Where to find the best sunset in Cappadocia

By Roberto (Updated Mar 2025)

⏱4 min

Hi there again! Recently we posted another entry about the best places for sunrise and now we want to talk about the place to enjoy the best sunset in Cappadocia 🌅.

Probably you’re planning your trip or you’re already in Cappadocia, one of best places in Turkey. Whatever the case may be, if I had to pick one sunset spot to spend some hours at golden hour, it would for sure be the Red Valley Sunset Point and we will explain why.

Where is Red Valley Sunset Point

Red Valley Sunset Point is a well known lookout by both locals and tourists. The exact location is here and it’s easy to reach if you have your own car. It only takes 12 minutes driving from Göreme and if you go before 6:00 pm, you have to pay the parking fee, that was 70 TL for us.

The good thing about this lookout is that it’s really long, and there is usually space to sit, have a picnic waiting for the sunset and have good views. There are toilets (10 TL) and there is enough parking.

In case you don’t have your own vehicle, you can either hike through Red and Rose Valley for 1 hour, or take a taxi (and tell them to wait for you there). We also saw some buses coming with groups, but I have no idea where they took them from.

Is it the place for the best sunset in Cappadocia?

Probably yes! We went there twice and liked it. The first day we had a really good sunset, and the next day we attempted a hike in Red & Rose Valley at sunset time, but Ely was feeling a bit sick. Imagine our first long trip with Lara being 7 months old and Ely sick and 😅. Anyways, during both times the sunset was very good. Would we recommend it? Of course!

We think Red Valley Sunset Point is perfect to enjoy the best sunset in Cappadocia because it’s:

• Relatively high, giving you good views.
• Next to the shaped landscape of Red Valley and the mountains around it, forming a perfect location for photos.
• Facing west, necessary when the sun goes down.
• Other things we’ve said above.

There are other great locations, like Göreme sunset point or the top of Uchisar Castle, but the views aren’t as impressive.

📸 Photo tip: when taking sunset and sunrise photos, use high f in your camera like f/11. This will give you more depth of field and the sunbursts looks better.

Some recommendations before going to Red Valley Sunset Point

Of course, you should check when the sunset is going to be! If you only want to take some pics of the sunset, go 30-40 mins before that time. But if you want to enjoy a quiet sunset, with some food or drinks (many people bring chairs or blankets to sit on), go more than one hour in advance.

For photos, I found that walking along the lookout, gives you different perspectives thanks to the different rocks you find. My suggestion is that you can get different frames by exploring a bit or even going into the paths you find.

Things to do in Red and Rose Valley

One of the things I missed doing in our trip to Cappadocia, was a proper hike in Red and Rose Valley. But when you travel with newborns or kids, you have to adapt. I checked blogs about hiking in these area and the landscape is unique.

It’s not clear where Red and Rose Valleys start and end, but basically they are north and east of Göreme and they have tons of pinky-reddish rock formations. There are many different paths in the valleys and there is no proper circular route with sign indications. Some people even get a bit lost there 😅.

I prepared this short hiking route along Red Valley, to get an idea of the landscape, visiting also some churches (built into the rocks) and then experience the sunset by Sunset Point, but we only did 1 km to the first church.

So, if I could go back and do it again, I would go with the car to sunset point with enough time to do a short hike at least, come back to the lookout for the best sunset and chill with good wine, Spanish olives and French cheese. Why not? 🧡

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