Cappadocia

Valleys and wind-carved stone

Cappadocia isn't a single city but a region of towns and villages — Göreme, Uçhisar, Avanos, Ürgüp — linked by roads that cut through volcanic valleys. "Fairy chimneys," rock pinnacles shaped by centuries of wind and rain, fill the landscape, and many have been hollowed out into homes: most of Göreme's hotels occupy genuine cave houses, not modern imitations. Uçhisar Castle, a natural rock outcrop carved with rooms dating to the Byzantine era, gives the highest view over the whole region.

Underground cities and balloons

Beneath the surface, whole underground cities survive — Derinkuyu and Kaymaklı among them — dug by earlier inhabitants as refuges during invasions, with tunnels and rooms running several storeys deep, still open to visit. Sunrise hot-air balloons are the image everyone knows Cappadocia for, but flights depend entirely on wind conditions: weather cancellations happen regularly, especially in windier months, so it's worth not treating a flight as guaranteed. Avanos, on the banks of the Kızılırmak river, is known for pottery made with the river's own red clay. Pigeon Valley, below Uçhisar, is lined with dovecotes carved into the cliff face centuries ago, when pigeon droppings were collected as fertiliser for the region's vineyards and orchards, a detail that explains more of the landscape than it first appears to.

Local wine and getting there

The region has a genuinely old winemaking tradition, thanks to its volcanic soil — local labels such as Turasan turn up on most restaurant lists in Göreme. There's no direct flight from Tirana; the usual route goes via Istanbul, flying on to Kayseri or Nevşehir and then transferring overland to the villages. Distances between the main sites call for a car or an arranged transfer — Göreme to Avanos isn't a walk. Spring and autumn bring the most stable weather for balloon flights; winter dusts the rock chimneys with snow, a rare and cold sight.