The Best Places to see the Balloons in Cappadocia

So you’re going to Cappadocia, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Turkey. Famous for cave houses and hot air balloons, Cappadocia is magical. But you’re here specifically because you’re wondering where the best places to see the balloons in Cappadocia are. I assure you that you’ve come to the right place.  

This guide will go over all the best places to see the balloons in Cappadocia and where to go to get the most perfect views. You’ll be the envy of all your friends if you follow the instructions in this guide!

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Intro to Hot Air Balloons in Cappadocia

This article is solely dedicated to the best places to get amazing views of hot air balloons in Cappadocia. It is not meant to be a full guide to the region.

For that, refer to my detailed guide for visiting Cappadocia in the winter. While that article is focused on the winter low-season, the information is relevant to all seasons. You can find all the info you need about how to get to Cappadocia, a description of the region and all the things to do in that post. 

In essence, Cappadocia is a region of central Turkey historically known for ancient cave dwellings. These days, however, Cappadocia is known more for the unique spectacle of hundreds of hot air balloons flying over the beautiful town of Goreme every morning.

Cappadocia is a large region, but when you hear someone say “Cappadocia” they are typically talking about the area within about a five mile radius of the town of Goreme. Goreme is where the hot air balloons fly over and is the main landmark of the region.

What’s the deal with all the hot air balloons in Cappadocia? 

Good question. Hot air balloons are more associated with Cappadocia than any other place on earth. Every morning over 100 hot air balloons fly across the early morning sky, creating that famous view you’re going to Cappadocia to see. But why? 

The history of hot air ballooning in Cappadocia is a bit iffy. Numerous sources give different accounts. But it can be agreed that it traces back to the late 1980s when someone had the brilliant idea to fly a hot air balloon over the region. More people experimented over the next few years and by the end of the 90s multiple ballooning companies had been founded.

Whether or not the takeoff (pun intended) of ballooning companies was aimed at boosting tourism is debatable. But it surely had such an effect. These days people come from all around the world to watch or fly in the balloons over Cappadocia. 

Where do the balloons take off and land?

The hot air balloons in Cappadocia fly over the Goreme valley just north of the town of Goreme. Goreme is the main tourist center for Cappadocia and where you’ll find the highest concentration of hotels, restaurants, and shops. It’s also stunningly gorgeous and what vacation dreams are made of. 

The hot air balloons take off from a flat area to the northeast of Goreme. According to the locals there is no set location. But they always tend to start around the region highlighted in purple on the map below. 

The landing site is just to the northwest of town on the ridge above Love Valley. While the balloons usually all takeoff pretty close to each other, the landing spots can be quite spread out. 

When do the balloons take off? 

The balloons take off nearly every morning before sunrise. I say nearly every morning because sometimes the balloon rides get canceled due to weather. If it is too windy or too foggy, the balloons will be canceled for safety reasons. There is really no way to know if the balloons will be canceled the night before. Usually the call is made within an hour before takeoff.

This website will tell you if they are flying or not, but as I said it won’t be updated till early in the morning, so you’ll have to wake up anyways. You will want to ensure you have at least two mornings in Cappadocia in case of flight cancellations. 

The takeoff time is typically about 20-30 minutes before sunrise. Be sure you know the exact sunrise time. In summer it’s very early and in winter it’s quite late. Usually the sky is just starting to get an orange hue when the first balloon goes up. If you’re visiting in late fall, winter, or early spring it can be seriously cold at sunrise so make sure you bring a good jacket. 

What if I want to fly in a balloon?

If you want to do the balloon ride yourself, inquire at your hotel when you check in. There is no need to book the balloon rides more than a day in advance, but if you’d like to you can check out all the balloon tours in Cappadocia on GetYourGuide.

The rides start at about 180 euros per person and get well over 200 euros for smaller cabin balloons. The ride itself is maybe an hour long. So yes, it’s very expensive and many people do not do it. You get epic views of all of Cappadocia from the air though. 

How do I get to the places on this list?

All of the spots on this list are walkable from Goreme. But it will be far preferable to have a car or take a taxi. Hiking to some of these spots for sunrise involves hiking in the dark. If you’re prepared then go for it. But it’s advisable you don’t hike in the dark here unless you’re an experienced hiker. 

The Best Places to See the Balloons in Cappadocia

Without further ado let’s get right into it. Here are the best places to see the balloons fly in Cappadocia, broken down by private views from hotel terraces and public views from places in and around Goreme. Refer to the embedded map below for all the locations. 

Hotel terraces

Arguably the most spectacular photos of Cappadocia balloons are taken from hotel terraces in Goreme. When it comes to Cappadocia hotels, though, not all terraces are created equally. Typically, you have to be a guest at the hotel to use their terrace. At the top hotels listed here you definitely have to be a guest. So choose wisely when booking your accommodation! 

These hotels are all on the higher end. You’ll be hard pressed to find a room for under $200/night in peak summer. In the low season, however, rates are slashed from summer highs and you can often get rooms for ⅓ the price, similar to other popular places like Venice and Santorini. You’ll get views from many other hotels, but these are by far the best. 

Also be aware that many of the photos you’ll see these hotels advertise are photoshopped. If you see a photo with a balloon that looks like it’s literally next to someone’s head, it’s either not real or some sort of special event. The balloons don’t get that close to the terraces. So don’t be disappointed.   

Sultan Cave Suites

The most famous spot for getting amazing photos of the balloons flying over Goreme is Sultan Cave Suites. Sultan is a beautiful property that features dozens of cave rooms and suites with great views of Goreme. It’s at the south end of Goreme, near the top of the hill, thus the amazing views.

There is an outdoor bar on the roof with a large uncovered terrace. This terrace is where you’ll get those famous Cappadocia balloon views. The terrace is covered in Turkish rugs (as are all the others in town) and Sultan sets up some props at a small table every morning to add ambiance to your photos.

The props are a tea set and some dried fruits among other things. Summer is pretty busy with all your fellow travelers trying to get their Instagram photos, so you’ll have to wait your turn. In winter there will just be a few people and you’ll likely get more than a few rounds of photos. 

The terrace at Sultan Cave Suites is only open to people staying at Sultan or one of their sister properties. These properties include Kelebek Cave Hotel, Aza Cave Hotel, and Seki Cave Suites. But if you’re there in winter, pretty much anyone can come take photos here as there is no one working there in the early winter mornings.  

Mithra Cave Hotel

Mithra Cave Hotel is pretty much right next to Sultan Cave Suites. The views are similar, but they have a few different terraces at different levels. Mithra is a luxurious hotel with caves suites, fairy chimney suites, and regular cave rooms. It’s often compared to Sultan Cave Suites, and for good reason, as it’s very similar.

The setup at Mithra is similar to Sultan, but they offer both a private and a public terrace for photos. You need to be a guest to access the private terrace and reservations are required in the busier summer months.

The public terrace will cost you 30 euros if you’re not staying at the hotel. No reservations are needed there. As you can imagine, the public terrace gets super busy in the summer so expect to wait your turn.  

Koza Cave Hotel

Koza Cave Hotel is in between Sultan Cave Suites and Mithra Cave hotel, so as you can imagine the views over Goreme are essentially the same. There is a large outdoor terrace right next to a fairy chimney, for added ambiance.

As usual, you must be a guest at Koza to use the terrace. But Koza offers a more intimate experience than the other hotels. They only have 9 rooms, so the number of people that can use their terrace is limited. This means it never really gets busy, even in peak summer months. 

Museum Hotel 

For a more distant view of the balloons over Goreme and Pigeon Valley, consider the Museum Hotel in Uchisar, the next town about two miles from Goreme. This ulta-luxury hotel has the best view in Uchisar. The balloons will be far in the distance from here, but you’ll get the funky rock formations of Pigeon Valley in the foreground. 

The best public viewpoints

If the hotels listed above are a little out of your budget, never fear. There are tons of other places in and around Goreme to get amazing views of the hot air balloons in Cappadocia. Let’s review them here.

Spot 1: Sunrise/Sunset Viewpoint Goreme

For a great view of the balloons over Goreme without having to actually stay at one of the cave hotels, head to sunrise/sunset viewpoint. This is essentially a large hill right at the edge of the city. It’s open to the public so expect it to be busy. There is a big Turkish flag flying and a small boardwalk. You can’t miss it. 

If you want to save it in your Google Maps you can find the viewpoint at this link. 

Spot 2: The hill at Red Valley ATV

If you want to get up close and personal with the hot air balloons – and I mean REALLY up in there – head to the hill behind Red Valley ATV. ATV rentals are very popular in Cappadocia and they start and end at this one spot in a dusty parking lot. But this otherwise unassuming ATV parking lot is also where most of the hot air balloons take off in the morning. 

Head to Spot 2 on the map above (you can park anywhere) and you’ll see a small hill to the west. Hike up this little hill and you’ll have a 360-degree view of the balloons taking off. If you want a photo of yourself with a balloon literally right on your head, this is the spot. 

The top of the hill is quite small, and some people do know about it, so it can get a bit crowded. Get there early – while it’s still dark – to see the balloons go from a flat piece of fabric on the ground to a giant flying machine. 

Spot 3: Red Valley Panorame Viewpoint

At the east end of the Goreme Valley is a long ridge that’s easily accessible by a paved road. This ridge looks over what is known as Red Valley. It’s an area of typical Cappadocian rock formations and cave dwellings. Along the ridge there are various cafes with seating areas. The cafes are open for sunrise and they are more than happy to sell you a cup of tea while you watch the balloons fly.  

This site looks west, so the sun is behind you shining on the valley. The balloons take off in front of you and head further west. You’re not super close to them, but they’re not far.

This viewpoint can get crazy busy, so to avoid other people ruining your pictures, get a little off the beaten path and head here. It’s sort of off-road, but you don’t need a 4×4 to get there. Any normal car will do. There is a small pull-off from the main road. Google Maps won’t give you directions there so orient yourself from satellite view. 

Spot 4: Love Valley Panoramic View 

Love Valley is similar to Red Valley but on the other side of Goreme. Love Valley has some unique rock formations, if unique is the adjective you want to use for rocks that look like dicks sticking out of the ground. Hence the name “Love Valley.”

There are numerous spots along the road you can stop and take photos from. The balloons land on this ridge above Love Valley so it’s a good place to be about an hour after sunset when they start to land. 

Start at Spot 4 on the map above and then see what posts look less busy for your photos. The view from Love Valley looks into the sun, so the lighting isn’t the best. You’ll see the balloons soar over Goreme and land right in front of you.

Spot 5: Dirt road behind Goreme Panoramic Camping

Just up the hill at the west edge of Goreme is a little campsite. Goreme Panoramic Camping is a nice place to spend the night in the summer months. Just past the entrance to the campsite there is a dirt road that leads to a dead end at a steep cliff. This is a location where many balloons land and you can really get close to the balloons as they end their journey.

There is not a whole lot of parking at this spot but it’s not too busy so hopefully you can find somewhere to pull over. And it’s also incredibly close to the town center so it’s easy to walk to as well. Refer to Spot 5 on the map above for the location.

Other spots for balloon watching

This is by no means an exhaustive list. These spots just represent the best places we found through hours of research and asking literally every hospitality worker in Goreme where to go to see the balloons. There are so many amazing places in Cappadocia that I’m sure you can find your own peaceful spot too!

Frequently Asked Questions