Cappadocia's day tours come colour-coded, which is helpful right up until you have to choose. The good news is that the Red and Green tours barely overlap. One stays among the fairy chimneys around Göreme. The other heads underground and then down into a canyon. Here's how to pick.
The Red Tour: the postcard version
The Red Tour (sometimes called the North Tour) keeps close to Göreme and packs in the famous sights. The Göreme Open-Air Museum, where monks painted frescoes inside rock-cut churches a thousand years ago. The Uçhisar castle viewpoint. Paşabağ, also known as Monks Valley, whose chimneys wear several stone "hats" each. Devrent Valley, where you'll spend a happy ten minutes spotting rocks shaped like camels. And Avanos, a pottery town on the Red River, where you might get to have a go at the wheel.
Walking is light. Wow-moments are frequent.
See also
The Green Tour: underground, then into the canyon
The Green Tour (the South Tour) goes further out, and it's more of an adventure. After a panorama stop above Göreme, you descend into an underground city such as Derinkuyu or Kaymaklı: level after level of tunnels, stables and chapels where whole communities once hid from invaders. Mind your head. Seriously.
Then it's out into daylight for a walk of 3 to 4 km through the Ihlara Valley, a green gorge with a river running through it, ending with lunch by the water at Belisırma. Most tours finish at Selime Monastery, carved into a cliff and looking like a film set.
Only got time for one?
First time in Cappadocia and short on days? Do the Red Tour. It's the landscape you came to see.
Like hiking, history, or travelling with curious kids? The Green Tour, for the underground city and the canyon walk. One word of warning: the tunnels are narrow and low, so if tight spaces make you uneasy, the Red Tour is the kinder choice.
Why most people end up doing both
With two days, it's an easy plan. Red Tour one day, Green Tour the next, and a sunrise balloon flight squeezed in before breakfast. Book them together as a package and it's one conversation instead of three, and usually cheaper per person.
Frequently asked questions
Both are full-day tours, usually about 7 to 9 hours including hotel pick-up and lunch.