Budget Breakdown for Cappadocia, Turkey
Cappadocia has been on my radar for the longest time. Days, months and even years passed, as I was blissfully watching the documentaries explaining the unreal look this region has. But here’s the hack: getting there is not so easy. It is by no means hard, you can either fly to Istanbul and take a bus or you can fly directly to Nevsehir airport or Kayseri airport. Plenty of options, even for the picky ones. My main concern was the cost of these flights. But last summer I finally had some luck and so the adventure began…
Below you can find our budget breakdown. We were staying for 6 nights (5 full days) and it felt like the perfect amount of time. We did not rent a car this time, so I renamed the categories a bit. That allows me to explain the costs better. Please note that I first write down the price we paid together and then calculate how much it was per person.
Also, you will notice some things only have prices stated in euro. Because Turkish Lira is very unstable right now, the prices are often quoted in euros. When writing this, I used the conversion rate we had while there so please keep that in mind.
Tours and transport
Green Tour: €66
ATV tour: €32
Airport shuttle (return): 100 TRY (€17.86)
Expenses per person: €57.93
Out of all tours offered, we found Green the only one to be worth investing in, because it takes you to more remote places. The Red tour mostly focuses on the area around Goreme – something that can also be easily explored on your own, if you only have enough time. The Green tour price covers a big lunch at a restaurant, a guide who is with you for the whole day (from 9 am til 6 pm), transportation, and all the entrances.
And I can not recommend ATV tour enough… It is so much fun.
Food
Groceries: 47 TRY (€8.39)
Dining out: 225.30 TRY (€40.23)
Expenses per person: €24.31
The groceries mostly consisted of local snacks and bottled water.
We ate breakfast at the hotel, had something little during the day and then enjoyed a large dinner out.
Entrances
Goreme Open Air Museum: 90 TRY (€16.10)
Uchisar castle: 32 TRY (€5.71)
Expenses per person: €10.91
Both worth every cent. Besides these, we only saw Derinkuyu Underground City, Ihlara Valley and Selime Monastery as a part of a Green tour.
Accomodation (6 nights)
Hotel 1 in Goreme (3 nights – booking.com): €193.50
Hotel 2 in Goreme (3 nights – booking.com): €163.80
Expenses per person: €178.65
When it comes to the lodging in Goreme, the choice is endless. But be careful – if you want to stay in one of the few hotels with a rooftop terrace, you must book months in advance. They sell out quickly, no matter what season you’re travelling in. If you don’t mind staying in a dorm bed, you can pay as low as €4 per night. I knew I wanted to be in a cave hotel. The first one we stayed in was Mithra Cave Hotel. My main reason for choosing it was their terrace, from where you have one of the best sunrise views. I believe it is a little bit overpriced, however (as mentioned above) the demand for these hotels is huge and this one was still the cheapest. The other hotel we stayed in was The Charming Cave Hotel. I chose them because of their incredibly high rating on booking.com – they have an impressive 9.8/10, even after more than 1600 ratings! This is honestly one of the best hotels I have ever stayed in, if not the best one. The staff went above and beyond to make us feel welcome. They have a free shuttle service to some of the surrounding areas, the breakfast is to die for, every time they see you, you are offered some tea… If I could re-do my trip, I would begin it here and do all tours with them. They really care and will make your stay unforgettable. Our room was also very spacious and we were just minutes away from one of the best viewpoints in Goreme. When returning, I plan to stay here again.
Altogether per person: €271.80
Not included:
– flights (€200 per person for 4 flights with Turkish Airlines)
– souvenirs (mostly tea)
I believe you can easily save more by staying elsewhere and by being more flexible with the itinerary (a good way to save would be to fly into Istanbul and then take a bus or one of the lowcost flights*). But I couldn’t be any happier with the way I did it.
* I did my research and played around with these options, but the price difference was minimal for our dates.
Another possible cost you might consider is a flight in a hot air balloon. The prices in the low season go from €110 per person. I decided not to go for it, but this is something I still regret. Next time.