The Red, Green and Blue tours are informal names Cappadocia's agencies give to full-day guided trips, not official routes. The Red Tour covers northern sights such as the Göreme Open-Air Museum, Paşabağ and Avanos; the Green Tour combines an underground city, a walk in Ihlara Valley and Selime; the Blue Tour visits Mustafapaşa, Keşlik Monastery and Soğanlı. Tours usually last 7–9 hours with lunch included, while entrance fees may or may not be covered depending on the agency.
Cappadocia's Red Tour, Green Tour and Blue Tour are informal names local agencies use for full-day guided trips. The Red Tour covers the north around Göreme (the Open-Air Museum, Paşabağ, Avanos), the Green Tour heads south-west to an underground city and Ihlara Valley, and the Blue Tour visits quieter villages and monasteries in the south. Each takes roughly 7–9 hours, and stops vary by company.
Below you will find the common core of each itinerary, a side-by-side table and the questions worth asking before you book. For the sights themselves in more depth, see our guide to places to visit in Cappadocia.
Are the Red, Green and Blue tours official routes?
No. The colours are a shorthand Cappadocia's tour companies settled on over the years; no ministry or tourism board defines them. Some agencies sell the same programmes as the "North Cappadocia tour" and the "South Cappadocia tour", and others use their own names.
So two agencies' Red Tours may not match. The order of stops, the lunch venue and even individual stops change. Ask for the written itinerary and compare tours by their list of stops, not by their colour.
Cappadocia Red Tour: the north around Göreme
The Red Tour stays in the north, where the fairy chimneys are densest and most stops are less than 15 km (about 9 miles) apart. Most operators share this core:
- Göreme Open-Air Museum: rock-cut churches and monastic buildings with frescoes, and the main stop of the day. Our Göreme Open-Air Museum guide covers it in detail.
- Uçhisar Castle: usually a viewpoint and photo stop; some tours climb it.
- Paşabağ (Monks Valley): mushroom-shaped fairy chimneys, some with several caps.
- Devrent (Imagination Valley): rock formations people liken to animals.
- Avanos: a pottery workshop demonstration on the banks of the Kızılırmak, the Red River.
- Çavuşin or Zelve: abandoned rock-cut settlements on some versions.
Hotel pick-up is usually around 09:00–09:30, with drop-off around 17:00. Walking comes in short pieces, the longest being the sloping paths inside the museum. For first-time visitors it is the most efficient one-day overview of the region.
The Göreme Open-Air Museum and the rock settlements around it belong to the UNESCO World Heritage site Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia, inscribed in 1985. Because the museum gets busier towards midday, some agencies start the day there; when you compare tours, ask what time the group enters the museum.
Cappadocia Green Tour: underground city, Ihlara Valley and Selime
The Green Tour runs south-west, beyond the Aksaray border, so a good part of the day is spent on the road: Ihlara Valley is about 80 km (50 miles), roughly 1 hour 20 minutes by car, from Uçhisar. A typical day runs like this:
- Pigeon Valley viewpoint or the Göreme panorama: a short photo stop.
- Derinkuyu or Kaymaklı Underground City: a guided walk through narrow, low passages carved on several levels.
- Ihlara Valley walk: roughly 360–400 steps down at the main entrance, then 3.5–4 km on a flat path along the Melendiz stream to the village of Belisırma.
- Lunch in Belisırma: usually at riverside restaurants.
- Selime Monastery: a large rock-cut monastic complex; some versions add the fairy chimneys of Yaprakhisar.
On the way back many groups stop at an onyx or jewellery workshop. Expect a 09:00 start and an 18:00–18:30 return. The valley is about 14 km long and 150 m deep on average, and the tour walks only a short section; our Cappadocia valley hikes guide covers the onward walk to Selime. For the history of the underground cities, read our post on Cappadocia's ancient and underground cities.
Cappadocia Blue Tour: Mustafapaşa, Keşlik Monastery and Soğanlı
The Blue Tour is the least standardised of the three and aimed at travellers who want a quieter southern loop. The usual core:
- Mustafapaşa (Sinasos): a former Greek Orthodox town known for its carved stone mansions; its Greek community left in the 1924 population exchange.
- Keşlik Monastery: a rock-cut monastic settlement with frescoed churches.
- Sobesos: a Late Roman town near the village of Şahinefendi, known for a 4th-century bath and floor mosaics; excavations began in 2002.
- Soğanlı Valley: Byzantine rock churches and dovecotes, the furthest stop at about 70 km from Uçhisar.
Some agencies add the historic mosque and madrasa at Taşkınpaşa, the village of Cemil, or the Mazı or Kaymaklı underground city. The day lasts about eight hours. Departures are less regular than for the other two: some group tours need a minimum number of guests, and some companies sell this route only as a private tour.
Red vs Green vs Blue tour: comparison table
The table summarises what different operators' itineraries have in common. We do not list prices, and inclusions vary by company.
| Tour | Route | Main stops | Approx. duration | Walking level | Typically included |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Tour | North: Göreme to Avanos | Göreme Open-Air Museum, Uçhisar Castle, Paşabağ, Devrent, Avanos | 7–8 hours | Light: short walks in several pieces | Hotel pick-up, guide, transport, lunch |
| Green Tour | South-west: Derinkuyu, Ihlara, Selime | Underground city, Ihlara Valley, Belisırma, Selime Monastery | 8–9.5 hours | Moderate: 3.5–4 km flat path plus a long staircase | Hotel pick-up, guide, transport, lunch |
| Blue Tour | South: Mustafapaşa to Soğanlı | Mustafapaşa, Keşlik Monastery, Sobesos, Soğanlı Valley | About 8 hours | Light to moderate: short valley walks | Hotel pick-up, guide, transport; lunch on most programmes |
Entrance fees to museums and archaeological sites, drinks at lunch and tips are excluded from many programmes. When two tours with the same name differ in price, entrance tickets are often the reason.
Which Cappadocia day tour suits you?
- First visit: the Red Tour shows the classic sights in one day. Our first-timer's guide to Cappadocia helps with the rest of the plan.
- Walkers and nature lovers: the Green Tour, for its green canyon and riverside path, a different landscape from the fairy chimneys.
- Return visitors and crowd-avoiders: the Blue Tour, built around villages and monasteries that see fewer visitors.
- Limited mobility: the Red Tour; the Ihlara staircase and the crouching passages of the underground cities are demanding.
- Families with young children: the Red Tour or a half-day private tour, since the Green Tour's long drives can tire children.
With three nights, a practical pattern is the Red Tour on your first full day, the Green Tour on the second and the remaining time for a balloon flight, a hike or free exploring. For day-by-day plans, see how many days to spend in Cappadocia.
Joining the Red Tour on the morning of a balloon flight is possible, depending on when the balloon company drops you back at the hotel; check the two times against each other when you book. Because that day starts so early, the long-drive Green Tour is more comfortable on another day.
A short checklist for tour day
- Shoes: closed shoes with grip for the Green Tour; the Ihlara stairs and the streamside path are dusty and slippery in places.
- A light layer: underground cities stay noticeably cooler than outside, even in summer heat.
- Budget: if entrance fees are not included, allow for tickets and for drinks at lunch.
- Sun protection: water, a hat and sunscreen; in summer the open-air stops and the Ihlara walk are sunny.
For what to wear in each season, see our Cappadocia packing list.
How to choose a good tour operator
Many agencies sell the same routes, so the details make the difference. Ask these questions before you pay:
- Is it a licensed travel agency? In Türkiye, travel agencies need an operating licence from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and membership of TÜRSAB, the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies. You can check an agency's name and licence number in TÜRSAB's member agency search. Avoid sellers who trade only through social media and cannot give a licence number.
- Is the guide licensed? Professional tourist guides wear the annual work card issued by their guides' chamber, visibly at chest height, while working. Ask which language the tour runs in.
- How big is the group? Ask what "small group" means in numbers and what vehicle is used.
- What is and isn't included? Get entrance fees, lunch, drinks and tips in writing.
- Are there shop stops? Many group tours spend around 30 minutes at an onyx, pottery, carpet or jewellery showroom. Buying is optional, and you can ask in advance whether such a stop is on the programme.
- Pick-up and cancellation: confirm pick-up and return times and the free cancellation deadline.
Private tour or group tour?
Group tours cost less and are sociable for solo travellers; in return, times, stops and breaks are fixed, and collecting guests from several hotels can delay the start.
On a private tour the vehicle and guide are yours. You can start early to reach the Göreme Open-Air Museum before the crowds, skip shop stops and mix Red and Green highlights to suit your interests. It costs more, though the difference per person shrinks for a family or a group of four. Some agencies also provide a car and driver without a guide, in which case nobody explains the sites.
Doing the routes yourself by car
The Red Tour is easy to drive at your own pace. From Uçhisar, the Göreme Open-Air Museum is about 6.5 km away, Çavuşin 8.5 km, Paşabağ 11 km, Zelve 12.5 km and Avanos 14 km, so you can be at the museum at opening time and spend the afternoon in Avanos.
The Green Tour route is longer: Kaymaklı is about 28 km away, Derinkuyu 38 km and Ihlara Valley 80 km, with Selime beyond 90 km. If you drive and walk the Ihlara Valley one way, you will need to walk back to the car or arrange a taxi from Belisırma. On the Blue Tour, Soğanlı alone is about 70 km from Uçhisar.
If you plan several museums and sites, check what the MuseumPass Cappadocia covers and how long it is valid on the official Turkish museums website. Our Cappadocia car rental guide covers vehicles, insurance and driving tips, and the hotel has free on-site open-air parking for guests.
Booking a Cappadocia day tour from Uçhisar
Zeppelin Cappadocia's tour desk can help you book the Red, Green or Blue Tour, a private tour, a balloon flight or a transfer. Agencies usually include hotel pick-up from the main villages, Uçhisar among them; confirm the pick-up point when you book. Uçhisar is within about a 20-minute drive of the Red Tour stops and close to the roads south. Read more about the location on our Uçhisar hotel page, or compare villages in where to stay in Cappadocia.
