Best of Cappadocia

Kaymaklı Underground City is one of Cappadocia's astonishing subterranean towns, a multi-level warren of carved tunnels, stables, kitchens, wine presses and chapels where whole communities sheltered from raiders. We picked it over its deeper neighbour Derinkuyu for travellers who find tight, low passages a little less daunting, its galleries feel wider and more navigable. It's part of the same UNESCO World Heritage landscape and just as atmospheric, with the great round stone doors that once sealed each level. Bring a light jacket, it's cool below, and skip it if you're strongly claustrophobic, as the connecting tunnels are genuinely low and narrow.

Uçhisar Castle isn't a castle in the usual sense, it's the tallest rock outcrop in Cappadocia, honeycombed with tunnels and rooms and once used as a natural fortress and refuge. We picked it for the view: from the top you get one of the finest 360-degree panoramas over the whole region, with the valleys fanning out and Mount Erciyes on the horizon. Climb up for sunset, when the tuff glows gold and the village below softens, it's one of the most romantic moments in Cappadocia. The final stairs are steep and exposed, so take it steady and bring a layer for the wind at the top.

Paşabağ, often called Monks Valley, has Cappadocia's most extraordinary fairy chimneys, tall cones crowned with two or even three separate caps, a shape found almost nowhere else on earth. We picked it because it pairs that geological oddity with real history: Byzantine hermit monks carved cells and chapels into the chimneys, including one dedicated to Saint Simeon, the stylite who lived atop a pillar. It's compact and easy to wander in under an hour, which makes it a perfect stop between Avanos and Zelve. Come in the softer light of early morning or late afternoon, when the cones cast long shadows and the crowds thin out.

Pigeon Valley is the scenic trail that links Göreme to the hilltop village of Uçhisar, named for the thousands of dovecotes that locals carved into the soft rock to harvest pigeon droppings as fertiliser. We picked it as the easiest way to actually walk through Cappadocia's landscape rather than just look at it, a gentle few kilometres of cave dwellings, pigeon houses and earth pillars. The full route is roughly four kilometres and mostly flat, with a short climb up to Uçhisar at the end where the famous evil-eye tree and big views wait. Wear sturdy shoes, carry water in summer, and walk it in the cooler morning or late afternoon.