Side to Cappadocia Tour with Hot Air Balloon Ride

The tour starts early in the morning with hotel pickup from Side by air-conditioned, comfortable buses. After meeting the guide, the journey toward Cappadocia begins with scheduled rest stops along the route.

The first stop is breakfast in Akseki at a local Turkish cafe, where guests can relax before continuing the drive. The first main visit is Saratli Underground City, one of the significant underground settlements in the region. With guidance, guests walk through narrow tunnels and rooms once used for shelter, storage, and daily life.

The tour then continues to the Three Beauties Panorama, also known as the Family Fairy Chimneys, where a photo break is given. After the morning visits, lunch is arranged at a local restaurant before the afternoon program.

Afternoon visits include Devrent Fantasy Valley, followed by Cavusin Village, one of the oldest settlements in Cappadocia, known for its rock-cut houses. The program continues with Pasabag Monks Valley, where guests have free time for walking and photos.

Later, the tour reaches Uchisar, the highest point in Cappadocia, including a visit to Uchisar Castle with panoramic valley views. Before the end of the day, the group stops in Avanos to visit a traditional pottery workshop with live demonstrations.

In the evening, guests are transferred to their Cappadocia hotel. After check-in and room allocation, dinner is served at the hotel. An optional Turkish Night and Whirling Dervish show is available in the evening for an extra charge.

On the second day, very early in the morning, guests may join an optional hot air balloon flight or balloon watching activity (extra charge). After returning to the hotel, breakfast is served, followed by check-out.

The day continues with a visit to Pigeon Valley, known for its carved pigeon houses and wide valley views. A shopping break is provided at selected local shops offering regional products. The tour then stops at Lovers Valley Panorama for a photo break.

Before leaving Cappadocia, the group visits a historic caravanserai once used by traders along ancient trade routes. On the return journey, lunch is arranged in Konya, followed by a rest stop in the Taurus Mountains. In the evening, guests are transferred back to their original hotels, marking the end of the 2-day Cappadocia from Side tour.

Cappadocia Turkish Night

Turkish Night is a lively cultural performance at atmospheric cave restaurant venues in Cappadocia that combines traditional dance, music, dinner, and drinks in an evening event.

It runs about 3 hours, starting around 20:30 after sunset, making it a popular night time activity. Shows include regional Turkish folk dances with colorful costumes representing areas across Türkiye, giving guests insight into Anatolian cultural dances. Belly dance performances are a highlight for many guests energetic, rhythm-driven, and often interactive.

Dinner typically features traditional Turkish dishes (such as mezes, kebabs) with soft and alcoholic drinks available throughout the night. Vegetarian menu options are offered. In addition, guests can also join other cultural excursions in Side.

Hot Air Balloon Flight in Cappadocia

Hot air balloon flight in Cappadocia operates all year round, subject to suitable weather conditions and official aviation approval. Flights take place around sunrise, with hotel pickups usually between 4:30 and 5:00 AM, and the average flight time is 60–75 minutes.

Because safety decisions are made on the morning of the flight, balloon rides are not guaranteed and may be cancelled if conditions are unsafe. Ticket prices usually range from €150 to €400+ per person, depending on the season and basket size.

The best months for flying are spring (April–June) and autumn (September–October), when weather conditions are generally more stable and demand is high. Guests can also combine their trip with outdoor activities in Side.

Cappadocia Sightseeing

Cappadocia tour is organized around compact route planning, allowing multiple highlights to be visited in one day without long transfers. Our sightseeing program focus on open-air valleys, panoramic viewpoints, rock-cut villages, and underground city,  combining short walks with frequent photo stops. Popular routes usually include Goreme area viewpoints, Devrent and Pasabag valleys, Cavusin village, Uchisar Castle, and underground city Saratli, chosen based on daily crowd level. In addition to Cappadocia programs, guests can also join Side Nature Tours.

Devrent Fantasy Valley

Devrent Valley, also known as Imagination Valley, is a well-known natural sightseeing stop in Cappadocia. Famous for rock formations shaped over thousands of years by wind and rain, creating figures that resemble animals and abstract shapes, including the recognizable camel-shaped rock near the entrance.

Unlike other Cappadocia valleys, Devrent Valley has no cave churches or historical settlements, making it a purely natural area focused on visual forms and short walking paths. It is a popular spot for photos, as visitors often identify shapes similar to dolphins, seals, snakes, turtles, and other silhouettes.

The valley is open year round, has no entrance fee, and is best visited early in the morning or late afternoon to avoid crowds and benefit from softer light on the rock formations. Families traveling from Side can also choose Kids and Family Tours from Side.

Valley of Pigeons

Pigeon Valley stretches for about 4 km between Göreme and Uchisar, forming a scenic corridor that connects two major points of Cappadocia. Through walking trails lined with unusual rock formations, fairy chimneys, and ancient cave dwellings.

The valley is known for its historic pigeon houses carved into soft volcanic rock centuries ago. Originally used to collect fertilizer and occasionally for message delivery, adding cultural value alongside the natural setting.

Today, Pigeon Valley is free to enter year round and widely used for hiking, photography, bird watching, and light trekking, with clearly marked paths suitable for both casual walkers and experienced hikers. Pigeons can still be seen in parts of the valley, and the combination of natural scenery, geological formations, and historical niches continues to attract visitors looking for a quieter yet impressive sightseeing area in Cappadocia. In addition to land-based routes, guests staying in Side can also join Side Boat Trips.

Valley of the Monks - Pasabag 

The valley is famous for its distinctive tall, cone-shaped chimneys, some with double or triple caps formed by millions of years of volcanic ash erosion and weathering. These shapes are among the most remarkable in the Cappadocia region.

The name Paşabağ literally means “Pasha’s garden” (Pasha = Ottoman general), but it’s widely known as Monks Valley because of its long history tied to Christian monastic life. Christian hermits and monks once lived here, carving dwellings and chapels directly into the soft rock. A chapel dedicated to St. Simeon (Simon) is built into one of the larger multi capped chimneys; small crosses decorate the entrance. The area functions as a protected outdoor museum, so an entrance ticket is required (it is already included to toyr price).

Valley of Lovers

Love Valley is among the top viewpoints where dozens of hot air balloons glide overhead at dawn. The valley is renowned for its unusual tall, phallic-shaped rock pinnacles, sculpted by millions of years of erosion on volcanic tuff. Formations can reach up to 40 meters high and vary in shape and spacing along the valley floor.

The terrain features vineyards, shrubs and natural vegetation in parts, adding texture beyond just rock formations. ATV rides, horseback rides, and panoramic viewpoints are available for visitors who prefer alternatives to hiking. Love Valley is free of entrance fees. 

Underground City - Saratli

Saratli Kirkgoz Underground City is an ancient subterranean settlement near the village of Saratli in Aksaray Province. Its Turkish name Kırkgöz means “Forty Eyes,” referring to the many small openings and ventilation shafts carved into the hillside. Byzantine Era Origins: The city was carved out during the Byzantine period and served primarily as a refuge and defensive shelter during times of conflict such as Arab raids and Crusades.

The complex extends up to seven stories deep, though only the top three are accessible to visitors today. The accessible section includes around 40 rooms used historically for living, storing food, and sheltering livestock. A sophisticated natural ventilation network keeps air breathable even deep underground a feature that distinguishes Saratli from some other underground cities. At key entrances are large round rolling stone doors (~1.5 m tall, ~200 kg) that could be closed to block access or used tactically in defense. Some passages are believed to have linked surface village homes to the underground city, enabling hidden access in times of danger. 

Uchisar Castle

Uchisar Castle is a massive natural volcanic rock formation that was gradually carved over centuries, making it a rock-cut stronghold rather than a traditional stone castle. As the highest point in the Cappadocia region, it is visible from nearly every surrounding valley and village.

The earliest settlement around Uchisar is thought to date back to the 3rd millennium BCE, with the site gaining strategic importance during the Roman and Byzantine periods as a refuge and observation point. Its elevated position continued to play a key defensive role during the Byzantine and later Seljuk eras.

Inside the castle are carved rooms, tunnels, storage areas, and ancient cisterns, although many underground passages are now closed for safety reasons. At its peak, the complex is believed to have sheltered around 1,000 people within its interconnected chambers. Locally, it is often referred to as the world’s largest natural skyscraper due to its height and organic form. Today, visitors can access the site with a small entrance fee, using stairs and walking paths that lead to panoramic viewpoints at the top.

Includes and Excludes – Side to Cappadocia Tour

Includes

• Hotel pickup and drop-off from Side hotels
• Round-trip transfer by air-conditioned tour bus
• Professional licensed tour guide during the tour
• 2-day Cappadocia tour program
• 1-night accommodation in a standard or cave-style hotel (subject to availability)
• Breakfast and dinner at the hotel
• Visits and entrance fees according to the tour program
• Travel insurance

Excludes

• Hot air balloon flight (optional)
• Balloon watching tour (optional)
• Turkish night show (optional)
• Lunches during the tour days
• Personal expenses and drinks
• Single room supplement (if requested)