Red tour or Green tour? How to choose

Newcomers to Cappadocia meet a colourful puzzle: the Red tour, the Green tour and, somewhere behind them, a Blue one. The colours are shorthand for routes. The simplest reading on a map is that Red goes north and Green goes south. Individual stops can shift with the season and the pace of the group, so check the tour page for the exact list, but the character of each tour is constant, and that character should drive your choice.

The Red tour: rock churches and northern valleys

The Red tour is Cappadocia's postcard. At the Göreme Open Air Museum you walk through chapels and churches carved into the rock, their walls still covered in Byzantine frescoes. In Paşabağ (Monks Valley) you see fairy chimneys with several heads, and in Devrent (Imagination Valley) rock formations that look like camels and other animals. Avanos adds a pottery workshop, and Uçhisar adds its castle, one of the highest viewpoints in the region.

The pace is easy: short walks, many pauses, plenty of photographs. There are steps and sloping paths but little distance, which makes this tour comfortable for older travellers and families. The only drawback is the crowd. The museum and the famous viewpoints fill up at certain times of day, and our guides work around that when they order the stops.

Inside the museum, the churches may be the most talked-about moment of the day. In rooms that get little light the frescoes have been protected for centuries, so the colours are surprisingly fresh, and your guide explains which scene tells which story, how monks lived here and why so many churches were cut into the rock. In Avanos, a town on the banks of the Kızılırmak, you watch clay take shape on a potter's wheel, and many guests take a small souvenir home from here.

The Green tour: underground, Ihlara and the south

The Green tour travels further and shows a quieter side of Cappadocia. Its centrepiece is the underground city of Derinkuyu, which reaches about 60 metres down; roughly eight levels are open to visitors. You duck through low passages past round stone doors, ventilation shafts, kitchens and wine presses, and it stays cool inside whatever the weather above. Your guide explains why the corridors are so narrow: anyone entering as an enemy had to stoop and walk in single file. We cover it in more detail in the guide to the underground cities.

Then comes the Ihlara Valley. About 14 kilometres long, it is entered by roughly 360 steps; a stream runs along the bottom and rock-cut churches appear between the trees. Groups normally walk one section of the valley rather than the whole length. Along the way a stop such as Selime Monastery, a vast carved complex, may be added. The special pleasure of this tour is walking in the hush of a valley and resting in the shade after lunch at Belisırma. The day usually starts early and ends toward evening, and because the road is long, comfortable shoes, water and a light jacket make good companions.

Side by side

• Character: Red means rock churches, fairy chimneys and crafts. Green means an underground city, a valley walk and a monastery.
• Walking load: Red is light and broken up. Green has more steps and more distance on foot.
• Time in the van: Red stops are close together. Green distances are longer, and much of the day goes on the road and in the valley.
• Crowds: Red is busier around the museum. Green is more spread out.
• What both share: A minibus of up to 14 people, guides in Turkish, English, German or Russian, and a set-menu lunch plus museum and underground-city entrance fees included in the price. If you hold a Museum Pass, mention it in your booking note.

Which one for whom

If it is your first visit and you only have one day, Red is usually the safer starting point; it gathers the images that made Cappadocia famous. If you care about history, the underground and a proper walk, or if you simply want to avoid crowds, Green is yours. Anyone who dislikes tight passages (claustrophobia) or has knee or hip trouble will be more comfortable on Red.

For families the distinction is subtler. Small children love the fairy chimneys and animal-shaped rocks, so Red is a fairy-tale route for them. Older children and teenagers treat the maze and rolling stone doors of the underground city as an adventure, which can make Green the more memorable choice. If that does not settle it, tell us the ages and we will help.

The season is another yardstick. On a hot summer day the underground city and the shaded valley give welcome relief; on a rainy or snowy day, the short stops and indoor visits of the Red tour are easier to manage. With two days, do both, and follow the order suggested in how many days to stay in Cappadocia.

The Blue tour and private tours

The third option, the Blue tour, offers a Cappadocia away from the crowds: the old Greek mansions of Mustafapaşa (Sinasos), Keşlik Monastery, the Soğanlı Valley and the ancient city of Sobesos. We recommend it for return visitors or for those staying three days.

If you would rather build your own route, there is the private day tour: up to 6 people per vehicle, with stops, pace and breaks decided by you. You could even combine the best of the Red tour in the morning with the underground city in the afternoon. If you cannot decide, write to us and we will suggest something based on your dates, ages and interests. And when you are ready, a booking request goes out without any payment.