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Goreme Open-Air Museum, Cappadocia: Everythng You Need To Know

Goreme Open-Air Museum, Cappadocia: Everythng You Need To Know

The Goreme Open-Air Museum is one of the most popular attractions and historic sites in Cappadocia with an audio tour guiding you through the ancient paintings, churches, and cave houses from centuries ago. It is one of the most popular sites to visit in Cappadocia and has an amazing preservation of history.

GOREME OPEN-AIR MUSEUM IN CAPPADOCIA

In this blog post, I’ll share everything you need to know about visiting the Goreme Open-Air Museum in Cappadocia.

WHERE IS THE GOREME OPEN-AIR MUSEUM

The Goreme Open-Air Museum is very close to the city center of Goreme, which is the most popular town in Cappadocia.  It is possible to walk to the Goreme Open Air museum from the town center, which would take about 15 minutes and is a little bit uphill. Alternatively, many taxis can drop you there for just a few dollars as it is a short trip. Nearby is the entrance to the Zemi Valley Hike and the Meskendir Hiking Trail.

TOP 3 PLACES TO STAY IN CAPPADOCIA

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a large swimming pool in front of a stone building

GOREME OPEN-AIR MUSEUM ENTRANCE FEE

The Goreme Open-Air Museum is one of the more expensive attractions in Cappadocia at 40 Turkish Lyra for entry, which is about $8 USD. It is almost three times more expensive than the Zelve Open-Air Museum but the value comes from the paintings in the churches. The Goreme Open-Air Museum also has an audio guide available for an extra 15 Turkish Lyra.

With more than 30 stops along the tour, the audio guide explains lots of the history and facts about the region and the people who lived in Cappadocia in the cave houses. This is one of the main reasons why it is one of the most popular things to do in Cappadocia.

TOURS THAT INCLUDE GOREME OPEN-AIR MUSEUM

  • The Cappadocia Historical Red Tour (Small Group) – On the Red tour, your small group will see some of the most popular highlights and tourist sites in the Cappadocia region including the Goreme Open-Air Museum, wine-tasting in Urgup, Cavusin Castle, and of course… Uchisar Castle. You can Click Here to check the price and make your booking on the Red Tour.
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Cappadocia Red Tour

  • Includes Goreme Museum
  • Wine Tasting
  • Two Castles to visit

MY EXPERIENCE AT THE GOREME OPEN-AIR MUSEUM

The Goreme Open-Air Museum is a beautifully dense complex of monasteries placed side-by-side, each housing an incredibly detailed and historic church. Because of its location in the center of the valley, it is one of the most popular things to do in Cappadocia.

I walked up to the hill from the town center to the Goreme Open-Air Museum. At the entrance, I had to line up for about fifteen minutes to buy my ticket and it definitely felt like a tourist attraction, not an adventure. Nowhere else in Cappadocia had I lined up and on almost all of the hikes we hadn’t seen more than one other person. This is where the common tourist goes to get their fix of cave houses and churches despite their presence throughout the entire region, often in free locations or cheaper sites like Zelve Open-Air Museum.

Nevertheless, often you pay for quality and Goreme Open-Air Museum definitely has some selling points that make up for the crowds such as the following:

  • There is an audio guide that you listen to throughout your wanderings through the complex and there is a numbered order to visit the sites. At each number, you press play and listen to a short speech about that painting, cave, or historic fact. This helps you understand what was going on during certain periods of history in Cappadocia and details the ways of life for the cave dwellers.
  • The paintings in the Goreme Open-Air museum are brilliant, in great condition, and really transport you back in time. While there are paintings throughout Cappadocia, these may be in the best condition in comparison to others in the region.
  • The Goreme Open-Air museum has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984 and was one of the first UNESCO sites in Turkey.
  • The route is quite short and you can visit the entire site in-depth in under 1.5 hours without too much walking, which is ideal if you are visiting in the hot Turkish summer.

WHERE TO STAY IN GOREME, CAPPADOCIA

Where I stayed: Design Cave Suites Cappadocia – I was lucky enough to stay at the Design Cave Suites in Goreme. The location was great and I walked to all attractions. The rooftop garden was awesome for sunrise balloon watching. The buffet breakfast spread was amazing as were the cave-style room designs.

Best Cave Hotel with Pool: Local Cave House Hotel– This cave hotel rose to fame because of its incredible pool. Make sure you click the link and check out how epic the pool backdrop is, with those classic Cappadocia rock formations in the background and traditional cave rooms it is a top pick.

Cave Hotel with Best Roof View (and dogs): Sultan Cave SuitesThis cave hotel became famous because of its epic rooftop area for sunrise viewing. Guests can lay out on traditional pillows and carpets while watching the hot-air balloons flying above. The hotel dog might also join you for a photoshoot on the roof!

THE 3 MOST POPULAR CAPPADOCIA TOURS

HAVE YOU CHECKED OUT THE REST OF MY CAPPADOCIA BLOG POSTS?

Click on one of the articles below to check out all of the places you should visit while in Cappadocia!

The big guide! This post has all of my favorite activities, which I personally did while in Cappadocia for ten days: 24 AWESOME THINGS TO DO IN CAPPADOCIA

The hiking guide! Find out about all of the best hikes in Cappadocia with details, directions and lots of photos: 8 AWESOME HIKES IN CAPPADOCIA

Thinking about flying in a hot air balloon in Cappadocia? Read this first: CAPPADOCIA HOT AIR BALLOONS: THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE YOU FLY

Have you heard about the castles in Cappadocia? Check these out:

THE UCHISAR CASTLE VIEWPOINT

ORTAHISAR CASTLE VIEWPOINT

CAVUSIN CHURCH, VALLEY & CASTLE

Not sure where is the best region to stay? Wondering which hotel provides the best value? Check out this guide that will help you decide: WHERE TO STAY IN CAPPADOCIA: THE BEST HOTELS & HOSTELS

OR… I write a post about the 12 BEST CAVE HOTELS IN CAPPADOCIA that you might find interesting.

I’ve written a blog post for almost all of the places I’ve visited while in Cappadocia. You can find every single one of these articles right here: CAPPADOCIA ARCHIVES