What to expect from the Green Tour in Cappadocia ~ YVETTHEWORLD

Cappadocia has three tours that are being advertised everywhere – the Red, the Blue and the Green tour. The Red and the Blue tour cover places that are easy to reach from Goreme – either by foot or by a short bus/taxi ride. So we decided to go for the Green Tour, and to visit the other places by ourselves. Here’s what to expect from the Green Tour.

Green Tour itinerary

The Green Tour lasts a full day – from 9:30 until 18:00 – as it covers places that are quite far from Goreme. It is a group tour, meaning that we shared a minivan and a tour guide with other people. The tour felt a bit rushed, so we couldn’t take the time we would normally take for our pictures, but it was still a convenient way to see the following places:

Pigeon Valley
Derinkuyu Underground City
Selime Cathedral
Ihlara Valley

Pigeon Valley

Although Pigeon Valley is within walking distance from Goreme, it is also included as a stop in the Green Tour. Before we could see the Pigeon Valley, we had to do a tour through the Onyx workshop first. The Onyx workshop produces and sells jewellery, which is probably the reason why the Pigeon Valley is part of the tour.

I’m one of the few girls who doesn’t care that much about jewellery, so I couldn’t be less interested in the tour. However, even if you are a jewellery fan, I recommend that you don’t buy anything at the Onyx workshop in the Pigeon Valley. A quick internet search shows a lot of reviews from people claiming it’s a scam and that they sell fake Zultanite (a gem). Better be safe than sorry!

The Pigeon Valley itself is a beautiful piece of nature. I also really liked the evil eye tree and the tree full of pottery. The evil eyes are symbols of good luck and meant to protect against evil, jealousy and bad spirits. Pottery is a big thing in Cappadocia, and you’ll see pottery workshops everywhere. If you’re really into pottery, you should give Avanos a visit.

Derinkuyu Underground City

The second stop of our Green Tour was the Derinkuyu Underground City. It was really fascinating to see how a community used to live entirely underground. However, navigating through this underground city is not for the faint hearted. Just have a look at the tiny corridors:

Selime Cathedral

For me personally, the Selime Cathedral was the absolute highlight of the Green Tour. The cathedral is completely carved out in a rock, creating a rare and impressive sight. It is the largest religious structure in Cappadocia.

If the Selime Cathedral reminds you of Star Wars, our tour guide told us that Star Wars wanted to use it as a film set. However, the Turkish government didn’t give permission, so Star Wars had to recreate it for their movie.

After the Selime Monastery, we went to a riverside Turkish restaurant for lunch. There were different options, including a vegetarian option.

Ihlara Valley

The final stop of our Green Tour was the Ihlara Valley, where we walked along the river to get to Belisirma Village. We had to climb down quite a few stairs to get to the Ihlara Valley. It was an enjoyable walk in nature, and I especially liked the combination of rocks and greens.

When we got to Belisirma Village, we couldn’t help but to enjoy a Turkish Apple tea in this cute teahouse next to the water.

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If you’d like to book the Green Tour in advance, check out Viator for organised tours:

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