Uchisar Castle
A Giant Natural Rock Pinnacle Hollowed Into Rooms, Stairs And Windows, With A Stairway To The Top And A 360 Degree View Over Goreme, Pigeon Valley And Mount Erciyes. A Sunrise And Sunset Lookout, With Hotels, Shops And A Market Clustered In The Village At Its Foot · Uchisar, Nevsehir
Uchisar Castle is a giant natural rock pinnacle at the top of Uchisar village, about 6 km from Goreme and 20 km from Nevsehir, and it is the highest point in Cappadocia, at roughly 1,300 m above sea level (confirm). The soft volcanic tuff has been carved over centuries into rooms, stairs, windows and tunnels, so the rock looks like a vast honeycomb, and in earlier times many people lived inside it as a refuge against attack. Today a stairway climbs to the top, where a walkway gives a 360-degree view over Goreme, the pale ridges of Pigeon Valley, the red hills of Cavusin and the snowy cone of Mount Erciyes on a clear day. Dawn is the finest hour, when hot air balloons rise over the valleys and the tuff turns pink and gold. The village below has stone houses, boutique hotels, small shops and cafes, and it is quieter than Goreme. Visit for the view first and the carved rooms second, and leave time to wander the village.
Uchisar Castle, a rock outcrop riddled with rooms on a high point of Cappadocia in the village of Uchisar, about 6 km from Goreme and 20 km from Nevsehir; coordinates approximate, Uchisar, Nevsehir, Turkiye
The castle is usually open daily, from about 08:00 or 08:30 until sunset in summer, roughly 19:00 to 20:00, and closer to 17:00 in winter - confirm, as hours change by season. A ticket booth sits at the base of the stairway. The climb can close after rain, snow or ice, when the rock is slippery. Dawn visitors may find the gate closed before opening time, so ask your hotel whether early access is possible (confirm). The village around the castle is open all day and evening, and cafes with terraces serve until late.