Goreme Open-Air Museum
Goreme Open-Air Museum
4.4
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Start your exploration of Cappadocia at this UNESCO World Heritage Site—a magnificent valley filled with rock-carved churches and monasteries. Built during the Byzantine period, this historical settlement was a home to monks and a pilgrimage destination. Be awed by the intricate construction of the cave rooms and churches etched into the honeycomb landscape. The museum’s highlight is the Dark Church which is decorated with brilliantly colored frescoes that have been carefully preserved. Visit in the early morning for fewer crowds and join a guided tour to learn more about the site’s history and architectural secrets. A separate ticket is required for the Dark Church. – Tripadvisor
Duration: 2-3 hours
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4.4
7,075 reviews
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ReviewerII
Chalfont St Peter, UK425 contributions
Apr 2024 • Friends
This is a great site to see the ancient churches and homes of a lost time, I don't think you can come here without seeing it and it is the best place to see the dwellings as they were, especially if you don't have time to see the underground city. The entry fee was fine but I did feel ripped off having to pay and extra e6 each to access the Dark Church which is the best part of the museum. We enjoyed it very much but we were barely here 1.5hours.
It is crowded, even arriving first thing (which I would recommend) and it is not easy to visit if you have physical issues, you need to be a bit fit.
Overall a great place to visit.
It is crowded, even arriving first thing (which I would recommend) and it is not easy to visit if you have physical issues, you need to be a bit fit.
Overall a great place to visit.
Written 11 April 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Manmeet S
New Delhi, India30 contributions
Sept 2024 • Couples
A set of churches, set up in the caves. One can even walk from the town of capadocia, around 20 min walk. Seeing the museum itself requires to climb over several stairs and steep slope, taking a guide is better than using audio guide(costs 350 Turkish liras). Overall you need at least 45 minutes within the museum to see it completely. It's a fun place to explore and also has great valley view for pictures.
Written 10 September 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
masdesid65
San Giuliano Terme, Italy1,059 contributions
May 2024 • Friends
Without a doubt the most famous and crowded place in Cappadocia, the Goreme Open Air Museum has been declared a World Heritage Site. The rock churches of Goreme are located in a valley about 1 kilometer from the town, they are dug directly into the rock and contain splendid thousand-year-old frescoes that have been miraculously preserved. The most fascinating are found in the Apple Church (Elmali Kilise), St. Barbara's Chapel and the Serpent Church (Yilanli Kilise), but to observe the most extraordinary paintings you need to pay a supplement and visit the Dark Church (Karanlik Kilise) Here, thanks to the lack of light, the colors of the frescoes have been optimally preserved. Furthermore, the Church of Tokali (recently restored by the University of Tuscia).
Practical information: entrance €20, supplement for the Buia Church €6 (photos cannot be taken). The space inside the churches is limited and often entirely occupied by tourist groups. By visiting the site early in the morning (arrive before 9am) you will not have any problems with crowds and confusion. Paid parking is available about 200 meters from the ticket office.
Practical information: entrance €20, supplement for the Buia Church €6 (photos cannot be taken). The space inside the churches is limited and often entirely occupied by tourist groups. By visiting the site early in the morning (arrive before 9am) you will not have any problems with crowds and confusion. Paid parking is available about 200 meters from the ticket office.
Written 2 June 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Arita
Talca, Chile26 contributions
Sept 2024 • Couples
Very nice, it is one of the unmissable of capadoccia. We went by car and were charged 50 Turkish lire to park and also the entrance that I don't remember exactly the value. You have the option of paying for audio guides, but it is better to hire the local guides outside the museum. We are a couple who toured Turkey by car on our own. I also recommend the fairy chimney and the valley of the
Amor
Amor
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Written 27 September 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Joeys_Newt
82 contributions
Apr 2024 • Couples
A little shocked at the entrance fee - 50% up from when we planned the visit a month ago: set cost of €20 for non-residents, only payable in TRY... on the plus side, the exchange rate they used was fair. Perhaps we picked a bad day and got there a bit late, but rowdy crowds kind of spoiled the atmosphere of a religious site, and the max 3 minute whirl through each church didn't allow for really feeling the place - which is quite significant in Christian history. An extra €6 for the Dark Church and the queue put us off that part. On the whole a bit disappointing compared to expectations.
Written 12 April 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Susan C
Melbourne, Australia1,535 contributions
Mar 2024 • Couples
The Goreme Open Air Museum (according to the old sign out front) contains eight Christian churches, three chapels, one refectory, one monastery and a grave site. The chapels and churches are carved into the rocks and are decorated with colourful frescos. Photos are not allowed in any of the churches and chapels. The churches are set out in a horseshoe type arrangement and a well-made path takes you up and down the hill past most of them. A few of the churches are accessible from ground level but many require taking stairs.
There is a map board at the start but it wasn't entirely clear. We decided not to pay for the additional ticket for the Dark Church which is reputed to have the best frescos (which may have been a mistake) but did try to see all the others though I think we might have missed some. The first one on the circuit is the Chapel of St Basil. A bit later is the undecorated refectory. The Chapel of St Catherine, just after the Dark Church, had pretty spectacular frescos. Another structure without frescos is a multi-storied cave which didn't contain much but we saw kids having fun clambering around. From there the path takes you through the valley back to the entrance where you can admire the fairy chimneys and the views to the multi-hued hills behind which I probably remember best.
There is a map board at the start but it wasn't entirely clear. We decided not to pay for the additional ticket for the Dark Church which is reputed to have the best frescos (which may have been a mistake) but did try to see all the others though I think we might have missed some. The first one on the circuit is the Chapel of St Basil. A bit later is the undecorated refectory. The Chapel of St Catherine, just after the Dark Church, had pretty spectacular frescos. Another structure without frescos is a multi-storied cave which didn't contain much but we saw kids having fun clambering around. From there the path takes you through the valley back to the entrance where you can admire the fairy chimneys and the views to the multi-hued hills behind which I probably remember best.
Written 30 April 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stef
Cognac, France43 contributions
May 2024 • Couples
Beautiful site but the price is much too high: 20€/person to enter, you need a guide (20€ extra) or an audio guide (10€ per person extra), because there are very few explanations on site, then you have to pay 6€ per person to visit the dark church (it is on this site). And what's more, photos and videos are prohibited, and many caves/churches on the site are closed. So a little disappointing in the end for the price paid....
Written 29 May 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Barbara R
Turin, Italy1,841 contributions
Aug 2024 • Couples
Visiting the museum with the beautiful frescoed cave churches is absolutely worth it. It is a very fascinating place, both from a landscape and historical point of view. You have to enter every cave and stop to admire, but along the way you should look around to admire a truly unique landscape.
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Written 29 September 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
val75
Collegien, France33 contributions
Apr 2024 • Couples
Superb museum. It's incredible
2 downsides is that we already pay 20€ for entry and we are asked for 6 euros for one of the churches (it's a bit of a racket)
And at the entrance they refused to give us an audio guide even though there were several available, on the pretext that we can do it with our phone. But we wanted to preserve the battery and 4 g because we were spending more on hikes.
2 downsides is that we already pay 20€ for entry and we are asked for 6 euros for one of the churches (it's a bit of a racket)
And at the entrance they refused to give us an audio guide even though there were several available, on the pretext that we can do it with our phone. But we wanted to preserve the battery and 4 g because we were spending more on hikes.
Written 21 April 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Celine Weston
Seattle, WA5 contributions
Jan 2025 • Couples
The earliest "monasteries," some of which existed before Constantinople and the spread of Christianity. The idea that early Christians lived here was very astounding. You may access buildings that are in very good condition, such as a dining room and a few little chapels. One of Cappadocia's must-sees, without a doubt. Sneakers will probably work just fine, but if you want to enter some of these buildings, make sure you wear comfortable shoes.
Written 10 January 2025
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello, how long does the visit take for the open air museum?
Written 11 January 2023
Hi, I'd say around 1-2 hours,I personally took 1.5 hours to go through that place but it depends on your timing(whether there are many people there at that time) and your own pace.
Written 6 February 2023
Добрый вечере. Прочитала много подробностей о церквях, которые вы посетили. Хотела узнать, а где вам удолось найти столько информации? вы пользовались услугами гида? если да то могли бы подсказать какого. спасибо большое
Written 27 September 2019
доброе утро! местные смотрители рассказывали. услугами гида не пользовался. еще могу посоветовать приложение izi.travel. карманный гид. там тоже много информации.
Written 9 October 2019
Buenas tardes, me podrias decir cuanto pagaron entre taxi, entrada y audioguía en español??
Written 21 September 2019
La entrada al museo al aire libre de Göreme fueron 45 liras turcas. Lo del taxi no te lo puedo decir porque como los demás fuimos en viaje organizado. Dudo que haya audioguias en español
Written 22 September 2019
Could someone give me an idea about the visit in October/November?
Is this period good or bad for the baloon trip and the other sightseens in the region?
Moreover, is 2 days enought for Goreme? I'm worried about weather conditions cancelling the baloon trip, so I want to have 2 days for guarantee.
Written 23 July 2019
Ola Thiago! Acho q poderia fazer a pergunta sobre condicoes de voo de balao diretamente a uma empresa de balao. Fui no verao e me disseram q no inverno muitos voos sao cancelados. Fiquei 4 dias em goreme e achei perfeito pois foi possivel ver tudo na regiao, para isso eu tinha carro e guia o q transformou a experiencia em algo maravilhoso. Sem falar no voo de balao. Se quiser te indico a empresa de balao e o guia. Boa viagem
Written 24 July 2019
Периодически приходит уведомление с вопросами. Сам вопрос не виден. Ответить непонятно как и на что. Это глюк?
Written 30 January 2019
Наверное, здравствуйте. Потому что я отвечаю )))
Written 31 January 2019
Добрый день! подскажите, пож, время работы музея
Written 29 January 2019
Сам музей под открытым небом, туда вход не ограничивают, но вот на территории музея есть монастырь и музей, если не ошибаюсь, вот у него есть часы работы (касса до 16,15 в зимнее и 18,15 в летнее время) и отдельная плата за входы, цен я к сожалению незнаю
Written 30 January 2019
Hola, cuales es el horario y días que esta abierto? cuanto tiempo uno se demora en recorrerlo?
Written 6 September 2018
Para visitas, no horário comercial = 8 até 17h.
O tempo de demora depende do Guia ou de sua disponibilidade. No mínimo 2 horas. No máximo 4 horas.
Written 7 December 2018
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