Cappadocia on a Budget: 3 Days, 2 Nights in Turkey for Under $400! 🇹🇷
HAPPY NEW YEAR! 🎉 Kicking off the new year with a blast from the past – our incredible Turkish adventure to Cappadocia in 2020! Fingers crossed 2024 brings even more amazing travel opportunities for all of us! ❤️
🌟 Cappadocia: Land of Serenity
This adventure was for two, a 10-day trip with 3 glorious days (Dec 15th – Dec 17th) dedicated to Cappadocia and the remaining 7 days exploring Istanbul (Dec 14th & Dec 18th – Dec 23rd).
💵 Our total spend for 3 days and 2 nights in Cappadocia for 2 people came out to about $340 USD/person (includes accommodation, food, tours – excludes flights, e-visa, and airport hotel, as these vary depending on your departure point. Flights from North America may differ).
- 👉 Dec 8th: E-Visa application: £34.99 (approx. $44 USD).
- 👉 Dec 14th: London (UK) – Istanbul (Sabiha Gökçen Airport, Turkey). Flight time: 3 hours 35 minutes. Round trip flight: £149.99/person (approx. $189 USD).
- 👉 Dec 14th: Hotel near Sabiha Gökçen Airport: £28.18 (approx. $36 USD) => $18 USD/person
Arriving in Istanbul around 7 PM (local time), we booked a hotel near the airport for a good night's sleep before heading to Cappadocia the next morning.
- 👉 Dec 15th: Istanbul (Sabiha Gökçen Airport) – Cappadocia (Kayseri Airport). Flight time: 1 hour 25 minutes. Round trip flight: 281.78 TRY/person (approx. $160 USD).
❤️ Day 1 (Dec 15th): Sultan Cave Suites / Seten Restaurant / Love Valley / Downtown Göreme
- 👉 Sultan Cave Suites: One of Cappadocia's most iconic hotels! Address: Aydınlı Mah, Aydınlı Sk. No : 40, 50180 Göreme/Nevşehir Merkez/Nevşehir, Turkey. Room details in the ACCOMMODATION section below.
- 👉 Seten Restaurant: Located within Sultan Cave Suites (details below).
- 👉 Love Valley: Offers panoramic views of Göreme from above!
- 👉 Downtown Göreme: Bustling with restaurants, hotels, and shops – perfect for souvenir shopping and soaking up local life!
❤️ Day 2 (Dec 16th): Hot Air Balloon Ride over Göreme Valley / Love Valley / Horseback Riding at Sunset in Rose Valley / Seten Restaurant
- 🎈HOT AIR BALLOON TOUR: Cappadocia boasts numerous hot air balloon companies with varying prices.
- + Booked via Viator: We found great deals and price comparisons using Viator!
- + Hotel pickup: 6:30 AM (timing varies based on sunrise; earlier in summer, later in winter).
- + Tour price: £60.61 (approx. $77 USD)/person (includes flight certificate/no champagne due to pandemic).
- + Tour duration: 3 hours (including pickup/drop-off).
- + Flight duration: 50 min - 1 hour, soaring over the most stunning spots in Göreme Valley at sunrise.
- 🐎 HORSEBACK RIDING TOUR: Booked via Viator
- + Tour price: £30.05 (approx. $38 USD)/person.
- + Tour duration: 3 hours (including pickup/drop-off). Trekking through Rose Valley to catch the sunset!
❤️ Day 3 (Dec 17th): Morning Hot Air Balloon Views from Sultan Cave Suites / Galerie Ikman Handmade Carpets / Göreme Town Exploration
- 👁 BALLOON GAZING: Sultan Cave Suites and Mithra are the most popular spots for iconic balloon photos!
- + Timing: Early morning as the balloons launch (check sunrise times; winter = 7-7:30 AM, summer = 4-4:30 AM).
- 📸 HANDMADE CARPET PHOTOSHOOT:
- + Location: Galerie Ikman (photographer Suleymanikman on Instagram)
- + Address: Hakkıpaşa Meydanı Roma Kalesi Yanı No:10 50180 Göreme Nevşehir
- + Price: Various packages. We chose the 10 photos + drone video option for 250 TRY (approx. $47 USD).
🚕 Getting Around Cappadocia:
Taxis were our go-to! Convenient, relatively inexpensive, and our driver, Bekir, was amazing!
Taxi fares are metered, and Bekir even gave us discounts! Total taxi cost for 3 days: 235 TRY (approx. $44 USD) => approx. $22 USD/person. We usually tipped him extra for his awesome service.
Want Bekir's contact info? Message me!
🏨 Accommodation: SULTAN CAVE SUITES is a DREAM!
After scouring reviews and vlogs, Sultan Cave Suites and Mithra Cave Hotel stood out as stunning yet affordable options.
Mithra was pricey and sold out for 2 people, so we snagged the last Standard room at Sultan! Standard room: £65.85 (approx. $83 USD)/night.
Total cost for a Standard room for 3 days/2 nights at Sultan: £131.65 (approx. $166 USD) for 2 people, breakfast included. => Approximately $83 USD/person for 2 nights.
We got lucky and were upgraded from a Standard room to a Junior Suite for free!
🥘 Food: SETEN RESTAURANT at Sultan is a MUST!
Delicious, fresh food, huge portions (bigger than in the UK!), affordable prices, and the staff are incredibly friendly!
- - Breakfast (included in room price): Traditional Turkish breakfast with bread, eggs, tomatoes, cucumber, jam, honeycomb, kaymak, nuts, cheese, and more! The Omelette is a must-try!
- - Main Meals:
- Day 1: £20.37 (approx. $26 USD) => $13 USD/person
- Day 2: £37.75 (approx. $48 USD) => $24 USD/person
- Day 3: £17.49 (approx. $22 USD) => $11 USD/person
Don't forget to try fresh pomegranate juice and Turkish Tea – both delicious and popular!
🎉 Key Takeaways:
- - Buy a Turkish SIM card at the airport: 250 TRY (approx. $47 USD) => $24 USD/person (shared). TurkCell and Turk Telecom are two popular options. We got a Turkcell SIM with calls, texts, and 5 GB of data.
- - On the hot air balloon: DON'T RUSH... Each balloon basket holds about 4 people per compartment. If you're first on (like us!), you'll be inside near the pilot with a limited view!
Visit Cappadocia at least once in your lifetime! ❤️❤️❤️
#cappadocia #turkey #goreme #europe #traveltips
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