Cappadocia from Antalya Tour: An Honest Review

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If you’re considering going on a Cappadocia from Antalya Tour, I really don’t blame you! Cappadocia’s lunar landscape, with its fairy chimneys and ancient cave dwellings, has captivated travellers for decades. However, if you’re visiting one of the popular destinations in Turkey, you probably are wondering how to get to Cappadocia.

This was exactly what happened to us when we visited the country for the first time. We wanted to go but weren’t entirely sure how to get there. We also had limited time and didn’t really want the hassle of figuring out the transport.

Because we wanted to see Cappadocia, we decided to go on an Antalya Cappadocia tour instead of trying to get there ourselves.

This actually turned out to be a fantastic choice. We had a wonderful time and managed to see several parts of Turkey during one trip. So, if you’re visiting Turkey’s southern coast and wondering whether a Cappadocia tour from Antalya is worth it, this is my honest experience of the trip.

✅ We booked this Cappadocia from Antalya tour and it was fantastic!

How Much Does it Cost to Go on a Cappadocia Tour From Antalya?

First things first, let’s talk about the financial aspects of this trip. Cappadocia definitely isn’t the cheapest place to visit in Turkey. Some of the attractions alone can cost a fortune, particularly things like the Cappadocia hot air balloon ride which can cost upwards of £250 per person. 

But, what about an entire tour from Antalya? 

For this tour, we paid about £500 per person. This included return transfers, an overnight stay in a cave hotel, breakfast on the departure day, dinner at the hotel and breakfast the following morning, entrance fees to all of the sites, a professional local tour guide, and a sunrise hot air balloon flight over the valley. 

The hot air balloon ride made up the majority of the cost here. We could’ve booked the same tour without the hot air balloon ride for £250 less. But we visited in September, so prices were one of the highest you can expect in Cappadocia.

How to Book a Cappadocia Antalya Tour

We simply booked our trip online. It was simply a case of choosing the dates, selecting the best package, adding on the extras, and paying online. 

It was the ease of it that made it so appealing.

Instead of having to book multiple different parts of the trip such as the transfer, hotel, tours, and guide separately, not to mention drivers once we actually got to Cappadocia, we could just book once and have the whole thing arranged for us.

The process couldn’t have been better, and it was an unforgettable experience.

However, be aware that peak season can see the demand for this tour increase dramatically, So, be sure to book well in advance to guarantee your spot.

✅ We booked this Cappadocia from Antalya tour and it was fantastic!

What Typically Happens During a Cappadocia Tour from Antalya?

A Cappadocia from Antalya tour involves quite a lot of travelling and also a few very early starts. However, you’ll also get to see a lot of the region, so it’s worth getting up early to ensure you can see as much as you can. 

We were picked up from our hotel at around 5am. We then began our long drive to Cappadocia. The drive is around 6 hours in total (I wasn’t kidding when I said it was a long drive), but I slept most of the way due to the early morning. So did most of the other people on the bus.

We stopped around halfway for breakfast at a local restaurant. 

Our first break was at around 8am near the city of Konya. We had a traditional Turkish breakfast – sausages, potatoes, salad, bread, olives, and fruit, along with tea and coffee. This was exactly what I’d needed at this point and the coffee especially was very welcome. 

Once we’d all eaten, we hopped back in the minibus and continued on our journey. A further 3 hours later, we arrived at our first stop. We reached Cappadocia at around 12pm. This gave us plenty of time to explore the region on our first day there which was great because we had a lot to see.

Our first morning in Cappadocia

The first stop was the underground cities. Our guide took us inside the cave dwellings at Kaymakli Underground City and told us some of the history of the area.

It was fascinating and I really enjoyed this and we were given plenty of time to explore the underground cities. I didn’t feel rushed either which I have on previous tours I’ve taken. 

Once we’d spent enough time at the underground settlements, we headed to the Love Valley to explore, wandering between the mushroom-shaped pinnacles. Then, we visited a panoramic stop for fantastic views over Pigeon Valley.

Our guide told us lots of information about these sites during the tour and then gave us time to explore at our own pace and take plenty of photographs. He even offered to take pictures for us and showed us some of the best photography spots.

Next, we had a lunch stop at a local restaurant. They gave us starters and then a choice of meat or fish for lunch. I chose fish and it was very tasty.

Our first afternoon in Cappadocia

After our lunch break, we headed back into the valleys for the rest of the day’s activities. Our guide took us to Devrent Valley (Imaginary Valley) and then on a sightseeing tour of the city of Avanos. This was incredibly interesting and some of the stories of the people that used to live in these valleys were fascinating. 

Next, we visited the pottery workshops, and our final stop of the day was the Valley of the Monks with its unique rock formations. We also stopped at several panoramic views (including a wonderful Goreme panorama) that weren’t on our set itinerary. The guide knew the area really well and was only too happy to take us to extra places.

Once we’d taken all of the photographs that we could for the day, we headed to our hotel for dinner. This was buffet-style, so we could choose what we wanted. Once again, the food was very tasty and there was a lot of choices. 

After dinner, we had the option to either head out for ‘Turkish Night’ evening entertainment or stay at the hotel.

We chose to stay at the hotel, partly because the extra entertainment was an additional fee and partly because we were pretty tired from the day and had another early start the following morning. 

So, we decided to end the first day there and headed off to bed, ready for the highlight of our tour to Cappadocia tomorrow.

✅ We booked this Cappadocia from Antalya tour and it was fantastic!

Our hot air balloon flight in Cappadocia

On the second day of the tour, we were once again awake and down in our hotel lobby at 5am. But we were also very excited because we were about to do the one thing I’d been looking forward to the most since arriving in Cappadocia – a hot sunrise hot air balloon tour over the valley. 

Around an hour later, we were in the basket of a hot air balloon and soaring over the fairy chimneys of Goreme National Park. It was magical. The sun started peeping out over the valley and the whole place was bathed in red and amber.

It was honestly one of the best things I’ve ever done while travelling and well worth the additional £250 we paid to do it. 

The flight lasted about an hour. But we also had to wait while they prepared the balloon, unloaded the balloon, had champagne when we landed and had to drive to and from the launch site. All in all, I think the balloon ride took about 3 and a half hours from start to finish.

When we got back to the hotel, we headed straight to the restaurant for our buffet breakfast.

On our second day in Cappadocia

After breakfast, we began day two’s activities. Our first stop was the ‘Three Beauties’ for another panoramic viewpoint before we headed to the rock city of Chavushin. We had a wander around here and also visited the Church of St John the Baptist and Monks Valley. 

After this, our next stop was Uchisar Fortress. This place was absolutely stunning I was really glad we got to look around.

Our guide gave us about 1 hour of free time here to explore the site. However, he did say that we would’ve had time to climb to the top of the fortress, we would just be able to walk around the base, and along the many pathways there. 

This was actually my only regret of the trip. I would’ve loved to climb to the top of the fortress and I bet the views from up there are pretty magical. 

By now, it was around lunchtime. We visited another local restaurant for lunch and had another tasty meal, this time of Turkish pide with a selection of toppings. 

After lunch, it was about 2pm and we started our drive back to Antalya. We had another scheduled stop around halfway, but this time, it was just a quick toilet and drinks break as we’d already eaten lunch.

At the end of the tour, we arrived back at our hotel in Antalya at around 8:30pm. We headed out to a local takeaway and grabbed a quick kebab wrap to eat in our hotel before calling it a night. After two 5am starts and long drives, we were pretty tired. 

But, I didn’t regret it one bit! It was a fantastic trip and the memories will last a lifetime.

✅ We booked this Cappadocia from Antalya tour and it was fantastic!

Pros and Cons of Taking a Cappadocia Tour From Antalya

From my personal experience, this is an absolutely fantastic trip.

Yes, there were early stats which I wasn’t too impressed with at the time, but now I’m actually glad we started that early because we got to see so much more.

The balloon ride especially was breathtaking and it was worth going just for that alone. 

However, there are definitely a few things you should consider before booking a Cappadocia tour from Antalya. So, here are my pros and cons of booking this tour.

Pros:

• Convenience of transportation: Everything is arranged for you, from your Antalya departure to your return. You don’t need to worry about how to get around Cappadocia or how to get to and from your hotels. It’s super easy and the guides will take you everywhere.
• Expert tour guides: The knowledge of the guides was unparalleled. They gave us so much interesting information about the history and also the geology of the Cappadocia region. We learnt a lot and we wouldn’t have got that if we’d gone by ourselves.
• Value for money: Despite it seeming like a pretty expensive two days, it was actually much cheaper than if we’d booked it individually. Considering everything was included on both days, we actually ended up saving money by choosing this option.
• Itinerary highlights: You see a lot in a short space of time. This tour covered all of the important sites in Cappadocia. You can see the fairy chimneys, Goreme Open Air Museum, and fortresses and go on a hot air balloon ride over the valleys. There’s really not a lot that we missed.

Cons of Taking a Cappadocia Tour from Antalya

• Less flexibility in exploring: While we definitely appreciated how much was on the itinerary, it was a set plan. So, if we did want to go somewhere else, we didn’t often have the opportunity. In this case, the guides took us to several extra places anyway, but we had to consider the whole group and couldn’t just go wandering off.
• Limited time in Cappadocia: It would’ve been nice to explore some of the sites more thoroughly, particularly the Uchisar Fortress.

Is A Cappadocia Tour from Antalya Worth it?

Cappadocia is a bucket list region of Turkey and for good reason. It’s a beautiful part of the country and one that I highly recommend visiting.

But, if you’re short on time, going on a Cappadocia tour from Antalya can be a great opportunity to maximise your time in Turkey and see a lot of the country in a short space of time.

It also gives you a chance to see more of the country. As well as just the stunning beaches of the south coast, you can also see some of the more inland regions of Turkey.

Of course, if you have longer in Turkey, you might want to spend longer in Cappadocia. However, we were only in Antalya for a week at the time, and spending two days in Cappadocia was the best way to see both regions. 

This tour will give you a front-row seat to one of the most dramatic landscapes on Earth, along with a professional guide who can teach you about the history of the area. Therefore my answer is a resounding yes – the Cappadocia Antalya tour is worth every penny.

✅ We booked this Cappadocia from Antalya tour and it was fantastic!

Final Thoughts of Visiting Cappadocia on a Tour From Antalya

Overall, I really enjoyed my time on this tour. It was one of the best things I did while in Antalya and we had a wonderful time.

We saw some utterly beautiful landscapes and the guides were excellent. If you have limited time in Turkey and want to see Cappadocia, this is a great way to do it without too much hassle. 

No matter how you choose to visit, Cappadocia is an absolute must-see in Turkey and well worth the hype that is received. So, if you do decide to book this tour, I’m confident that you’ll have a wonderful time and make memories that will last a lifetime. 

P.S. If you want to visit some other regions in Turkey, I also highly recommend Istanbul, Oludeniz, and Izmir.

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