3 min read · Published October 2026 · Updated October 2026
Cappadocia Red Tour and Green Tour
The red tour is the north
Operators use red for the northern circuit. You are in a vehicle between short walks: the Göreme Open Air Museum, the fairy chimneys at Paşabağ, the volcanic shapes at Devrent, and a pottery stop in Avanos. It is the first-day route if you have never been. Our published walk, /tours/cappadocia/goreme-valley-hike, is Rose Valley and Red Valley on foot. That is the north, but it is a hike, not the museum circuit. Ask for the museum circuit on the quote when you want the classic red list rather than the valley path. The churches themselves are /travel-guide/goreme-open-air-museum. Paşabağ and Zelve are /travel-guide/zelve-open-air-museum. Those are place guides, not a second tour to book.
The green tour is the south
Green means south. Kaymaklı or Derinkuyu underground city, then the Ihlara valley, about three kilometres beside the Melendiz if you walk the usual section, and Selime’s rock-cut monastery at the end. The drive is longer than the north day. /tours/cappadocia/underground-city is the underground city, the pottery and the viewpoints. It does not already include the Ihlara gorge. Add Ihlara and Selime on the same quote and the day becomes the green route. The gorge, the riverside churches and Selime are written up at /travel-guide/ihlara-valley. The two underground cities have their own place pages, /travel-guide/kaymakli-underground-city and /travel-guide/derinkuyu-underground-city. The bookable day stays the underground tour, with the gorge added on the quote.
Which day to book
One day and you want the postcard chimneys: north, red. One day and you would rather walk a valley and go underground: south, green. Two days: north on the first, south on the second, and put the balloon on a morning that is not also a 07:00 museum departure. The balloon page is /tours/cappadocia/hot-air-balloon. ATVs are /tours/cappadocia/atv-safari and they are not a substitute for either day.
What the shared bus is selling
A shared red or green seat is a cheap clock with a fixed lunch and a shop. The private day uses the same geography and drops the shop. Entrance fees and the drive are the cost. If you only need the underground city and not the gorge, book the underground tour as published and do not pay for Ihlara.