This ancient Christian kingdom, in central Turkey, sits within an eerie, surrealistic landscape of rock pinnacles, ravines and rock-carved dwellings. Caves in the region were used as shelters and still contain marvelous frescoes. Cappadocia encompasses the area bordered by the towns of Avanos on the north, Kayseri on the east (see separate paragraph), Nevsehir on the west and Nigde on the south. About 15 mi/22 km south of Nevsehir are the cities of Kaymakli and Derinkuyu; both are rock-carved cities that continue seven stories underground. The Goreme Valley, east of Nevsehir, features many churches carved out of the rock and magnificent frescoes. (Even though many of the frescoes have been severely defaced by vandals, it's still one of the major sights of Turkey.) The fascinating Zelve Valley (north of Goreme Valley) has a multilevel monastery and churches carved inside "fairy chimneys."
If you're traveling independently, we suggest staying in the centrally located town of Urgup. Allow several days to see the area (be sure to take good walking shoes). Also nearby is the less-visited, but very scenic Ihlara Valley (28 mi/45 km southeast of Aksaray), which features yet more churches with frescoes. Cappadocia is approximately 100 mi/160 km south of Ankara.