The trailhead off Müze Caddesi leads into the narrow gorge of Zemi Valley lined with tall poplar trees and sided by cliffs studded with pigeon houses. If you walk the entire length of Zemi you end up coming out on the Nevşehir–Ürgüp highway near Üçhisar. From here, either walk into Üçhisar and then hike back to Göreme via Pigeon Valley or flag down the dolmuş to Ortahisar or Ürgüp as it goes by.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.82 MILES
The trails that loop around Güllüdere Vadısı (Rose Valley) are easily accessible to all levels of walkers and provide some of the finest fairy-chimney…
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0.56 MILES
The highlight of Göreme Open-Air Museum is the stunning and fully restored Dark Church, famed for the vivid colours and excellent preservation of its…
0.5 MILES
This Unesco World Heritage site is an essential stop on any Cappadocian itinerary. First thought to be a Byzantine monastic settlement that housed some 20…
2.27 MILES
The road between Çavuşin and Avanos passes a turn-off to the Zelve Open-Air Museum, where three valleys of crumbling cave-habitations and churches…
13.43 MILES
Kaymaklı underground city features a maze of tunnels and rooms carved eight levels deep into the earth, though only four are open to the public. The…
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1.51 MILES
One of the best views of Kızılçukur (Red) Valley's fang-like rock cones and wavy cliff ridges is from this lookout point, signposted off the highway,…
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0.45 MILES
The Buckle Church is 50m back down the hill towards Göreme and across the road from the main Open-Air Museum complex, but is covered by the same entrance…
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21.86 MILES
Let's get one thing straight: despite its science-fiction setting, no scene in Star Wars was ever filmed near Soğanlı. But don't despair Chewbacca fans;…
Nearby Göreme attractions
0.16 MILES
A yellow sign points the way off Müze Caddesi to the Saklı Kilise, only rediscovered in 1956. When you reach the top of the hill, follow the track to the…
0.27 MILES
Carved from a ubiquitous cone-like rock formation, the 10th-century El Nazar Kilise has been well restored with its snug interior a riot of colourful…
0.33 MILES
You get one of the best panoramas across Göreme by walking up the steep hill through alleyways to this wooden platform suspended on the edge of the cliff…
0.45 MILES
The Buckle Church is 50m back down the hill towards Göreme and across the road from the main Open-Air Museum complex, but is covered by the same entrance…
0.49 MILES
Dedicated to Kayseri-born St Basil, this is the first church you come to inside the Göreme Open-Air Museum. The main room holds frescoes of St Basil (left…
0.5 MILES
It's posited that Byzantine soldiers carved the 11th-century Azize Barbara Şapeli (Chapel of St Barbara), dedicated to their patron saint who is depicted…
0.5 MILES
This Unesco World Heritage site is an essential stop on any Cappadocian itinerary. First thought to be a Byzantine monastic settlement that housed some 20…
0.51 MILES
The 12th-century Apple Church (Elmalı Kilise) overlooks a valley of poplars below. Relatively well preserved, it contains both simple, red-ochre daubs and…