Cappadocia · Backpacking
ON A BUDGET
Cave dorms, free valleys and one expensive balloon — Göreme is built for this budget.
Göreme village
Almost every hostel and cave pension sits within five minutes of the Göreme bus station, with the valleys starting where the streets end.
What a day costs
Roughly $20–35 a day, quoted in dollars because the lira moves too fast: dorm $8–15, pide and lentil soup $6–12, minibus fares $2–4.
Getting around cheap
The dolmuş loops Göreme, Ürgüp and Avanos hourly for pocket change. Night buses from Istanbul take eleven hours and include a free transfer from Nevşehir.
Free by day
The Red and Rose Valley trails, Love Valley's rock formations and the ridge above town where everyone watches the balloons lift at dawn.
Where travellers meet
The sunset ridge west of Göreme fills every evening with hostel groups and beer bought downhill; the rooftop bars take over afterwards.