Zemi Vadisi — Attraction in Göreme

We started the Zemi Valley hike directly from Mare Cappadocia – it’s just a short 5-minute walk from the hotel to the trail entrance.

The trail is about 5 to 6 kilometers one way and takes around 2 to 2.5 hours to complete at a relaxed pace. It’s mostly shaded and relatively flat, with a few small creek crossings and narrow paths through tunnels and arches, which made it even more exciting!

Along the way, we passed a small local tea stop under the trees (Zemi Café), beautiful fairy chimneys, and even had the chance to take a short detour to the ancient El Nazar Church with 10th-century frescoes carved into the rock.

The path follows a small stream, offering a peaceful atmosphere filled with birdsong, butterflies, and wildflowers. It’s a moderate-level hike, but very doable for most people with comfortable shoes and a bit of water.

Highly recommended for those looking to enjoy the natural beauty of Cappadocia away from the crowds – and the best part is, it starts right...

It's not that well signposted, and the first part was confusing as it was aclamber up to some small caves. Our son loved clambering in them. There is a precarious ladder attached to the wall to get up, but it's not easy to spot. We then went back and up to the church. We were extremely lucky to see inside as some staff arrived at the same time with keys to take photos. It's tiny with very old images on the walls - the staff said it's probably from around the 11th century. The only thing that ruined it was quad bikes going back and forth and kicking up...

My favorite of the valleys I visited in Capadoccia. Easy to access from Goreme, at walking distance. Easy to complete yourself, well marked trail and offers you a bit of everything. You can detour and go to a nearby church that has some really nice frescoes (105 TL). You can complete it and then move further up to the Open Air Museum. Bring water, as there are no...