You want to visit Cappadocia in Turkey, you’ve seen photos of the hot air balloons, the fairy chimneys and the incredible landscape but what is the best time to visit Cappadocia?
And most importantly, what is the best time to visit Cappadocia for hot air balloons?
In my opinion, the weather determines what is the best time to go to Cappadocia. Cappadocia is a dry desert-type landscape meaning Cappadocia weather is hot in Summer and cold in Winter!
Best Time To Visit Cappadocia
Although the Cappadocia hot air balloons run all year, the hot air balloons are often stopped due to the wind, rain and snow and you don’t want to miss out on seeing the hot air balloons in Cappadocia!
This Cappadocia blog post will help you understand the best season to visit Cappadocia and the best month to go to Cappadocia so you can have the most enjoyable trip to this fairytale place and easily one of the most beautiful places to visit in Turkey!
Best Month To Visit Cappadocia
If you’re looking for a quick answer, based on the below experiences from people who have been to Cappadocia and told us about the Cappadocia weather in each month, and from using my own experience…
The best month to visit Cappadocia and the best season to visit Cappadocia is definitely:
Late Spring and Autumn – April, May, early June, late September and early-mid October.
Best Time to Visit Cappadocia For Hot Air Balloons
The hot air balloons are not all that Cappadocia has to offer, there are so many more things to do in Cappadocia.
But, they are so unique and an amazing way to see the landscape of Cappadocia and whether you go in a hot air balloon, watch them from your hotel rooftop (I recommend staying at Design Cappadocia Hotel!), or both, seeing them will definitely make your trip to Cappadocia.
The wind is what cancels the hot air balloons in Cappadocia and in the winter months they often only run for half of the days in a month, in the summer months they usually run most of the month, so keep this in mind when planning your Cappadocia trip!
Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon Travel Tip
Be sure to book your Hot Air Balloon ride for the very first morning you’re in Cappadocia, this way, if it gets cancelled you will have your second morning and perhaps third morning to go on it. If you book it on your last morning and it gets cancelled, you have no other mornings to go!
Book your hot air balloon in advance below to get a great price and a guaranteed booking on your first morning!
Another Turkey travel tip is to get a sim card for Turkey as soon as you land so you’ll be connected for your whole trip. Luckily most airports make it really easy to buy a sim card at the airport, especially buying a sim card at Istanbul airport if you transit through Istanbul to Cappadocia!
Weather in Cappadocia
In my opinion, the weather determines what is the best time to go to Cappadocia. Cappadocia is a dry desert-type landscape meaning Cappadocia weather is hot in Summer and cold in Winter so lets look at the month-by-month weather from people who have been!
Cappadocia in January
January in Cappadocia is cold and it’s very likely to snow in January too.
You may have seen beautiful photos with snow on the ground and hot air balloons in the sky because the hot air balloons sometimes still run in the snow and some days in January in Cappadocia can be cold but beautifully sunny.
However, the snow does stop the hot air balloons a lot of the time in January and from a practical point of view, a lot of Cappadocia is very hilly, especially the town of Goreme and I wouldn’t like to be there when it’s icy!
For the best time to visit Cappadocia, January is not it unless you are happy with very very cold and snowy days and the possibility of the hot air balloons in Cappadocia not running.
Also, bare in mind that Cappadocia in Winter is very quiet so the town of Goreme which is the main tourist town will not be busy and buzzing in the winter months in Cappadocia.
Cappadocia Weather in January day time temperature average: 1-11 C
Cappadocia in February
Cappadocia weather in February is very similar to January. It is very cold with the possibility of snow and the balloons running less than half of the month.
For the best month to go to Cappadocia, February is not a month I recommend unless you are happy with cold days, cold nights, some snow and the possibility of the hot air balloons not running when you are there.
Cappadocia Weather in February day time temperature average: 7-12 C
Cappadocia in March
March in Cappadocia seems to bring more wind to the region than any other month of the year.
Some days can be cloudy, other days can be clear blue skies and the weather in Cappadocia can change dramatically in this month, so if you are looking at March as the best time to visit Cappadocia, keep that in mind.
This year my friends visited in Cappadocia in March and in the middle of March it was snowing so keep in mind March in Cappadocia can still be very cold!
Wind often cancels the hot air balloons in Cappadocia and it’s likely you will face their cancellations due to wind in March. The day time temperature picks up in March, it will still be cold in the morning and when getting up for your balloon ride.
For the Cappadocia best time to visit, March is a better month than January and February but if you want better and more enjoyable weather, wait a bit longer, or at least until the end of March.
Cappadocia Weather in March day time temperature average: 15-20 C
Cappadocia in April
I had a lot of responses from my Instagram friends for April in Cappadocia when I asked them about the best time to visit Cappadocia so it seems this is a popular month to go!
April in Cappadocia seems like it brings all weather. It offers a nice daytime temperature for looking around in the day and offers perfect hiking weather in Cappadocia because of the cooler days than the summer.
However, you may still experience some snow like the most recent Aprils did and some cloudy days.
If you are happy to experience a range of temperatures and weather types, April could be the best time to visit Cappadocia for you!
Personally, I would like to go back to Cappadocia in April as I feel like it is the best time to visit Cappadocia for cooler but enjoyable temperatures.
Cappadocia Weather in April day time temperature average: 12- 21 C
Cappadocia in May
May in Cappadocia is the best time to visit Cappadocia in the sense that the daytime temperature in Cappadocia is increasing and the coldness of winter is over.
Cappadocia in May often brings beautiful blue skies mornings which is the best time to visit Cappadocia for hot air balloons as they love clear blue skies, and historically in May they run most days of the month.
May can still bring cloud and overcast skies later on it in the day. However, Cappadocia when it’s overcast is still very beautiful.
Cappadocia Weather in May day time temperature average: 18-26 C
Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon Travel Tip – Be sure to book your Hot Air Balloon ride for the very first morning you’re in Cappadocia, this way, if it gets cancelled you will have your second morning and perhaps third morning to go on it. If you book it on your last morning and it gets cancelled, you have no other mornings to go!
Cappadocia in June
June in Cappadocia has been described as beautiful with beautiful warm nights as well as beautiful hot days.
Cappadocia cools down at night during the year, sometimes to a temperature that is too cold and cool, however, in June it cools down to a pleasant summer evening temperature.
The end of June brings much hotter temperatures but definitely not the hottest temperatures in Turkey, it’s hotter in other places in Turkey in June.
For the best time to visit Cappadocia, if you like the heat without it being too hot, June is the best month to visit Cappadocia!
Cappadocia Weather in June day time temperature average: 26-32 C
Cappadocia in July
Without a doubt, July in Cappadocia is hot! It was described as hot but doable by one of my friends on Instagram, but do be prepared for hot days and warm nights.
With this heat comes beautiful blue sky sunny days for most of July and there are ways to beat the heat in Cappadocia, you can go hiking and exploring earlier in the moring and around sunset and relax in your cool cave room hotel during the midday heat.
The best time to travel to Cappadocia if you want guaranteed blue sky and really perfect weather in the sense of sun is July.
Cappadocia Weather in July day time temperature average: 29-35 C
Cappadocia in August
I didn’t receive any replies on Instagram about visiting Cappadocia in August and this maybe because it is an extremely hot month to visit. The hottest month of the year.
However like in July, this heat generally brings sunny and clear days which are very beautiful and they mean that the hot air balloons are very likely to run.
The warm mornings will also make getting up early for your hot air balloon in Cappadocia much more enjoyable than in the winter months!
When looking for the best time of year to visit Cappadocia, I’d say that August isn’t it unless you are prepared for very hot and sweaty days.
Cappadocia Weather in August day time temperature average: 30-35 C
Cappadocia in September
The weather in September in Cappadocia changes a lot between the start of the month with the end of Summer in Turkey and the end of the month with the start of Autumn.
In 2020 I visited Cappadocia in late September and although the middle of the day was hot, it did not feel unbearable and the nights cooled down nicely.
The best thing about visiting Cappadocia in September is also that the days are usually blue sky and sunny. This is what all of my 5 days were like in September when I went with just 1 cloudy evening.
Many of my friends on Instagram also visited Cappadocia in September showing that it is a best month to visit Cappadocia with many people saying they think its the best time to visit Cappadocia for perfect weather.
If you are looking to go hiking in Cappadocia, be warned that September is still a hot month for hiking unless you go out very early or leave it until closer to sunset. Hot when hiking
Cappadocia Weather in September day time temperature average: 20-30 C
Cappadocia in October
October brings Autumn in Cappadocia and from my experience, early Autumn is the best season to visit Cappadocia for cooler but pleasant temperatures, blue skies and golden trees in Cappadocia.
The evenings and night time in October in Cappadocia definitely cool down and can get chilly if it becomes windy however the days are really lovely.
October is a great time for hiking in Cappadocia and really getting out and exploring the landscape and as for the best time to visit Cappadocia for hot air balloons, they may be cancelled in October but there is a good chance they will run!
In my opinion, October is another month which is the best time to visit Cappadocia and I would definitely return in early-mid October again.
Cappadocia Weather in October day time temperature average: 18-23 C
How to get the best flights??
I use Skyscanner to book all of my flights! I’m a huge fan of Skyscanner because I love how easy it is to compare different destinations and different dates for the best price and route!
For example, I type in ‘everywhere’ in the destination if I have fixed dates and want to find the best flights on those dates on Skyscanner.
And if I have a set destination I’ll look at the ‘month view’ to check the cheapest days to fly in that month!
Cappadocia in November
Although November is Autumn in many countries in the Northern Hemisphere, it seems that November in Cappadocia brings in Winter quickly.
The comments I got from people who had been to Cappadocia in November and spoke about the Cappadocia weather said that it was too cold, super cold and hard to wake up for the balloons because of the cold! However, November does often bring blue and clear skies!
For Cappadocia best time to go, November is not it unless you are prepared for these colder temperatures.
Cappadocia Weather in November day time temperature average: 13-18 C
Cappadocia in December
December in Cappadocia, like January and February, is very very cold.
There will be less balloons because of the weather and because of the fewer tourists and the towns, especially Goreme was described to me as feeling desolate because it was so quiet and cold.
For the best time of year to go to Cappadocia, in my opinion, it is not winter unless you enjoy cold temperatures and like the idea of it being a quiet place rather than the buzzing vibe that the middle of the year brings.
Cappadocia Weather in December day time temperature average: 1-11 C
I hope that helps you plan the best time to visit Cappadocia!
- For more of my Cappadocia and Turkey blog posts to plan your trip see:
- How to Travel From Istanbul to Cappadocia! A Detailed Guide!
- Cappadocia Prices. How Much Does a Cappadocia Trip Cost?
- 2 & 3 Day Cappadocia Itinerary With BEST Things To Do In Cappadocia!
- A 3 Day Istanbul Itinerary! Things To Do in Istanbul in 3 Days!