in the distance. These also have the famous “penis” shaped rocks that you will see in a lot of typical Cappadocia pictures. If you want to get up close and personal with the nature, chimneys, cave houses, and penis rocks that make Cappadocia such a unique and special destination, I recommend doing this free activity and visit the two valleys.

Visit Uchisar Castle- $1.50 USD

If you are looking for another budget friendly activity to do while in Cappadocia, I recommend going to the Uchisar castle! For those of you who have been to other castles before in places such as Europe, be warned that this castle is unique and could not be more different looking from your typical European castle. It has many caves that you can wander around inside and has an amazing vantage/view point once you go all the way to the top, especially during the sunset. It does have an entrance fee, but it is relatively cheap and costs only 9 Turkish lira, or a $1.50. If you don’t want to pay to go in, you can always wander around the castle grounds and not actually go all the way up. If you decide to just wander around the castle, you still have the opportunity to
see some caves and to go inside. The MOST famous thing to do in Cappadocia is of course, a hot air balloon ride during the sunrise. I had done a hot air balloon ride already before in the past, but I am so glad that I decided to go ahead and pay for another ride, because it was easily the best and most exciting thing I did during my whole trip in Turkey. Not only is the secondary absolutely gorgeous, but it is such a peaceful and relaxing way to spend your morning floating in the sky and listening to nothing but the sound of the fire keeping the balloon high in the sky. I booked this experience directly through my cave hotel, Mevlana Cave Hotel. The hotel owner was able to get me the best price on the market in the middle of peak tourist season, which was 50 euros. This price included pick up and drop off, the hot air balloon ride, a balloon ride certificate, and a glass of champagne at the end of our ride. I looked on the internet to try and find cheaper tour companies and literally could not find one that matched 50 euros or was cheaper, so I would recommend for anyone to book. Through my cave hotel if you are looking for the best deal. I did not include it in my list pf budget activators, since 50 euros is far from being “budget friendly”
but if you can afford this experience, it is 100% worth the splurge

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