Last Updated on March 27, 2026 by Adrienne
After our time in Istanbul, we headed to Cappadocia in central Turkey, another of the country’s most popular tourist areas. Although I expected this to be the section of the trip that was the least interesting to my 6 year old, with so much scenery and history, we ended up finding a lot of kid-friendly activities to do in the area, from pottery-making and horseback riding to ancient cave cities and underground dwellings to explore. Read on for a breakdown of how we made the most of two days in Cappadocia, based in the central village of Göreme.
Day 1: Hot Air Balloons at Sunrise, Love Valley, Pottery Workshop, Sunset Horseback Ride to Red Valley and Rose Valley
Sunrise Hot Air Balloons
Cappadocia is probably best known for its hot air balloons, and if you’ve seen pictures on social media of hot air balloons over a dramatic desert landscape, there’s a good chance they were taken here. Many visitors to the region opt to take a balloon flight, but since my husband and I have done that before in Napa Valley, and the 5 am wakeup call wasn’t super appealing with a little one, we decided to just watch the balloons from the rooftop of our hotel in Göreme. We had an incredible view and it was a sight to behold for sure.
Regardless of whether you decide to go up in a balloon or watch from the ground, try to do this on your first morning in Cappadocia since the balloons flights are sometimes affected by weather and can’t fly, and you’ll want a backup day in case you miss it the first day. If you have at least two chances, you have pretty good odds though – the balloons fly approximately 280-300 days per year, and in the late spring and summer months the weather is better than average.
Love Valley
Love Valley, named for its phallic fairy chimney rock formations, is one of Cappadocia’s most iconic sights. This is a great place to watch the hot air balloons at sunrise if you can’t see them from your hotel, or just stop by the viewpoint to look out over the vast valley. There are some hikes you can do on the valley floor as well. With a young child and limited time, we skipped hiking here, but it would be a great addition to a Cappadocia itinerary if you’re traveling with tweens or teens.
Avanos Pottery Making Workshop
Cappadocia is also well known for pottery, and a pottery-making class is a fantastic hands-on activity to do here with kids. We did this pottery workshop in Avanos, a cute town known for its pottery stores and workshops. This class was so much fun for all of us, especially our little one, and the bowls we made here are awesome souvenirs of our trip to Cappadocia (yes, they survived the 5,000+ mile journey home!).
Horseback Riding at Sunset
Horseback riding is one of the things I was most looking forward to in Cappadocia, since it’s one of the best ways to see the lovely scenery here, and it’s a perfect activity to do with school age kids. We did this small group tour, and it was just my daughter and me and one other pair. My 6 year old had never ridden before, except a few pony rides on a lead, but they gave her a gentle horse and she did great. It was so much fun riding through scenery like Red Valley and Rose Valley at sunset, and the guides were very attentive and took lots of pictures of us.
Day 2: Zelve Open Air Museum, Pasabag Fairy Chimneys, Derinkuyu Underground City
Zelve Open Air Museum
Cappadocia is famous for its open air “museums” which are Byzantine era cave villages. The best known one is the Göreme Open Air Museum, which has some chuches with well-preserved frescoes, most notably the Dark Church. But I think if you’re visiting Cappadocia with kids, the Zelve Open Air Museum is a better bet. Less of a museum and more of an outdoor playground with some really cool history, kids will love scrambling up the rock formations and popping and out of caves.
Pasabag Fairy Chimneys
Your ticket to Zelve Open Air Museum also includes Pasabag Valley, also known as Monks Valley. You may see this described generically as “Fairy Chimneys” in guides to the region, but this is a confusing term, since so many rock formations in Cappadocia are considered fairy chimneys. Don’t miss this stop as well, as there are also lots of awesome rock formations and caves here for kids to explore. You’ll want to visit both places in the same day, so you don’t have to buy a separate ticket.
Derinkuyu Underground City
It seems like an underground city like Derinkuyu is omitted from many two day Cappadocia itineraries, but I wouldn’t miss it, even if you’re only here for a short time. It was one of the biggest highlights of our time in Cappadocia for me, and is also an amazing place for school age kids to explore. The largest of Turkey’s underground cities, Derinkuyu extends to a depth of 280 feet and could once shelter up to 20,000 people. With schools, churches, stables and wells to deliver fresh water, it’s a full civilization, just underground. It’s incredible to see, if a bit claustrophobia-inducing.
How to Get to and Around Cappadocia
The Cappadocia region is served by two major airports: Kayseri (ASR) and Nevsehir (NAV). Kayseri is the more major airport and is the only one that has regularly scheduled commercial flights to cities other than Istanbul, but it’s a bit farther away (~60 minutes driving vs. ~40 minutes to the main village of Göreme). I strongly recommend renting a car at the airport to get around Cappadocia; while it would theoretically be possible to rely on public transit and organized tours, it’s much easier if you can get around yourself, and I didn’t find driving in the region any more complicated than driving in the suburban US, with the exception of some narrow streets and hairpin turns in the village of Göreme. They drive on the right side of the road in Turkey.
Where (and what) to Eat in Cappadocia with Kids
On the whole, restaurants in Cappadocia seemed more touristy than restaurants in Istanbul (even the restaurants in Istanbul’s Old City), with higher prices and less exciting food, but we found a couple of places to recommend in the village Göreme.
Kapadokya Kebapzade
Kapadokya Kebapzade has excellent Turkish food, including some of the best grilled meats we had anywhere in the country. The service was great too.
Dalchini Restaurant
After a week in Turkey we were ready for a little variety and something different than classic Turkish food, and we were happy to find excellent Indian food at Dalchini restaurant in Göreme, along with a lovely rooftop al fresco dining experience.
Where to Stay with Kids in Cappadocia
Staying in a cave hotel is a must in Cappadocia, since it’s such a unique experience. Most of the cave hotels are in the village of Göreme and I would recommend staying there for easy proximity to restaurants and rooftop hot air balloon views. We really enjoyed our cozy cave room and the gorgeous rooftop at Divan Cave House.
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