Göreme National Park

The Göreme Historical National Park is not a single sight but a wide landscape around the village of Göreme in Cappadocia: valleys of eroded rock cones (the "fairy chimneys"), and churches and dwellings cut into the soft volcanic stone. Its core is the Göreme Open Air Museum; beyond it, the valleys are open country you walk freely.

The Open Air Museum is a former monastic settlement of rock-cut churches, chapels and refectories, linked by a short route. The painted Apple (Elmalı), St Barbara, Snake (Yılanlı) and Sandal (Çarıklı) churches follow one another. The Dark Church (Karanlık Kilise), whose frescoes kept their colours because so little light gets in, needs a separate ticket. Don't miss the Buckle Church (Tokalı Kilise), just downhill from the museum gate by the road, with the largest and richest painted interior in the area. Photography is banned in some churches. Allow one and a half to two hours.

Coach groups fill the site from mid-morning, so go at opening or late in the day. Church entrances are narrow, with steps. Afterwards, walk the valleys: the Rose (Güllüdere) and Red (Kızılçukur) valleys are the favourites, especially towards sunset, while the Zemi Valley near the village is quieter. Trails are not always well marked, so download an offline map and carry water. Göreme is reached by transfer from the airports at Nevşehir or Kayseri. Check the hours on the museum page.